We had just landed in Rome a few hours before while on a long layover before heading to Istanbul, and this was right at the beginning of the day when we had left the Fontana di Trevi and were on our way to the Pantheon. Even though I had seen all of those narrow and winding Italian alleys in the big screen, I was still pleasantly surprised with how charming they were in person, especially very early in the morning with light starting to seep through the buildings.