I am way behind in journaling, partly because I got lazy and partly because our hotel in Rome didn't have Internet until the very last day we were there. So I'll try to sum up Rome....
It wasn't at all what I expected.

The good.
We got to see ancient roman ruins, The Colosseum, The Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps. All were incredible. For me, The Sistine Chapel was definitely a highlight of the trip. It is an amazing feat of artistry and I was so happy to have had the opportunity to see it. We also discovered a cute little restaurant called Spago, no not the chain Spago we are all used to hearing about. This place had some of the best pasta we had ever tasted. It was amazing and the service was wonderful. They were very nice to us and seemed happy to have us there....which, as it turns out, is a rarity for us in Rome.
Rome at night is better than Rome during the day, much more romantic and enjoyable.

The bad.
Rome during the day was incredibly crowded, loud, and smelly. There were tons of people on the sidewalks and an immense amount of vehicle traffic which certainly contributes to the noise and diesel smell. About 2-3 times every block there were eastern Indian men hawking crap such as laser light pens, weird light up things that fly up into the air, umbrellas, scarves- you name it. There were relentless and they were EVERWHERE. Literally you say no to one of them take a few more steps and there is another shoving something at you. And even more annoyingly you have to be very firm with your NO, and be prepared to say it to each person multiple times as they don't often take no for an answer. At night in front of the Spanish steps there were many of these guys trying to give "gifts" of roses to ladies. This is a scam in which they hand the flower to the woman who is almost always with a man, then they ask the man for money. I firmly said no to the man trying to give me a flower, but he persisted. I said no about three more times and was trying to walk away and he kept shoving the flower at me yelling, "It's a gift!" Tony finally had to firmly tell him to "bug off", which he eventually did. Another not so great thing is that scams are very prevalent here. Our first taxi ride had no meter running and we were charged about €10 more than what the actual cost was. A little cafe we stopped at in the shadow of the Vatican charged me €7 for a Dixie cup sized slushy....which is the equivalent of almost $10 for a tiny little slushy. At the train station we saw young men hanging out by the trains preying on older people, or people with large bags. they run up and grab the bags and carry them to the train for the tourist, who thinks they have someone become the blessed recipient of some Italian good will. But as soon as this "good samaritan" has stowed their bags he looks at the tourists and in the specific case I saw on our train, repeatedly says thank you.....thank you....thank you with an expectant look on his face, until the tourists realize this person is not going to leave them a lone until they give them money. Stories like this are a dime a dozen in Rome. It happens at ticket machines etc. anywhere you, as a tourist may struggle with something, there is often a scam artist nearby to try and take advantage.
I was really disappointed in how....rude the Italians were in Rome! Coming from Sorrento where there is a very friendly vibe, Rome was a shock. Even the people at the front desk of our hotel didn't seem very happy to see us. I got the impression that Americans are not well received in Rome.

All in all I am glad I went to Rome, as I did get to see some amazing sights. However, I don't think I ever want to go back. Sounds harsh but it has been my least favorite place in our entire trip. While we were in the midst of our time in Rome I couldn't help but recall our 30 min session with one the ladies at the Rick Steves travel center back home when we met with her to help us plan out our trip. While looking at a map and planning our stops she asked, "are you sure you want to go to Rome? Cause if you skip that you can spend more time elsewhere." I firmly stated, "I want to see Rome." After our meeting, Tony and I talked about how we both got the distinct impression this woman who leads tours multiple times a year with the Rick Steves company, did NOT like Rome. I just shrugged it off. But that conversation came right back to me during our time in Rome! I'm guessing she was not a fan for the same reasons I am now not a fan. However, I would have felt cheated if I hadn't gone! If never had the opportunity to see the sights above (the good) then I would feel as though I missed out. So all in all I think that Rome is a worthwhile place to visit but I wish we had been there for only a day, or day and a half and then moved on to something else.
Sorry Rome! Glad we met, but I don't think it's gonna work out....

Next on to the Cinque Terre!