Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - a Roma e Napoli sola

Sorry for the delay in posting more. I am just back to teaching after my term off. Strange how work takes up so much of the day!

Day 9 - Archeological Museum, Piazza Belli, Via San Gregorio and Cappella San Severo and shopping at Oviesse.

After another fabulous breakfast enjoying the view from the hotel, I took a taxi to he National Archeological Museum to have a more relaxed look. I reccommend getting the museum guide ahead of time. (I bought mine in Rome) and reading about the displays. The guide won't help with location of displays because they seem to be in flux but you can get a 50 cent map that is current at the museum.
This is another masterpiece everywhere you turn place. I'll just mention the things I enjoyed the most. My favorite piece is a mosaic portrait of a woman. It is rendered in the micro mosaic technique and it is so clearly a definite person not just a generic woman. The Farenese Bull group is also fabulous and I spent quite a while just contemplating it. I also enjoyed the display of glass objects that survived in Pompeii and Herculeum. I like that look into the everydayness of the past.

After the museum I crossed over to Piazza Belli and had lunch at a bookshop/cafe there. It was a beautiful day to sit out on the piazza and watch people. The bookshop is also very nice and has some lovely prints for sale.

I continued down to Via Gregorio where they make nativities. This street is jam packed with tiny shops and stalls selling creches from tiny to gigantic. There are also minatures of everything imaginable. I especially liked the figures of souls in Purgatory.
After buying my nativity and some gifts, I found a cafe. I wanted a coffee, but of course I mostly wanted a bathroom. The two gentlemen working there were so sweet. I got the absolute most elaborate coffee service of my trip. As I was leaving I asked directions to Cappella San Severo and they walked me halfway there.

Cappella San Severo has the famous Veiled Christ which was amazing. I really thought that at 8 Euros this spot was a little spendy for what it delivered. They do have a handout to explain the figures and the postcards in the gift shop were reasonably priced. You aren't allowed to take pictures here.

After this I wandered for a while and then caught a taxi back to the hotel. I took a break and got packed for going back to Rome the next day.

I went to the Piazza just above the hotel (on a map, in reality it is a very steep climb up). The name escapes me just now but I think it starts with an A. Anyway, in any guidebook you will see it as there are lots of restaurants and shops here. My main goal was the Oviesse shop.

I of course travel for culture and so on, but I also love to shop and Oviesse is fabulous. It is a sort of Italian Target. I did lots of Christmas shopping here. They also carry plus size clothes for women so I got a shirt and a jacket for myself. Really fun, stylish clothes at resonable prices.

Days 10-12 Back to Rome, staying at the Hassler Hotel

I took a very crowded train back to Rome. It was standing room only. Everyone had told me the trains were never full, but this one was. It was fine, but I was glad it was a short trip.

I took a taxi from Termini to the Hassler. I found a fabulous deal at the Hassler for 250 Euros a night. That is more than I would normally spend, but it was doable for a splurge and I never could afford to stay at their regulr 600 + Euros a night.

The hotel is very friendly and the service is excellent. My room was small, but it had a beautiful view. It connected to the large suite on the top floor so it shared the Penthouse view. The other nice thing about being on the top floor is I was just down the hall from the guest terrace whch had comfy chairs and an incredible view of the city. Breakfast each morning was served in the Salon Eva off the lobby which had little couches and wing chairs around the tables. There are an army of waitstaff to bring you coffee and anything else you want.

For this part of the trip, I was done sightseeing. I window shopped, had coffee at Antica Cafe Greco (expensive, but worth it), watched people on the Spanish steps. It was very relaxing and nice conclusion to the trip. I also had a really good Chinese meal just around the corner from the Spanish steps. This was really La Dolce Vita.

Traveling home - Coming home my choice was to leave Rome at 5 am and come stright home or leave at 2 pm and stay the night in Frankfurt. I went for the latter. I had a quick fligt to Frankfurt and then went to the Frankfurt Marriot by taxi. I had Marriott points for the stay so the overnight was free. I checked in and then took the ubahn to Romplatz for Christmas Market.
The market was really fun. I sampled foods and did some shopping including stollen for my mom. I had such a good time I think I will bring my parents to Germany for Christmas next year.
The next morning I flew home and I am happy to report that, as far as I know, everyone made it alive from Frankfurt to Portland.
This was a really great trip overall. It had the right mix of relaxing and sightseeing.