Christmas in Rome with Teenagers
Jan 10th, 2010 | 07:08 AM
#1
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 389
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Christmas in Rome with Teenagers
The Travelers
DH & I - We last traveled to Rome during the snowstorm of 1985 and this was our second visit. Although we have traveled elsewhere over the years, this was a long overdue trip back to Rome.
I truly appreciated all the advice I received from the kind people on this forum. You will have to forgive my food amnesia. Despite being foodies, we have had difficulty recalling the names of various dishes. I’ll do my best to describe them when possible.
Our 16 yo & 18 yo sons. This was their first trip to Europe and they were both very excited and felt very fortunate.
Footwear
For myself, I tried to find a good pair of shoes for my battle worn feet. I ended up choosing two pairs of shoes which saved me - a pair of Keen Calistoga’s, and a pair of Cole Haan Air Luna Slip-ons. The Calistoga’s cured my metatarsalgia and both pairs kept my feet dry. Awesome recommendations from other fodorites!
DH also paid attention to good footwear with a lug-soled pair of Johnston and Murphy’s, loafers (which he only wore on the flight), and a pair of Keen Austin Woodbury walkers.
Both DSs brought sneakers and loafers.
Packing & Gear
I suggested layers for everyone including rain gear since all early predictions included a combination of cold & rain.
We all brought our iphones, disabled data roaming, and purchased an international plan for the month from AT&T. Everyone had instructions to Text only as this was the least expensive form of communicating ($0.50/text). Calling was only for emergencies.
The boys & I also brought our Mac books.
I brought my Panasonic Lumix camera (though I lost the charger half way through the trip), DH brought his Nikon D100, & 18 year old brought a Nikon D40S.
Lotsa gear.
Weather
Four days before trip there was a major snowstorm in the Northeastern US as well as in Central & Northern Italy. Hmm, reminded us of our 1985 trip to Rome.
We revised our packing list and added long underwear, heavy socks, serious raingear, and umbrellas. DH and I did a happy dance that we were flying through Atlanta rather than Dullas or JFK as there was less risk of being snowed-in.
DH & I - We last traveled to Rome during the snowstorm of 1985 and this was our second visit. Although we have traveled elsewhere over the years, this was a long overdue trip back to Rome.
I truly appreciated all the advice I received from the kind people on this forum. You will have to forgive my food amnesia. Despite being foodies, we have had difficulty recalling the names of various dishes. I’ll do my best to describe them when possible.
Our 16 yo & 18 yo sons. This was their first trip to Europe and they were both very excited and felt very fortunate.
Footwear
For myself, I tried to find a good pair of shoes for my battle worn feet. I ended up choosing two pairs of shoes which saved me - a pair of Keen Calistoga’s, and a pair of Cole Haan Air Luna Slip-ons. The Calistoga’s cured my metatarsalgia and both pairs kept my feet dry. Awesome recommendations from other fodorites!
DH also paid attention to good footwear with a lug-soled pair of Johnston and Murphy’s, loafers (which he only wore on the flight), and a pair of Keen Austin Woodbury walkers.
Both DSs brought sneakers and loafers.
Packing & Gear
I suggested layers for everyone including rain gear since all early predictions included a combination of cold & rain.
We all brought our iphones, disabled data roaming, and purchased an international plan for the month from AT&T. Everyone had instructions to Text only as this was the least expensive form of communicating ($0.50/text). Calling was only for emergencies.
The boys & I also brought our Mac books.
I brought my Panasonic Lumix camera (though I lost the charger half way through the trip), DH brought his Nikon D100, & 18 year old brought a Nikon D40S.
Lotsa gear.
Weather
Four days before trip there was a major snowstorm in the Northeastern US as well as in Central & Northern Italy. Hmm, reminded us of our 1985 trip to Rome.
We revised our packing list and added long underwear, heavy socks, serious raingear, and umbrellas. DH and I did a happy dance that we were flying through Atlanta rather than Dullas or JFK as there was less risk of being snowed-in.
Jan 10th, 2010 | 01:36 PM
#4
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 389
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<b>Off to Rome!</b>
After we each checked 1 (free) bag & caught our connection, we ate a big lunch in Atlanta, and soon boarded our transatlantic flight carrying a change of clothes and our electronics.
We squeezed into our rows, chewing our knees as we folded ourselves, origami-style, into our seats (2 & 2 thank goodness!). This was particularly difficult for DH & the boys ranging from 5”9 to 6 ‘ 4”. Advanced yoga or contortionist skills would have been useful.
As usual the in-flight movies only worked part-time but the boys brought their computers so they could enjoy music and endless episodes of The Office enroute.
DH read and tried to sleep.
Following Fodorite smalti’s advice I set my watch to Rome time, put on my eye mask, (thank you fodorites) and took a bit of Ambien. I fell asleep for 4-5 hours. Unfortunately, DH and the boys struggled to sleep without success. I arrived in Rome without a migraine, which is a first for me during international travel - hooray!
Hotel
We arrived at FCO at 7:30 am on Christmas morning, took the pre-arranged waiting shuttle to our hotel, Albergo Cesari, checked into our rooms, and napped for 1-2 hours.
The staff at the front desk was kind and helpful throughout our stay and, though our hotel was modest, we found it clean, pleasant, and luckily we did not have any noisy neighbor problems.
The boys quickly discovered their bidet and that created a long string of silly jokes since they had never before had a bidet in their room.
We also really appreciated the delicious breakfast buffet each morning before we headed out for our adventures.
Noise
Day or night, DH & I often left a window partly open since we enjoyed the street noise (DH still misses Brooklyn) and we only needed to close the double-paned glass during morning garbage collection. One evening we did awake to a very loud happy chorus of drunks singing and gently closed the double panes. In general, sleeping was NOT a problem, as we were exhausted.
Walking begins
By noon on Christmas Day we were up from our naps and strolling past the Pantheon, the Trevi, and sucking up the ambience…all with cameras pointing in every direction.
The Trevi Fountain was stacked 4 high with people, a big change from 1985 when it was frozen and empty.
There were more shops open than I had expected as well as several restaurants despite it being Christmas day. We did grab a gelato near the Trevi – it was overpriced but everyone was hungry and happy to have a bit to eat.
At 4 pm we took a brief orientation tour, which was very helpful. The guide laid out the overall trident plan of the city, introduced us to Rome’s many sidewalk drinking fountains, and showed us a lot of back street shortcuts.
One of the things we all really loved was the freedom to just wander around the city and this introduction made it less intimidating.
After that, the boys took every opportunity to drink from Rome’s water fountains and explore narrow streets and alleys, taking 200-300 photos/day. Historic sites, people, cars, streets, food ...a bit of everything.
My job was to be sure that we had some family photos, but then I lost the charger
.
Cars
Random sidewalk parking and narrow streets with cars and scooters whizzing past were also a big hit with DSs. Car identification with outcries of ”Ferrari!”, “Maserati!”, etc… was entertaining. There were even discussions of buying a scooter – eek.
At 6 pm we returned to our hotel for a short respite (or nap) before dinner. DH and I had a glass of wine on the roof deck under a shelter with heaters - rain, thunder & lightening lit up the city around us.
Dinner
We had a 9pm dinner reservation at Taverna Antonina, (via della Colonna Antonina) in the Pantheon area. We had this arranged by our hotel since we arrived on Christmas Day & we were the only English-speaking patrons. The pasta carbonara, pasta with pepper & lamb, saltimbocca alla Romana, and pollo alla Romano were all delightful and that was just the beginning of our foodie adventures. Yum. The boys were thrilled to be offered a glass of red wine, though they didn’t drink it…
Walking back to our hotel we passed a young man playing an impressive Carol of the Bells on wine glasses (DSs loved that) and a man playing violin on the street. Of course, we passed plenty of rose and umbrella guys but we just kept walking …they seemed no different than hawkers in any city or resort. I must admit we were all careful about wallets, etc… in busy areas due to warnings about pickpockets.
The boys were dismayed at seeing so many apparently homeless people begging but we did notice that almost all of them had dogs, a bright spot, and something one does not see in the U.S.
On arrival back at the hotel the boys began their evening activities, which became nightly rituals. They listened to music, downloaded all their photos, then the older DS put them on his FB page, while the younger worked every night on a couple of iphone applications he was creating.
After we each checked 1 (free) bag & caught our connection, we ate a big lunch in Atlanta, and soon boarded our transatlantic flight carrying a change of clothes and our electronics.
We squeezed into our rows, chewing our knees as we folded ourselves, origami-style, into our seats (2 & 2 thank goodness!). This was particularly difficult for DH & the boys ranging from 5”9 to 6 ‘ 4”. Advanced yoga or contortionist skills would have been useful.
As usual the in-flight movies only worked part-time but the boys brought their computers so they could enjoy music and endless episodes of The Office enroute.
DH read and tried to sleep.
Following Fodorite smalti’s advice I set my watch to Rome time, put on my eye mask, (thank you fodorites) and took a bit of Ambien. I fell asleep for 4-5 hours. Unfortunately, DH and the boys struggled to sleep without success. I arrived in Rome without a migraine, which is a first for me during international travel - hooray!
Hotel
We arrived at FCO at 7:30 am on Christmas morning, took the pre-arranged waiting shuttle to our hotel, Albergo Cesari, checked into our rooms, and napped for 1-2 hours.
The staff at the front desk was kind and helpful throughout our stay and, though our hotel was modest, we found it clean, pleasant, and luckily we did not have any noisy neighbor problems.
The boys quickly discovered their bidet and that created a long string of silly jokes since they had never before had a bidet in their room.
We also really appreciated the delicious breakfast buffet each morning before we headed out for our adventures.
Noise
Day or night, DH & I often left a window partly open since we enjoyed the street noise (DH still misses Brooklyn) and we only needed to close the double-paned glass during morning garbage collection. One evening we did awake to a very loud happy chorus of drunks singing and gently closed the double panes. In general, sleeping was NOT a problem, as we were exhausted.
Walking begins
By noon on Christmas Day we were up from our naps and strolling past the Pantheon, the Trevi, and sucking up the ambience…all with cameras pointing in every direction.
The Trevi Fountain was stacked 4 high with people, a big change from 1985 when it was frozen and empty.
There were more shops open than I had expected as well as several restaurants despite it being Christmas day. We did grab a gelato near the Trevi – it was overpriced but everyone was hungry and happy to have a bit to eat.
At 4 pm we took a brief orientation tour, which was very helpful. The guide laid out the overall trident plan of the city, introduced us to Rome’s many sidewalk drinking fountains, and showed us a lot of back street shortcuts.
One of the things we all really loved was the freedom to just wander around the city and this introduction made it less intimidating.
After that, the boys took every opportunity to drink from Rome’s water fountains and explore narrow streets and alleys, taking 200-300 photos/day. Historic sites, people, cars, streets, food ...a bit of everything.
My job was to be sure that we had some family photos, but then I lost the charger
.Cars
Random sidewalk parking and narrow streets with cars and scooters whizzing past were also a big hit with DSs. Car identification with outcries of ”Ferrari!”, “Maserati!”, etc… was entertaining. There were even discussions of buying a scooter – eek.
At 6 pm we returned to our hotel for a short respite (or nap) before dinner. DH and I had a glass of wine on the roof deck under a shelter with heaters - rain, thunder & lightening lit up the city around us.
Dinner
We had a 9pm dinner reservation at Taverna Antonina, (via della Colonna Antonina) in the Pantheon area. We had this arranged by our hotel since we arrived on Christmas Day & we were the only English-speaking patrons. The pasta carbonara, pasta with pepper & lamb, saltimbocca alla Romana, and pollo alla Romano were all delightful and that was just the beginning of our foodie adventures. Yum. The boys were thrilled to be offered a glass of red wine, though they didn’t drink it…
Walking back to our hotel we passed a young man playing an impressive Carol of the Bells on wine glasses (DSs loved that) and a man playing violin on the street. Of course, we passed plenty of rose and umbrella guys but we just kept walking …they seemed no different than hawkers in any city or resort. I must admit we were all careful about wallets, etc… in busy areas due to warnings about pickpockets.
The boys were dismayed at seeing so many apparently homeless people begging but we did notice that almost all of them had dogs, a bright spot, and something one does not see in the U.S.
On arrival back at the hotel the boys began their evening activities, which became nightly rituals. They listened to music, downloaded all their photos, then the older DS put them on his FB page, while the younger worked every night on a couple of iphone applications he was creating.
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Jan 11th, 2010 | 10:57 AM
#9
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 389
Likes: 0
ann,emerald125, & LCI,
Thanks for all the encouragement!
It's a daunting task and definitely a memory exercise.
I will try to figure out a way to put up photos and then paste a link. The boys still owe me 2 days of their photos (on a flash drive) since my camera battery died.
Thanks for all the encouragement!
It's a daunting task and definitely a memory exercise.
I will try to figure out a way to put up photos and then paste a link. The boys still owe me 2 days of their photos (on a flash drive) since my camera battery died.
Jan 11th, 2010 | 12:59 PM
#10
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 389
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<b>Day 2 - Wet Ostia Antica, Officina Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, La Sagrestia, & Giolitti </b>
We awoke to rain on Day 2 and after a delightful hotel breakfast buffet of cappuccino, hot chocolate, Panettone, pears and a variety of cheeses, we headed out, prepared with umbrellas and raincoats, for the Piramide Metro Station to meet our guide and travel to Ostia Antica. 1 euro for the metro trip to Ostia- a bargain!
The guide had a great storytelling ability & a variety of visual aids which brought the ancient ruins to life for us. By the way, there are plenty of little shelters in which to hide from the rain in Ostia and we made use of them as needed. However,careful of your head as you duck.The bricks hurt.
Seeing all the food & feast areas was fascinating! However, the idea of Feather-tickling to continue the all-day feeding frenzy banquets surprised us (these were recalled at many of our own Roman meals when tempted to overeat).
We were all fascinated by the millstones, shops, bars, cart & hoof marks in the old roads, bathhouses with mosaics, and the large communal coed latrines with water in which to dip your sponge for cleansing. I offered to renovate our home bath this way but there were no takers.
The Tragedy masks near the theater elicited lots of “that’s what she said” comments from the guys. & later in the trip they even learned a new insult for their friends at home “spugna di ieri”? (yesterday’s sponge).
Midway through the rainy tour we grabbed a brief lunch of panini and hot chocolate WITH whipped cream. Thus fortified, we completed our tour and returned to Rome. It was a delightful trip and a great introduction to Roman history.
Nap time for an hour and then, during several hours of wandering between the Spanish steps & the Piazza Navona, we stumbled upon Officina Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. I was compelled to get some of the almond hand cream recommended by Thin and others. I hope that, since the pharmacy was founded by Dominican friars in 1221, the cream will also cure my ill humours without any blood-letting or purges.
Next, a 9 pm dinner at La Sagrestia. I was a bit concerned as they led us downstairs to a basement but it was full of people. Once again we were the only English-speaking patrons in the restaurant. Course delivery was a bit random despite our waiter racing up and down the stairs. Our 16 yo loved the Pizza Margarita and the thinness of the crust compelled him to compare it to the ipod nano commercial . We all enjoyed our dinners ( pasta Amatriciana, lamb, pasta carbonara, etc..) and any service complaints were forgotten when they brought out 4 glasses of the most delicious limoncello - the first of many.
A bit more walking and as we headed back to the hotel we stopped at Giolitti for delicious gelato (we would visit here frequently).
We were all tired and were quickly unconscious once back at the hotel....but my hands felt heavenly
We awoke to rain on Day 2 and after a delightful hotel breakfast buffet of cappuccino, hot chocolate, Panettone, pears and a variety of cheeses, we headed out, prepared with umbrellas and raincoats, for the Piramide Metro Station to meet our guide and travel to Ostia Antica. 1 euro for the metro trip to Ostia- a bargain!
The guide had a great storytelling ability & a variety of visual aids which brought the ancient ruins to life for us. By the way, there are plenty of little shelters in which to hide from the rain in Ostia and we made use of them as needed. However,careful of your head as you duck.The bricks hurt.
Seeing all the food & feast areas was fascinating! However, the idea of Feather-tickling to continue the all-day feeding frenzy banquets surprised us (these were recalled at many of our own Roman meals when tempted to overeat).
We were all fascinated by the millstones, shops, bars, cart & hoof marks in the old roads, bathhouses with mosaics, and the large communal coed latrines with water in which to dip your sponge for cleansing. I offered to renovate our home bath this way but there were no takers.
The Tragedy masks near the theater elicited lots of “that’s what she said” comments from the guys. & later in the trip they even learned a new insult for their friends at home “spugna di ieri”? (yesterday’s sponge).
Midway through the rainy tour we grabbed a brief lunch of panini and hot chocolate WITH whipped cream. Thus fortified, we completed our tour and returned to Rome. It was a delightful trip and a great introduction to Roman history.
Nap time for an hour and then, during several hours of wandering between the Spanish steps & the Piazza Navona, we stumbled upon Officina Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. I was compelled to get some of the almond hand cream recommended by Thin and others. I hope that, since the pharmacy was founded by Dominican friars in 1221, the cream will also cure my ill humours without any blood-letting or purges.
Next, a 9 pm dinner at La Sagrestia. I was a bit concerned as they led us downstairs to a basement but it was full of people. Once again we were the only English-speaking patrons in the restaurant. Course delivery was a bit random despite our waiter racing up and down the stairs. Our 16 yo loved the Pizza Margarita and the thinness of the crust compelled him to compare it to the ipod nano commercial . We all enjoyed our dinners ( pasta Amatriciana, lamb, pasta carbonara, etc..) and any service complaints were forgotten when they brought out 4 glasses of the most delicious limoncello - the first of many.
A bit more walking and as we headed back to the hotel we stopped at Giolitti for delicious gelato (we would visit here frequently).
We were all tired and were quickly unconscious once back at the hotel....but my hands felt heavenly
Jan 11th, 2010 | 06:05 PM
#11
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
ahhhh...Officina Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella...I have become addicted to the foot cream. I'm afraid to buy anything else there for fear of depleting my entire savings account...I could do some real damage in that shop! ;-)
Looking forward to seeing your pictures! I thought I took a lot at about 100 per day...y'all surpass me by leaps and bounds!
Looking forward to seeing your pictures! I thought I took a lot at about 100 per day...y'all surpass me by leaps and bounds!
Jan 12th, 2010 | 03:59 AM
#12
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 389
Likes: 0
LCI,
I had a limited amount of time at Officina Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella or I would have done more damage. I did buy some extra hand cream as a gift for my Mom. I could have spent hours in there and they were very nice.
Many pictures - but the secret will be selecting the ones in which fodorites may have an interest. There are quite a few very silly ones. I am sure your Mom did not insist on pictures of her pretending to be a model or shaking her head as fast as possible, did she?
I am also trying to figure out where/how to post them.
In part, we take a lot of pictures because DH & our sons love photography.
There is also the fact that DH's beloved DF always wanted to travel when he retired, never got to it, and is now immobilized with debilitating arthritis. Every time we travel we think of him. There was a recent post by laclaire along these lines.
<<http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/travel-really-does-make-a-difference.cfm>>
I had a limited amount of time at Officina Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella or I would have done more damage. I did buy some extra hand cream as a gift for my Mom. I could have spent hours in there and they were very nice.
Many pictures - but the secret will be selecting the ones in which fodorites may have an interest. There are quite a few very silly ones. I am sure your Mom did not insist on pictures of her pretending to be a model or shaking her head as fast as possible, did she?
I am also trying to figure out where/how to post them.
In part, we take a lot of pictures because DH & our sons love photography.
There is also the fact that DH's beloved DF always wanted to travel when he retired, never got to it, and is now immobilized with debilitating arthritis. Every time we travel we think of him. There was a recent post by laclaire along these lines.
<<http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/travel-really-does-make-a-difference.cfm>>
Jan 12th, 2010 | 05:16 AM
#14
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 389
Likes: 0
<b>Day 3 – Boiled eggs, the Jewish Ghetto, Classical Rome, Osteria Del Sostegno </b>
Today DH and the guys decided to try the boiled eggs at breakfast. The eggs were a bit over-boiled so removing the shell was an exercise in patience. I stayed with fruit and cheese or pastry but they were undeterred. They each had a boiled egg with breakfast every morning of our visit. Making Humpty-Dumpty jokes all along the way.
After breakfast, we decided to take a brief trip to the Ghetto prior to our scheduled tour. This feat required DH or I to map read. Map reading can be a challenge, especially if you need reading glasses but don’t wear them. Stopping and going, stopping and going, always checking a map you can’t see... Fortunately both the boys are gifted with an uncanny directional sense. Hooray!
We made it to the Jewish Ghetto and stopped for lunch at La Taverna del Ghetto. We squeezed into a table for 4 and ordered our Carciofi alla giudìa, fried zuccini, and a variety of pasta & lamb dishes. Again, we were the only English speakers.
We were also pleasantly surprised by the weather. It started to warm up, the sun peeked out, and there were times during the ensuing days where the temperature reached the 60’s - great walking weather.
After lunch we wandered a bit and then we were off on our tour of Classical Rome for a few hours.
We walked past the Mouth of Truth with a line of over 50 people streaming out onto the sidewalk- hmmmm, not my idea of a Roman Holiday.
The plaque at the site of the Ghetto roundup Largo Oct 16 1943 gave us pause and the buildings around the ghetto gave us a feeling of what it must have been like before it was rebuilt.
As we exited the Ghetto the very hungry teens stopped at a Forno in the Ghetto for a slice of pizza margarita- “Oh man this is GREAT!”
This was the day we found out the details of both the Pope’s attack and the Detroit bomber. We usually avoid the news while on vacation but our co-travelers on the tour did not. I was pleased that the Pope was ok, sad that the Cardinal broke his hip, and relieved that those aboard the Detroit bound flight were safe. I knew the attempt would have an effect on our trip home but I put it in a brain closet & closed that door for the rest of the week.
We all enjoyed seeing Largo Argentina & the cats. As this was close to the area of Julius Caesar’s assassination, it brought forth jokes from “The Hangover”- ie “ Is this really Caesar’s Palace?” Well, they are teen boys…
More than 2000 years of of building and rebuilding amazed all of us - Temples to Churches, flood-fire-flood-fire, etc...
Next the truly amazing engineering of the Pantheon & by 5pm we ended in the dark at Trajan’s column. A bit more walking for fun and...
We needed refreshing so …back to the hotel for an hour of “feet-up”, & ‘back stretching activity”. After a glass of wine at the heated rooftop bar we went off in search of dinner around 9pm.
Dinner that night at Osteria Del Sostegno was one of our best– just amazing. We started with Bruschetta con Pomadorini, Insalata di Spinaci,Mela,Parmigiano e Noci (which DH is determined to reproduce at home), then Abbacchio al Forno, Pollo alla Cacciatora, Melanzane alla Parmigiana, and finally Tiramisu, Totra calda al Cioccolato, with a finish of perfect limoncello. Rolled everyone out the door….for another brief walk … then to bed.
Today DH and the guys decided to try the boiled eggs at breakfast. The eggs were a bit over-boiled so removing the shell was an exercise in patience. I stayed with fruit and cheese or pastry but they were undeterred. They each had a boiled egg with breakfast every morning of our visit. Making Humpty-Dumpty jokes all along the way.
After breakfast, we decided to take a brief trip to the Ghetto prior to our scheduled tour. This feat required DH or I to map read. Map reading can be a challenge, especially if you need reading glasses but don’t wear them. Stopping and going, stopping and going, always checking a map you can’t see... Fortunately both the boys are gifted with an uncanny directional sense. Hooray!
We made it to the Jewish Ghetto and stopped for lunch at La Taverna del Ghetto. We squeezed into a table for 4 and ordered our Carciofi alla giudìa, fried zuccini, and a variety of pasta & lamb dishes. Again, we were the only English speakers.
We were also pleasantly surprised by the weather. It started to warm up, the sun peeked out, and there were times during the ensuing days where the temperature reached the 60’s - great walking weather.
After lunch we wandered a bit and then we were off on our tour of Classical Rome for a few hours.
We walked past the Mouth of Truth with a line of over 50 people streaming out onto the sidewalk- hmmmm, not my idea of a Roman Holiday.
The plaque at the site of the Ghetto roundup Largo Oct 16 1943 gave us pause and the buildings around the ghetto gave us a feeling of what it must have been like before it was rebuilt.
As we exited the Ghetto the very hungry teens stopped at a Forno in the Ghetto for a slice of pizza margarita- “Oh man this is GREAT!”
This was the day we found out the details of both the Pope’s attack and the Detroit bomber. We usually avoid the news while on vacation but our co-travelers on the tour did not. I was pleased that the Pope was ok, sad that the Cardinal broke his hip, and relieved that those aboard the Detroit bound flight were safe. I knew the attempt would have an effect on our trip home but I put it in a brain closet & closed that door for the rest of the week.
We all enjoyed seeing Largo Argentina & the cats. As this was close to the area of Julius Caesar’s assassination, it brought forth jokes from “The Hangover”- ie “ Is this really Caesar’s Palace?” Well, they are teen boys…
More than 2000 years of of building and rebuilding amazed all of us - Temples to Churches, flood-fire-flood-fire, etc...
Next the truly amazing engineering of the Pantheon & by 5pm we ended in the dark at Trajan’s column. A bit more walking for fun and...
We needed refreshing so …back to the hotel for an hour of “feet-up”, & ‘back stretching activity”. After a glass of wine at the heated rooftop bar we went off in search of dinner around 9pm.
Dinner that night at Osteria Del Sostegno was one of our best– just amazing. We started with Bruschetta con Pomadorini, Insalata di Spinaci,Mela,Parmigiano e Noci (which DH is determined to reproduce at home), then Abbacchio al Forno, Pollo alla Cacciatora, Melanzane alla Parmigiana, and finally Tiramisu, Totra calda al Cioccolato, with a finish of perfect limoncello. Rolled everyone out the door….for another brief walk … then to bed.
Jan 12th, 2010 | 06:39 AM
#15
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,478
Likes: 0
Eyemom...
You are right, I don't have any "model pose" pictures, but we do have a few of mom and I standing under what appears to be a falling marble column with one of us "trying" to put it back in place when we were at Ostia.
As for posting a link to photos, I use the kodak website to create an online album then post the link in my trip reports. There are all kinds of online photo sharing websites where you can do the same thing....Picasa and photobucket are 2 others that come to mind.
Now, I'm making notes of your restaurant choices...they all sound so good...your report makes me feel like I am back in Roma! Grazie!
You are right, I don't have any "model pose" pictures, but we do have a few of mom and I standing under what appears to be a falling marble column with one of us "trying" to put it back in place when we were at Ostia.
As for posting a link to photos, I use the kodak website to create an online album then post the link in my trip reports. There are all kinds of online photo sharing websites where you can do the same thing....Picasa and photobucket are 2 others that come to mind.
Now, I'm making notes of your restaurant choices...they all sound so good...your report makes me feel like I am back in Roma! Grazie!
Jan 12th, 2010 | 10:33 AM
#16
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,647
Likes: 21
"After a glass of wine at the heated rooftop bar..."
Heated Rooftop Bar!!! Damn, I wish you guys were there when we were in town. We could have come over instead of sipping meloncello in our bedroom with a can of Pringles.
By the way, I liked "is this really Caesar's Palace" line. I think you have some future trip report writers in your midst.
Heated Rooftop Bar!!! Damn, I wish you guys were there when we were in town. We could have come over instead of sipping meloncello in our bedroom with a can of Pringles.
By the way, I liked "is this really Caesar's Palace" line. I think you have some future trip report writers in your midst.
Jan 13th, 2010 | 06:10 AM
#18
Original Poster
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 389
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LCI,
Walking through Rome one day we looked through a doorway and saw that a construction crew had lifted a column 7 feet in the air. Both DSs stepped right in the doorway and cradled the column in their palms. I haven't seen those pics yet but will post when I find them.
maiitaitom,
We would gladly have shared the heat and some wine with you for some meloncello & Pringles !
DH is determined to get one of those space heaters for our screen porch as he loved sitting on that roof and defying the cold!
Leely2,
I love traveling as a family & DSs really make me laugh...though I admit it isn't too difficult. I love Rome and I am already plotting our return.
Walking through Rome one day we looked through a doorway and saw that a construction crew had lifted a column 7 feet in the air. Both DSs stepped right in the doorway and cradled the column in their palms. I haven't seen those pics yet but will post when I find them.
maiitaitom,
We would gladly have shared the heat and some wine with you for some meloncello & Pringles !
DH is determined to get one of those space heaters for our screen porch as he loved sitting on that roof and defying the cold!
Leely2,
I love traveling as a family & DSs really make me laugh...though I admit it isn't too difficult. I love Rome and I am already plotting our return.
