Destination: Rome, Italy (Part 2)

If Rome had dazzled me on my first night in the city, then it continued to enchant me even more so in the day time during the following day. Waking up around 7:30, I freshened up and got ready to head out to the other Airbnb in which I would be staying with my family, as they were due to arrive that same morning. We would be spending the next four nights exploring the city proper, as well as making day trips to the Vatican and Tivoli. It’d been almost four months since I last saw them, and it would be great to see them again.

We met at our Airbnb and our host let us in. Unfortunately, since we’d arrived in the morning, it was too early for us to check in, which wouldn’t be ready for us until the afternoon, but our host was kind enough to let us drop off our belongings (especially for my family, who’d came all the way from the States and had large suitcases) and give us the key in advance before we had to leave the apartment. A bit inconvenient for my family, since they’d just arrived in Rome that morning and were tired from traveling, but there wasn’t much we could do.

That said, we found a nearby cafe to sit down and have breakfast as we planned our visit for the day. My dad had a detailed itinerary that we could do, so after we finished breakfast, we headed to a couple of nearby churches and basilicas (which were having Mass at the time we went, so we couldn’t take photos inside) before we walked towards the Tiber River, crossing the Ponte Sisto. It was a beautiful, blue-sky day and, despite the rather chilly wind, the sunshine was much-needed for someone who’s been starved of sun while in France. The rest of my time spent in Rome, let alone in the rest of Italy, would be sun-filled days, which for me was absolute paradise in winter.

We spent the rest of our morning in the Trastevere district, an area which has retained much of its historic charm despite the influx of expats in recent years. It’s a surprisingly quiet, almost residential neighborhood, with plenty of narrow cobblestone footpaths and gorgeous views of Rome from the top of the Parco del Gianicolo. We climbed the steps to the top of the viewing terrace for the lovely sights before making our way past the Fontana dell’Acqua Paola and back down to the ground level of Trastevere.

After visiting another church in the neighborhood, we got lunch at a randomly-chosen restaurant to kill some time before we could return to the Airbnb to check in. We returned to the apartment at 15:00– from there, the host showed us around and even left us a bottle of Moscato for hospitality. Really generous of her, and of course, we enjoyed it a few nights later. She left soon after, and we had the Airbnb all to ourselves. Although it was only the afternoon, we were much too tired to go out to see more, let alone get dinner: our host had also left us tons of food (bread, ham, cheese, yogurt, etc.) to last us the next few days, so we just had a light supper before turning in.

The following day was our visit of the Vatican (more on than in another post). We did a half-day guided tour and upon it ending at midday, we returned to Rome on-foot, crossing over to see Castel Sant’Angelo, which had once been a mausoleum, then a fortress and castle before it became a museum today. From there, we strolled along the Tiber River towards the Villa Borghese, which had the signature Borgia house and acres of gardens; we were there to check out its observation deck for views of Rome, although sadly the sun was positioned at an angle that made our photos too dark to capture the sights of the city.

In any case, we made our way down to the Spanish Steps, another tourist icon that has been made famous by numerous films throughout cinematic history– today, it remains a romantic spot for couples to take selfies with, along with many locals and tourists to sit and relax on. From there, we made our way to the Trevi Fountain (in the day time, for me) where we got our much-needed gelato fix. Never mind that we were having it in the middle of winter: it was still delicious and satisfied our sweet tooth!

From the Trevi Fountain, we made our way back to our Airbnb, stopping by a few sites including the Pantheon (in which the famous painter Raphael is buried) and Piazza Navona, both of which I’d already seen the evening before, although when it was dark. We returned to our Airbnb in the late afternoon to rest before heading out again to dinner. Our host had recommended us a restaurant near the Trevi Fountain, so we ate there. Unfortunately, the food didn’t quite live up to our expectation, as we found the portions too small (even for European standards) and lacking in flavor. It was a disappointment, but we vowed to redeem ourselves with another meal during our stay in Rome.

We did a day trip to Tivoli the next day (again, to be published in another post) and, upon returning to Rome in the late afternoon, we made a quick stop at one of the four esteemed basilicas of Rome: the Santa Maria Maggiore. We’d already seen another one the previous day, the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican (technically not part of Rome, but doesn’t matter), and you know that you’re entering an incredibly sacred place when you have to go through a bag scan at the entrance– but the inside is completely worth it. High ceilings decked out in gold, an awe-inspiring nave in the center, and plenty of Corinthian pillars are sure to turn even the most non-religious people (like me) into *somewhat* of a believer.

 

Our final day in Rome started with a visit to the third of the four “great basilicas” of Rome, the San Giovanni in Laterano. Just like with the other two we’d visited, it was just as impressive– unfortunately, we couldn’t quite make it to the fourth basilica, which was the San Paolo Fuori Le Mura (St. Paul Outside the Walls), but we managed to see the majority and appreciate their jaw-dropping interiors.

Exiting the basilica, we headed to the Colosseum where, just like with my first evening in Rome, it was packed with tourists, albeit in the day time. Plenty of selfie stick vendors and con artists with fake petitions were roaming around, too, but we just ignored them as we took our necessary tourist photos of the giant amphitheater and headed to see the Roman Forum, which had sprawls of worn-away columns, temples, and other unidentifiable ruins that really show how life was like over 2000 years ago. Even though I’m usually indifferent when it comes to visiting ruins (after all, you don’t have the monument itself to refer to the past– you have to imagine what it was like), but I admit that the Roman Forum was pretty impressive.

We descended the steps leading to the Altare della Patria (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) in the Piazza Venezia– the monument itself is massive, and it’s too simple to believe that it could also be a palace. From there, we headed to see the Mouth of Truth, a large disk containing the sculpted face of a god. An iconic piece, it’s housed just adjacent to the entrance of the basilica Santa Maria in Cosmedin– it’s uncertain just what its function had been (reputed to have been a drain cover), but nonetheless it remains a popular object for tourists to see each year. There was a notable line when we arrived, but it moved steadily until we reached it for our obligatory photos (hand sticking into the statue’s mouth) before moving on.

We were nearing the end of our day visiting Rome, and we headed back to our Airbnb, stopping by the Fontana delle Tartarughe (“Turtle Fountain”) for quick photo of the fountain containing statues of young men holding up turtles, which I found quite adorable. Before returning to our Airbnb, we bought some cannoli, as we were craving the rolled-up Italian pastry– they were creamy and sweet, all the while packing a huge sugary punch! We enjoyed them so much that we bought more the next day before leaving Rome.

If our previous dinner out in Rome had been lackluster, then we certainly redeemed it with our last dinner in the city, at another restaurant that our host had recommended us. Only a two minute walk from our Airbnb, the place was a trattoria, and we saw Italian nonne cutting and molding pasta dough right outside the restaurant, which we knew would be a good place for eating fresh, homemade pasta. From the menu, we had the option of “personalizing” our pasta dish with the type of pasta and sauce that we wanted. I opted for the strozzapreti pasta (a thicker version of cavatelli) with bacon, zucchini, and pecorino cheese. The result was hands-down the tastiest dish I had in Rome, all the while made from labor and love: I was in heaven (and in a semi-food coma) for the rest of the night.

Our time in Rome came to an end the following morning, as we had to check out by 11:00 and catch the train to our next destination in Italy. Altogether, it’d been a packed, but fruitful stay in the “Eternal City,” and I was glad that it lived up to my expectations even after eleven years. I was also happy to share the experience with my family, as we walked a lot, ate a lot, and lived la dolce vita– literally and figuratively!

I’ll be posting about the day trips made while in Rome soon. Coming up: the Vatican!

 

— Rebecca