Today was the first time trying out buses in Italy. I’m a train girl—I love everything about their organization and schedules. Buses are a little gray for me, and Matt just goes wherever I go and makes sure I don’t walk into puddles, fall, or get attacked. He’s so observant of our surroundings that he can remember people we saw days ago at completely different restaurants or tourist spots. He’s also really good at recognizing celebrities out in the wild.

We managed to get on the right bus and off at the right stop. Our destination was a place called Slow – Specialty Coffee & Pastry Lab. It looked super fancy but still came in at €11 (about $13.61) for two cappuccinos and two pastries. The equivalent at one of our favorite spots in Burbank—Lou the French on the Block—would be about $28. No line when we arrived just before 8:30 a.m., but a line wrapped around the building just a couple hours later.

First official scheduled stop: the Pantheon. We arrived early and waited in line, enjoying the perfect weather while finishing off our pain au chocolat and fruit Danish. I’ll let you guess who ordered what. Matt looked around and said, “I would love to take a jog around here,” to which I quickly responded—while pointing at the ground—“You’ll kill your ankles!”

I have a love-hate relationship with the streets here. Cobblestones and hills for days. We are never on level ground. I love the charm of it, but I hate what it’s doing to my very special feet. It’s only day three, and I woke up with a slight limp. Oopsie. And to think I felt bad about not bringing fancier shoes.

I vaguely remember visiting the Pantheon with my classmates and professors years ago. More than that, I remember how my classmates and I struggled to keep up with our very fit professors—the Pratts (husband and wife, both teaching at our university).

I don’t think I appreciated it as much back then. There are so many different types of stone used in the walls and flooring. I always wonder if any of it is Connemara marble from Ireland. The answer is no—the interior is made from a mix of Mediterranean marble, mainly from Italy, North Africa, Greece, and Asia Minor. Apparently, Connemara marble wasn’t even quarried yet when the Pantheon was built.

The Pantheon started as a pagan temple built by Emperor Hadrian around 125 AD—a total architectural flex meant to honor multiple Roman gods like Jupiter and Mars. Then, in 609 AD, it was handed over to the Pope and converted into a church. They didn’t tear it down or redesign it—they just changed what it meant. Pagan statues were removed, niches became chapels, and relics were brought in to reclaim the space. That conversion is actually why it’s still standing today.

Per my itinerary, I had planned for us to go to “Pizza Florida” for an early lunch—we had seen it in a bunch of YouTube videos. However, I missed one very important detail: it’s closed on Sundays. By the time I realized, we were already standing in front of a highly rated restaurant called Come ‘Na Vorta, which translates to “Just like the old days.” So we pivoted and had some pizzas. Overall: delicious.

Matt wanted to stop by an AS Roma store to grab a soccer jersey. That’s his thing now everywhere we go. He actually wears them while working out, so I’ll give him credit for that. No credit for loyalty, though—he’s currently rotating between Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain. Sorry, parents—no Egyptian teams. Also, AS Roma’s color palette oddly resembles all things Harry Potter.

Next, we walked over to Piazza Navona to continue being tourists and whatnot. We took some selfies and enjoyed the atmosphere.

I was trying to avoid the restaurants there because places like that tend to be tourist traps… but then we both became completely entranced by a gelato shop. Or really, just the idea of gelato. So we parked. Later, I found out it was a somewhat a tourist trap. Reviews were good, but people complained about hidden service fees. Ours was about 10%, but we didn’t care… it was just gelato.

After that, we headed to Campo de’ Fiori, which was not what I expected. Think Khan el-Khalili (the bustling Egyptian bazaar)… but lite. The second we walked in, market barkers were practically forcing us to try things we hadn’t even looked at. It was a bit much for me. I’ve always believed that if you have a good product, it sells itself. So we left.

Nearby restaurants were doing the same thing—calling out to people, asking where they were from, yelling things like, “Hola hola Pepsi cola!” I patted my stomach and let them know I had already eaten.

Next stop: the lovely Galleria Borghese. Everything about this part felt a little scammy. To start, it was nearly impossible to get regular tickets. This is one of those places where I had to book a third-party tour because the tour companies scooped up all the tickets and marked them up to about four times the face value. I really wanted to see it, so I went for it… with a hint of disdain.

Walking through the Galleria Borghese was beautiful, yes—but also a little unsettling. Maybe it was the backstory.

You have this incredibly wealthy family, and a man from that line—Pope Paul V—rises through the Church and becomes pope. I get that he was qualified and worked his way up, but still… the idea of a powerful, well-connected man stepping into that role doesn’t fully sit right with me. When I think of Christian leadership, I think humility—not power, wealth, and influence all bundled together.

Then you learn what came after. His nephew, Scipione Borghese, was made a cardinal and basically became the force behind everything in the gallery. He commissioned a lot—grand art, massive works, entire collections. Which, okay… patron of the arts, fine.

But then you hear how some of that art was acquired—pressure, influence, and in some cases having clergy “encourage” pieces to change hands—and suddenly the whole thing feels a little less holy and a little more… strategic.

And as you walk through the gallery, it’s just art, art, art—stunning, yes—but so much of it rooted in mythology. Pagan themes everywhere. Gods, goddesses, dramatic scenes… and you start to feel this strange overlap of worlds: pagan, Christian, power, politics—all under one roof.

It kind of ties back to everything else in Rome. The same empire that was importing exotic animals just to kill them in the Colosseum for entertainment is also funding and collecting these masterpieces. Romans were… wild.

The whole experience didn’t fully sit right with me. Beautiful and impressive—but layered in a way that raises questions. I’m definitely grateful that today, the pope is just a religious leader and not a political one. Because that era? Those lines were very, very blurred.

Anyhow. We had to go back to the gelato place because Matt left his brand-new soccer jersey there. Don’t worry—we called ahead, and they had it.

We ended up not using the train at all today—just a couple taxis and a few bus rides. For dinner, we tried to get to Trastevere, but there were no taxis. By that point, I was over the bus and not in the mood to walk 40 minutes just to wait for a table. So we stayed local.

Our first choice was going back to Ai Tre Scalini, but when Matt asked for a table in Italian, the host responded with a full Italian spiel—fully aware we wouldn’t understand a word—then laughed and told us it was a long wait.

So… we kept walking. We ended up at Dar Bruttone Rioni. Lovely restaurant, though they claim to have “street food,” even though it’s served hot and plated inside. Maybe a slight identity crisis—but great food, so we didn’t mind.

Next door was one of the first gelato spots we tried—and still my favorite in Rome. The chocolate gelato is rich, dark, and somehow still so creamy and delicious. I could’ve gone for seconds… even though that technically was my second gelato of the day. Don’t judge me. You know… when in Rome.

Okay, that’s all for today. I took about 17 micro-naps while writing this. Tomorrow is a travel day. I left a little room to “sleep in,” but I tend to wake up ridiculously early out of excitement. We shall see what happens. Ciao!