A walk around the main district of Rome to see the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon followed up with a stop at Va Gelato as recommended to us a few years ago by a former student who travels a lot as her husband is an AF pilot, Jamie (Monti) MoMack.
Late start today, we needed the sleep in as we got up at 4:00AM the day before to catch our plane from Santorini to Rome. Headed to the market in the square right outside the door, Campo de Fiori. We picked up a few things for our breakfast and then some vegetables, pasta, spices and fresh Roma Tomatoes so we can make a home cooked meal in our apartment.
In the meantime we trekked it the Trastevere District to do some shopping and sightseeing. While it is more of a trendy hangout for the nightlife and restaurants (we had dinner at great pizzeria last night, Dar Poeta) we did venture into the Basilica di Santa Maria. This church is rumored to be the oldest in Rome, with its glittering gold mosaics, centered a part of the city that has a rich history based upon the 2000 year old aqueduct that fed water to its inhabitants. Bandits would occasionally cut the water supply off so it created the migration of this section closer to the River Tiber but the section of Rome really centered on the Basilica. As we strolled through the cobble stone streets we came upon a number of awesome artisan shops. One in particular, La Pasta all Uovo, they were in the process of making fresh pasta noodles and as well as filled pasta. We tried to talk to the owner but she had to get her son to helps us all communicate our wants. He told us the types in the case, we choose the varieties we thought would taste the best and she put them in small bags with the specified time to boil. Bought a cookbook from her as well that included recipes and how to eat in Trastevere. What a great find as we roamed the streets in search of nothing.
Justin had gone to a cross fit gym so we met him in the square and went to climb to the highest point in Roma, Piazzale Giuseppe Garibaldi. A few stairs but mostly sloped paths we found the top to sweeping panoramic views of Roma. A cool breeze under the huge trees is a pleasant summer surprise in these partsJ We stayed a short time on ‘the hill’, needing to find a little bite to eat before going into the Vatican. Jean found a place close by so we could stop and go but when we got there it had closed. Fortunately the area around the Vatican has many friendly service people wanting to give you directions. Assuming there are so many tourists with a number of locations to enter the Vatican City they are there to get you moving in the right direction. He pointed us to the corner we were on and told us they had a great sandwich. We stepped into the quaint narrow shop and ordered a Salmon & Avocado sandwich, fresh made to order salad, a fruit smoothie and cooooold water. Lattuga did not disappoint, what a flavorful little lunch to tide us over we can now focus totally on the Vatican tour.
Meeting our guide in front of the museum we were assigned a headset and ticket, entering the maze of people it was nice to hear our guide direct us. We are now in a separate country, The Vatican City; it is steeped in history and has many things to learn about its artifacts and traditions.
The first time I was so overwhelmed with seeing all the things that were available but this time I focused on the paintings of Rafael, Michelangelo and his students. They painted in shifts over a four-year period and then Michelangelo came back for another length of time. So amazing is they needed to match each others colors and size of same figures even though they may have been in a separate room or even across the room from each other. Math nerds like the room Rafael painted because while it may have scholars gathered around Aristotle and Plato it also was painted with Pythagorean and Euclid.
The Sistine Chapel along with the other wall paintings were not only ornate they created their own depth. The walls have no moldings or plaster even though they look like they have tremendous depth as well as the ceiling being rounded. Our guide gave us great descriptions on what was going to be inside the Sistine Chapel as there is no talking (she unfortunately did the explaining in the middle of the courtyard in the blazing hot sunJ). Along with no talking there is no picture taking. As you can see below we followed the lead of almost everyone in the room and took them. Jena and Justin were stealth and did not get yelled at as others did. Michelangelo’s ceiling frescoes are superlative and create a natural wondering of our religious history and how it tied into the time period he lived. I was so impressed as it brought to life the stories of the world.
The final stop was St Peters Basilica. No church is quite like this one, it is the largest, richest, most visitors and of course the most spectacular cathedral. Between Michelangelo and Bernini, they designed a sight to see. It is indescribable to be there but a must stop in Rome. Gian Lorenzo Bernini also designed the square of St Peter’s Basilica. If seen from above it resembles a giant keyhole.
A casual walk back to Campo di Fiori where we sat out in the square for a time then climbed the stairs to our apartment overlooking the square to cook our dinner we as we had purchased all the ingredients earlier that day. Jena claimed the title of head chef, assisted by Kellie and the rest of us sat at the table doing our research for the coming days, posting to social media and smelling the irresistible aromas of Italian cooking:)
Up early the next day with a little breakfast to tide us over we walked to a square outside the Colosseum for our VIP Underground tour. This 50,000-seat amphitheater made up of two halves, the first of its kind is by far the most thrilling site in Ancient Rome.
With our tickets we not only went around the Colosseum where spectators and dignitaries once walked and sat but we also had the opportunity to go below the arena. We went to the lower level of the arena, below the trap doors and sand (to absorb the blood) to where the Gladiators and animals we housed and prepared for battle. An enjoyable tour but as the morning wore on it became hotter so that when we stood in line for fifteen minutes and saw another thirty going to settle out we ditched it for an early lunch in the Palatino area. Great little Italian lunch with a very nice server.
We rented some bikes, charted a course riding around Rome like we knew what we were doing. Jena was a little tentative, not that she could not do it but thinking we were not fully trained to ride bikes on the streets of Rome with cars, busses, taxi’s and the multitude of scooters. I convinced her we were going to be okay, she only almost got pinched by a bus:) We rode a ways out from out comfortable Campo to some great views and then to an out of the way restaurant. You can sure tell the difference between those who would careless to help you understand and those who really go out of their way to make an effort, we had that kind of waiter tonight. Rode the River Tiber bike trail with all its little tented restaurants and snappy bars next to the river so that we could return the bikes by 8:00PM.
Nice walk back to the apartment to pack and get our bearings correct for the mornings escapades to a car rental shop so we can see the Tuscan countryside.