Rome
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The ancient city of Rome is where it all began for us. We arrived on an early flight, and made a high- speed taxi run (recommended highly to get your pulse elevated) to the quaint and friendly Hotel Alimandi where we checked in early and stored our bags.
This hotel and staff were excellent and very accommodating, allowing us to remain in our original room for our entire stay. Hotel Alimandi is in a great location only a block from the Vatican and a short walk to the Tiber River, so we were quickly immersed in seeing some breath taking sites. Transit stations are located within a couple of blocks of the hotel, so getting around is easy. Feeling excited and adventurous, we elected to let our feet do the transporting. We circumnavigated Vatican City, explored St. Peter's Square, and took a long stroll through the hotel neighborhood, locating some choice cafes, pizzerias and restaurants. As we walked up and down Via Candia and Via Andrea Doria we had a wonderful glimpse of the shops and eateries. |
Around every corner was something of interest: historic buildings, pizzerias, gelato shops, narrow alleys, cafes, bustling activity, and best of all--friendly people. The locals even seemed to appreciate our attempts at rudimentary Italian, and we received many warm smiles in return.
The Mercato Trionfale is a huge, must- see market where lots of locals shop for daily provisions. It is located on Via Andrea Doria just minutes from the hotel and is a great place to load up on snacks. Soon it was time for a birra in our hotel roof garden, followed by a nap during the local siesta time when many shops close for the midday break. Our first dinner was at Forno Feliziani, an excellent pizzeria with sidewalk tables great for people watching on Via Candia. We followed dinner with an evening walk in the warm night air. On day two, after a hearty breakfast served by our friendly hotel chef, Francesco, we strolled along the Tiber River and across Ponte Garibaldi into the ancient Jewish Ghetto where we wandered through a maze of narrow winding lanes. We stumbled across the Teatro di Marcello, a mini colosseum, as we continued walking to the Victor Emmanuel Monument, the Roman Forum, Temple of Nerva and the Colosseum. This long excursion gave us a great Rome orientation for later wanderings. It was time for lunch, so we stopped at Giggetto 2, a tiny restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto, for a meat and cheese plate with a caprese salad and vino before walking through the Trastevere neighborhood and back to the hotel. By now our feet wanted to crawl into our shoulder bags, but we weren't about to take a cab and risk missing any visual delights of lively Trastevere. At the hotel, we calculated the miles we had walked and immediately took a nap! The evening ended at La Rustichello, where we enjoyed delicious food and learned that a large red wine is a full bottle, and the house Prosecco comes in a liter carafe that will serve eight! It was relaxing to sit at our sidewalk table as long as we wanted. We appreciated this Italian dining custom throughout our tour. Besides, we needed the extra time to savor the wine. |
The following day it was time to meet our tour group at 3 P.M. We met our guide Jamie and our tour group on the hotel rooftop terrace. After Jamie went through a few rules and required safety guidelines, we made our introductions. We met our "buddies" Al and Lauri who proved to be life savers the following morning. In our initial meeting, we learned the full scope of the Rick Steves' appeal as we met people from all parts of the U.S. and a couple from Canada. We were fascinated by the broad range of interests and walks of life represented in our group.
After a few questions and answers, Jamie guided us to the subway station for a late afternoon ride and then a walk in the Pantheon neighborhood, all while giving us an informative talk on the local history and architecture. This is where we temporarily lost two of our group who were likely waylaid by a "centurion" for an expensive photo op. Jamie gave us the "stay and wait" command as he backtracked to find them. Alas, to no avail as the crowds were too dense. And alas, they missed a fantastic dinner at Origano Restaurant.
After a few questions and answers, Jamie guided us to the subway station for a late afternoon ride and then a walk in the Pantheon neighborhood, all while giving us an informative talk on the local history and architecture. This is where we temporarily lost two of our group who were likely waylaid by a "centurion" for an expensive photo op. Jamie gave us the "stay and wait" command as he backtracked to find them. Alas, to no avail as the crowds were too dense. And alas, they missed a fantastic dinner at Origano Restaurant.
We had an excellent first group dinner at the Origano Restaurant in Rome:
Fried vegetables and supli Caccia Pepe Amatriciana Saltimbocca Tirimisu and Panna Cotta Frascatti, a local wine from the Alban Hills Banfi Pinot Nero from Northern Italy |
As we strolled after dinner, Jamie said, "To find the best coffee in the world you need to go to New York, catch a plane to Rome and take a cab to Sant Eustachio il Caffe." We agree. The cappuccino was heavenly, and we brought some coffee home.
The following morning was a high point of our trip, a tour of the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica. We were thankful for the "Buddy System" as at the appointed time, our buddies Al and Lauri noticed we were missing. With the unfortunate combination of excitement and overconfidence, we declined the hotel wake-up service and miss set our alarms, only to be awakened with a phone call from Jamie. He gave us ten minutes to drag ourselves to our meeting place up the stairs and across the street. So, Donna in tears, Bob in mismatched everything, and tails between our legs, we made the tour on time to the applause of our very patient, wonderful, and gracious tour group. We were never late again. After that embarrassment, we double checked both alarms and used the hotel wake-up service every morning! The Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica tours were almost overwhelming, there was so much to see. Our local guide and art historian, Paolo, did an exceptional job of leading us through the most memorable exhibits, selecting the most significant pieces of art. We can't imagine arriving on our own, deciding what to see, and trying to understand it all. The tour and our expert guides eliminated the guesswork. St. Peter's Basilica was truly impressive with its massive proportions. We did not have time to climb to the top of the dome, but found the nave and main altar provided more than enough history and architectural details to absorb. After being on our own in St. Peter's, we met Jamie at the Bacio di Puglia for a takeout lunch and a cold birra to enjoy on the Hotel Alimandi rooftop terrace with our tour mates. The following day we checked out of the hotel, boarded our luxury coach and off we went to the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Once again we had a personable and knowledgeable tour guide, Alessandra, to describe and explain the complex history of this unique area. While touring these ruins, we tried to imagine the sights and sounds of 2,000 years ago. It was difficult to grasp the immense effort put into building these gigantic structures with the resources of the time periods. |
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An interesting fact we learned from Alessandra was that most of the white marble facades were stripped from the pagan structures to build the Christian sites we now see in modern Rome. Early recycling!
We ended our Rome tour with Alessandra taking us through the Roman Forum. It was then time to board our bus and head off to Volterra on the excellent Autostrade, the Italian freeway.
We ended our Rome tour with Alessandra taking us through the Roman Forum. It was then time to board our bus and head off to Volterra on the excellent Autostrade, the Italian freeway.
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