Welcome to the Roman chapter of our Summer 2024 adventures in Europe. Here we pick up with landing in Rome from Paris on a $36 flight - yes, $36 flight on RyanAir.
This was over a week of beautiful moments, so instead of story-telling, I'll just share the highlights.
If you've read about our travels before, you might know that we've been lucky enough to travel to Italy more times than I can keep track of over the years. Hubby worked in Italy for 10 Summers. I did my study abroad there. We have had a long and beautiful love affair with this country, and with the Eternal City.
We are blessed with knowing the most interesting, creative, passionate, generous and intelligent Italian friends. I love them dearly. I miss them immediately every time we part.
This visit started with a surprise field trip to the archives of print-making and engraving. It was interesting, but the pièce de résistance was being brought up some stairs into a room and then being let out onto a small balcony...into the background of Trevi Fountain! (I don't think this is part of the normal visit - but our friend has a way of working her magic!) Small world story - a friend from home was also visiting Rome and we just missed each other at Trevi!
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| We were standing on the balcony on the right side of the photo! |
We shared simple, perfect meals of fresh tomatoes, burrata & mozzarella, bread, olive oil, delicate hams, olives, salamis, rosemary & fennel crackers, plums, juicy cherries, ripe apricots, blueberries in kefir (turns out I really like kefir!) gorgeous pastas, outstanding pizzas, elaborate tasting menus offered just for us as a favor, gelatos and espressos.What we didn't have was processed foods. There was also lots of excellent wine, but I didn't have as much as I used to, and I have to say my favorite drink while we're in Italy is still a peach iced tea. It just tastes real there.
We also visited the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica - Palazzo Barberini, which I LOVED! They have Caravaggio, Bernini, and so many others. Definitely worth a visit. We also stopped in their coffee shop afterwards where I ordered a peach iced tea (of course!)
Monica took us to several churches/basilicas I'd never visited before, despite numerous trips to Rome! It was a way to get out of the heat, and I loved visiting them. We saw Santa Maria del Popolo, Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Santa Prassede, which was a smaller one I'd never heard of, but had beautiful mosaics. There is so much to take in...the peace, the cool quiet, the faint smell of incense, the art, the mosaics, and the artifacts are so interesting! Bonus that it's always nice to run into Bernini's sculptures while walking through Rome.
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| Santa Maria Maggiore |
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| The column of the flagellation of Christ - Santa Prassede |
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| Mosaic of the Vault of San Zeno Chapel in Santa Prassede |
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| I liked the skull on here! Santa Prassede |
There was also a visit to Basilica of San Giovanni, where we walked through the beautiful medieval cloisters (Chiostro Lateranense.) Bonus that we found restrooms and vending machines selling bottles of water for about $0.50.
We did a day trip to Tivoli, to visit the Villa d'Este, which I'd never experienced. I highly recommend it! (If you park in the the public parking area, you have to walk behind the buildings a ways to find it.) This is another UNESCO site, with a palace and what feels like hidden terraced Renaissance gardens with waterfalls, pools with fish, sculptures, grottoes, views, multiple ornate fountains, including the famous musical fountain. We breezed through the church and palace to get to the gardens. There was so much to appreciate and explore. While I was feeling so inspired there, thinking about all of the history, the people, the events, the love stories that must have happened there... the guys spent time discussing the hydraulics and engineering of the water features built in the 16th century.
Monica took us to the Ara Pacis Museum, which houses of course the Ara Pacis of Augustus Altar, and there was a wonderful exhibit on ancient Roman theatre, starting with its roots in Greek theatre, and chronologically walking us through 7 areas, including Comedy, Tragedy, Music, and Architecture. Some of it was interactive, some was multi-media, and overall I enjoyed it.
The Ara Pacis itself is absolutely massive and stunning. I did not know what we were going to see, and when you walk in after getting your ticket, it sort of stops you in your tracks. There are so many details, and the museum does a great job of offering so many interpretative panels and history.
In the exhibit area below, my favorite artifacts were the theatre masks, especially the marble one of Pan, 2nd half of the 1st century CE. Gift of Pope Benedict XIV. Benedict. Benedetto. Benoît. He comes up again later. Well, the saint, not the pope, but I'm now seeing a theme from 2024!
Not far from the museum, we went to Pizzeria Sorbillo in Piazza Augusto Imperatore, where we had my favorite pizza of the trip! They serve authentic Neopolitan pizza, and it was amazing. They have multiple locations in Naples, Rome, Milan, Genoa, Torino, Bologna, Padua, and even Tokyo. Highly recommend. I'm hoping they open a restaurant in New York City!
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| I mean, just look at how good these prices are! We pay about double here and it's no where as good. |
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| Scott's pizza |
Scott & I also visited the Domus Aurea, the residence built by Emperor Nero near the Colosseum. We had the hardest time finding the entrance in the park and were late for our reservation. Scott managed to talk the guy into letting us run in to join the group tour in session. It was dark and cool, but I knew to bring a wrap with me. I have to confess I wouldn't necessarily recommend visiting here when there are so many other things to see first.
Rome Travel Tips:
Uber are the same as taxis in Rome, and you really need to reserve a taxi ahead of time. We were unsuccessful hailing a taxi one scorching afternoon before siesta, but we finally caught a bus. Well, I say unsuccessful...we did eventually get a taxi, but were kicked out of it very quickly over a disagreement regarding the air conditioning.
If you use the self-checkout in grocery stores, you scan your paid receipt to exit the security gates.
Order a tè alla pesca (peach iced tea) for a refreshing non-alcoholic Summer drink.
Remember to cover your bare shoulders in churches, basilicas, etc. I always carry a thin black wrap or a wide scarf when we travel and keep it tucked in my bag.
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