Thursday
MY BIRTHDAY!
After arriving into Termini the Wednesday night, our B&B host escourted us back to our B&B which is nestled on the west (nasty) side of the central station but would not cause us any concern during our visit. He checked us in – he had only just opened so everything was perfect – and then walked us down to a local eatery (not a turistico one, no) and negotiated a meal for us as by this time it was 11.30pm and new diners were not exactly a welcome sight! The meal was divine and we wolfed it down in 15 minutes before heading back to our leisurely bed….
The piccolo princessa (little princess) awoke early on her birthday as our dear friend Melanie had arranged a free Coliseum tour for us through a local friend! We had to be at the Il Coliseum Metro at 9.40, and squeeze in our glorious breakfast before then! Following our shower in our space ship shower, we enjoyed fresh croissants, cake, Italian toast, free cappuccino and juice with strawberries before heading out for our day.
We opted to walk to the Coliseum as it was not far – the equivalent of two metro stops. We managed to make it to our meeting place on time (after leaving at 9.15am) and then tried to decipher which tour group we were with! We found out home, was adorned with our blue dot and ear piece in preparation for Bruno, our guide (and a hottie, happy birthday to me! – sorry Nick) to takeover.
First stop on our (free) tour was the humbling Coliseum. Not only did we get in for free (thank you free tour), but we also skipped the lines! Our tour throughout the Coliseum was so interesting and worthwhile and we appreciated it so much as it’s not something we can usually afford to do. We learnt so many extra details about the history of Roma in general (we were taught early that Rome ‘means nothing’, but Rome means ‘love’ (or amor backwards). Following a lengthy tour of the Coliseum and a glimpse back in time to gladiators, lyons, tablets and circus acts; we then wandered past the Constantine Triumph Arch, past the Pine-Umbrella trees and up to Palantino Hill.
Again, free entry and jumping the queue was a great benefit upon entry to Palantino Hill. Just jokes! Our tour was not only a tour of the ruins of the emporer’s 40 roomed house (thankyouverymuch!) and extensive bathroom collection, but also of the area and of the many herbs that grow wild on the side of Palantino Hill that are the base to Italian cooking: Italian mint, wild fennel, thyme, myrtle, olive trees, fig trees and grape trees.
To the unguided eye, there are many many rooms and walls of a empire once so enormous only 50% of the city had to work (as the rest could live comfortably off the fruits of the empire without working!). We learnt stories of the Gemini temple, temples named after wives, after virgins, and the tomb of Julius Caesar (who apparently was never really an emporer).
I couldn’t rate the tour guide highly enough, and Nick loved the ancient Roman overload of info just as much as I did. After three hours of wandering ancient Roma, our feet were tired and we headed up towards Michelangelo-designed Capital Square (near Capital Hill, the original but now non-existent place where all roads lead to). We then checked out the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before seeking out a pizzeria for lunch near the Fontana de Trevi (Trevi Fountain).
The Trevi Fountain was very beautiful, and we secured our return to Rome with a coin over the shoulder (and as a request for Nick’s Mum Nick threw a coin over his shoulder to ensure she would one day visit Rome!). We also threw the second coin for good luck/good love depending on which tradition you choose to believe in!
We then wandered past Tritone’s Fountain (Barbarini), Quattro Fontana (the four fountains) and Il Repubblica before returning to our room for a little afternoon birthday snooze. We were very worn out (and slightly sunburnt).
Plus, Nick was nursing an eye developing in conjuntivitus, and I was trying to overcome a nasty throat infection that had begun the day before in London.
For my birthday dinner, we had decided to head back towards the backstreets behind the Coliseum and choose a local wine bar to celebrate my coming of age to the big 2-6. After a bit of wandering my heart became set on a lovely bustling little wine bar that had a spare table on the street. It was meant to be!
We took the table and ordered our many courses and bottle of Chianti – bruschetta, then prima piatti, seconda piatti, and an amaretto to finish. A key highlight was the drunk who set a fire in the street outside the gallery across the alley. Yes, that’s what you get celebrating a birthday in Rome!
Friday
We took the Metro to Flamino to check out Piazza de Pompeo – a very impressive square! It is huge, with an obelisk and two churches that are exactly the same that sit to one end. We climbed up the many stairs above the square to see out to Vatican City.
We headed across the Vatican via a walk along the Tiber River, across Pont St Angelo to see St Angelo’s Castle. After a tip from one of Nick’s friends, we were aiming to hit the Vatican line up about lunch time – a quiet time of the day when all the other tourists would be invading the many pizzerias nearby and therefore would leave St Peter’s almost empty for us to explore!
We headed back over the bridge just prior to lunch, and happened across a convoy of policemen on scooters armed with whistles, motorbikes, security, and a truck towing a car behind it. “I wonder what that was all about,” Nick wondered aloud. “Oh, probably filming a video clip or a TV show or something,” I answered non-challantly. After a slight pause, I asked Nick: “It wasn’t towing a black Alfa Romeo was it?!” (In reference to Angels and Demons, a book set in Rome). Nick’s response: “Yes.”
“I wonder if they are filming ‘Angels and Demons’. Imagine!”
We wondered further up the street, and took a table outside (read: half of the road, that the owners had blocked off with pot plants for diner’s to enjoy the courtyard ‘ambience’. After ordering a beer and a pizza each, we were overwhelmed by the storm of whistles, scooters, motorbikes and car convoy again as it raced towards Castle St Angelo. This time – the traffic slowed the convoy and the Alfa Romeo came to almost a stop right in front of us to reveal – TOM HANKS! Aka, Robert Langdon! There was Tom Hanks in the car, reciting lines quickly with his eye up to a microscope reading a piece of manuscript (aka Robert Langdon reading Galileo’s Diagramma in Angels and Demons!). When Nick had told me to make sure I read Angels and Demons prior to going to Rome I didn’t realize it was so that I could CELEBRITY SPOT!
The convoy circled our block another couple of times allowing me to point Mr Hanks out to Nick (to make sure I wasn’t seeing things), and for us to snap a pic!
Following the lunchtime excitement, we then wandered across to Vatican City to bring our plan into action. And it worked brilliantly: we rocked up about 1pm and there were a measly 15 tourists in line and we were past security in a couple of minutes. We sailed in St Peter’s Basilica with no problems and were able to explore the very impressive, and breathtaking art and architecture of the monstrosity that it is. Easy to see where all the stolen marble from the Coliseum went!
Nick and I also paid 5 Euros to walk up to the Cupola (it cost more to take the lift) but of course had no idea exactly how many stairs it would take to get up there. A LOT! And it’s a very long circular staircase you have to climb! But the view from the top of the inside of the dome – and outside across Rome – is SPECTACULAR!
We then went in search of the Sistine Chapel, and as it was 3.30pm we were running out of time – last entry was by 4! A kind Swiss Guard pointed us in the right direction when I asked him ever so kindly if he could let us know how to get there (quickly). Again, as it was 3.45pm when we arrived at the entry of Musei Vaticano, there was no line but the Museum wasn’t due to close until 6pm so we had plenty of time.
The collection and arrangement of the art held within the Museum is amazing. Many of the great artists have works that are owned and held by this museum, including the Bellini (or was it Raphael?) sculptures that had their ‘boy parts’ removed so as not to ‘tempt’ the cardinals; and then the later sculptures had their ‘boy parts’ “tastefully” hidden by a leaf. Hmm, subtle non?
Of course, the many rooms and passages filled with loads of Renaissance and Impressionist Art leads to the most amazing and wondrous of all: the Sistine Chapel.
There, with our very own eyes we were able to see the brilliance and amazing work of Michaelangelo. Everyone stands there with eyes glued to the ceiling.
The most curious part of the experience are the Swiss Guards: one in particular was a tyrant of the Sistine Chapel. ‘YOU! YOU, I SEE YOU! PUT THE CAM-E-RA DOWN! CAM-E-RA DOWN! NOW!’ Needless to say cameras are banned (buy a postcard people!).
Not to mention the woman he confronted who was wearing a singlet top (‘You are in a CHURCH. Cover yourself. Show some respect), or the inevitable SILENCE! (‘Shh’ was obviously not part of his vocabulary).
The Metro trip back to Termini was reminiscent of London in peak hour: packed. We changed at home and then caught the Metro to Circus Massimo to see Palantino Hill by dusk before discovering Trastevere and a restaurant there for dinner. It was a gorgeous little area, and an amazing little restaurant. Bellissimo!
Saturday
After a bit of sleep in, we headed out about 11am to the Spanish Steps (crowded), down via Condotti (the shopping strip) towards Colonna Piaza and Templo Adriana (unfortunately under refurbishment). Next stop was the Pantheon.
The Pantheon (I love churches with free entry) was amazing. Not only the architecture of it, but also it houses Raphael’s tomb and demonstrates that the church was a Pagan Church that was converted to a Christian Church. Now that’s an old building! And it’s remarkably good condition.
Lunch was a backstreet trattoria behind Piazza Navona. I was looking forward to checking out this Piazza (arguably the most beautiful in Rome) however the central sculpture by Bellini turned out to be under restoration until about 2010, and it is covered up by so much scaffolding and wire you feel as though you are just looking at a building site (not a piece of art). Luckily we threw that coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure we would be back to Rome to see if post-face lift!
The afternoon was spent wandering Trastevere and Rome between lanes, and backstreets while enjoying some divine Gelati! OMG! It was so very very good!
A brief visit to the Rome Rose Gardens, promised as the ‘most beautiful in Rome’ were a little disappointing as they were more wild rose gardens – a few dead, a few weeds, a few wild vines, and some very beautiful roses for those that were surviving the elements.
We picked up a couple of bottles of wine (it’s so cheap in Italy!) to enjoy before heading out to dinner that night. We were going to eat just behind the Trevi Fountain as Nick wanted to see it by night. After two bottles of wine, we headed into town and were surprised how many people were there by night. It was packed!
We found a beautiful restaurant named ‘Dune’ where we enjoyed the most beautiful Italian meal of all. I enjoyed Canelloni for my First, and Chicken Tequila for my second course. It was so scrumptious!
We finished up at dinner by 10pm, but as we approached the Metro station it was all closed up! So we had to take a taxi home, but luckily it was not far and only cost us 8 Euro to make it back to Termini.
Sunday
After a little lazy sleep in, we enjoyed our last shower in a space-shuttle shower and completed some local errands (sending postcards, withdrawing cash to pay for our room) in the sprinkling rain. We were glad that the weather had been so good during our stay in beautiful Rome.
We took the Metro out to try and see some Roman Baths, but as it was past the expanse of our free map, we ended up wandering the streets of Rome and not finding the baths until it was time for us to head back to the B&B to make the trip home to London…..
I hope that promised return to Roma is sooner rather than later! I (heart) Roma!
