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Published: March 5th 2007
Rome
October 8 - 12, 2006
Sunday
We took the 7 pm train from Paris to Rome. The woman at our hotel made us nervous that it didn’t actually leave from that station so we got there extra early to find out. It did leave from the station which meant we had 2 hours to kill at a very small train station situated near nothing of interest so we spent our time reading.
We shared our cabin with an Italian family with a 5 year old girl and 3 ½ year old boy. We had purchased the lower bunks but agreed to switch with the family. While most people probably groan at the idea of sharing a small cabin with a family with little kids, we were actually happy to share because we knew that they would go to bed early and we wouldn’t have to worry about them taking our stuff. The only bad thing was that it was difficult to get on and off the top bunk which limited the amount of bathroom breaks we were willing to take. We got settled in our cabin and then went to the dining cart to grab sandwiches. They
weren’t tasty but they weren’t expensive either (we’re accustomed to train food that is both bad AND expensive). When we got back to the cabin, the family was ready for bed so we got in our bunks and followed suit. The cabin wasn’t that comfortable but we both slept better than we expected. Perhaps the ear plugs and nighttime cold medicine Amy took helped.
Around 10:30am we arrived at our accommodation, Giovy B&B (www.giovy.net & Giovanna.69@tiscali.it), which we would highly recommend. The room was really nice with high ceilings and pretty furnishings and was a very nice treat after our budget hotel in Paris. We wouldn’t have spent nearly as much money on our Rome accommodation as we did but we didn’t think John and Pam, Amy’s parents, would be up for hostel life. Plus, it was a good excuse for us to splurge a bit (not that we really need it). After arriving our hostess, Giovanna, showed us how to work the numerous locks and made suggestions for what to see in Rome while we drank an orange juice and relaxed.
We rested for a while and then showered and went for lunch. We ate at a
pizza place close to the hotel in the Termini area and it wasn’t anything to write home about. The Termini area is near the train station and it is full of tourists so every other place is either a hotel, restaurant or some combination of phone, internet, or laundry.
We spent the rest of our first day in Rome running errands, doing laundry (and by doing laundry we mean paying someone too much to do it), emailing, and making phone calls before returning to the room to read, watch Talladega Nights (a disappointment) and eat McDonalds. Yes, like most tourists we ate McDonald’s our first night in Italy.
Monday
Our first full day in Rome started with us waiting at the train station for John and Pam to arrive. While waiting at the train station, we discovered that the Italians don’t really do take away coffee, nor do they discourage you from taking it away. Instead of saying they did not have take out cups, the man simply washed off some juice bottles and sent us away with our steaming hot coffee in them and some plastic Dixie cups. The “express” train from the airport was late
but before long we were on our way through the streets to our hotel where Giovanna had set aside four plates of breakfast for us - our first chance to witness Giovanna’s complete hospitality. While we were never fond of the breakfast served in Italian hotels the breakfast at Giovanna’s was probably the best with lots of prepackaged bread, nutella, fruit and yogurt as well as cappuccino, or rich hot chocolate.
John and Pam took a nap while we tended to some business, scouting out the tour bus situation and checking our email. After their nap we caught the metro to the Coliseum and walked around the Forum. The tickets to see the Coliseum are a hefty 11.50 Euros. The almost 2,000 year old marvel looks great for its age and recent preservation and improvement now include a cut-away wooden floor illustrating where the original floor of the arena existed and demonstrating how the underground chambers were used. As the sun set we walked around some of Rome’s ancient ruins but they were closed off (they close at 3:30 in the off season) before electing to head back to the Termini area for dinner at Trattoria Da Guiseppe, a
Trevi Fountain
is breathtakingrestaurant across from Giovanna’s hotel and owned by her sister. Our meal was good and the hospitality tremendous. The sisters appear to take great delight in their work and in needling each other through their respective guests. Roger and John tried their first of many limoncello shots after dinner and then we capped off the night with gelato.
Tuesday
Tuesday we rose and again delighted in our Italian breakfast (though as nice as they are they don’t necessarily keep you going for long without any protein). We headed off to the Vatican via the local express bus for one Euro each (a bargain we would appreciate even more the following day). After an initial glimpse of St. Peter’s Square we headed around the corner to the Vatican Museum. The line moved more quickly than it looked and we soon wound around to the entrance. We struggled to procure a wheelchair because Pam’s foot was in a cast but eventually were set to explore the wealth of art and architecture that have been collected and preserved here for more than 500 years.
We quickly discovered the significant crowds we encountered at the Coliseum were no fluke due to
But not the crowds
at Trevi Fountain the pleasant weather of the day. In fact, on this day the Vatican Museum seemed to be crowded with the most rude people from all corners of the globe, pushing and shoving their way thoughtlessly through the halls so that they could snap a photo (complete with flash, presumably to dull the priceless works of antiquity) and move on. The fact that the museum’s hallways and passages were not built for such crowds, and especially without thought to wheelchairs, enhanced our agony (we frequently had to backtrack and either miss rooms or fight crowds coming the opposite direction to find a lift). John and Roger managed to find a way to continually roll the wheelchair into the back of other people, which made us an international hit.
We crossed the courtyard to visit the Raphael Rooms and the Hall of Maps. The Raphael Rooms, as majestic as they are, are difficult to enjoy when they are so crowded. We did manage to view The School of Athens, recently restored and glorious. The Hall of Maps is a tremendous long and narrow hallway in which every available surface is gilded, painted, sculpted or molded. Like millions of others this day
Spanish Steps
We're told the steps are under the throng of people our last stop was the Sistine Chapel for a view of Michelangelo’s amazing frescos and the Last Judgment. It was crowded with lots of people looking up and the guards periodically shhhhshing everyone.
Having concluded our visit to the Vatican Museum we headed back to St. Peter’s to visit the Basilica. While visitors were once able to pass freely in and out of the front doors of the massive building today all guests must pass through security screening. The modest crowd (modest by our standards today, anyway) was enough to grind progress to a halt.
Once inside the Basilica the beauty, size, and wealth of artistry overwhelmed us and we managed to lose the stress of the crowd for at least a little while. The sun was setting and evening light was pouring through the southwestern windows as a service was concluding, complete with organ music that echoed through the cool air of the Basilica. We gawked and stumbled around in awe. The highlight was visiting the Pieta, carved by Michelangelo when he was 23 years old.
After the Basilica we rounded the corner for an evening drink to rest our feet and refresh before dinner. The
waiter was wowing us with his knowledge of American football and basketball - Kansas City Chiefs! Denver Nuggets! - no dummy when it came to his tips. Many waiters know who their visitors are and they’re smart to master a little American culture and use it to impress. We tipped more and we suspect others do as well. Dinner at nearby Hostaria dei Bastioni was awfully good with a nice waiter, followed again by gelato, and a cab ride back to the hotel. It dawned on us during the second evening that while all the food we’d had was good, we most enjoyed the pasta. As was the custom during our stay in Italy, Amy and John, and sometimes even Roger (having gotten over his aversion to “poo tasting wine”) enjoyed the meal with either red or white house wine.
Wednesday
Wednesday was the day we used the “hop on hop off” bus. We would not recommend this experience as their specialty is long lines, buses leaving before they are full and clown employees. We spent quite a long time standing in line with many other people to buy our tickets to find out later that you can
buy tickets on board. Rome is quite accessible if you are able to do some walking and, if you were not, you would be able to take quite a few cab rides before hitting the fare amount.
Our first “hop off” was Piazza Novona. We tried to have lunch at Pizzeria Baffetto, which was recommended in our guidebook, but it was closed so we ate at Mimi E Coco. We had antipasto and salads which were good but not as good as the displays would have led you to believe. Many of the sculptures in the Piazza were under restoration so we were not able to enjoy them but we were able to enjoy the numerous “mimes” posing as statues (rarely themselves in need of restoration). These performers are common and their schtick appears to involve standing still until someone tips them at which point they will do some type of motion like a bow. We walked to the Pantheon, an ancient and perfect concrete domed building which serves as a tomb for Raphael, among others. After the Pantheon we stopped to quench our thirst, rest our feet, and sample the “Colorado Cheeseburger” at McDonald’s before attempting to hop
back on the bus again (this hop entailed a long wait and a departure without a full bus even though people were lined up to get on).
We drove by St. Peter’s and Castle Saint Angelo opting to hop off near Trevi Fountain, another lovely site completely clogged and jammed with people, many of them rude. We wound through the streets, stopping briefly for gelato (starting to see a theme?), before reaching the even more crowded piazza near the Spanish Steps. Keats died in the building next to the Spanish Steps. While near the Spanish Steps we called to make a reservation for a recommended prix fix dinner near Campo de’ Fiori. We caught a cab to the Piazza where we sat outside enjoying the perfect night air and the sights and sounds along with some drinks before heading to Ristorante de Pallaro for dinner. We enjoyed an eight course bonanza for 21 Euros each that started with lentils, olives, prosciutto, an unidentified fried food (but it was fried so who’s complaining) and fennel before progressing to a delicious penne pasta with tomato cheese sauce and then green beans, roast veal and potato chips before ending with panna cotta
tort. While the meal was very nice the starters and pasta were again our favorites and the weakest part of the meal was the house white wine.
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Joy
non-member comment
Not to be outdone in title....
To protect my adopted home state of Arizona, I do see that what you're referring to as a "Colorado Cheeseburger" actually says "Arizona Dream" on the side of the box. So which is it, Mr. Brown? You guys will have to come for a real burger at In-N-Out in Phoenix one of these days!