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Our Roman Holiday - 8 nights in the Eternal City

Our Roman Holiday - 8 nights in the Eternal City

Old Mar 21st, 2017, 08:15 AM
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Our Roman Holiday - 8 nights in the Eternal City

Our Roman Holiday

We just returned from a fabulous Roman Holiday – 8 nights in the Eternal City! Loved, loved, loved the trip – the city has so much to see and it’s a great city to walk. And we walked – a lot! This was a trip that surpassed expectations and was a welcome break after a period in both our lives with even more than the usual stress: going to Rome and experiencing la dolce vita!

We left NYC on Saturday night, March 11, arrived early afternoon on Sunday, and stayed a full 8 nights, returning on March 20th. We got a good deal with Delta, which was codeshared with Alitalia; all went very smoothly, except we were delayed by an air controllers’s strike on the day we returned. It was by pure luck that we managed to avoid the worst week of winter that NYC experienced (even though it did escape the blizzard of 2017!). We had such beautiful weather in Rome, too – almost every day was sunny and in the 60s during the day, making it the perfect walking weather.

This won’t be my usual, many-detailed report – but I so appreciate the wonderful help I got from so many of you that I want to outline what we did and comment on the highlights. The planning thread had so many recommendations of places to see that it was hard to eliminate places from “the list”, but we ended up with a wonderful balance of sightseeing sites and just wandering aimlessly, exploring and discovering many places on our own. Sometimes, just coming upon something unexpectedly was wonderful. There are so many highlights, in fact, that it’s really hard to call any of them “highlights”. Everything was a highlight!

I do remember reading about the crowds in Rome on someone’s thread – and I was shocked at their size at the very popular sights; the crowds at the Spanish Steps and at the Trevi Fountain were horrendous. Even the Galleria Borghese was crowded on the Sunday that we visited, which shocked me no end since these are timed and presumably limited.

Apartment rental - Capellari Glamour/Sleep in Italy

http://www.sleepinitaly.com/rome/cam...ellari-glamour

Spacious apartment, comfortable bed, well-run agency. We loved the location – Via dei Capellari is a charming cobblestone street just off the Campo de Fiori, filled with unique shops of different types of artisans. The apartment was comfortable although almost too big for us, but I guess coming from NYC, I’m used to small spaces! I recommend the apartment though I have nothing to compare it to in Rome, so can’t assess the value. Overall, the pros far outweigh any negatives – great location, good WiFi, good & functional kitchen, modern and attractive with shower & bathtub; plenty of window for good daylight. My only complaints, and they are minor- there are just a few electrical outlets so, at night, the overall lighting is only from overhead lighting, and that’s a bit bleak. We also found the 2 high steps up and down to the kitchen from the hallway a bit odd – especially when carrying a full cup of coffee! There is also a small step from the hallway to the bathroom/dressing area, which was a little precarious at night, tripping in the dark!

As I said, I loved the street – it was very quiet at night, and centrally located, making it easy to go in any direction from our base. The market at Campo de’ Fiori, though, is a huge disappointment – it’s very much a tourist market, with many vendors who are tourist-oriented items – the usual tourist junk or tourist-oriented food items. There are a handful of the typical vendors – cheese, flowers, vegetables – but most of the market is set up for tourism. Still, it’s fine to stop by and look around and perhaps shop.

Eating

We didn’t have a bad meal the entire week! That’s not to say that they were all standouts, but even the tourist spots we ended up having a meal (generally pizza) were all better than we expected. We are not foodies, and don’t typically go to high end places for meals. While I like wine, it doesn’t seem to like me very much, so we may have a beer or a glass of wine occasionally, but not as a regular part of our meals. We generally ate nearby our apartment and would go out around 7:30pm or so for dinner. I was surprised that the restaurants were generally full by that time, as I was expecting that to be on the early side.

Every place we went was comfortable and not at all formal; no need to dress up, although service was always good and

I took many recommendations from here although I did find that we are more creatures of convenienc; at the end of the day, we were generally too tired to go too far for dinner and prefer to eat near our apartment. I also used Elizabeth Minchilli’s Eat Rome (from the Eat Italy app), which was very helpful.

We ate carciofi (artichokes) in some form or another almost every night. Loved it!

Meals (mostly dinner):
Armando al Pantheon – excellent place, recommended by yestravel. Crowded at 7:30pm and yes, the reservation was essential. We saw people turned away.

Osteria dei Capellari – good pasta. We went here after a long day of touring and it was just a few doors down from us, so we went in without even checking reviews. Excellent pasta, comfortable and casual ambience, friendly service.

Giggetto – in the Jewish ghetto, recommended by Elizabeth Minchilli. Not a kosher restaurant. Good, but of all the places we ate in, probably the one we felt least comfortable with, though the service was good. It was just less relaxing than the other places. I loved the Carciofi alla Giudia and the friend zucchini flowers, though. Delicious!

Ditirambo – my review in TA: “the place was just right -- excellent food, great and friendly service, relaxed ambience -- a solid small restaurant that knows its stuff. Not fancy or stuffy or pretentious-- but welcoming and accommodating. There is a varied menu and food is traditional with a little inventiveness, like artichokes, Roman style, served with mint. The pasta was very good and our Osso bucco was delicious, Sadly, no room for desserts-- but we've got a reservation in a few days, so hopefully, we'll try at least one!”

Grappolo D’Oro – Right across from Ditirambo. Very similar to the above, and perhaps even a touch better. The food was excellent, the service topnotch. We both were very pleased with the restaurant.

Fratte de Trastevere – recommended highly by dutyfree. We had lunch there and had pizza – and it was the best pizza we had, but I can’t tell you how wonderful the pasta or tiramisu is, since we didn’t have it. I’m sorry, Deborah, I’ll have to save it for next time! But the place was hopping for the midday meal, and clearly very popular amongst locals as well as tourists.

Shawarma Express, off Campo de’ Fiori – one night, we had takeout because we were just too, too tired to go out. And the food was surprisingly good!

I Guerrini (Testaccio) – we wandered past this place just as we were getting hungry and happened to arrive in the middle of a food tour visit! So we clearly hit a place that is considered worthy a foodie visit! This is a bakery with lots of prepared foods and we had them make us up a sandwich of baby artichokes, dried tomatoes, and salami. Oh, that was heaven! Maybe one of our favorite meals!

(more to come)
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 08:22 AM
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great start progol - you can't go wrong with a list of all the restaurants you ate at!

keep it coming.
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 08:27 AM
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Missing Rome more and more so looking forward to the rest of your trip report.
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 09:46 AM
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Many thanks!

I promise a brief report only this time since I don't have the time to write a longer one. But I will try to finish this soon!
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 10:50 AM
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So, I don’t have the energy to write up a full report; here is a brief review of the sites we visited with some commentary.

March 12 – Arrival day, late in the afternoon. That evening, we wandered along the Tiber and Campo de’ Fiori. Beautiful!

March 13 – day 2, Monday

We walked everywhere today; first, to the Trajans Market – loved it! We spent a while here and enjoyed the Via Biberatica (thanks, dvienci!). We then had tickets for the Domus Romane/Palazzo Valentino, an excavated Roman house with an impressive sound and light installation that is projected onto the site and reimagines might’ve been there originally as you’re looking at the site. Very cool. Loved the video at the end that also provided the detailed story of Trajan’s column.
We then wandered into the Monti neighborhood with a couple we met during the tour and together, we walked to San Pietro in Vincoli where Michelangelo's Moses is housed. Fantastic statue. We had good pizza in one of the restaurants there, but don’t know the name. We then walked over to the Basilica di San Clemente, saw the present basilica only to find out that the archeological site was closed early that day. Bummer. From there, we walked around the site of the Colosseum (did not enter – have visited it on a prior visit) and the Arch of Constantine. We noticed armed services at every major tourist site; a big change from our visit nearly 19 years ago. From the Colosseum, we walked up to the Campidoglio to admire Michelangelo’s design. Finally dragged ourselves back to our apartment, where we relaxed till it was time for dinner at Armando al Pantheon, stopping at Piazza Navona on the way back.

March 14- Day 3 - Tuesday
Go for Baroque!
The day began at the Piazza Navona, then on to the Pantheon – what can I say? It’s one of the most remarkable buildings ever built. The crowds were not too bad in the morning, but we stopped by several times over the week and noticed large tour groups around the piazza and on line. As it is free (it’s also a church so no entry fee), we walked by and stopped in later in the week as well.

We made a few “discoveries” along the way. We stumbled upon the Piazza Sant’ Ignazio, a perfectly balanced and elegant piazza. We also caught a glimpse of the fabulous Galleria Sciarra, an unexpected discovery of an Art Nouveau passageway. Stunning and a complete surprise.


The focus of the day, though, was the Quirinale: first, we visited the remarkable San Carlo alley Quattro Fontane to view the genius of Borromini. The simplicity of the style, the elegance and the sensuous curves blew us away. What a masterpiece.

We also visited the Sant' Andrea al Quirinale, designed by Bernini, Borromini's major rival, but while it is grand and ornate, it just doesn't hold up to the genius of Borromini (in our eyes, anyway). We also visited Santa Maria Della Vittoria, to see Bernini’s St. Theresa in Ecstasy (and wow, is she ever!). A stunning statue, and seeing this made us really appreciate Bernini. The statue is so alive and so very sensual.

Michael has a particular interest in architectural history, so we also walked up to the Porta Pia, a gate in the Aurelian wall that was designed by Michelangelo.

And we visited the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme – wonderful museum, terrific collection, much of the collection is breathtaking spectacular. Definitely worth going to!

We walked down the hill, passing the Trevi Fountain – the crowds by the fountain were insane! And stopped by Il Gelato di San Crispino, which was very good, though we didn’t find it so special that it was worth searching it out.

And back to the apartment – you can understand why we didn’t feel like walking very far for dinner, so we were pleasantly surprised that the Osteria dei Capellari was charming and good!
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 11:18 AM
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March 15/Wednesday, The Ides of March

Well, what more perfect place to be than in Rome today? We are, in fact, not far from the site of the Theater of Pompey, which housed the Curia, the site where Julius Caesar was assassinated. Much of the theater is underground, but the perimeter includes the Largo Argentina to the area near the Hotel Teatro di Pompeo in the Largo del Pallaro. We explore this area and further immersed ourselves in ancient Roman life by visiting the Crypta Balbi, which really lays out what the ancient world looked like.

We then visited the Baths of Caracalla – and finally, we use public transportation! It’s just a bit too far to walk all the way there after all the walking we’ve done so far. From Piazza Venezia, it’s a short ride to the Baths of Caracalla, large public baths built between 212-217 AD. Amazing structure! As large as Grand Central Station! And much of the structure is still standing! Some of the mosaic floor is still in place and other sections of mosaic are scattered throughout the complex. Amazing - and no crowds!

We had no specific plans after that, and went back and forth about where to go. So we walked from the Baths, first stopping by the Circus Maximus, then wandered toward the Tiber, and disco the lovely freestanding Tempio di Portuno, well-preserved ancient Roman temple, sitting in the Piazza del Bocca Della Verita. Realizing that this is also the location of the famous marble mask made famous by the movie, Roman Holiday, I suggested to M. that we enter the church, Chiesa di Santa Maria in Cosmedin,
to see the mask. When we got to the entrance, though, the line was too long -- so yes, those popular tourist sites are quite crowded.

From there, we walked along the Tiber, crossed the bridge to Isola Tiberina (stopped for some gelato!) and continued on to Trastevere, where we visited the Basilica of St. Cecilia and then Santa Maria in Trastevere, admiring the mosaics in both.

Finally, back to our apartment, where we rested before going to dinner at Giggetto.
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 11:19 AM
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We didn't disco anything! we "discovered the lovely freestanding Tempio di Portuno"!
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 12:04 PM
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March 16/Thursday/Day 5

Months and months ago, I reserved tickets for the Scavi tour, also known as the Vatican necropolis,and the site of St Peter’s tomb, for today at 11:30am for the English tour. After reading so much about it, I was really excited to finally be going. We walked there from our apartment easily and picked up the tickets without a problem. Finding the office was less confusing than I anticipated. There were perhaps 12 people on the tour – not large, but the space is small. With the many raves I read, I had very high expectations, but neither M nor I were as blown away by the tour as we had expected to be. The guide was knowledgeable but she spoke in a very rote way, very monotone, and I was tired and almost lulled to sleep while she spoke. And it seemed that we passed by some really interesting burial sites that never got a mention. Much of the tour was focused on St. Peter and his bones, which was (to be blunt) of less interest to me than the remarkable find of the ancient necropolis, and viewing the details of the different rooms. Don’t get me wrong, it is very interesting to be there and we did enjoy it, but surprisingly, not as much as we had expected.

After the tour, we toured St. Peter’s, which rounded out the experience perfectly. Yes, there were lots of people, but here, at least, the church can absorb the crowds.

We then had pizza along Borgo Pio, a very busy touristy street. Probably our least favorite meal – the pizza was okay and the restaurant took advantage and overcharged us for the meal. But not a surprise in this area. We just wanted to eat something and get going.

We walked back, stopping to look at the Castel St Angelo, but didn’t go in. Crossed the river, walked up by the Ara Pacis; didn’t go in (visited it the last time we were in Rome) but caught glimpses of it through the glass. We continued our walk up to Piazza del Popolo, rested for a while and then walked up the Pincian Hill to the balcony and took in the views from there. Walked around the park for a while and returned to the piazza to visit the Basilica di Santa Maria del Popolo, which contains some remarkable art, including 2 Caravaggios. Great!

We walked back, stopped at a café along the way and I had a delicious cup of hot chocolate. Returned to our home in Rome, rested for a while, and had a lovely dinner at Ditirambo.
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 02:20 PM
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Paule, I'm so glad that you had such a fine - and delicious - time in Rome. It's magical, isn't it?
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 02:34 PM
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Tripplanner, magical is the right word! We had been there nearly 19 years ago and I really loved it then, too, but surprisingly, my husband didn't at the time. I knew we had to make a return trip! He loved it as much as I did and brought a lot more understanding of the layers of history (especially architectural) which brought depth and a kind of focus for our trip.

Such a wonderful city..,
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 03:13 PM
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Indeed! Rome is one of those cities to which I could return again and again and not exhaust myself of things to see and do. I do love how easy it is to wander the city and come across something unexpected or interesting. Or simply do nothing and sit and people watch. The only other cities in Europe that I feel similarly about are Paris and Istanbul.
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 03:46 PM
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Hi Progol,
I am enjoying your trip report. We were in Rome in the 1970's and loved it! It's one of my favorite cities. We, too, agreed we did not have one single bad meal during our week-long trip. And we walked, and walked, and walked everywhere. Every corner we turned gave us beautiful sites and surprises. Rome was my second trip to Europe, and holds a special place for me.

I don't know if you remember me, but last fall I read your trip report to Andalusia, and asked you some questions. We are going to Madrid, Toledo, and Andalucia this September, and we are staying at one of the hotels you recommend, the Hotel Ladron de Agua in Granada. I can't wait!

We will also take the ALSA bus from Córdoba to Granada like you did. Did the bus have a restroom? I can't seem to get a definitive answer from ALSA bus.

Thank you!
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 09:28 PM
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Cross-referenced your mention of Rome on my Gujarat trip report.Welcome back!! Great that your trip turned out to surpass expectations--wonderful when that happens, isn't it?! Following along as you continue. (No rush...i still have a week more to cover on my t.r., and I've been home more than two weeks! You are way ahead of me!)
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Old Mar 22nd, 2017, 02:06 AM
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KarenWoo - of course I remember you and your planning for the trip to Andalucia! One of our favorite trips -- I'm excited for you, it will be wonderful. In answer to your question about the ALSA bus - I'm pretty sure that there are no bathrooms, just a standard long-distance bus (comfortable seats).

CaliNurse - thank you! Now that I'm returning to work, I won't have much time to write, so am trying desperately to finish what I can. And don't even start about the photos -- they need to be organized -- eventually! Your TR is great, by the way, and I'm looking forward to reading it, too!

Thanks for following along!
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Old Mar 22nd, 2017, 03:35 AM
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March 17/Friday

We began our day with the Laundry Adventure. There is a washer-dryer unit in our apartment, and the agent did show us what to do when we first met on Sunday, but here it is, 5 days later and we are pressing buttons and trying to make sense of the unit. After texting the agent, M was able to get it going, although how this happened, we have no idea. The wash seems to take forever and we left the machine in wash cycle(we hoped!); the agent came by and reassured us that it was working fine. A challenge to understand it, though!

After wandering around Campo de’ Fiori and trying to find a few real food vendors (most of them seem to be non-Italian, selling packaged food for tourists), we walked to Trastevere to see the Villa Farnesina. Loved this place – a stunning and beautifully-frescoed Renaissance villa built for a 16th C banker in Rome, a lush place to spend a few hours – and not crowded!

We explored the cobble-stoned streets of Trastevere for a while, enjoying the small village atmosphere of this area, with many unique shops in its small streets and carnival-like atmosphere of street performers in some of the larger piazzas. A taxi driver called this the Real Rome (his family went back at least 6 or 7 generations!).

We stumbled upon the Museo di Roma in Trastevere and saw that they were holding a show of Vivian Maier’s work. If you like street-style photography with an edge (a gentler Diane Arbus?), then you might like her work. She was a nanny and only after her death was her work discovered:

http://www.vivianmaier.com/about-vivian-maier/

We had read about her and couldn’t pass up the chance to see a show of her work – an excellent show, especially the earlier black and white work. There was also a fascinating show of Chinese revolutionary propaganda art and we enjoyed their permanent exhibit of drawings and life-size dioramas of 19th C Rome.

We searched out Fratte de Trastevere for lunch (see above), and found it only because of Google maps. Definitely away from the tourist crowds and clearly hopping with locals as well as tourists. We ate pizza and an appetizer (seafood – meh) but it was THE best pizza we had in Rome.

My mission today was to return to the Basilica di San Clemente, so we continued our walk through many back streets till we came to the Forum. We didn’t enter the site but spent time from above looking at the ruins and getting a better sense of what they are and their significance. We had been on a tour through the Roman Forum on our last trip, and in a way, seeing it from street level looking down helped us get a good overall perspective.

We continued around the Colosseum to Via Labicana and to the Basilica di San Clemente – happily, the archeological site is open! Well worth the visit here – probably our favorite underground experience of this trip, because it show so many levels of history, from the present-day basilica (built before 1100), to the 4th C basilica, and below that, the ruins of a Roman home and a mithraeum. Wonderful mosaics and ancient frescoes – this place was a delight and we were both very glad to make the effort to come back here.

We returned, via the 87 bus (near the Colosseum). Both of us were very tired – it was a good night for take out from the Shawarma Express and a relaxing night in.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2017, 04:24 PM
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Great trip report, progol! I'm taking notes for our visit in September. As for the Scavi tour, I have to tell you that the guide is key to what you get out of it. I've gone three times and each time was different. The guides had varying backgrounds (religious, architectural, archeological) and that determined how the tour was narrated. I definitely enjoyed some more than others. Maybe try it again if you return to Rome as it is luck of the draw on who you get.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2017, 04:48 PM
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Thanks for the TR! Having just got back from our week there in February, I loved hearing your take on some of the sites we also visited. But you have given me many ideas for the "next time" since we mostly saw the "main things", as this was our first trip. Thanks for naming the Galleria Sciarra--we stumbled across it, too, but I didn't find the name yet!
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Old Mar 22nd, 2017, 06:55 PM
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We stumbled upon the Museo di Roma in Trastevere and saw that they were holding a show of Vivian Maier’s work.

I've been to a photography exhibit there before too, randomly walked by and...
This is the kind of thing I enjoy doing after many trips to Rome, visiting exhibitions at the smaller museums and galleries. Several years ago I saw a magnificent Frida Kahlo retrospective at the Scuderie del Quirinale. That exhibition really gave me a great foundation when I visited Mexico City a couple years later.

Great report!
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Old Mar 23rd, 2017, 12:23 AM
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tracilee - thanks for the feedback on the Scavi tour. It's good to know that it varies, depending upon the guide. Our guide was knowledgeable but rote, and while she spoke English well, it was not easy to understand her. She didn't inspire, and the focus was more religious than either architectural or archeological. Thanks for letting me know that the guides do vary a lot. If/when we go back again, I'll consider another go.

texasbookworm - so glad you're enjoying the report! Finding the name of the Galleria Sciarra took some doing, but thanks to Google, almost anything can be discovered! This is what I found after searching for "Art Nouveau near the Trevi Fountain":
http://www.livinginrome.net/2010/02/...a-sciarra.html
I enjoyed your report and find it helpful to read before our trip, though I must admit I downloaded all the Rick Steves audio tours with good intent though never once used them!

Leely2 - Visiting the smaller museums and galleries is often such a treat and surprise! We were so taken by the Vivian Maier show having just read about her and having seen a documentary about her. Anyone interested in her can also see the movie, "Finding Vivian Maier" on Netflix.

Thanks for reading the report and sharing your thoughts! It's much appreciated!
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Old Mar 23rd, 2017, 01:55 AM
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March 18 – Saturday

There has been a focus on architectural history given my husband’s interests and today, we are off to see the Bramante Tempietto, the cloister of the San Pietro in Montorio, sitting on the slope of the Giancolo Hill. This small, round table is said to be the site of St. Peter’s crucifixion and a prototype for the basilica of San Pietro in the Vatican. It’s a lovely temple with a peaceful atmosphere and few people make the climb up the many stairs(!) to see it, which is housed in the Spanish Academy next door to the church. The church is also worth a visit with its frescos and sculptures by 16th & 17th C artists, but having seen so much spectacular art in churches, it wasn’t one we lingered in for long. The Tempietto, though, was very special to see and to feel.

My mission for the day was to explore Testaccio, the “unhip” hip Rome – the site of Monte Testaccio , the hill composed of broken amphorae; the “Protestant” cemetery; and perhaps the food capital of Rome, with its true food market (in contrast to the one in Campo de’ Fiori, a tourist market).

http://www.romeing.it/testaccio-neighbourhood-rome/

We walked downhill, through the southern reaches of Trastevere, and crossed a bridge into what felt like the backside of a neighborhood, lacking any of the more exciting Roman charm we were used to. I was using a small walking guide that directed me to the Piazza Testaccio for the daily (except Sunday) food market. Unfortunately, my guidebook was not up to date, as it’s since been moved. By this point, we were both feeling pretty hungry and less motivated to search out the marketplace; we ended up walking into I Guerrini and (see above) arrived in the middle of a food tour! So I knew that we had “discovered” a winner! Sure enough, the sandwich that we ordered was delicious – perhaps our single favorite meal of the trip!

After getting nourishment, we were ready to continue our tour. The area is a mix of old industrial and more contemporary and definitely moving upscale, as we passed many upscale boutiques in the street. We attempted to find the entry to Monte Testaccio, having arrived at what looked like an entry gate but was not open – we were both getting tired, so head back toward the metro. On the way, though, we were more successful in finding the “Protestant” cemetery and spent a while exploring the graves of some of its famous “residents”. It’s the non-Catholic, public cemetery for foreigners in Rome, and those buried there come from all religions, the most famous include John Keats and Perce Bysshe Shelley.

Adjacent to cemetery is the most interesting tomb of all – the Pyramid of Cestius, an actual tomb built sometime between 12-18BC for a wealthy Roman at a time when all things Egyptian was the rage! It’s now incorporated into the Aurelian walls and is located at a large traffic intersection. Quite a visual!

Though running slightly out of steam, we weren’t going to leave Rome without a visit to the Capitoline Museum. The only concession, I suppose, was taking public transportation instead of walking! As we were right by the metro station, we took this to the Colosseum stop and then transferred to the #51 bus to the Roman Forum. Surprisingly easy, once you get the hang of it!

Another hike up a hill (yes, we got a lot of exercise!) and we immersed ourselves in the museum, trying to limit ourselves to those works that were especially notable – a task rather difficult, with so much to see. We did see many of the highlights, including the Hall of the She-Wolf; the statue of Marcus Aurelius (copy of which is in the center of the Campidoglio); the Hall of the Triumphs, with the sweet sculpture of the Boy removing a Splinter; and the room containing seveal Caravaggio paintings. We saw much more but we were definitely getting bleary-eyed by now! If you want to see more, enjoy a virtual“ visit”:

http://en.museicapitolini.org/

Back to the apartment for a rest with a well-deserved gelato from Grom on the way home.

We were, of course, too beat to travel far for dinner and I used the Elizabeth Minchilli app to find Grappolo D’Oro, which is quite literally just opposite Ditirambo. It was Saturday night and we didn’t have a reservation, but it was just a little after 7:00pm and we were tired enough for an earlier dinner. They were able to seat us at a good table for two provided we were out in an hour or so. No problem! And it was a terrific dinner – our favorite of all the restaurants.

After that, a quick stroll and back home. Only one more full day to go!
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