Adventures in Italy: Days 1 and 2 Rome

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Italy Day 1, Tuesday, October 4

On Tuesday, October 4, my husband and I began our 3 1/2 week tour of Italy with our good friends Donna and John, also from Sarasota, FL. The tour, organized by Grand Circle Travel, will cover a week in Tuscany, a week in the Amalfi Coast and ending with a tour of Rome. Our flight was quite convenient allowing us to travel from our own SRQ airport with a lunch stop in Atlanta, before boarding our 7pm flight to Rome. After dinner, some celebratory wine and two on-flight movies, I finally dozed a bit on our 9 hour flight.

Italy Day 2, Wednesday, October 5, Rome

We were greeted by a Grand Circle driver at the Rome-Fiumicino Airport around 10:30 AM Roman time on Tuesday, October 5. I was tempted to cat nap on the long drive from the airport into Rome but, as always, never wanted to miss a vista or historic monument. In the outskirts of town we observed standard urban sprawl until we got closer to the city when the architecture began to reflect something of a more historic nature. We passed signs pointing to Trastevere, a charming old neighborhood across the Tiber River, and miles of ancient aqueducts before crossing the famed Apian Way, hints of exploration to come. Signs for S. Maria Maggoire appeared as we drove through the Piazza Repubblica before finally arriving at the Hotel Albani Roma on Via Adda.

It was a bright, sunny day that just beckoned us to explore our new surroundings so four of us travelers (Donna, John and my husband Dave) set off on foot to do just It was a bright, sunny day that just beckoned us to explore our new surroundings so four of us travelers (Donna, John and my husband Dave) set off on foot to do just that. Our hotel is situated near the "hidden world of whimsical and strange beauty, the unexpected and bizarre 'Quartiere Coppede’”, the neighborhood designed by architect Gino Coppede. His Art Deco and Art Nouveau influenced designs between 1913 and 1927 create a uniquely intimate and even medieval setting that many upscale Romans call home. A small mosaic decorated stone church anchored the corner of V. le Regina Margherita and Via Po, our entrance to this unique neighborhood. Further down V. le Regina Margherita we enjoyed numerous examples of Coppede's Art Deco architecture clustered around intimate courtyards and tiny streets. Very much worth exploring if you have time.

Breakfast on the plane was unsubstantial to say the least so we as we explored our new 'hood we were on the lookout for a charming cafe for our lunch. Not far from our hotel we stumbled into Piazza Buenos Aires, a lively crossroads bustling with traffic and pedestrians. Here we found a cute cafe called Aires where we could order lighter fare from the counter and eat table-side indoors. John's eggplant parmigiana was delicious but my grilled eggplant and veggie burger were dried out. Dave and Donna were less than impressed with their rice stuffed tomatoes. Still, the owner was delightful and gave us a running commentary on this unique corner of Rome that he calls home. After a long overnight flight, a long walk around our new corner of Rome, and a late lunch we all headed back to our rooms at the hotel for a much needed siesta.

In the early evening, that once bright sunny day turned overcast, breezy and sprinkled rain urging us forward on our quest for a nice early dinner. Nice and early do not usually fall into the category of a good Roman dinner since most restaurants close around 3pm and reopen between 7-7:30pm. But being the persistent (and hungry) travelers that we were after passing many restaurants that were closed we ended up back at Piazza Buenos Aires, right next door to our lunch cafe! Sesto Pizzeria Ristorante Wine Bar was exactly what we all had hoped for: local authentic and home made, but eyes bigger than our stomaches, we worried we would be on Weight Watchers for the remainder of our trip (there was a distinct possibility given the portion sizes of what we ordered!) Two pizzas and a linguine with mushrooms and tomatoes was really enough for 6 people but the four of us did decent damage to the whole affair. I must say I have never had better or fresher pasta and the mushroom and tomato pizza was the best and of course the wine.

The four of us tired travelers staggered under the weight of our dinners through rain drops (glad that we now had sweaters on) back to our hotel for an orientation wine tasting and greeting. (More wine!) The best thing to be said of this event was meeting another couple from CA who gave us excellent advice on how to save money touring Rome when we return at the end of our trip (we will return to explore Rome in a few weeks). Most of us were soon dead asleep (except this blog-writing journeyer) to have enough energy for tomorrow's ride from Rome to Chianciano.

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Photos

Quartiere Coppede, Rome
Wonderful, safe neighborhood to walk around

Pizza at Sesto Pizzeria Ristorante Wine Bar
Trendy spot for informal meals in Rome