Normally, I like my breakfasts BIG and my coffee PRESSED (yes, I like-ah the French-ah Press-ah). BUT, I began skipping breakfast and knocking back a solo cappuccino like I was born there. Surprisingly, I made it until lunch. Which was a long, involved affair and often left us feeling so stuffed we never thought we would eat dinner. Siesta time? Yeah, that definitely happened. We lounged in the hotel room, feeling like stuffed beach balls, for the duration of the afternoon hours. If we had not taken the time to rest after the miles and miles of walking, sightseeing, and eating, then I think we might have died. Then, we ventured out once again, and, when 8:30pm rolled around, we considered eating dinner. This is the Italian way, and I never thought I could gel with it, but I did. Gelato, almost twice daily, was the ice cream on top of the cake which is Italian living.
Day 1: Arriving at Rome Fiumicino Airport, in which the highlight of the trip occurred:
Friday we arrived. Big deal. Well, we grabbed our luggage and started following signs to the central train station at the airport. See, we heard that taking the Leonardo Da Vinci express train from the airport to Termini Station (only a mile from our hotel) was a good idea. And it was. It is the cheapest option, at €14 per person. But there was a woman guarding a tourist booth right at the entrance to the train station, and she talked us into a private shuttle that would take us right to the front door of our hotel for only €1 more. So we chose this option, and it ended up being faster and well worth it.
The highlight of the beginning of our trip involves the tourist booth woman. She was located near the entrance to the train station, and everyone who walked through those doors got pegged by this lady, because she tried to greet everyone in the language she thought they would understand best. A few people after us looked American, so she said "hello!". Another couple that came out later looked German or something (they ended up being Norwegian), but the tour guide lady said "Guten Tag" (or however you spell it).
So what did she say to me and Max when we walked through, you ask?
"Bonjour!"
I almost died. She thought we were French. No wonder those Parisians never spoke English with me. Even if I butcher their language on occasion or stare blankly at them when I don't understand their pithy comments or that they are making a joke, they think I am one of their own! Just a pathetically dimwitted and rude one of their own. But I can deal with that. So anyway, we were greeted with <<bonjour>> at the Italian airport. Day = Made. If for no other reason than because I feel Italians respect the French because of their similar culinary feats.
Dinner: On day 1, we went to a restaurant called Il Gabriello, fairly close to the Spanish Steps:
We ate ricotta with fresh honey and walnuts // steak with balsamic glaze
buffalo mozzarella with tomatoes and basil
Day 2: Trastevere neighborhood, Campo de' Fiori, etc.
We stayed at the Eurostar International Palace (hahahah) on Via Nazionale, near the Repubblica Metro stop. On the morning of Day 2, we scampered around after a quick cappuccino and saw a bunch of different neighborhoods and landmarks, starting with the Campo De' Fiori. It's a square in which there is a statue of this guy, Bruno, who was condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake on this very spot. For some reason I cannot find my picture of the square, but here is the statue of Bruno:
Who do you think I am, Rick Steves? (Please, don't say yes- he is like the biggest dork ever). I am not going to give the history lesson for each and every Roman landmark, so suffice it to say that everything I will mention is a must-see, because it's cool, and because if you ever go you'll regret not seeing it. I'll leave it to you to discover the myriad of facts and details of every landmark, because it's better that way. In a nutshell, this statue of Giordano Bruno is pretty interesting. The guy dabbled in cosmology and other sketchy things so the Vatican condemned him to death. The Church has formally apologized for the deaths of anyone in the Inquisition years. It was a scary time to be alive for everyone. Since the creation of this statue, Bruno has been in a permanent staring contest with the Vatican (yes, he faces them), as if in defiance of the fact that he was executed.
We also toured the Piazza Navona, which has the Church of San Agnese (St. Agnes). St. Agnes was beheaded for being a Catholic in the early 300s. It is said that even Pagans cried at her death. Her head (skull) is in this church in the Piazza Navona:
Ignore the great big obelisk.
Interesting side-note, all of the obelisks had ancient Egyptian writing on them. Oh yeah, I mean hieroglyphs. I thought it was fascinating that in the midst of all this classical Christian architecture there is a tribute to Egypt with these obelisks, which were taken from there and brought to Rome way back in the day.
We saw the Capitoline Hill on Day 2 as well.
This square on Capitol Hill (aka Campidoglio aka Capitoline Hill) was designed by Michelangelo. He did a fancy design with the marble inlay on the ground to distract the viewer from the fact that it is not a square Square, but because of the nature of the hill and time and non level building structures, it is a trapezoid.
Capitol buildings
We saw a bride and groom who got married in the Capitol building on Capitol Hill, and watched as they walked (with dignity and poise) down the hill to take photos over the Forum area. Yep. "Lucky Bleepity Bleeps" is exactly what I was thinking as well.
The best part was watching certain tourists who followed the bride and groom and snapped pictures (and recorded videos, we all know who those tourists were) the whole time the couple was around. Like this was somehow part of the Roman experience. While we're on the subject, I may or may not have asked Max to take a photo of me with them in the background...And how did this photo end up here?
Lunch: On Day 2, we walked to the Trastevere neighborhood to eat lunch at Sora Lella. It is a little gem of a restaurant that has been around forever. Trastevere is the traditionally poorer part of Rome, so they are incredibly creative with the parts of animals they use in their cooking. Intestine is common, for instance. All I know is that the food was incredible. Highly recommend this place. Especially the Suppli (risotto that has been formed into balls and cooked further with cheese and/or meats inside):
One of them didn't even make it into the photo-- but hey! We were hungry!
The bridge over the Tiber (Tevere), which you cross in order
to enter the Trastevere neighborhood
We saw this sign on the way to Sora Lella: perfect.
The church of Santa Maria di Trastevere
"You know, there really isn't enough art in Rome" -said no one ever.
Dinner: On day 2, we were so exhausted and worn out that we decided not to try and make reservations and eat at a nicer joint. So, we walked back to the Campo area. Between that square and the "Largo di Torre Argentina" (the spot where Julius Caesar was murdered, apparently), there is an amazing little spot that specializes in baccala, Italian for fried cod. It sounds so simple, and it is. But the combination of fried cod, white wine, and a traditional Roman anchovy salad (did I mention you get a side of fried potatoes as well?) is pure heaven. This place was cheap, casual, and really, really good. With what heart I have left beating in my body after consuming so much fried goodness, I heartily recommend Filetti di Baccala.
What a pleasant way to end day two! Up next, days 3 and 4: in which we visit St. John Lateran and I go up the Spanish Steps on my knees...
