Jamikins and Bikerscott's Long Weekend in Rome
 

Jamikins and Bikerscott's return to The Eternal City for what will hopefully be a sun-filled bank holiday weekend break.

Day One – Travel Day Delay

In retrospect, the several bottles of wine last night may not have been the best choice. After work we met for dinner in London near St Pauls – we had a taxi booked but decided to eat first and avoid some of the rush-hour traffic…it was a good plan. As it turned out, the earlier traffic meant that our pre-booked car was significantly late, which meant we had time for an extra bottle of wine and even then spent quite a bit of time standing outside a random Café Rouge in the rain waiting for him. An angry call to the booking service and a discount later, the very apologetic driver arrived.

The people at Premier Inn have taken the checking in process to a whole new level of automation and ease. We arrived at the hotel, found a self-service kiosk, and had our room keys within a few minutes. A few minutes after that we had dropped off our bags and were in the admittedly crap Premier Inn lounge for a final beverage (a glass of wine for Jamie and a tasty Sharpe’s Atlantic for me – a quality beer if you ever come across it).

Four in the morning had seemed like such a good idea when I set the alarm. I wasn’t feeling like it was a very solid plan when it actually went off, and took quite a while to wake up and feel even a little bit human. A short taxi ride to the airport later and we realised how nice my former BA Silver Status was – no more free lounge access for us. We had to sit in the general boarding area with a relatively large number of people who had evidently never travelled before, plus seven thousand pre-teens who were on some sort of school excursion.

While I don’t have Silver status anymore, I do still have Bronze which got us priority boarding, so we were amongst the first on the plane. The gate folks had spent quite a bit of time announcing that the flight was very full and suggesting that anyone with a second bag would be better off checking it in for free rather than have to find somewhere to put in on the plane. They didn’t count on the eight thousand pre-teens, who apparently travel with very little cabin baggage – I’ve never seen so many empty bag cabinets (there’s probably an official name for them, but I can’t think of it right now).

After pretty much everyone had boarded a man, his severely disabled daughter and her career got on. It was a disaster. They tried to get the poor girl to sit down in the last row of the plane, but she was having none of it. They spent a good (or to be honest a not so good) half hour trying to calm her down and take her seat, but eventually had to give up and get off the flight – there was no way this girl was going to cooperate. We felt really bad for the guy – he wasn't having a great day.

The 30 minutes trying to get the girl to sit was added to after they decided to give up as the airline had to find and remove their bags from the plane. All in all we were an hour late taking off due to the chaos. Fortunately I can pass out on pretty much any form of transportation so missed most of the delay, as well as a good portion of the flight itself. Low-level travel narcolepsy has it’s advantages.

We got to Fiumicino and as only had carry-on bags through passport control and customs pretty quickly. I’d had a few text messages from our driver arranging a location to meet him, and we got to the big blue meeting point sign and started looking for Yuri. I saw a guy walking towards us holding a sign that had a name that was VERY close to our last name – the spelling was only off by a single letter. I called “Yuri” to him, pointed at his sign and said that I’m Scott *******. He said no, I’m waiting for *****@*, party of four. I thought it was strange, what are the chances of someone being in the Rome airport with almost exactly the same last name waiting for a driver at the meeting point. I called Yuri to see how long he was going to be and this other guy’s phone rang. Turns out the booking agency got both our last name slightly wrong, and somehow thought there were four of us rather than just the two of us.

I’d forgotten how insane Roman drivers are. We nearly died at least four times. At one point the guy was driving with one hand, texting with the other, while having a conversation on a hands-free headset. We eventually got to our flat in Trastevere and were shown around it – it includes a nice little terrace area for afternoon relaxation, and then were left to our own devices. Our first mission was lunch.

There are a few little restaurants in the piazza out the front door, which fit the bill of being close and not too expensive. Lunch was good, wine was excellent, and the sun was even better after a few months of grey cold in London.

We spent most of the afternoon wandering around Trastevere taking photos before crossing the river for more photo opportunities, plus another wine opportunity (these are important in any quality trip abroad). Rome is amazing. We love this city – this is our fourth visit and we’re not tired of it at all. The sights, sounds, and most of the smells make it feel very comfortable. In retrospect it’s funny how intimidating we found it on our first trip – 9 years of living in London and travelling all over Europe have given us a very different perspective.

Dinner was an interesting experience. Jamie had found a company that caters small wine and food tasting evenings. They’d just changed location and we spent quite a while trying to find the little place, but eventually got there. We sat at a long table with a dozen other people from all over the world (the US, Denmark, Sweden, Britain, and Estonia were all represented) and got an introduction to some really nice Italian wines as well as classic Italian plates to pair with them. Highlights for me were the Brunello Di Montelcino and the Barrolo. It was a LOT of food as well, and we left feeling very full.

It wasn’t actually as long of a walk back to our little flat as we were expecting. Earlier in the day we’d wondered where all the young Italians go for evenings out in the city – we found them at several bars on the way home, and especially just over the bridge to Trastevere. Our little piazza also seems to be a prime location and was absolutely packed with people out having a Friday night on the town. The evening is winding down with a bit of photo editing, writing, and of course some wine.

I am totally on board for the ride here. the two of you are my kind of travelers!

And happily waiting for photos.
Pleased you are doing TRs again :)

Waiting for more...
After 5 visits to Rome I'm not feeling like we have to race around anymore. So I'll be interested to see how you repeat travelers decide to spend your time. Seems we have similar priorities... :)

Yes! A trip report from Bikerscott and photos from Jamikins, can't wait for the rest.

Thank you for taking us along on your long weekend in Rome.

We were just reminiscing about our London visit during which we got to meet the famous bikerscott & jamikins in the flesh, and about how much we enjoyed last summer's Rome trip, and voila, here's your report. Do carry on!

Eagerly joining in the fun. Leave some wine for the rest of us.

...so glad you're back in the fray. Love your TRs!

I'm on board :-)

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

Pics are here
https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

Not sure I can promise to save some wine for the rest of you ;)

ah - it warms the cockles of my heart to see your lovely pictures of Rome in the sunshine! brings back memories of our first visit, which was also at Easter.

please keep drinking and eating - we will taste it vicariously!

I'm actually taking photos again as well- my set is here: https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

And people thought I made it up that these trips were mainly about alcohol -- I wasn't going to say anything, and won't say anything further -- but the first sentence is a classic, and yes, I agree.

Woo hoo! A Bikerscott trip report! I'm along for the ride!

on for the ride

Great pictures, as always. You both have an eye for the interesting! Jamikins, I love the donkey with wings graffiti shot!

Our dinner our favorite Italian restaurant last night, doesn't quite scratch the "Italy itch"! I need to get back to Rome but will forgive you both if you don't save wine for the rest of us. It's every man for himself!

More, please!

Wow! Great pics from both of you. And my two favorite B's (Brunello and Barolo) in the same meal - nice. Thanks for posting - looking forward to more.

Headed to Rome in June, so looking forward to your resto recommendations...great pics as always!

Your post is so welcome, wine, especially Brunello, sunny, time to take great pictures of Rome what a lovely way to live life. We stayed in Trastevere last spring and loved it. Keep on travelling.

I am so envious of people who can just pop over to Rome for a long weekend. *sigh*

Loving this and looking forward to more.

As always, your pictures are wonderful! Loved looking at both sets! Thanks for sharing!

Can't wait to read the rest of the adventure!

jamikins and bikerscott,

Thanks so much for this little interlude. Badly needed right now! Wish I was there too. Glad to hear you enjoyed some Brunello, my favorite. Fabulous pics too. They really bring Roma to life for those of us stuck at home and work.

Buon viaggio!

PS - Jamie, my two rescue pugs are settling in well. Snoring away together on their pillow at the moment!

How lovely to be able to pop over to Rome for the weekend! I look forward to reading more about your time there. I always enjoy your trip reports and seeing your beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!

How nice to see another trip report in the making from the two of you. And in my absolute favorite place in the world. Have been there just a year ago and feel the itch for another visit!! Enjoy and thanks for the pictures as well.

Always love your reports! thanks for taking the time to share.

Day Two

We had nothing in particular scheduled for the day so managed a fairly good lie in this morning. There are curtains in the bedroom but certainly not blackout blinds, but even with the bright sunshine coming through we slept until 10:30am. This, for us, is pretty spectacular as we normally get up not long after 4am to walk the dogs before the gym and work.

We’ve settled into a good travel routine over the last few years. We tend to only schedule one thing to do per day, and especially when we go back to places we’ve been before we don’t really stress too much about things. This morning was particularly relaxing, with coffee and photo editing on the little terrace in the sun until well after 12:00. We probably could have gotten ready faster and been out and about before noon, but there didn’t really seem to be any rush, which was nice.

Lunch was a few blocks away at my favourite pizza place in the world – Dar Poeta. I have a bunch of friends that live in New York, and some of those have been to Naples, and all are upset with my claim. I, however, have been to both New York and Naples and have had pizza in both places and still think this is better. I’m not saying that Roman pizza is better than NY or Napoli pizza, just Dar Poeta. I had the Dar Poeta, Jamie had something else that was apparently tasty. The Dar Poeta features cheese, courgette, garlic, spicy sausage, and chilli. It’s delicious.

We evidently aren't the only ones that think this is pretty good pizza. We got a seat when we arrived, but after us there was a fairly large group of people waiting for a table to eat at. It’s like this pretty much every time we see it, but trust me, it’s worth it. Part of the charm of the place is watching the waiting (or being one of the waiters). It’s very democratic – it doesn’t matter if you are a family from Florida or a local, you put your name on the list and you get a table when it comes up. The range of people standing in the alley is impressive, from white socks and sandals with shorts to blazers and pocket squares. Seriously, it’s good pizza worth going out of your way for.

After lunch we decided that a wine bar tour was in order. We crossed the river and went into the heart of darkness, otherwise known as the tourist centre of Rome. I like Piazza Navonna, but with all the people crowded around it’s a bit of a pain. We found a wine bar/restaurant that we ate in the last time we were in Rome called Il Piccolo (because it’s very small) which had a table available on the street for us. A bottle of wine and some people-watching was calling us, and we can’t resist that call.

We spent two good hours nursing a very nice bottle of Sicilian white which to be honest was a bit sweet for my taste. The table was right on the side of the pedestrian street, and you just can’t buy entertainment like watching the world wander past on a sunny day in Rome. Eventually we decided it was time to wander back over the river to our little flat to get ready to go out for dinner.

It didn’t actually take that long to get ready. Our plans for the evening were a little Osteria on the far edge of Trastevere, so black tie wasn’t called for. We had a fortifying beverage at the little beer bar downstairs (€7 for a double IPA and a very small glass of wine) before walking for 25 minutes or so to get to Osteria Francesco, farther than we’d really expected.

Despite the length of time it took to walk there, we were still 30 minutes early. We’re nothing if not punctual. We found the restaurant, confirmed that there was no one there at 7:30 and walked down the street to a locals-only wine bar for another beverage while we waited for our 8pm reservation.

The music was old-school Beastie Boys, the wine was terrible, but the crisps were fresh and the locals entertaining. I don’t know the name of it, I wouldn’t recommend it, and I probably won’t be going back, but it allowed us to pass 30 minutes in a part of Trastevere with not a lot to recommend it.

Despite arriving at 8pm, our appointed reservation time, we were still the first in the restaurant. Not only were we the first, but some of the chefs were still hanging out in the main room, rather than slaving away in the kitchen. As we were first, we had pick of tables, so we took the one closest to the windows looking into the kitchen. We did a quick count – six front of house staff and at least eight in the kitchen, working for a total of two diners until at least 10pm.

Dinner was unexpected. Often Italian food is rustic, as the famous dishes are ‘Cucina Povera’ or the dishes of the poor. If one was loaded, one wouldn’t eat endless pasta and triples, or so the theory goes. This place took Italian dishes to the next level, in a way that we haven’t experienced before, including a Michelin restaurant in Naples that we tried a few years ago.

The food was excellent. They used Italian ingredients like various pastas and ricotta, but elevated them. There was ravioli filled with butter, tortellini filled with red ale, and both pigeon and duck. It seems that a French influence on Italian traditions is a fusion that can work very well. The only downside is the amount of food that we consumed – a seven course tasting menu in Italy is a LOT heartier than some we’ve had in France.

We rolled out of the restaurant and decided to walk back to our flat. Despite a slight mis-judgement in direction (okay fine I got lost) we still made it back home in about 30 minutes, which isn’t too bad. This part of Trastevere seems to be the party place to be and be seen – loads of bars and restaurants which seemed quiet and sleepy in the afternoon were rammed at night. Fortunately our flat faces away from the piazza so we can’t hear any of it. Looking forward to sleep, but maybe a glass of wine first…

This is the restaurant from last night

http://www.osteriafernanda.com

Osteria Fernanda, not Francesca

Very nice pictures and report. Wish I could do a weekend in Rome but from Texas Europe requires a big investment of time.

Sounds so wonderful. I am with you on sitting, sipping and watching the show around you! I am jealous that you slept until 10:30....I have a hard time sleeping at all (horrible insomnia) but I don't think I have slept that late since high school!

I am transported back to one October day when my husband & I went to Da Poeta following our art history lesson at Villa Farnesina with Daniella Hunt. Seems to me that the pizza and the cold beer were very good!

Nice menu, jamikins, though I think that I might have gone for the €39 or €45 dinner; 7 courses is too much for me now, especially if i want to eat the following day [which of course I always do!]

What a day - it is lovely to have the luxury of not having to fill ones days with activity, isn't it?

looking forward to what tomorrow brings!

Annhig - sooo full! It was ridiculously filling. Wait until Scott does today's report. Phew. Eyes are definitely bigger than our stomachs!!

Where is your apartment in Trastevere - we stayed near Ponte Sisto one winter loved it.

It is in Piazza di San Giovanni della Malva. Perfect location close to the river!

2010...we spent a day with Daniella Hunt a few years ago...loved her!

LOL. Our Piazza! We were #4 (I think). Above the jewellery store.

Really enjoying your report, and your great pix! Makes us eager to return to Rome. And, when we do, we'll pursue a few of your restaurant suggestions.

We look forward to another installment!

Enjoying your report and pictures . . . waiting for more.

I've never been to Rome, but you do make me want to add it to my bucket list.

It's been many years since I was in Rome. It would be lovely to return. I hope I can.

I love your reports, don't often comment but I always ready them. You take wonderful photos.