denisea

Dang, have been there twice and not been fortunate enough to have those famous mashed potatoes.... Good work Gwendolynn! You pretty much do have to go the price be damned theme while at Joel Robuchon, but it is worth it! We still Talk about the amazing gazpacho with mustard sorbet!

lrock

Gwendolyn,

Oh but yes did we have the mashed potatoes and they even offered more if we wanted. They really are the best in the world. I don't know what it was but I was a little nervous there. The bill as not as bad as I thought it would be but we knew we may be laying down some serious cash there.

Denise-I cannot wait for Italy (no matter how much I love Paris) as I love Prosecco. We discovered it on our trip a few years ago and had a bottle last night with dinner. Here in Southeast Texas wine is not the big thing to drins so it took a few trips for us to truly understand its value. A few years ago my husband and daughter had a lengthy wine tasting at the wine shop down the street from our friend's apartment. I didn't participate as I had a stomache from too many macaroons. Will definitely try the Chanpagne at L'Atelier.

My husband has distant family on Sicily (his grandfather grew up there) so we are excited about that too. If you have never been Sicily is wonderful, it's a whole different world.

Lisa

uhoh_busted

Great report. I'm struck by what totally different weather we have last September in Rome. Thank goodness for layers.

Like returning to Paris, you will love going back to Rome. Last year was our return trip, and so we spent more time just enjoying being in the city (like we do in Paris, where we've been 5-6 times). They are both fabulous cities.

denisea

Lisa....we are interested in Siciliy. I have read a few T/R s on Sicily and the pictures looking amazing.

If you have a chance, consider the Sparkling Saturday (or any tasting) at VinoRoma! Really a good time.

Uh_oh...I am struck by the huge change in one day on our trip. It has hot, not awful, but plenty hot....and one cloudy off and on rainy day while we were in Orvieto, and then cold! Rainy and cold....I couldn't believe I was cold, in Rome, in September! Who woulda thougt? But I am sure you are right about revisiting both cities, not a bad problem to have.

lrock

We are also interested in the tour guide you had for the Vatican Museums. We usually skip tours but it sounded great. To be able to see the Sistine Chapel without being crushed by the crowd would be worth every penny.

denisea

Lisa....totally worth every dime! I am not a big tour person, but am learning that a small group or private guide can make all the difference in the experience you have at some sites. With Hadrian's Villa/Villa d'Este and the Vatican Museums, having a guide made it soooo much better. We wouldn't have known what we were looking at or the story behind it without Daniella and Stuart.

Stuart is a great guide and the difference between being in the SC at 8:15 vs. 10:45 is huge. I can't recommend it highly enough. Plus, he knew guards that let us take some time saving short cuts on the way back to the start of the museum....i feel like we squeezed the most out of every dime and every second.

lrock

We will be in Rome for 5 days so I definitely think we should plan on the tour guide route. We also plan on the Scavi Tour. My sister-in-law is coming with us and she has never been so we will hit the regular tourist spots with her and I also want to explore Trastevere as we never made it there last time. We stayed across the street from the Vatican Museums on our last trip and it was nice but we want to be inthe center of Rome. I just looked back through your day at the Vatican Museums with Stuart but I did not see where you found him other than Tripadvisor. Funny you mentioned WEB MD there as my husband's surgeon told me to quit looking at it last year when all of the health scare was going on as he said "it is not your friend". But, you just can't help yourseld when you are scared.

denisea

I did contact Walks of Italy and requested him as a guide.
I had asked some other questions about the tour and what their policy is regarding late comers, as I did not want to be waiting on someone that couldn't get out of bed and to the meeting place on time.

I only knew about Stuart because of reviews on Trip Advisor.

LuvToRoam

"Yes, the circle is complete...I have become my mother."
No.....the circle is complete when you look in the mirror, after sounding like your mother and you see you actually look like your mother LOL.

Enjoying your report and it has given me my little push...17 days of notes, receipts, postcards, copies of emails sent home, etc. piled on my desk just waiting to be compiled in to a cohesive trip report about our adventure in Rome last month.

jelopez33

Hi Denise!
Thanks for a wonderful report.Rome is a true jewel as Paris or London.Now; I am salivating as I remember all the food around Campo dei Fiori!

tdk320n

TTT

john183

Great report! We liked Rome a lot on our first visit but it wasn't until our second time there that we really fell totally in love with her. I do hope you go again soon and stay at the wonderful del Senato - I think you will really like it. Can't wait to read about your next adventure wherever it is!

denisea

Hi LuvToRoam....c'mon now, get on it! I have to do my T/R asap, as I forget a lot and very quickly! Although, I have to say that I will never look like my mother as I am essentially the female face of my father.

I know, jelopez...I am really missing my Roman pizza. We also miss our fab view of Rome with a glass of prosecco!

denisea

Thanks john183...I am sure we will be back. I even picked up a historical fiction book set in Rome and around the Borgias, while traveling this week.This is what I do when I start to get obsessed about a city I like! And, I can't be without a vacation to plan for too long! In fact, I can't wait to see where we go next.

What's next for you?

hanabilly

Thanks denisea! Such a great report - I wonder how many of us are now planning a"next trip" to Rome because of you ;o)
I agree regarding the guide. We have been to Rome just twice for a total of 8 days (not enough) and both times we visited the Forum on our own. I found it fascinating, although I didn't know a fraction of what it was I was seeing. Definitely seeking out a private guide next time for the Forum and Palatine! Thanks again for the great report.

Chris_Cutler

First, thanks for your report. We were in Rome last year and went to a few restaurants/cafes you mentioned. I love pizza bianca if it's made correctly. In the States, most people throw alfredo sauce or ranch (UGH) dressing on a shell, top it with onions and garlic and think it's white pizza. In our Italian household, it was dough, olive oil, salt & pepper. Oooh, I may have to make some.

BTW . . . Rome is quite a maze, but the worst we've ever experienced was Prague. . . and the food there doesn't make up for getting lost. ;-)

denisea

No thanks necessary, for some reason I love wrting a trip report! I love it when anyone is inspired by my reports. I certainly have been inspired by so many reports and they all have helped make our trips better.

Hanabilly, i can't recommend Danniella Hunt enough as a private guide. She is incredibly knowledgable and just a ton of fun. We will definitely use her again.

Chris...I would kill to have that oizza bianca from Forno again. Sheer perfection and the most simple recipe but exquisite results. I don't know how I will manage to eat pizza here. Everything will fall short and I know what you mean about white pizza in the US....but no one here could even dream of making pizza withour tossing a pound of "cheese" on it. I would gag if I ate ranch dressing on pizza!

Oh, to be in Rome!

john183

I need a vacation to plan for too. When I'm asked what my hobbies are, the only thing I can truthfully answer is planning vacations to Europe. I tend to get a lot of funny looks from people when I say that but I guess it' my form of escape therapy - it seems to relieve stress and I really enjoy it. Plus at the end of it I get a great trip to Europe!

Sadly we have no vacations on the horizon and most of our time in 2013 is probably going to be spent dealing with both our Mom's life and health issues. So that means I'll have to travel vicariously by reading great trip reports like yours from wherever you go next year. So get cracking and start the planning process for your next trip, OK? LOL!!!

TPAYT

You sure are fast with your oh so interesting trip reports. We haven't been to Rome in 10 years but your detailed stories interest us in a repeat someday.

We're home from France a couple of weeks and I'm still getting photos together. It seemed to take longer than usual to catch up on things when we returned. I would think------Well, I'll just check in on Fodors and see what's new. Then I'd get started reading a trip report like yours and get lost in the fun of your adventure.

Your photos are great and I enjoyed your ins and outs of Rome.

We're thinking of Venice for our next trip? Any thoughts on the table for you?

denisea

John183....not sure, but we have some home projects and maintenance that we need to get to work on. We may have to skip a year. We'll have to see what happens...maybe Europe in Spring 2014.

It's fun to see how many of us have gotten lost along the way inpractically every city in the world! I still don't know how we do it while holding a map!

Hi TPAYT....I am not sure where we will head next...but as you saw above, we have some other things that will pull $ away from the travel budget! Rome again, Paris again, Provence, Venice, Amalfi....London???? I wish I would win the lottery....we could leave tomorrow and go to all of them! I look forward to reading your report!