La Dolce Vita

So I've been lazy and neglected to post some of the pictures from our last night in Rome as well some of the pictures of where we stayed during the week, Castel Gandolfo. So here's a little bit of la dolce vita experience in Italia...."the sweet life"

First we'll start with Castel Gandolfo, a picturesque lakeside town just south of Rome. I stayed here for my training and the majority of my two week trip to Italy. (Patrick met up with me for my second week). There are very few English speaking locals in Castel Gandolfo, unlike Rome. Here we were able to experience authentic Italian food, which was delicious! Although small, I miss the peacefulness and resort-like feel of Castel Gandolfo.

(Click on the pictures for a larger view)

Across the lake from our hotel

It was glorious to wake up to this view every morning:

Sunrise as seen from my room - Hotel Castel Vecchio

Lake view near our hotel

Piazza della Liberta in Castel Gandolfo with Bernini Fountain - Pope's summer residence in the background

Our last night in Castel Gandolfo

Quaint streets in Castel Gandolfo

Piazza and Pope's summer residence at night

mmmm.....limone gelato

View from the hotel restaurant

Hanging out on the rooftop terrace

And now on to our last night in Rome. Being that it was our last night, I wanted to experience romantic Rome. After dinner we walked around Rome to see several sites lit-up at night that we already saw in the daylight....absolutely beautiful!

We didn't have a tri-pod, so we balanced our camera on a garbage can for this slow shutter speed shot: (we make do!)

Colosseum

Roman Forum

Monument of Victor Emmanuel II

Finally our last stop of the night....The Trevi Fountain. So romantic! We sat by the fountain, people watching, while eating....you guessed it! ...Gelato!

I will leave you with these two final images from the Island of Capri. While I was in training, Pat visited this breathtaking island. After seeing his pictures I'm extremely sad I missed out. However, I WILL make a point of visiting this island when I return to Italty....so something to look forward to I guess!

Ciao,