LoveItaly

Cara marigross, I am half way laughing and half way crying. I can't tell you how much your trip report is touching my heart. We took our daughter to Italy at that age too..oh my, keeping an eye on her thanks to the gorgeous Italian men had her dad worn out. Btw, years later she married a gorgeous Roman man. Just saying, lol.

I have walked through Rome with you, smelled the sewer smell (although that was in Venice not Rome) and smiled at all of your comments dear one.

I love the format of your trip report but mostly I love that your trip report is from your heart. Again, it has sure touched my heart and brought back a flood of memories when we were in Rome with our teenage daughter. And Moses, I truly think of everything in Rome, Moses was always my late husband's greatest joy.

cruiseluv

Hi Marigross!

I usually see you in the Spain side of the board, I am so glad to see you here. I am enjoying so much your report, I'm getting ready to go to Rome in a couple of weeks.

So sorry about the experience with the smelly bedroom! Your DD was a real trouper, not complaining about sleeping in the sofa bed.

I will think of you everytime I indulge in some WUI!

Anna1013

Marigross,

As so many others have said, your report is a joy to read. Well organized with bold headings, and your descriptions of the day make all of us feel we are walking with you...without the blisters of course I think this is an excellent report for first-timers to read!

I feel your pain about jet-lag. It takes us about 16 hours(not including stop-overs) to get to Europe, and I'm pretty sure I got that whole reverse jet-lag also.

I've never heard that tip about putting on antiperspirant when wearing skirts! Got to try that next time. Like your family, we also were in Rome during the month of May. Isn't the heat crazy? We're also from a humid climate, and I was not at all prepared for the weather in May - I swear it's global warming because on our second trip, the heat felt 2x as bad.

I'm guessing at least one of you can speak Italian since you never mentioned dealing with the language barrier. I've been to Florence twice now at the same time you were there, and I can almost guess what your reaction was!

Can't wait for more!!

sherryhall

Marigross,

Your writing is a joy to read!!
I look forward to the continuation of your adventure.
Thanks for sharing and especially for all the wonderful helpful information. I will be traveling to Italy in Sept-Oct. with 3 friends and appreciate learning from the experiences of others.

marigross

Wow!! You guys are blowing me away! Thanks to each and everyone of you. I hope to post another installment tonight.

marigross

While the next instalment is in the works, here is my pre-trip / let's-get-in-an-Italian-mood reading list. Please remember that this trip was postponed twice so I had a long time to read up.The star rating is mine.

"The Agony and the Ecstasy" ****

"The Pope's Ceiling" *** by Ross King

"Brunelleschi's Dome" **** by Ross King

"The Passion of Artemisia" ****

"The Birth of Venus" * by Sarah Dunant

"Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's" by R. A. Scotti ****

"Roma" by Steven Saylor ****

"City of Falling Angels" ** by John Berhendt

"I, Mona Lisa"* and "The Borgia Bride"** by Jeanne Kalogridis

"Galileo's Daughter" *** by Dava Sobel

"The Sixteen Pleasures" * by Robert Hellenga

"The Lost Painting" *** by Jonathan Harr

"April Blood" *

"The Enchantress of Florence"** by Salman Rushdie

"A Thousand Days in Tuscany"* by Marlena di Blasi

"Under the Tuscan Sun"** by Frances Mayes

"The House of the Medici, Its Rise and Fall" * by Christopher Hibbert

"The Pope's Daughter, The Extraordinary Life of Felice della Rovere"*** by Caroline P. Murphy

"The Genius in the Design" ***

"In the Company of a Courtesan ***

"Lavinia" *** by Ursula K. LeGuin

marigross

I am swamped at work and have a Date Night with DH today so no installment tonight. DD is staying over at her friends, still in Parental Detox I guess. Poor girl.

Anna1013 inquired about the language issue so I'll expand:

DH is Swiss German but had to take Italian in school. Afterwards he had some exposure working and vacationing in Italy. He is very far from fluent but can get by. The problem is that now all his Italian is jumbled up with his Spanish as we live in Puerto Rico.

DD and I are native Spanish speakers. The language is close enough to Italian that if you (1) have a broad vocabulary (2) do what I call 'listening with your mind' and most importantly (3) are willing to look stupid while trying to communicate, you can certainly get by.

I would not want to go to a doctor or talk to a lawyer, at that point the language barrier would be huge as many details and all nuances would be lost. But for everyday touristic communication and asking for directions we did okay.

In addition, we were in very few places in which English was not spoken and we found everyone very willing to work with us in order to reach an understanding.

TDudette

More, more!

MomDDTravel

Yes, More More!!!!!!!!

delvino

An extremely enjoyable trip report. I love it, bring on more. I loved our experience at Der Pallaro, and look forward to stopping in this October. Our other favorite in Rome is Du Buffaoto. Looking forward to reading mroe.

marigross

<b>Saturday, May 23th - Day 4: From the Borghese to Castel Saint Angelo via the Baths of Diocletian</b>

<b><i>Getting Started…Jump Started</b></i>

We were supposed to wake up early but DDs alarm did not ring. I decided not to inquire too deeply to find out if it had been a fortuitous incident or not. My eyes opened up by 7:45. Not good. I had a reservation for the Borghese Gallery for 9:00AM (8:30 for checkin). Well, we are not going to make it! I did not panic because…. I had a backup reservation for 11:00 AM.

We decided to go for it anyway. If it was too late we would just use the backup reservation. We had a quick breakfast, including some of the fabulous (NOT!) Turkish coffee. We were out the door in record time by 8:20.

In case you are wondering, I did not have a single decent cup of morning coffee in Rome and a real decadent cappuccino had to wait until we were in Pienza.

<b><i>The Plan for Today</b></i>

1. Borghese Gallery
2. Santa Maria della Vittoria (Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Theresa)
2a. If-we-had-time: Capuchin Crypt
4. Baths of Diocletian
5. Castel St Angelo

I made the Borghese reservation by phone (011) 39 063 2810, English well spoken, very easy and did not take more than three minutes. http://www.galleriaborghese.it/info-en.htm

When I plan trips I tend to cram the absolute-must-do’s at the begging of the trip, that way if something goes wrong I have a little space to maneuver. Therefore the days were getting less hectic (I know that this is relative). The only absolute-must-do for today was the Borghese Gallery so the rest of the day could be taken as it went. At this moment there was no need to come up with a Revised Plan (YES!!!), even when considering the later start.

<b><i>The Half Empty Bus</b></i>

We had seen in the bus map what we thought was an electric tram that went from Campo de Fiori all the way to the Borghese gardens and decided to try and see how it went. After a few inquiries we realized that it was a bus, located the correct stop and proceeded to wait.

The first bus to come by was a 6-seater van equipped. It was full and we were not picked up. The second bus came about 10 minutes later it was empty and we went in.

It seemed like an awfully big vehicle to have only five regular seats, we then noticed that is had latches dock in wheelchairs. We wondered if we were somehow transgressing by using this service. Was it only intended for the elderly and handicapped? We had no idea and the driver never stopped talking on his cell phone so we could ask him.

A few more people, with no apparent handicap, were picked up along the way so we thought it might be ok after all. The bus went through tons of tiny little streets. It seemed to me that he braked and looked into a few buildings, as if he was looking for regular customers.

Bottom line, we were dropped off in the Borghese Park by 9:15 with instructions from the driver to walk to the cross roads, turn left and we would see the Gallery at the end of the road.

<b><i>Beautiful Daphne turns into a Tree</b></i>

There we were, at 9:25, in front of the doors to the <b><i>Borghese Gallery</b></i>. Should we go in? Should we wait for 11:00? Well, there was nothing to lose (except money), we could go in now AND back in at 11:00 if we were not done.

The timed entrance rush had passed, there was no waiting to check-in the handbags (no bags, regardless of the size, are allowed inside), handed out our Roma Passes with the reservation number and within a couple of minutes we were inside.

I had read so many raves about this Gallery. It had been listed as a favorite museum in Rome by many Fodorites whose I opinion I value. Naturally I had high expectations for this museum, something I fear because it often leads to disappointment. I should not have worried. What a magnificent place!

Canova’s Pauline Bonaparte must have truly been a scandal when unveiled to the public. She has such an ‘I’m-so-pleased-with-myself expression’! But Bernini’s Daphne… What can one say about this beauty? There are not words. The tears streaming down her face, the hair delicately turning into leaves, her body being enclosed by the bark, her toes digging into the earth while morphing into roots…

It was the first time ever I saw DD being truly moved by ‘old’ art. She wanted to hear Daphne’s story. Why was she being pursued? Why did her father do such a cruel thing to her? (Being a tree must be terribly boring) Wasn’t there a better way to protect her? Why would she prefer death to submitting to glorious Apollo? (Hummm. Beep on the Mother Radar) Over the rest of the trip she made several free-interpretation drawings of Daphne.

Bernini’s David was suitably impressive but in my book it cannot stand next to Aeneas or even less, next to The Rape of Proserpine.

I must make a confession: I talk to sculptures and paintings. Not to all, only to those dear to my heart. It is not very loud; in reality it is not more than a low mumble, but I still look like a madwoman. This is why I love going to museums by myself! I don’t want to embarrass anyone. So if you ever see me in a museum, please, be kind. In this trip I refrained from this practice in deference to DD but it left me with a strong desire to have a good conversation with Proserpine. Oh well, there is always next time. Maybe I buy her a drink then.

The came the Caravaggios! My absolute favorite was Mary and Jesus stepping over snake. Such a luminous and sensual skin! WOW! No wonder this painting was deemed inappropriate to be placed in St Peters. Thankfully Cardinal Borghese had a lecherous soul and rescued this beauty.

With less than a half-hour left to the visit we went to the second floor. It was very interesting and I could have spent a little more time but it did not justify a second entry. One the way out we spotted the gorgeous aviary outside and thought it was pretty interesting-looking. We proceeded to collect our stuff and headed that way.

<b><i>Butterflies and Tea in the Aviary</b></i>

We found the entrance to the aviary and saw that it was the last day of a special exhibit of butterflies. Should we go in? Sure, why not, I like butterflies, DD likes butterflies and DH raised butterflies from eggs when he was a child. The LAST DAY part in an exhibit strongly dependant on the finicky life-cycle of an insect should have pulled a trigger in our minds but it didn’t. It was 7E pp and the biggest ripoff of the trip.

There were some butterflies but none truly spectacular. Most of the butterflies had died off, which is why the exhibit was closing down. DUH! The aviary doubled as a hothouse for orchids and was (obviously) steaming hot. The exhibit entrance included a serving of tea on beautiful china. But who really wants to drink hot tea when its 95ºF inside the hothouse? Only DH who cannot bear to see anything wasted.

Did you know that silk cocoons are very hard? They need to be soaked in water before the silk thread can be spun. It’s rather logical when one thinks about it, otherwise it would not protect the pupa but I always thought that they were –ahem- silky smooth. See, not all is wasted when you learn something.

<b><i>The forgotten date with Theresa</b></i>

I don’t know why it slipped from my mind. Perhaps I was still swooning over Daphne. But it finally hit me! The next step on The Plan was to visit the biggest swooner of them all, the grand dame of ecstasy: Bernini’s St. Theresa. It was 11:40AM. Damn! We were going to fall into the Dreaded Lunch Void.

Almost all of the smaller churches in Rome close for lunch from 12:00 to 3:00PM. This creates a big logistical problem when creating a plan. Not only do the sights need to be geographically close but viewing of church art is restricted to morning and late afternoon. This had been incorporated into The Plan, but then I got distracted with the ripoff butterflies. Double Damn.

A quick consultation with the Green Guide listed Santa Maria della Vittoria, the church which houses St. Theresa, closing for lunch at 12:30. This was highly suspicious but would give me enough time to salvage my itinerary.

For the second time in the day I was wondering: Should we run for it? We were close enough to be there by noon. It was a very small church so half an hour would be almost enough time to see it. Well, we went for it.

A brisk 15 minute walk later we found ourselves in front of the church, just in time to see the door firmly closed and the attendants walking out the parish door. It was 11:55 PM. It was unavoidable; The Plan had to be reshuffled.

I consulted again the guidebooks and both –RS’s and Green Guide – listed Santa Maria degli Angeli as not closing for lunch. OK, in that case we would head in that direction. It was close enough that we could backtrack later to see Theresa.

<b><i>The Unexpected Meridian</b></i>

If one has not been into St. Peters, walking into Santa Maria degli Angeli a.k.a. the <b><i>Baths of Diocletian</b></i> would be a jaw dropping experience. We had been to St. Peters already so the gap in our mouths was barely big enough to let a fly go in. What an impressive place. What a sight it must have been in its heyday! Those ancient Romans knew how to live in style.

Mass was being said but no one was restricting the tourist from walking around. We sat down on a bench towards the back and I begun to read about the church from the book. In less than 30 seconds DD was deeply asleep. We gave her a 15-minute break to power nap, woke her up (read: got her to an upright position where she was able to walk where led) and toured around the perimeter of the church.

To one side of the church there was a Galileo exhibit which seemed a bit weird to me until I realized that in the floor of the church is a very large meridian line and an astronomical map. Rather cool and completely unexpected. There was a guy explaining the marks and measurements but it was going over our heads and we decided to move along.

<b><i>A Nap at the Museum</b></i>

It was just over 1:00PM and we were still within the Lunch Void. I looked around for things to fill in the gap and saw the <b><i> Museum of the Bath</b></i> next door. It was not in The Plan, did not list any major piece of art, but it was covered by the Roma Pass so it would not be such a bad deal and would shelter us from the sun and heat for a while.

A quick walk around the block and we found the entrance. A gorgeous pergola (I’m a sucker for those things!) covered the walk way. We handed out our Roma Passes to the ticket lady and she waved us in. Now, we had already spent our two ‘free’ entrances with the Foro/Coloseo and the Borghese, we were supposed to get only a discount. Before I had a chance to open my mouth to clarify the situation, DH instantly and firmly pulled me by the arm into the hallway (this is almost a routine between us).

We walked towards the entrance and there was a turnstile to put the tickets in. Obviously they did not work. The guard came over but before I had a chance to explain that we were attempting an illegal entry, he opened the side door and let us in.

This is the kind of place where one goes only if one is a devoted fan of ancient art or maybe after staying in Rome for over a month and begins to run out of first-line places to go to. There were only two other persons to be seen in this museum. They were drawing vases so I guess they must have been in some sort of scholastic assignment.

I will say that if I had paid the full price I would have been very disappointed. At the reduced price it was okay. Since we had it as an unexpected freebee it was enjoyable. There were a few very interesting things to see, fertility artifacts are always bound to perk up almost anyone’s attention! The courtyard is pretty cool too.

We walked into the side wing and saw this wonderfully long bench, running along the cool wall and suddenly, it called my name: Come! Lay Down! There is no one here to see you! I did not resist very much before I answered its siren call. We all dropped down and napped for a few minutes.

Reinvigorated, we headed down towards the exit when we heard some strange electronic music coming from a room. A small amphitheater had been setup and had a large screen which showed a stream with a 3-D reconstruction of the bath complex. There were four separate small screens and joysticks were placed in front of each. DD immediately started messing around with them and found that you could do a virtual tour of the Baths. The coolness factor increased when a few minutes later we found out that we could chase each other in this virtual world.

<b><i>A Rare Lunch</b></i>

We still had some time until 3:00 PM so DD put in a request to get some lunch. The expression on her face obviously revealed that there was a second part to this. She had seen a sign for McDonalds by Piazza della Republica and wanted some.

We very seldom eat fast-food; I just think that it’s a waste of calories that could be better used towards delicious food and copious amounts of wine. But I have nothing personal against MickyD so we walked over. DD had a chicken sandwich on focaccia bread with was rather good and I had a cheeseburger. DH cleaned up the fries. 9.10E and a chance to go to a clean bathroom.

<b><i>Can we see Theresa now?</b></i>

A short walk brought us back to <b><i>Santa Maria della Vittoria</b></i>. The doors were not open yet. I guess it’s only natural that people are prompt to close and not in a hurry to open. A crowd was assembling around the entrance but we still found a shady spot to sit on the stairs. A few minutes later the doors opened up and all the followers of the Angels and Demons trail stormed into the church battling it out with the diehard Bernini fans.

Seeing the <b><i>Ecstasy of Santa Teresa</b></i> was my last absolute must-do in Rome. I had tried but never made it in my last visit.

I did not know much about the church itself but while everyone scrambled to see Theresa I had time to admire the ceiling. Why is this not mentioned anywhere?!?! This small church is a masterpiece of Baroque. The gilded walls rise towards the heights of heaven, the organ pipes are integrated into the upward movement. The frescoes are within a frame carried by sculpted angels. Breathtaking.

Once the initial rush passed we were free to approach the chapel in which St. Therese is laying in her cloud. I had seen countless pictures of her, full body and face closeups. Yes, her mouth is open in ecstasy as if a soft moan had just escaped. Her head is thrown backwards in a swoon but her shoulder gently pushes forward indicating that she is still receiving the –ahem- Holy joy. Her body almost disappears under her habit.

What I had never noticed before in pictures and firmly places this statue within the erotic realm is her foot. It peaks out from under her disarrayed robe and slightly hangs out of her cloud. The foot is limp but her toes are curled. If there is somewhere out there, in this big and diverse world, an art tour for foot-fetishists this would be the ultimate destination.

This is one statue I would never attempt to have a conversation with. I would not presume to disturb her. It would be as when the phone rings just after you have had mind-blowing sex. Now, the angel standing over her is another story…he must have some good stories to tell!

<b><i>A morbid visit</b></i>

The next destination was in the if-we-have-time category. With my newfound freedom and sense of accomplishment gained once all the must-do’s were done, I decided to make the small detour to the church of Santa Maria dell Imacolata Conzecione. It was very close to the metro station anyway.

If the name does not wring a bell, don’t worry, it is much better known as the <b><i>Cappuccin Crypt</b></i>.

In this place the bones of over 4,000 monks are assembled (disassembled?) into artistic forms. It was bigger than I expected and rather more interesting too. It was morbidly fun to try to identify which kind of bone was used to shade a certain lamp shade or frieze.

When the book said that donations were requested they meant it. We did not see the ‘collection box’ initially and walked straight in. A loud ‘HEY!’ was immediately heard. The attendant requested a 1E pp donation. No big deal. I was going to make the donation anyway, they might even had gotten more than that. I would just prefer that they call things by their true name. This was an entrance fee.

I think that it’s more of a boy thing. Been there, done that, curiosity has been satisfied and there is no need to go back.

<b><i>Is it the boat what makes this place famous?</b></i>

Our general direction was Castel Sant Angelo. A consultation with the map did not yield many obvious public transportation options, I’m sure there must have been, we just didn’t see them. We dropped into the Barberini metro station and promptly emerged from the Piazza de Spagna. Since we were there, I said, ‘Why not? Let’s show DD the (in)famous <b><i>Spanish Steps’</b></i>.

To say that this place was packed would be a crass understatement. There was some personal space to be enjoyed, but not much. I looked up the stairs and much to my surprise, there was not a single flower to be seen! Considering the season I expected a riot of magenta bougainvilleas to grace the area. But there was nothing. Zilch. Nada!

DD looked rather perplexed and asked why we where here. I said ‘these are the Spanish Steps’. Still confused, she asked again: ‘the Steps are famous? Not the boat fountain? Why is it really that we are here? My response: ‘Just so that you don’t have to waste any time on a future trip coming back’.

BTW, I think that the fountain is really nice and deserves the trip by itself.

My intention was to walk by Augustus Mausoleum but we were trying to lose the crows as soon as possible and we somehow missed the street. No problem, next trip. See! Once The Plan is accomplished I can be carefree and wild.

<b><i>The German Invasion</b></i>

As we crossed over the river we began to see that a more and more people were assembling on the side of the road. Once we were close enough we could see that a parade was getting ready to start marching. After a few inquiries we finally found out the reason for the lederhosen invasion: St. Benedict’s Day.

It seemed that every able-bodied Catholic Southern German owning lederhosen and a musical instrument had mobilized to Italy to celebrate their homeboy’s naming-saint day. Well, for purposes of veracity this statement might be a slight exaggeration, but there were a LOT of them.

We watched the marching band parade for a while. At least 20 bands went by, playing considerably in tune all dressed in traditional costumes. In reality DD only watched the German boys, which even though they did not shout ‘Ciao, Bella!’ at her were still considerably cute, even in lederhosen.

<b><i>The Angel on Top</b></i>

We still had one more destination for the day and it was getting late so I wrestled DD away from the Germans so we could head towards the entrance.

The first time we were in Rome, in the p.F. age, I did not even realize that one could go into that big chunk of rock next to the Vatican. Once my education had been greatly increased by Fodor’s I knew that I wanted to visit this place. On top of that, this fortress had been featured prominently in a book I had greatly enjoyed, <u>The Borgia Bride</u> (ha! I bet you thought I was going to say <u>The Da Vinci Code</u>!

<b><i>Castel St. Angelo</b></i> begun its life as Hadrian’s Mausoleum and it shows. It is a dinosaur from a different age. Discounted entrance with Roma Pass was 16.5E for the three of us. The walk up the ramparts was not bad (could it be that we were getting in better shape from all that walking?!?!?)

This place is really interesting and deserved a longer, more attentive visit than what we were able (or willing) to give it at the end of the day. In addition, I think that the views from the top are the best to be had in Rome. If it is not on your list for your next trip, add it.

We walked by the place where the papal apartment and marveled at the contrast from the stark outside to the luxury inside. We saw where the treasure (at least the main cash deposit) was kept. Following the visit route you finally emerge into the sunlight and the terrace from which there is a 360º view of the city. I was surprised at how close one comes to the angel sculpture that crowns the fortress top. I adore anything to do with St. Michael or St, James (yeah, I know it’s the big swords!) so I thought it was uber cool.

There is a café on the top which looked really tempting but the tables were full and considering that we were running out of steam, we preferred to relax (read: imbibe) closer to our dinner destination and gloat over the fact that 100% of The Plan for the day had been accomplished.

<b><i>WUI with the Regulars </b></i>

Our wandering feet led us almost directly to the place we had been the previous evening, <b><i>Café della Pace</b></i>. This time we had to stand around (and pay attention) for a few minutes before we managed to score a table. The place was packed! It seemed to me that a lot of people were greeting each other and the place had a vibe of a neighborhood joint.

I had many read comments about how the customer is received in bars and restaurants once they realize that they are a repeat customer. I thought that it was a complete exaggeration. Well, let me tell you that it is not. We were welcomed enthusiastically by the exact same server, drinks were promptly brought and our chips and pretzel bowls were refilled.

We had 4.5 glasses of white wine, a bottle of water and coke, 30E. It is a cool and hip place but not cheap! Maybe it was 6.5 glasses and then the price was not so bad after all. The 0.5 glass of wine was lost to a very accurate pigeon which dropped its load over my glass. It was hilarious, but only because I was not splattered. The waitress almost fainted when she saw the glass and immediately changed it without charge.

<b><i>Dinner on a Reservation-armed Saturday Night</b></i>

When we arrived at the restaurant at 8:25 there was only another party seated but as we walked inside we noticed that all the tables were reserved. If we had tried again to walk in like the previous night they would not have been able to seat us either. By 9:30 all the tables were full and the vibe was good.

The best way to describe this place is: pleasant. It is nicely decorated but not ultra hip or chick. The music was nice and played at the perfect volume where it can be heard but does not interfere with conversation. It just looks like the kind of place where one will be fed well. The image matched its reality and we proceeded to have one of the Top 5 meals of the trip in the overall category.

Antipasti:
DH - 1 Mussels on White Wine and Garlic Sauce

Primi
DD - Mussels on White Wine and Garlic Sauce (listed as antipasto)
DH – Risotto with Pesto and Prawns
Me - Spaghetti alla Norma

Secondi:
DD – Risotto with Pesto and Prawns
DH – Rabbit stewed with Olives
Me – Roasted Lamb with Potatoes

1.5 liters of rosso de la casa, 2 liters of water.
2 café machiatti
I would be hard pressed to pick a winner plate for the night. Everything was perfectly cooked – texture and taste, served warm (this turned out to be an issue as the trip progressed). The portions were generous. The service was attentive without being overpowering, answering questions, recommending DH to wait until his primo to order a secondo because they thought it might be too much. Ha! That will be the day, but they did not know DH’s appetite. 88E plus tip as the service truly deserved it.

DD picked a gelato (biscotti and crema) on the way home where we happily crashed without noticing any smell or remembering to complain to the owner.

<b>Next: What to do with a ‘free’ day in Rome????</b>

MademoiselleFifi

marigross,
Love your report but I'm puzzled by the "no flowers on the Spanish Steps" part. How late in May was this?

MademoiselleFifi

Oh never mind, now I see your dates. Three weeks before, there were plenty of flowers-- maybe the heat wave killed them all!

Luhimari

ttt

hazel1

I must've missed it somewhere - which restaurant did you dine in on Sat. night?

marigross

I'm sorry for the omission!!!! On Saturday night we went to <b><i>Osteria del Pegno</i></b>

______________

<b>Sunday, May 24th - Day 5: From the Borghese to Castel Saint Angelo via the Baths of Diocletian</b>

<b><i>What to do with an Unplanned Day in Rome? </b></i>

Believe it or not, I had no firm plans for today. Fear not, I had TONS of things I wanted to do but they were all in the if-we-have-time category so I was having a real hard time choosing. The options were:

- Ostia Antica, possible adding San Paolo Extramuro on the way back
- Via Appia / Catacombs (limited traffic on Sunday was a plus)
- Trastevere (to see all we had missed on the second day)
- Doria Pamphilj museum

My personal choice would have been the Trastevere but I could see that DD and DH were over-churched and not really enthusiastic. Via Appia and the catacombs sounded OK but I felt that I should have researched them more.

DH said that he would follow where I led. DD never had any kind of input to The Plan (before and during the vacation) and only found out that we were not going to Pompeii on this trip when I said that Ostia Antica was a somewhat comparable option.

That left Ostia Antica, the matter was settled. In addition, I somewhat thought that getting out of Rome would result in cooler temperatures.

<b><i>Getting There or Where are all these people going!?!?</b></i>

The temperature had risen again and I unashamedly, once again, donned my Ugly Tourist t-shirt, skirt and sneakers outfit. In my defense I must say that once we departed from Rome and temperature went down I did not show myself in public like this again.

I was armed with Walter’s (ParadiseLost) detailed directions to get to Ostia and had no trouble whatsoever following them:

- Bus from Largo Argentina to Termini (bought ticket at Tabacci as our Roma Pass had expired the day before)

- From Termini take the Blue Metro Line and get off at the Piramide stop

- Using the underpass change from Metro to Train following the Lido signs

- Get off at Ostia station

- Cross the blue pedestrian bridge and follow the signs to the entrance.

I thought that early on a Sunday morning the metro would be empty. It was not, the level was similar to a regular workday at a non-peak hour. Still, quite manageable. We might not have needed the signs to complete the transfer to the train line, we only could have followed the constant stream of people carrying folding chairs, big sun umbrellas and all sort of beach-gadgets.

We did not get seats on the train but there was space enough to sit on the floor. Until we reached the EUR stop and the gates of Hades opened, unleashing every single Roman under the age of 25, in beach-going attire, into the train.

Now, I’m sure you have seen those pictures of trains in Japan, where they forcibly squeeze the people into the cars and then push on the doors to get them to close. It was not THAT bad. But not by much.

I have mentioned before that DD has some issues with claustrophobia. Thankfully she maneuvered herself into standing next to a window where she could get some fresh air on her face, cranked up her i-pod volume to levels she will regret when she is old and was able to endure the trip without major problems – aside from the obvious discomfort.

Once we were uncanned from the train at the Ostia station I assured DD that the return trip would not be so bad. It was only rush-hour to the Lido, right? People would space out on the way back, logical, no? DD believed me (surprisingly I have somehow managed to hold onto some vestiges of credibility through her growing years) and visibly relaxed.

She started perking up when we went into the café just outside the Ostia station, got her a panini and a coke. I had my first real cappuccino (yes, I know its only proper to drink them for breakfast, but it was before noon….as if I would care, LOL) of the trip and DH had a machiatto. 6.60E.

<b><i>The Abandoned Port</b></i>

We followed the signs and trickle of people to the entrance of the <b><i>Ostia Antica</b></i> excavation without trouble, a short walk from the station. 13E, DD was free. Ostia was a thriving port city, population at its peak was estimated at 60K which was abandoned due to the retreat of the ocean and the collapse of the Roman Empire.

Looking at the ruins it is easy to imagine this port city at its zenith; busy and diverse. Port brokers lining up the big loggia behind the amphitheater. Apartment houses, barracks, single-family luxury homes, baths, temples. Everything was there at a much more manageable scale than Pompeii.

The houses we saw are not as opulent as the ones in Pompeii. There are not nearly as many domestic frescoes and decorations; in fact, we had to seek them out a bit off the beaten path.

The site is huge and the people completely disappear once you step away from the main street. I would have enjoyed this daytrip tenfold if it had been cooler. But at over 90ºF and not a lot of shade we got tired a lot quicker than we had hoped for even though we were interested in what we were seeing.

DD started out climbing over everything not fenced-off but after an hour she began to slow down and by the second hour she was clearly dragging her feet. If the weather had cooperated, we could have easily spent the entire day there, as it was we wandered around for more than 4 hours looking at the wonderful mosaics.

We went into the cafeteria hoping to snack and drink something to cool down.

Let me give you some background: I’m not big on ice. I don’t even have an ice maker at home!. On top of that, I usually dislike things which are too cold (possible exception would be ice cream) but I was ready for a tall glass full of ice and sugary drink that would kick my energy level up and my internal temperature down.

There was NO ice to be had. I don’t sulk often but I must admit that I was not a happy camper at that moment. I will never, ever sneer when I read about people complaining about not being served ice in Europe. A lesson in humility.

I picked a room-temperature Lemon Soda, DD had a coke and then we shared a plate of polpetti (meatballs, very tasty) and tortellini on a butter sauce (surprisingly al dente and well seasoned). 16E.

<b><i>The Train ride from Hell</b></i>

We walked back to the Ostia station, purchased our tickets and waited for the train. The station was fairly empty and within 10 minutes the train arrived. As the first cars went by I watched in horror; they were even more packed than they had been in the morning!!!

DD went very pale just looking at them, but there was nothing to be done. We pushed and shoved until we were inside the car. I tried (not very gently) to maneuver her into a position in which she was only pressed against DH and I, as close as possible to the window.

This is when I began using my Super Nanny voice (DD says it is the same body language, tone and pitch used by the Dog Whisperer, and I agree). ‘Stand up straight’, ‘throw your head back’, ‘look only at the ceiling’, ‘Concentrate on your breathing’, ‘Sing along with your I-pod’.

To my absolute horror, a few more people pushed at the next stops. About 30 minutes later we arrived at the EUR stop and about 50% of the people left. Big sigh of relief. We transferred to the Metro and in Termini we changed to the bus. The #64 bus. Some of you might see where this is going…. Another confined space. Ughh. On top of that we could thought that two guys in the bus were looking for an easy opportunity to pickpockets. At least it distracted DD from the crowd. Fifteen minutes later we finally arrived at the Campo de Fiori and were DONE with mass transpiration for a while.

<b><i>Let’s drop the W and just be UI for a while</b></i>

We collapsed into a bar in Campo di Fiori and ordered a big beer (we are quick learners; if you share it is consumed before it gets warm). I was so out of it that I did not record the name of the place. It was non-descript but had tables outside which were on the shade. The first sip of beer was ambrosia directly imported from Olympus and we began to pick ourselves up from the floor.

By the time we ordered the second beer, we were beginning to feel human again. When we were done with that one we were beginning to notice the kids running around, dogs drinking from the fountains, the outrageous way some people were dressed (as if I was in a position to critique anyone, being dressed to win the Ugly Tourist Award). We were WUI, after all.

It was only 5:00PM so for once we headed back to the apartment to shower, nap and repack for our departure tomorrow in the morning.

<b><i>Let’s Redefine Fast Food</b></i>

Around 7:00PM three persons, which would never had been recognized as the three wretches that walked in two hours before, emerged from the apartment into a beautiful Roman evening.

We had looked at several dinner options but we were not in the mood for a big meal. Several sources all coincided on the fact that <b><i>Da Baffetto</b></i> was only open on Sundays during the summer. Since we had been revived by our naps we were willing to go check in person if this ‘fact’ was true.

I was not surprised to see that first, it was open and second that there were about 50 people in the line in front of us. I left DH in the line to peek into the restaurant to assess if there were any empty tables and if the people were already eating so that tables would be freed within a reasonable timeframe.

I headed back to the entrance to give DH the bad news, no empty tables and no one eating yet, when I was surprised to see DH at the front of the line and gesturing wildly for me to hurry up.

It seems that they were still filling up the upstairs room. Also, the head waiter came out and asked in Italian how many people to the party, if they delayed a bit in answering he skipped to the next group. The second that DH raised his hand and indicated ‘3’ he was immediately told to go upstairs.

Now, I would not have preferred to seat upstairs but then we would have missed on one of the best demonstrations of Waitering-Under-Pressure (is waitering a word?) we have ever seen.

We were basically on our own to find a place to sit and the setup was rather confusing. Once we settled the only apparent available space for three, The Waiter arrived and handed out menus. By the time we raised our eyes, he was already handing out pizzas at the next table. We flagged him down and ordered a liter of rosso della casa and a coke, it wasn’t hard to get his attention but this is a place where you need to be assertive.

A few minutes later we were ready to order:

DH – 1 Pizza Da Bafetto
DD – 1 Pizza Prosciutto e Funghi
Me - 1 Pizza Capricciosa, without the fried egg on top.

1l water, 1.5l rosso, 2 cokes.

Again, a brisk movement of the head and The Waiter came over. He took our order without writing a single thing down. This guy was serving –by himself- at least 50 people in that room. I wondered if we would get anything closely resembling what we ordered.

We marveled at the way he handed out pizzas left and right without skipping a beat. The change over of a table was masterful. Not a single movement wasted! Drinks were brought, bills written and presented…it was amazing. In most of the places I go to regularly this would have taken at least a crew of 5 waiters.

The order arrived perfectly, even the capricciosa did not have the egg. The crust was thin, with crunchy, slightly charred edges. The toppings were delicious without being overpowering. I wish I was there right now. I thought the price reasonable at 43E.

Curious note: a group of ladies sitting behind us were lingering over their drinks. At one point The Waiter asked if they would move to the table next to us so that he could turn over theirs and the empty one next to them to a large group. The were surprised but moved over. The Waiter brought them a round of after dinner drinks on the house.

<b><i>But we are not ready to pack it in for the night yet!</b></i>

Even though we enjoyed our food –and the entertainment- tremendously this was not the place to relax over coffee. We decided to look for a place to sit down in Piazza Navona. DD picked up some gelato from Frigidarium (Melon and Passion Fruit, 2.5E) as we leisurely walked and enjoyed our last evening in Rome.

After a walk around the piazza we settled into Café Domiziano and had two café corretti (with Sambuca, not grappa, to my slight disappointment). We watched the world go by and reviewed our wonderful time in Rome.

Finally it was time to head back but not before we spent another half hour looking at a fire dancer show.

<b>Next: Driving into the countryside</b>

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marigross, I am still hanging on every word. This is so much fun.

Kristina

Oh yay! You went to Frigidarium! My favorite gelateria!
Very much enjoying your report and your writing style. Looking forward to more.

Zerlina

The cafe probably made the caffe corretto with Sambuca because it is assumed that the sweeter Sambuca is more agreeable to the tourist palate than grappa. Many cafes will ask how you want your caffe corretto, and any cafe will make it with grappa if you ask.

That said, I just had one with Sambuca because a) I hadn't had dessert after dinner; b) I had Sambuca in the house.

CathyM

marigross-
I am loving your report! You may even lure me away from Spain for a trip to Italy. I haven't returned to Italy since 2000, (I've been visiting Spain for the last 9 years) but this report is so well written and enchanting you're managed to capture my attention. I look forward to reading more on your adventures as you leave Rome.