Adventures in Italy: Day 20, Rome

---

Italy Day 20, Sunday, October 23, Rome



We began our walking Rome tour with Renato to learn all about getting around Rome including bus routes and how to purchase bus tickets. The Via Po is a main thoroughfare near our hotel giving access to many other major areas in Rome. On the Via Po we walked past the mysterious Villa Georgina with armed guards standing out front. After taking a photograph of the entrance, the guards appeared uneasy if not angry. Renato had no idea what was behind this impressive gate. I later found out that the villa is home to the apostolic nunciature of the Holy See, the only Vatican representation in Italy. The villa is situated on 20,000 square meters of parkland with paths and numerous fountains (that we did not get to see).



Renato led our little GCT group through the maze of streets from the Via Po to the famous Trevi fountain, the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and, some would say, the most beautiful in the world. Featured in so many movies including La Dolce Vita and Three Coins in the Fountain, Trevi Fountain has become a very popular tourist destination in Rome. It was packed with tourists when we arrived, as we tried to wedge our way towards the fountain, coins in hand, ready to throw our coins (using the right hand over the left shoulder) to return again. It is no wonder that millions of dollars of coins are collected each year from the fountain and given to charities. The crystalline blue waters in the Trevi Fountain are as integral to the fountain as the massive sculptures that sit above adding sound and movement to the massive Baroque creation. Renato told us there are 11 aqueducts in Rome, one of them the Aqua Virgo whose termination since Roman times is at Trevi. Renato also said that a lack of water around the beginning of the decline of Rome from 410 A.D. was a major contributor in the decline. That gives me pause for what may lay ahead in our times.



The Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola at Campus Martius, was on our way to Piazza Navona so we fed our curiosity and, since it was open, walked inside. The richly decorated church was built in honor of Saint Ignatius who founded the Jesuit order. There is a beautiful carving of St. Ignatius as well as the Monument to Pope Gregory XV but this new exhibit To the Roots of Life by artist Settimo Tamanini was a breath of fresh air. Located under the beautifully frescoed ceiling, his creation breathed new life to the old church. Forged copper trees shimmered in the light giving an unusual radiance and offered a surprising contemplation of religion and nature. These creative expressions ask “What is the purpose of our life in this world?, What need does the earth have of us?” Surely questions for us all.



Renato treated us to his favorite gelato at Grom Grom in Piazza Navona. He was right. Best gelato ever! I had a combo cup of dark chocolate and hazelnut gelato. OMG. As I lingered over the luscious treat I listened to the church bells echo throughout Piazza Navona, and pulled out my iPhone to video the sights and sounds. As I did so, three petite nuns walked past me on this cloudy Sunday morning. I wondered if they were coming or going to church or if they, too, were looking for a gelato treat in the piazza.



Newly energized with our gelato treats, we continued our walking tour with Renato and as I looked up I happened to notice the unique Sant’Eustachio church with the head of a stag just under the cross on the roof of the church which is located a block west of the Pantheon. From our exploration of the neighborhoods around the Piazza Navona to the Pantheon passing Piazza del Gesu and its lovely church, we saw the Chiesa di Santa Caterina dei Funari was not far from us on our little adventure, but time was of the essence, so many churches, so little time. Finally Renato led us to the Sant’Angelo district near the Jewish Ghetto to the Piazza Mattei. Looking at a map of our meandering route, I am sure I would have gotten lost had I tried this myself.



On our quick walk through the Jewish Ghetto Renato gave us a bit of its history. Established in 1555, Jews were confined to this part of Rome for 300 years then, in 1871, the Jewish Ghetto was opened to all. Historically Jews were lending money at a an unacceptable percentage. Kings, popes and social climbers all needed money resulting in a marriage of convenience with the Jews, referenced to in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice when Jews were loaning money and charging what many described as ridiculous fees and were subsequently ostracized for their supposed greed; ’Shylock’s drop of blood.' Now one of the best attractions, yet least known tours in Rome, the Jewish Ghetto is a beautiful neighborhood filled with charming buildings and great restaurants. Renato informs us that artichokes are a Jewish food specialty in the ghetto. We are heading to Trastevere for lunch but I planned to look for that on a menu.



The late Renaissance La Fontana delle Tartarughue or Turtle Fountain occupies a portion of Piazza Mattei and was designed by Giacomo della Porta, who also designed the two fountains flanking both ends of the Piazza Navona. This fountain morphed into different shapes including dolphins that preceded the turtles. The dolphins didn’t make it because they required a high water pressure so were removed to the fountain in the Piazza della Cheese Nuova. It is likely but not certain that Bernini added the turtles, requiring less water pressure in the fountain. Unfortunately, in 1979 one of the turtles was stolen and as a result the remaining three are in the Capitoline Museums. What we see here are unknown turtle copies. But as legends go, this story has a lot of different endings.



We walked past the Santa Maria in Campitelli church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary on the Piazza di Campitelli, before arriving at the ancient open-air Theatre of Marcellus, started by Julius Caesar but not completed until the reign of Augustus. It was dedicated by Augustus to his late nephew in 13 B.C. Built mainly of tuff and sheathed in travertine, it could hold up to 20,000 spectators. This theater was the largest and most important of its time in ancient Rome. English architect Sir Christopher Wren acknowledged that his design for the Sheldonian Theater in Oxford was greatly influence by the engraving of the Theater of Marcellus. Over the years this building was transformed into a fortress, (because of its strategic location near the Tiber River) and living quarters by various Roman families. However, like most ancient Roman buildings, when the theater fell into disrepair in the Middle Ages, it was used as a quarry for building materials. The theater is still popular today. My guidebook tells me evening concerts are still performed from June through October.



Dave and I left Renato to explore Trastevere by ourselves. We crossed the Tiber River over the Ponte Fabricio Bridge or the Pons Fabricius, the oldest Roman bridge still existing. This bridge, built in 62 B.C. by Lucio Fabricius, spans half the river leading onto Tiber Island. The Ponte Cestio or Pons Cestius connects the island to Trastevere. As I referenced before, the Etruscan designed Cloaca Maxima or Roman sewer was brilliantly designed however it emptied into the river. That is why aqueducts had to be brought long distance to Rome. I will say, after reading about the grain that was grown on the island and the many mills here, I would have to think there was flooding here as well giving a certain fertilizing benefit to the plants grown here.



Tiber Island is the only island in the Tiber River and is considered a place of healing because the Fatebenefratelli Hospital, built in 1584 was used as a Jewish refuge during 1943. According to the documentary My Italian Secret, when the Nazis arrived in Rome and began to round up Jews, Dr Borromeo, then head of the hospital, invented a deadly and highly contagious “disease” he called “Il Morbo di K”. Not wanting to chance getting this fictitious disease, the Nazis stayed away from the hospital allowing the Jews to remain protected inside the wards, a short distance from the Ghetto. Also on Tiber Island is the Basilica of St. Bartholomew on the Island. Founded at the end of the 10th century by Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, it contains relics of St. Bartholomew the Apostle. An obelisk stands in front of the church with statues of saints including Saint Francis of Assisi.



Once we crossed the bridges we walked up the Via Della Lungaretta (before getting a little lost first) noting the charming public squares squeezed between the large and colorful old buildings. It was a Sunday and I felt a sense of a relaxed neighborhood camaraderie, generous in spirit with occasional gestures of greeting. Not completely sure of our destination we continued along the Via Della Lungaretta before coming to the very busy Viale di Trasteverre. Once we crossed, we saw a local craft market across the way and we were once again embraced by the quiet welcome of a local neighborhood in the Piazza Del Drago.



It was 2PM when we finally stopped for lunch at Antica Osteria Rugantino in Piazza Del Drago. A charming outdoor cafe experience overlooking a weekend craft and food market in the adjacent piazza that proved a perfect setting for an afternoon lunch. We were crammed into tiny tables in the outside terrace, luckily getting the only table available when we arrived at this popular place. Dave and I sated our hunger with tonnarelli pasta with cacio cheese and black pepper, a delicious and generous helping of Amatriciana a Rugantino (tonnarelli pasta with bacon cheese and tomato sauce). Of course, I ordered my favorite Chianti wine. After lunch I discovered the inside of the restaurant with a different atmosphere that was quiet and cozy. Basketed chianti bottles hung on the walls and large yellow squash hung from old beams near large decorative wall murals that felt very authentic. Stepping down into the dark recesses of the wine cellar, on a narrow winding staircase, passing waiters hoisting food trays over my head, I finally found the restrooms. If I hadn’t opted to go inside I would have missed the amazing historic interior of this wonderful place.



Just as we were paying our bill, Carol and Chuck, fellow GCT travelers showed up looking for a table. We gladly gave them ours, the only option for them in the still- crowded restaurant. Dave and I left the noisy outdoor ‘Italian neighborhood experience’ because we needed a quiet break to walk off our large lunch. We headed down the narrow cobbled streets towards the Santa Marie Trastevere Church exploring shops and vendors along the way. The restaurants and cafes that lined the narrow streets were overflowing with exuberant patrons enjoying the afternoon and undoubtedly a fantastic meal.



On this pleasant fall afternoon I think all of Rome was out for a stroll or at a cafe with a glass of wine. We walked down to the Piazza Di S. Maria in Trastevere where we heard street performers and musicians entertaining crowds of people long before we got there. The musicians were set up in the piazza in front of the fifteenth century fountain facing the church of Santa Maria Trastevere, a minor basilica and the first and oldest church in Rome to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary before 337 A.D. We listened to the melodic guitar music of Niki La Rosa while families, sitting on the steps of the fountain, snacked on pizza, caught up on local gossip and watched their children dance to the music. But the church beaconed me inside leaving Dave to enjoy a rest in the piazza.



The bells of the church chimed from the tall campanile echoing throughout the piazza as I entered the church of Santa Maria Trastevere. This church is yet another in a long list of beautifully decorated, high ceilinged medieval churches, this one being decorated with rich mosaics and panels by Cavallini. Golden Byzantine mosaics sparkled in the sun over the front of the church’s Easter doors making a grand entrance. The doors of the portico come from some unknown Roman building, likely pillaged from other desecrated buildings in the Middle Ages. Indeed the marble pavements inside the church were made by the Casmati family who made a living in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries by making geometric patterned floors from the ancient sculptures that they chopped up and destroyed.



Inside the church were more beautiful mosaics from the late 13th century. One of my favorites was a half dome over the altar featuring Christ and the Madonna. The nave was inserted in 1617, but before that time the roof would have been open. Outside the church the Romanesque campanile at the back of the church is from the 12th century. A niche at the top protects a mosaic of the Madonna and Child from inclement weather. If you crane your neck upward you will see, tucked just under the facade over the church, a beautiful mosaic of Mother Mary holding Jesus flanked by ten women holding lamps. I would recommend binoculars to get the best look at the mosaics on the campanile and the facade.



When I left the quiet church Dave and I stopped again to listen to three guitarists play Italian folk music. It seems that street music is a happening thing all over Rome on Sunday and we were very glad of it. It was getting late so we decided to begin the treck back to our hotel. This time I was more observant of the river and noticed a houseboat tied up to the river’s edge. The Tiber River was lined with large plane trees that were beginning to shed their autumn brown and yellow leaves. As we walked back across the bridge from Trastevere into Rome I stopped for a moment to listen to a musician bent over his guitar sending the notes of Santana's Black Magic to those who would listen. I had a strong inclination to dance on the bridge over the Tiber River.



Dave and I decided to put Renato’s lessons into practice by taking the public bus back to Via Po. The 1.5 euro fee was surely cheaper than a cab and we felt quite Roman doing so, plus we passed by so many small ruins tucked between buildings and alleys that it was a pleasure to have another tour of the sites. Dave noticed the Hard Rock Cafe just before our bus climbed up the tree lined hills in the gentrified section of Rome near the Borghese Gardens where we had our brief “home in Rome”. Unlike American city buses that have maps and location announcements, in Rome there are no such warnings so you have to pay careful attention to landmarks, street signs and your map, if you own one, which I highly recommend! I didn't find it a problem but I can see how someone might.



As if I did not have enough to eat, I got off the bus back near our hotel leaving Dave to take a nap and I walked to the pastry shop nearby on Via Po (the only one open on a Sunday) to buy Dave an eclair and for me, three tiny fruit tarts. I “needed” to make the supreme sacrifice with a taste comparison of the pastries of other regions of Italy to those in Rome to be able to recommend the best. So far it’s a toss between Florence and Sienna.



It was chilly and drizzling and many restaurants were closed on a Sunday night (and my husband turned down those that were open). After walking several blocks without success, we ended up back at Sesto Pizzeria Ristorante Wine Bar in the Piazza Buenos Aires. We were both tired from a very long day and simply wanted a small pizza and some water (it wasn’t easy finding a light evening meal). Unfortunately, after I thought I had made our position clear, the waitress said she misunderstood and thought we wanted no food at all. In our fog of exhaustion nearly an hour passed before I got her attention and asked where our pizza was. She was surprised and embarrassed and made good her promise to finally bring our pizza. It was 9PM when we dragged ourselves into the cold rainy night back on our walk to the hotel.

---