"A Wonderful Week in Rome" - A trip report
 

I am back from a wonderful week in Rome.

We had an uneventful flight on Swiss from LAX to Zurich - the only event was the non event of my staying awake the whole flight. Not to my knowledge I took a bottle of 1mg xanax instead of my usual .5 for travel and after I took one after the "dinner" of clammy pasta I fell into a sleep for about four hours. It was the first time I had ever slept on a flight - it wasn't a deep sleep but sort of like falling asleep in front of the TV, you can hear the talking but way in the background. When I awoke I thought my watch was running wild until my friend, Seashell, told me I did sleep for about four hours! Hurray.

We had an easy transition to Rome from Zurich in a plane full of skiers - tall, bulky and ruddy (and the men too). They were all friendly and on apres ski highs, so that was nice.

My luggage was on the carousel - hurray. I hate the wait to see if you have won the baggage lottery and your luggage has actually arrived with you. But there it was, sitting perkily on the conveyer belt waiting for me to wrestle it to the ground. (no, I cant just take a carryon bag).

Our driver was waiting and took us over to our apartment, it was then about 9:30 pm and after we quickly chose our sleeping spaces we ran outside foraging for food. The last morsel we had eaten was the minature blob of iceberg lettuce salad we had somewhere over the Atlantic. Oh yes, we shared some granola somewhere over the Alps.

We found a nice place near our apartment in Trastevere called La Viteretta where we had a good mushroom pizza and a nicely prepared spinach dish which was sauteed in garlic, a touch of olive oil and some pine nuts. Really good and good house wine too and inexpensive with courteous service.

Now we were energized so we scoped out our neighborhood and about midnight had some really good gelato at Blue Ice at St. Maria Trastevere square. We sat on the steps of the fountain savouring our gelato and then strolled back to the apt. enjoying, well, just being in Rome, safe, sound and happy.

I woke up with a start at about 6AM and thought, I have to get up and get ready to leave for Rome! Then I opened my eyes and thought, where am I? What is this gigantic beam of wood above my head? I sat up panting like people do in the movies, but not in real life, nearly clunking my head on the beam. Oh, I AM in Rome.

Re our sleeping arrangements: our apartment had a couch bed in the living room and a loft room above it with a full sized bed, a closet and another bathroom. Since my friend is 5'7" and I am 5'3" I got the loft. While I was unpacking I clunked my head twice on the gigantic wooden beam so I resorted to taping up some small plastic bags along it to keep from knocking myself silly. I could lie flat on the bed and touch the cross beam over me with my feet. So when I had my theatrical awakening that first morning it was good that I was on the right side of the bed.

We lounged around that morning - opened our windows and had the first feel of "living" in Rome with the street noises, passersby singing, scooters revving - the whole scene. How wonderful.

We went out late morning looking for a favorite restaurant in the Jewish section, found it but it was closed so we went to another place nearby and I had a roasted half chicken, potato croquettes, fried artichokes, sauteed pumpkin slices. We split a salad for two and had one beer and one 1/2 litre of white wine for 40 euro. Restaurant
card is around somewhere, I'll post it later.

We strolled around and a jewelry store window caught my eye, actually a beautiful pair of 24k earrings did. I had the jeweler hold them for me with a 10 euro downpayment. I would get a better deal if I paid cash and I was almost out of them. The jeweler is fair and has good items, he is David Hadad at S. Maria del Pianto 3. He speaks perfect English and as you will find out later, very honest.

We went to the TIM store to get my cell phone recharged and got my first call which was from my friend in the south of Italy who called to tell me he would like to spend the day with me, domani (Tuesday) - hurray again.

We came back to our apartment around 9pm and rested before dinner. As soon as the sun set it got really cold outside and since we had left our windows open my colorful plastic bags on my beam were fluttering in the wind like Tibetan prayer flags. I thought it was a nice touch and over the week I enjoyed them.

We found an interesting restaurant called Aristo Campo on via della Lungaretta 75 (I think it is also called La Fraschella de Trastevere). I loved this place. I ordered this wine and it was so good: Livon refosco del Peduacolo Russo - calli Orientali del Fruili, 2002 for 18 euro.

For dinner I had polenta backed with cheese and a tomato sauce (6 euro); Seashell had pecorano cheese covered in a fresh fig jam sauce (also 6 euro). Then we both had chicken baked in a fruit sauce with chunks of baked fresh fruit (12 euro each). The background music was great Italian standards and it was a relaxed, hip, upscale crowd dining with us. The whole place had a good feel about it and the food was delicious. The only foreigners were the two of us, two Japanese men and an Aussie couple, at least we were the only people not laughing and talking in Italian. But we were all laughing and talking and eating. At midnight we split a delicious dessert - homemade apple cake with vanilla gelato on the side and both drizzled over with chocolate sauce. The sauce was light but had a wonderful chocolate flavour. With two decaf expressos, two bottles of water the whole meal came to 69 euro.

It was really cold walking back home and we watched shopkeepers closing up for the night and some street performers on the square, playing some really good jazzy blues.

We passed some mimes who were packing up their stands and had to laugh as they actually did walk against the wind down the street on their way home.

Thus we ended our first whole day in Rome.

great details, keep it coming

Glad you had a wonderful trip as I look forward to hearing more about it, especially the Saturday night party. I'm sorry I missed it as my trip has been rescheduled for May and with my wife in September. Welcome Home!! Mike

Very much enjoying your report. Thank you!

Thanks for taking time to post, SeaUrchin. Really enjoying your report and look forward to reading the rest!

Waiting to hear about the party! (as well as the rest of your week)

Oh SeaUrchin, I feel like, on a Saturday night, that I have spent some time in Rome.

I love your report, you make one feel as though they are right there with you.

I too will look forward to more descriptions of your time in Rome. Thank you for sharing. And may I say, I wish I could write a report like you do, you are very talented.

Great to hear about the Trastavere area - my girlfriend and I will be staying there this September at the Hotel Santa Maria - Blue Ice - okay I have that written down - the restaurant you spoke about sounds like one I have read about really good food and reasonable prices --- Thanks!

I'm jealous, it sounds like a wonderful stay.

You may have mentioned this in previous messages, but I'm curious as to what you do for a living that you have so much vacation time. Yes, I am JEALOUS! :)

SeaUrchin, love your style... Please continue.

Thanks for the encouragement! I am a corporate drone in a glam environment.

Well, we got up nice and early, made some excellent coffee and cereal with fresh fruit from our grocer right underneath our apartment. "S" was driving up from Naples and it would take him a few hours so we went off to "town". We did see the irony of calling Rome the town, but we were across the river from the old section and most sections really. We went over to the Pantheon and to Minerva which are our favorites. We looked in the Murano glass store near P. Navona and I saw some nice beads to make a dangle bracelet later on. We dashed back to our area late morning and bought some lovely fruit, olives, meats, cheeses, some olive bread from the bakery down the street and some wine, oh, and of course some sweets and cookies. Soon I got a call on my cell phone, S was circling around looking for parking, legal parking. I leaned out of my window like a real local and called out to him and waved as he came down the narrow street. Other people looked up too, I felt like I was in a movie scene. I buzzed him in and we had a wonderful lunch which we had set out in between our corner windows. It was light and airy and we were all light and airy from the two bottles of wine (he and I like white, Seashell likes red so we drank both, why not). Seashell decided to leave to go shopping for a cooler blouse since we had packed all winter clothes and it was very warm during the day. We finished our tortes and then S looked up and said what are all those bags hanging from the ceiling? I said those are my faux Tibetan prayer flags, want to see them?

Soooo, later in the afternoon he and I walked all over Rome. And I fufilled a longtime dream of mine, to walk through Rome hand in hand with a special person without a care in the world. Finally, we went over to via Coronari to look at some of the antique shops. He was in the market for a special table of special marble and thought there might be one there. It was so nice to go into all the magnificient shops. In one he got into a discussion with the owner, there were gestures, looks of disgust on both sides, frowns, scowls, pffffting from each of them, head shaking and animated talk. Each would walk away and then turn around and start over, while I stood at the sidebar. When they shook hands and waved and we walked out I said "what was that all about"? He said "oh, he is going to look for one of the tables I want". All apart of the dance. We ate gelato and he introduced me to a great walnut flavour, we sat in P. Navona and shivered eating the cold ice cream, sitting on the cold marble, but loving every minute.

He had an early meeting in Naples so I let loose of my vicelike grip on him around 9pm. Then alone with Seashell we both said "I am starving". I called La Cisterna Ristorante and made a res. for 9:30. We changed and started off in the general direction, it is in Trastevere. We figured we were not going to find it easily after all so I called them and said we are on the corner of whereever and the man said good good, we'll see you in a few minutes and hung up, so much for directions. We asked people we passed for the street and they would direct us. After a few double eights and a few triple axels we came upon it, we had been circling it for the whole time. They had little name cards on our table and made a nice flourish of seating us and serving proscecco while we read the menu. I ordered Lazio merlot Silvestri 2003 and the waiter told us the restaurant was in the palace of the Silvestri family for 10 generations and was above the wine cellar which in 1 AD was a prison for the Roman Legions.

Seashell had a seafood plate of snapper, grouper, shrimp, scallops and crab. I had a lovely chicken dish and we both shared excellent potatoes lightly sauteed in olive oil and more sauteed vegetables on another plate. Very good meal with excellent service.

Nearing the end of the dinner, strolling musicians came to each table (I think I had seen them waiting tables earlier). When they came to ours, we both went blank on any Italian song to request. All that came to my mind was A Di La, so I asked for that. The man sang it so sweetly that it all hit me at once, that I had had the perfect day, "S" had taken the whole day to drive up to see me, we had such a wonderful time, that I started crying and almost sobbing. Seashell patted me, the singer looked taken aback and the guitarist smiled warmly at me. Finally I collected myself and we ordered dessert! I absolutely cannot remember what I had but it was delicious and Seashell had blueberry pie. Then the waiter announced that he would like to serve us more house proscecco in the dungeon way beneath us. Hmmm, ok, why not? We followed him down the stairs, thankfully it was well lit, he showed us the cistern and some ancient Roman artifacts, then poured us some proscecco, handed me the bottle and then said we could show our appreciation to him later. We took that to mean a small tip of money so we drank a little more and then on our way out onto the street we slipped him some euro.

We walked the shortcut straightest way back to the apartment and ended the second day.

Excellent!! What a lovely day! I hope your whole week was like this.

Thanks Marilyn. It was a very emotional trip this time and every day was long and excellent.

Thanks for such a great and detailed report, it makes your trip comes alive, as always!

Thanks so much for this report. It isn't every day that you read about a day that fulfills a person's longtime dream.

Wonderful trip report, SeaUrchin! Thanks for sharing in such great detail. Can't wait to read the rest!

This is quite lovely. Thanks for posting.

How did you like staying in Trastevere vs. a more central area?

Welcome back, SeaUrchin! So glad you had a wonderful time, I'm looking forward to the rest of your report!

I am really loving this report...hope you get a chance to tell us more soon.

SeaUrchin,

If you can, I would like to talk to you off-line. My address is [email protected]

Many thanks,
Tim

SeaUrchin, I'm really enjoying your report and look forward to the rest!

SeaUrchin, this is just lovely! (Wow, I'm not tall, but probably would have given myself a concussion with that beam! Ouch!) I can't wait for the next installment. I am so glad that you just opened the windows and sat to drink in Roma, the views, the street sounds, the lovely sky. So many people rush about, but when I am on vacation, I wan to really savor and enjoy things. You, my friend, appear to have mastered that fine art. Bravissima!

BC

SeaUrchin how was the check in with Swiss as I am flying with them our of Miami to Rome with my daughter. Please see below for my question
made my flight reservations under my name of Myra not under my first name of Myriam which is on my passport. When I got my passport I asked for the name Myra to be added, but there was not enough room for Myriam Eva Myra + last name to be added. They told me to sign it as Myriam Eva Myra + last name. I have it this way on my driver's lis. as well. Since there was not enough room for all 3 names. I have contacted Swiss Air and gave them our passport numbers and let them know of the issue with the names. They took all the info down asked me to bring other ID's which I will bring my Driver's Lis. SS. card and voter reg. card. They supervisor told me that there should not be a problem with this.
I have been reading info on travel websites and some say don't worry all of there complete names (those with long names like mine) are not on their tickets, names have been misspelled, which has happened to me on a couple of occasions and I have had my reservation scome up with a partial of my name.
What do you think?

Thanks for the replies and yes, bookchick, I have learned the art of La Dolce Vita!! It makes all the difference in the world.

islandgirl, I really can't say for sure what will happen at the airport. They really scrutinized my tickets and passport at the transfer security in Zurich. Maybe you could get one of the people you spoke to to put something in writing for you to show the gate agents? We actually had to run between planes on the way back, so make sure you have enough time for the security checks. We got on the plane at the last minute all because of the long lines, paperwork and they decided to body search my friend. I thought she was right behind me at the xray machine, I didn't realize they had pulled her into a booth. Running to the gate, I was calling back to her and turned around and she wasn't there! I had no idea where she was and didn't know if I should get onto the plane or not. The whole plane parts of the trips are exhausting, good luck, but I think you will be ok with all of your ID's.

SeaUrchin,

Your situation with your friend at the airport sounds like the scene out of the latest Bridget Jones movie. You didn't put anything contraband in her suitcase did you? :)

There's just no rhyme or reason to the detailed search, is there? That's why I like to give myself plenty of time at the airport...of course, coming home I'm not as frantic, there would be worse things than being stuck in Rome, Zurich or London....:)

Wednesday:
We had some juicy sweet red oranges, fresh bread and expresso for breakfast in the apartment. I spent a long time looking for one of my earrings. The loft was sort of dark and I had to take the bedding apart and crawl around on my knees but it was just not anywhere. I looked in the bathroom and even in the bidet. Then I thought of the thread here on Fodors where the lady (sorry, if you are reading this, it just struck me funny) soaks her clothes in the bidet and let out a laugh Seashell asked, "what is funny?" I said, "the bidet". She said, "I don't even want to ask." I said, "someone on Fodors was writing about putting her clothes in the bidets". She said, "my goodness, what do you people write about anyway? Sometimes I worry."

I felt like paying respect to Caesar over by the Forum even though we missed the ides by one day. We crossed over one of our three bridges, sisto, cesto or garibaldi (BTW, willtravel, I did like it over there, it seemed more like a real neighborhood) which we became to know very well over the week. We were taking a shortcut to the little monument when we walked by two men leaning in front of a shop. One of them had his foot on a vespa and I heard him call out Signora, Signora, but we kept on walking. Then he called out Signora (my own name) and I thought who knows my name on this tiny street in Rome of all places? I looked back at him over my shoulder and it was the jeweler in front of his shop. He said, "you walk by with your nose in the air". I said, "I can't turn around every time a man calls out to me." He laughed and said, "you must be a very rich woman". I asked why and he said, "you leave your nice gold earring in my shop and don't even call me for it!" I remembered then that when I had tried on the new earrings I laid one of mine on a stack of pillows. He could have kept my earring and my 10 euro downpayment, but he was honest about this transaction anyway, so I got my new earrings and I love them. He had tiny gold colosseum charms and I didn't get one but I should have for my bracelet.

It was late so we skipped Caesar and went over to the cat sanctuary instead at Torre Argentina. The day before with "S" we had walked near it and I said to him, "let's go see the cats."
Him: "what cats?"
Me: "The cats that live over there" and I pointed across the street.
Him: "What do they do?"
Me: "Ummmmm, they sit there"
Him: "Sit there?"
Me: "Yes, they sit on the ruins and you watch them."
He gave me a look, but gave in and we looked over the railing and I pointed out different cats, "look that one is lying down, that one is sitting up, there, look, that one is walking".
He shook his head at me and laughed.

Seashell and I watched them again and then realized that we had better get going back to Trastevere because at High Noon were were meeting Barb for the first time in person. We got to the fountain at the square and there she was. It was a happy meeting and it seemed like we had known each other personally for years (we had emailed and phoned once in a while, having met here on Fodors years ago). We peeked into her nice apartment right off the square and then we went over to our apartment for lunch. We had a grande time then went back into "town" to P. Navona and had wine and olives at an outdoor cafe and watched Rome go by.

Here is the website to Torre Argentina:
http://www.romancats.de/

SeaUrchin - Enjoying your report. Thanks for the info on the cats. That will be a must see when I go to Italy next year (hopefully)

SeaUrchin, This is so much fun! I can't wait for the rest.

Thanks! lyb, it was so odd, one minute I saw her picking up her purse from the xray belt and then she just seemed to vanish on the way to the gate.


That afternoon we strolled around some more and bought train tickets for the next day to Florence. Note that some travel agencies sell train tickets and some are not authorized, look for the sign posted somewhere outside before you wait in line inside, yes, written from experience.

Barb went to her apartment to rest, she had just landed that morning, and Seashell and I went to a cosmetic store. We picked out some nice fragrances and makeup and I was putting mine on the counter to pay, when the sales woman looked at them and said, tsk tsk, are you American? I said yes. She said I thought so, you are buying all the wrong colors for yourself. I wondered if this is how Americans are picked out in Europe so easily, is it because we have wrong makeup colors? I let her lead me back to the array and she dabbed and smeared colors on my hands and cheeks and then decided the right colors for me. They actually did look better, so we switched them around and I thanked her. She said slowly, madame....it is my occu..pation. I guess she was French, I liked her style.

Later with my new makeup all in place and color corrected we met Barb and went back to the Aristo Campo again, we had that excellent wine and I had pasta with eggplant and we split antipasta. We had dessert and coffee and ended another great day.

On the way home, I got a call from "S", I told him we were taking a taxi in the morning to the train station (Barb wasn't going to join us) and then on to Florence. He said that we would probably be overcharged by the driver because the Rome cab drivers had a way of pushing a button when they shift gears to make the fare jump higher. He told me a phrase to say in Italian, I repeated it and asked what it meant. He said it means, "take me to the train station and don't use your finger". I thanked him for the thought but secretly decided that phrase was a little risky. He asked me to call him when we reached Florence and I wondered why he thought something would go wrong.

Tomorrow: Florence.

What a lovely time you are having - wish I was there! Continue! Continue!

Please continue. The foreshadowing is nervewracking.

Reply to Benita:
Hotel Santa Maria is nicest budget hotel in St. Maria Trastevere..
Reasonable prices in a lovely area of Rome

Thanks for your response to my concern about the ticket passport issue.
Looking forward to hearing about your trip to Florence. Which train did you take and what was the cost? I will be in Rome one week and then on to Florence for a week with my 16 year old daughter. Would appreciate any advice. Ciao

Thanks all.

Islandgirl (which island?), we paid about 54 euro each for round trip tickets to Florence. We had reserved seats in 2nd class on the eurostar and it took about an hour, fortyfive minutes each way. We left at 9:30 AM and returned the same day at about 9:35 PM. It is easy to buy your tickets from the correct travel agents in Rome.

Keep in mind though that we have been to both cities many times so our days are not typical touristic days, no museums, few churches, etc. You might want to do a search here and get more valuable information on the tourist spots. I hate to say tourist spots, it makes the wonderful artworks and antiquity seem like artificial attractions, when they are so wonderful and interesting to visit - and real!

I'll help you where I can though.

I am drinking my morning coffee and laughing SeaUrchin..perfect way to start a Day..

SeaUrchin, all islands, but mostly the ones in Caribbean. I use to live there and was raised partly in PR.Have traveled to the Vancouver Islands, and the islands off the east coast of Canada, Mexico, etc.
Yes, I could tell that you were immersed in being in Rome and doing as the Romans. I pepper all my trips with this kind of relaxed attitude and then salt them with the sites that are important and must sees.It is more important to be in the moment than to be rushing off to stand in line. I am taking my 16 year old daughter on her annual big trip.
I think I have all the must sees nailed down and have a great list of restaurants that will fit my budget and will make stops at the local market for my wine stash, fruit, cheese, meats and bread.
Is the wonderful jeweler you mentioned in the ghetto?
Look forward to hearing from you and if you need advice on the Caribbean, Paris, Provence, Brussels and Spain, Canada and Mexico I can help. Ciao

Your enthusiastic report keeps making me think Italy should be my next trip - someday. Also, its nice to hear that someone else gets a little teary-eyed when they're really happy.

Hello SeaUrchin,

I booked my trip to Italy for this July, and since I'll be in Rome for 4 days, I was wondering where you booked your apartment. I'm a little weary on whether or not it's worth renting an apartment, going to a bed and breakfast or staying at a hotel. An input is highly appreciated. Thank you,