Rome And Florence Trip Log Day 4: Visiting The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel

breakfast at courtyard marriott rome central park italy

I LOVE the hotel breakfast

This was the day I had been waiting for ever since I was a child. Today I was going to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. But first breakfast of course.

I have written an in-depth post about my experience at the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel so instead of inserting it here (and having duplicate content that can hurt SEO) I will provide a link to it right here: Do Not Visit In The Middle Of The Day - My Chaotic Experience Visiting The Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel.

Long story short, this experience was something I will remember for the rest of my life, and I would love to visit again one day to avoid the chaotic experience I had. I will also rewatch Conclave (2024) before then, IYKYK.

entrance to vatican museums rome italy vatican city

Museum Entrance

Laocoön and His Sons vatican city vatican museums rome italy

Laocoön and His Sons

sign to sistine chapel michaelanglo rome italy vaitcan museums vatican city

Sistine Chapel Signage

gallery of maps at the vatican museums vatican city rome italy

Gallery Of Maps

Afterwards, we were starving and craving American-style food. There was a Hard Rock Cafe not too far away by the Metro, so we decided to eat there for a late lunch.

BBQ burger hard rock cafe rome italy

My mouth is watering 🤤

And here's my take on eating American food/ fast food abroad: DO IT.

The food is so much different overseas, and it's always interesting to see how other cultures prepare American foods. I wish I had eaten at McDonald's while in Italy because they had chicken wings and beer. When you are abroad, you should eat whatever the hell you want.

Make sure to try the local cuisine before you head to the Golden Arches.

I am also making it my mission to try the BBQ Burger at every single Hard Rock Cafe in the world. As of July 2025, I've eaten the same meal in Italy and Iceland, but I forgot to seek it out in London.

I low-key hate myself for that

This burger was DELICIOUS—one of the best I have ever had tbh. The meat was tender and melted in my mouth, and the bacon wasn’t too overpowering for the burger. ( I usually don’t get bacon on my burgers) I also don’t like steak sauce, but with this burger, it was perfect for dipping the fries into.

Caesar salad at courtyard marriott rome central park italy

Not at my Vatican Museums merch making an appearance in the back

We then headed back to the hotel and chilled for the rest of the night. For dinner, I ordered a Caesar salad (I don’t think I ordered enough of them in Rome, IYKYK) To-Go from the onsite restaurant, and they packed it so nicely I didn’t even want to eat it at first.

It was so neatly presented, and the salad automatically came with chicken as per usual in Italy, and they even gave me a healthy amount of bread. I was so impressed.

It’s a good thing we called it an early night, because tomorrow we'll be purchasing tickets for the Gray Line Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour around Rome. Hopefully, we'll have a better experience with Gray Line than we did with Big Bus (spoiler alert: it was so much better). We plan to explore the city once again and visit the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps.

Trip Log Index

Day 1: Traveling Abroad For The First Time

Day 2: Exploring Rome via Big Bus Tour and Visiting The Colosseum

Day 3: Florence Day Trip Part One - Visiting the Uffizi Gallery

Day 4: Visiting The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel

Day 5: Exploring Rome via Gray Bus Tour - Visiting the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps

Day 6: Florence Day Trip Part Two - Visiting the Accademia Gallery

Day 7: Last Day In Rome - Almost Visiting St. Peter’s Basilica


Hi! I’m Andrea, the creator of Cinematic Excursions.

I am a video editor, photographer, travel and events vlogger, and blogger who likes to write movie analyses and yap about fandom. I also have a useless film degree.

I have been creating videos since 2018. In 2023, I started Cinematic Excursions to share my unfiltered experiences traveling, cruising, going on excursions, and using city cards that are supposed to save money. 

I also use my platform to document my experience attending events like New York Comic-Con, MCM Comic-Con London, and the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival, advising others and covering news from these events.

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Rome And Florence Trip Log Day 3: Florence Day Trip Part One - Visiting the Uffizi Gallery