The Great Fall of Rome
Stripe has a pretty generous PTO policy - 21 days in a year. Well, being
the workaholic that I am, I was hitting the cap in June of 2024. Once you hit 30 days, you
stop accumulating days off. Seeing how I was forced to take time off
I guess I might as well (relunctantly) plan a trip to Italy - thanks Stripe 
1.
Planning the Trip
Originally, both of my parents were supposed to go, but my dad ended up flaking
not getting approved for his visa. So, it ended up being just me and my mom.
If you know me personally, you know I’m a huge planner. I’m the exact opposite of a spontaneous trip person 2. Like, “we should have a plan down to the hour” kind of planner. So naturally, I ended up with a spreadsheet for the entire trip, a Google Doc with a day-by-day itinerary, walking routes mapped out, all tickets pre-downloaded sorted by the city/day, and audio-guided tours ready for offline use.
So, with detailed plans to see 5 cities in the span of two weeks, we were off. 3
Day 0 (SEA -> AMS -> FCO)
Our travel day involved two flights. The first leg was from Seattle to Amsterdam, followed by a tight <2 hour layover to Rome. We were ready—or so we thought.
We called an Uber to SeaTac, driven by a middle-aged Chinese guy named Bowen, who spent most of the ride roasting his daughter (a fellow UW grad!) for being lazy. We made it to SeaTac and breezed through security thanks to SEA Spot Saver. Then we chilled at the gate, surrounded by a group of Korean ajummas heading to Seoul.
The flight itself was uneventful. I watched The Big Short and Moneyball based on an off-hand recommendation from a coworker. I will say, Delta’s food on this flight was really good. They served a chicken curry and a calzone breakfast sandwich, and low-key, I thought it was better than some of the Italian restaurants we ended up eating at lol.
We touched down in Amsterdam (AMS) ready to tackle the next leg. Now, if you’re unfamiliar, AMS requires you to go through security again when connecting flights. Fortunately, they have a “short queue” for tight connections, so we thought we were chilling.
Our flight from SEA was delayed for 30 minutes, so we landed at 8:00 AM with a flight to Rome leaving at 9:40 AM. We got to the checkpoint around 8:25, and the short queue was only open for people with flights at 9:15. No big deal, … right? We’ll just wait come back to the short queue once the 9:40 flights are eligible. Meanwhile, we queued (as they would say in the EU) in the regular line, just in case.
We were paying close attention to the announcements for flights eligible for the short queue: 9:15… 9:20… 9:25… then nothing. No announcement for our 9:40 flight time. By 8:50, we’d barely moved in the main line. My mom and I debated whether to head straight to the short queue area directly as we started to feel increasingly uneasy. Boarding starts at 9:10, so we had 20 minutes to get through this absurdly long line that was just not moving.
Then the chaos began.
“There is no more short queue. Go to the back of the general line,” barked an AMS worker.
Complaints flew, but the staff didn’t care. People were stressed, and a girl in a tour group
even passed out right in front of us (she was fine, but still terrifying - that tour group
definitely missed their flight though 
). Meanwhile, our flight was boarding, and we
weren’t even halfway through. We just sat in that line for the next hour inching forward.
By the time we reached passport control, it was 9:40 — the exact time our plane was supposed to take off. The border officer took his sweet time too, even taking a phone call. I wish I could make this shit up… Once we were through, we legit sprinted through the AMS airport with our luggage in tow. You have no idea, how relieved we were when we saw the flight attendants at the gate yelling at us to hurry. We reached the gate at 9:50. We collapsed into our seats, in disbelief we hadn’t missed the flight. The last leg flight to FCO was short and uneventful — just two hours. We landed in Rome, grateful to have just made it. It definitely did not need to be that stressful.
AMS, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart. please rework your transfer system. But at least we were there in Rome. There was a nice egg salad sandwich on this flight which was refreshing though.
Day 1 (Landing in Rome)
We arrived at FCO around noon, just relieved to have landed after the AMS chaos. We wandered around the airport before flagging down a ticketing lady to point us toward the Fiumicino to Roma Termini train. The ride was super chill and gave fast bullet train vibes. The workers actually checked tickets once we were boarded (Seattle light rail could never). We were surrounded by other tourists, and the train itself was very nice and clean. A very pleasant start to Rome.
After getting to Roma Termini, we hopped on a bus, then walked through town to our hotel. The tiled streets made lugging our bags tougher than expected, but we managed. The streets were busy with tourists and shops; the lively atmosphere was fun to experience.
For Rome, we booked a hotel called Pantheon Relais, just 15 seconds from the Pantheon. It was an insane location. Staying so close made exploring Rome incredibly convenient. The room itself was really small, but was literally in the heart of city, so we were content.
After dropping our stuff, we took a stroll to get our bearings, passing the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, then headed to Trastevere (a neighborhood known for good food) for dinner. We ended up at Tonnarello for dinner, apparently a TikTok famous spot, but imo overrated. 4 After, we headed back to the hotel and crashed for the night.
Day 2 (Rome - Colloseum)
Our hotel provided some decent breakfast options in the morning. We had some croissants, coffee, and some breakfast sandwiches which were very tasty.
After breakfast, we started our first real day with a morning trip to the Colosseum which was just a 30 minute walk from our hotel. Not too bad since we got to enjoy the city en route, though it was really hot still even with it being early in the morning. Thanks to our meticulous planning, we had skip-the-line tickets and breezed through security at our 9:00 a.m. slot. A few grazies (“Thank you” in Italian) later, we were inside with no wait. Planning to the hour has it’s perks. The bathroom line inside, however, was almost as slow as AMS security.
Once inside, we explored the museum and learned about the Colosseum’s history, from gladiator games to its various uses over the centuries. The gladiator mechanisms were fascinating and the models of the Colloseum were neat. It was surreal to stand in such an ancient place, especially after being surrounded by modern, bland buildings in the US.
Next up was the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill across the street. Essentially the old downtown Rome and its hills with numerous palaces built on top of it. No skip-the-line tickets here, so we baked in the sun for a bit while waiting in line, but eventually got in. The Forum was a highlight, especially the 3 pillars, the temple of the vestal virgins and the site of Julius Caesar’s cremation. We followed Rick Steves’ audio tour, which was perfect for going at our own pace and catching all the little details. Definitely recommend.
By the time we finished sightseeing the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, it was 3 p.m., and we hadn’t had lunch yet, though neither of us were particularly hungry. I suggested grabbing gelato on the way back. On our way to gelato, my mom spotted a menu instead and insisted we grab food there. I knew it was a tourist trap and tried to warn her, but Asian parents, am I right? I mean come on… we were literally foot steps away from the major attractions…
So, we ended up paying the tourist trap tax5 - bird poop on the table included.
My mom had bruschetta and I got a pizza. It was kind of edible(?) at least.
My mom knew she fucked up when she couldn’t stop laughing at how unfortunate the food
situation was once we started eating. I didn’t even give her a hard time. She just looked at
me after the first bite of her stale ass bread and we both started dying LOL 
. A good
lesson learned for roughly ~40 euros.
After a quick nap at the hotel, we ventured out again for an evening walk through Rome’s cooler streets. The nighttime stroll was extremely pleasant (highly recommend), and we ended up at the Spanish Steps. Rome has great vibes at night. For dinner, we skipped pasta and went to a small sandwich shop near the hotel—Il Panini Ingegnoso. Delicious sandwiches (the lady working there was also super sweet). Went to sleep pretty early since we had another busy day planned.
Day 3 (Vatican Museum + Sistine Chapel + St. Peter’s)
The next morning, we walked another 35 minutes to the Vatican Museums for our 9:30 guided tour. Thanks to our skip-the-line tickets and planning, we breezed past the long queues and waited for our tour. Seeing those lines while we skipped them was pure bliss.
The Vatican Museums were packed with incredible artwork, tapestries, and tourists. I felt bad for a group of college kids who missed out on the museum due to poor planning. My mom got a bit lost during the middle of the tour, but overall it was smooth sailing. Our tour guide was fantastic - thanks Micaela!
Then we entered the Sistine Chapel. Holy shit. It was mind-blowing, definitely one of the top experiences of the trip. The artwork is unreal. Even though I’m not a big history or art guy, the grandeur gave me chills. I couldn’t take photos out of respect, but trust me, it’s something you need to see for yourself. 6
Next, we walked straight into St. Peter’s Basilica with no wait. We got super lucky. We were fully expecting to have to wait in a huge line in the heat but got to skip that. Bless up.
St. Peter’s was simply awe-inspiring. The sheer scale of the church is staggering. Photos can’t capture how enormous it is. The feeling you get standing there in person with everything towering over you is just a feeling you have to experince in person. Domes are cool, but seeing this in person was mind-blowing. St. Peter’s was awe-inspiring. The pictures don’t do it justice because you don’t understand the scale of it until you’re there. Again just chills. Thinking people built this was just mind boggling once you’re standing there with all the walls towering over you. You have to go and experience it yourself.
I was a pretty pissed that the bronze canopy and Michelangelo’s Pietà weren’t on display, but the sheer scale of the church was enough to make me happy. Seeing it in person was a world away from what you learn in a classroom setting (shoutout ARCH151).
After, we headed back to Italy for lunch. We went to Supplizio to try Roman supplì — fried rice balls flavored with … idk the term, pasta flavors? Super nice people and pleasant restaurant, but my mom was not a big fan haha. It was … worth trying once I’d say.
Back at the hotel, we napped before heading out again. We enjoyed some strawberry and peach gelato, finished our sightseeing around the city, and browsed some shops. We ended the day back at the sandwich place from the night before at my mom’s insistence since she wasn’t keen on more pasta. Then it was off to bed.
Day 4 (Rome -> Naples)
Since our hotel in Rome was in such a prime location, we decided to wake up early to see the Trevi Fountain before the crowds. At 5:50am, we were there making our Trevi wishes. As the myth goes, one throws 3 coins over their left shoulder to make 3 wishes: one to return to Rome, one to find love, and one for a proper wedding.
Afterward, we headed to the Pantheon. It was cool, but after seeing St. Peter’s, it’s hard to be as impressed. Still, it was neat. I had a fun, slightly confusing conversation with an older Italian man who was explaining the Pantheon’s sloped floor design. From some guesswork and lengthy gesturing, I think he was telling us that the center (along with the outer edges) of the Pantheon are slightly raised to channel rainwater into holes in the floor. Lots of polite nodding and “grazie-ing” ensued.
Our last lunch in Rome was another tourist trap, this time on purpose for the convenience factor and we just wanted to test the food again because maybe the second time might turn out differently (it was tourist trap quality in the end tho). We checked out of our hotel and made our way to the train station. My mom got caught on the train entrance and nearly took herself out.
The two-hour train ride to Naples went smoothly. While the hotel itself was fine and conveniently close to the station, the Napples neighborhood we were located in was… rough. We were unapologetically welcomed to Naples for sure. Narrow streets, dirtier and much more chaotic than Rome, with motorcyclists and cars speeding by. You could sense the soul of the city, but it felt very grunge-like? Yeah, my mom and I weren’t big fans of the city. It just felt very inaccessible.
We did walk all the way to the Sansevero Chapel, which itself was incredible. The detail in the sculptures, especially the famous veiled Christ was insanely intricate, and the skeletons in the basement were creepy, yet fascinating. The chapel was a highlight (again no photos allowed). Although the chapel was cool, the city itself wasn’t winning us over.
We eventually found a spot for ragu. Easily the best meal of the trip. My mom had fresh fusilli (pasta), and I had gnocchi. Both were delicious, rivaling the sandwiches in Rome and even the Delta airplane food (surprisingly). Afterward, we made the treacherous walk back to the hotel making it past the constant whirring of cars. By then, we were kind of over Naples. The city just wasn’t the right personality match for us.
Day 5 (Naples / Pompeii)
The next day we had breakfast and our hotel, pretty solid selection on top of a rooftop, and then headed to Pompeii. So, this segment is pretty interesting since you get to ride the so called “subway from hell”.
The “Subway to Hell” is a less maintained train / commuter rail designed to run between
Napoli station and Circumvesuviana the stop where the ruins of Pompeii. It doesn’t look that bad, but I did fuck up getting the tickets causing us to
run a bit late, but oh well. We get to Pompeii and followed the Rick Steve’s audio tour as per usual. Pompeii was really cool once you start to think
about the history and what it used to look like. Highlight for sure was the brothel lmao and some crude depictions .
After a bit, the Pompeii buildings all start to blur together imo, and we ended up heading back after some croissants for lunch. Unfortuantely, I started to feel a bit sick, so we headed back to hotel to rest for a bit.
After resting for a bit, we settled on a pizza restaurant in Naples, very good pizza compared to Rome, but it was way too much. Apparently, for those who don’t know, there’s Neapolitan pizza features a dough distinguished by it’s soft and puffy dough. Very chewy, absolutely delicious, and a true authentic experience. The ladies serving us were super super nice, would definitely go again.
Day 6 (Naples -> Florence)
Travel heavy day like normal. Breakfast, then train to Florence. Arrive in Florence around 2pm, and we get these sandwiches from All Antico Vinaio, which apparently is a chain that is available in the states and was ported from Italy and world famous. After not so discreetly looking up what was good on the menu, we get the La Dante and La Paradiso. Both very good sandwiches, but very different. All’Antico Vinaio is best known for their pistachio cream sandwiches and La Paradiso was extremely rich. Delcious, yes, but extremely rich and too much for one person to finish. La Dante was good, kind of spicy, and interesting. The bread was cut very nice and very crunchy. But, maybe this is a hot take, it was a tiny bit overrated.
We walk to the hotel which is situated literally right across from the church. As in, we could take a picture of the church from our room. Insane spot and location. The only downside is that it requires one to take a few flight of stairs to get up to the hotel in a dimly lit. Very dimly lit, mind you.
We arrive, then go for a walk to checkout the city, a precursor to everything we would be seeing in the next few days. Much different than Naples, but we definiely prereferred this vibe more. Took some nice pictures around Florence, then headed back after grabbing some dinner. My mom was entirely sick of Italian food at this point, so we helped ourselves to sandwiches then went to rest in preparation of our busy day the next.
Day 7 (Florence)
Well, today was the day we were supposed to head to a day trip to Tuscany, including a wine tour, and ending with a leaning tower of Pisa. We woke up early and were heading to our shuttle location.
As we’re heading down the stairs from the hotel to meet our shuttle location, due to a combination of a dark stairwell, eating our hotel provided breakfast croissant in hand, and being in a hurry, my mom misjudges the 2nd to last stairwell. Completely misses and fractures her ankle. Instant swelling. Can’t put any weight on her left ankle. Trip over.
We rush back to the hotel room. After some errand running getting pain killers, ice packs, and our highlight souvenier (a single leg crutch), we realize it’s doomed later at night. We make the executive decision to cancel the rest of the trip and fly back to the states the next day to get it checked out.7
Most the trip was non refundable, but thank goodness Delta was able to rebook next day return flights for us (thank you sincerely Delta, you’re a real one, not just for the airplane food, but for being so sweet 
). So with the last few hours of Italy, we just remained in the hotel nursing a broken ankle and prepared to head back.
Post Trip - lol (FLR -> CDG -> SEA)
The next morning was the hardest part of the trip—leaving. Partly because we didn’t want to leave Italy, but mostly because one of us couldn’t walk on our own.
We made it to the Florence airport and got wheelchair assistance for my mom. Honestly, the staff at FLR were so sweet.
They were amazing—coming out to help us with wheelchairs right at the Uber and getting us all the way to the gate. We even got a behind-the-scenes look at the airplane lift. Just to flex, most people never get to see this during their visit to Florence 
.
We had layover in Paris, but sadly, the Paris wheelchair assistance wasn’t great. They weren’t very helpful, and I ended up helping an older English lady named Louis off the plane because no one else did. It was frustrating because the staff didn’t even seem busy—they just didn’t help. Maybe it’s just symptom of having such a big airport.
At the gate, we had a very sweet lady who offered to help my mom into the ladies restroom . We boarded after a while and we were just relieved we were in the last leg home. I accidentally made a girl sit away from her friends so I could sit with my mom (sorry if that was you!).
Uneventful flight, but at this point, I think my mom just wanted to rest at home.
When we landed in Seattle, the wheelchair assistance was much better. They were super attentive, and we got an Uber home. Home at last!
The next day, we went to urgent care to check my mom’s ankle. Turns out, she had a clean fracture on a non-load-bearing part of her ankle. After a successful surgency and a lengthy recovery period with PT and ankle exercises, I can report back that my mom is now healthy again so that’s sweet.
Closing
It’s kind of an overdue update, but figured it was better late than never. (Oops, posted this nearly 2 years late)
While the ending of this trip was a cut a bit short, it’s a good story at the end of the day. In the words of my 11th grade English teacher, “time turns tragedy into comedy”. And in the words of my family now, “don’t pull a Haiying and trip down a set of dimly lit stairs when you’re on vacation”.
I’ll probably complete the last half of the trip next year in 2025 (and hey, at least I’ve already done the planning required for that). Looks like one of my Trevi fountain wishes will get fulfilled. We’ll see about the other two.
And at the end of the day, my mom got her good trip in Rome.
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Kidding. I really need to take more PTO
↩ -
Unstructured plans are fine by me if I’m just following someone else’s lead. But my mom is also a planner and wanted me to figure out all the details, so having no structure for the two of us would’ve been a guaranteed disaster. Plus, Italy really does require a lot of planning and reservations imo. ↩
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As much work as the planning was, it turned out perfectly. I was worried that squeezing in five cities over two weeks would feel too packed, but my mom and I agreed afterward that the pacing was just right. The trip was pretty relaxing, despite how much we had to see. ↩
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I think Italian cuisine just isn’t for me. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not like, life changing. I definitely can’t eat pasta every single day on that trip. That said, it still ended up being one of the better meals we had during the trip. ↩
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The dead giveaway? The waiter asked for a tip. They don’t do that in Italy. ↩
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I wanted to take photos, but breaking the rules in a holy place felt wrong. I’ll just remember the imagery in my head… but wait I have aphantasia
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For US visitors, healthcare isn’t free in Italy, but in hindsight maybe we should’ve just gone to emergency services right away (but hey, we thought it was only a severe sprain at this point). ↩