Part I of VII
What better city to start our European adventure than Rome.
Day 1
We thought arriving in Rome around 7pm wouldn’t be so bad. It would give us time to settle in, grab dinner, and get a good night’s rest before full tourist mode would kick in the following day. We didn’t take into account that we, being two women, had to navigate unknown streets at night with our luggage to meet the rest of our group. Luckily, our Airbnb was less than a 10 minute walk from the nearest metro station and even closer to the first landmark we would see in Rome. We dropped off our luggage (up 4 flights of stairs) and headed off to the Trevi Fountain.
Even at night, we found it packed with tourists, and with good reason. Even amidst the bustling crowd, the way the lights hit the fountain in the nightime was utterly captivating and the sound of the water was equally calming. It was as if you found yourself sitting among the audience at a most beautiful symphony. To ensure we will someday return to Rome, we partook in the traditional coin toss, using our right hand and tossing over our left shoulder. And like true Italians, we grabbed gelato and enjoyed it in front of the fountain. After finishing our gelato, we embarked on the few minute walk to our next stop, the Spanish Steps.
Unlike the Fountain, the Spanish Steps had a much smaller crowd. That afforded us the chance to take a breath, and it was in that moment that it truly hit me. I thought, “Wow, we’re really doing this. We’re really here.” It was also there, on the steps, that I knew that this would be a trip of a lifetime and that I had to make the most of it. (Unfortunately, as of August 2019, sitting on the steps is no longer allowed.)
Overall, I think that arriving at night was a good decision. It helped us get rid of the jet lag quickly and the backdrop of night was perfect for our first two sights. Plus, we were just tired enough to drift off for a good night’s rest before our first full-day itinerary.
Day 2
Naturally, our first tour in Rome would have to be the Colosseum. We chose a tour with Walks of Italy that would guide us through the Colosseum along with the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. This tour also gave us special access to the arena floor of the Colosseum. Walking through the gladiator’s entrance and onto the arena floor, it felt as if we were being transported back to the time of ancient gladiators. I could almost hear the booming voices coming from the now empty seats of the amphitheater. Looking down into the Hypogeum, the revealed underground portion of the Colosseum, I could imagine the animals that were once held there. From our entrance on the ground floor, we then were able to walk the steps of the spectators, viewing the different levels of the amphitheater. On our way out of the amphitheater, I felt a pull towards the exits, which I learned was probably due to the design of the passageways referred to as vomitorium.
On our way out of the Colosseum, we stopped by the Arch of Constantine. You can’t really miss this landmark as it sits directly outside the Colosseum. We then made our way to the Palatine Hill. There’s a magnificent view from the Hill, which makes it easy to understand why this was an area many aristocrats chose to make their home. We ended the tour at the Roman Forum. The tall columns still remain from what used to be temples. Stepping onto the stone path and standing next to the ruins, it’s easy to imagine how extravagant these buildings were once upon a time.
After our three-hour tour ended, we decided to grab lunch. Our first official meal in Italy had to be pasta! We chose one of the oldest restaurants in Italy, La Carbonara, to get our tastebuds tingling and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
After lunch, we jumped on the metro to our next tour, the Catacombs of St. Sebastian. This tour gave us a little reprieve from the heat since it was entirely underground. Walking down the long hallways, I half-expected something or someone to pop out and scare us, but of course that never happened. We were able to go down to different levels of the catacombs and see how each one was different from the others. This tour wasn’t as long as our previous one, but still definitely worth doing.
We ended our first full day with The Roman Food Tour. We chose the Prati by Sunset food tour. It was hands down one of the best tours we went on while in Europe.
Our tour included stops at Pizzarium, La Bufalina, La Tradizione, Secondo Tradizione, the Trionfale Market, Al Giardino del Gatto e la Volpe, and Fatamorgana. As you can imagine, we were rather full by the end of the night, but mainly because everything was so good that we had to keep eating. At Pizzarium, we experienced pizza not by the slice, but by the width provided by our two index fingers. We learned that it’s best to let dough rise over night. Being a large group, we were able to grab quite a few different pieces of pizza and try all of them. Clearly, that was the best way to go. Our next stop was a meat and cheese market called La Tradizione. As soon as we walked in we were hit by the mouthwatering sights and smells of meat hanging on the wall and cheeses displayed behind the counter. We were able to try a collection of the meats and cheese at La Tradizione’s sister restaurant, Secondo Tradizione. We paired the meats with cheese, jam and, of course, wine. At La Bufalina, we sampled more pairings of cheese and jams along with different truffles and more wine. We also learned about buffalo mozzarella and how to tell its freshness by squeezing it and making sure that a little water comes out of the cheese. Next, we sat down for our main course of gnocchi and ravioli at Al Giardino del Gatto e la Volpe. Our final stop on our food tour was gelato for dessert at Fatamorgana. Despite how full we were, we didn’t want the night to end so we took a suggestion from our tour guide and dropped by Hotel Atlante Star’s Roof Garden and Bar where we enjoyed refreshing drinks and an excellent view of the city. It was the perfect ending to a perfect first day.
Day 3
We started our day visiting the Vatican. We lined up before the gates opened and therefore, didn’t have much of a wait. Once inside the gates, we made our way straight to the Vatican Museum. While all of the museum’s art was astonishing, the main reason people visit is to see the masterpiece that is the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam doesn’t take up much of the ceiling space as I would’ve guessed, but it was still an amazing sight to see in person. After spending a few hours exploring the Vatican, we decided to make our way back to the Pizzarium. We couldn’t resist leaving Rome without getting another bite of their delicious pizza.
After lunch we decided to take a stroll around the Piazza Navona. On our way there, we made a pitstop in front of the Pantheon to dodge a brief afternoon rain storm. One of the few things I regret about our trip was not seeing the inside of the Pantheon. That’s at the top of my list for my next trip to Rome. As someone who loves to people watch, the Piazza Navona was a highlight for me. It’s an open square filled with grand fountains, a perfect spot to simply take a moment and pause as the world around continues to move. After our break, we went inside one of the surrounding museums, the Gladiator Museum. Obviously we couldn’t leave Rome without our own gladiator sword, so we made sure to take one from the museum as a souvenir. Once we finished at the museum, we headed back to our place for an afternoon catnap, walking by the Jewish Ghetto on our way. That’s the thing about Rome, everywhere you look there’s an ancient ruin or piece of history waiting to be discovered!
Our evening plans consisted of peeking through the Aventine keyhole, taking in the views at Giardino degli Aranci, and overloading on pasta at Tonnarello. One of the slightly annoying parts of Rome is that there always seem to be long lines, even at the more secretive locals like Aventine keyhole. Luckily, it was on the shorter end of a wait and like many of the stops, it was worth the wait. The perfectly lined view of St.Peter’s Basilica through the keyhole was nothing short of amazing. Just down the way from the keyhole is the Giardina deli Aranci which has equally grand views. With it being our final night in Rome, we wanted to make sure we took the time to take in all of the city. This was the perfect location to do just that. We spent about an hour or so here watching the sunset and admiring the city.
For some, that view may have been the perfect ending, but we couldn’t leave Rome without having another bite of pasta. We headed to Tonnarello for one last meal. The pasta came out like it should, in a pan. We enjoyed the pasta with their house wine and reflected on what a marvelous experience we had taking in the Roman sights.
Day 4
The next morning, we got up at first light so we could sneak over to the Trevi Fountain before the crowds arrived. Finding solace at one of the word’s greatest landmarks is nearly impossible when it’s bustling with people, making it that much more special.
A Spoonful of Honey 