Bob and Ann in Sicily and Italy 2006

Our Apartment

Rome - May 22

Great digs in Piazza Pasquino near the Piazza Navona. Our apartment with 2 bedrooms, a bath, living-dining-kitchen area crowned by an airshaft sky light serves our purposes well, except that the Lynn bedroom is immense, attractively furnished with antiques, and a transom window that provides little light but some circulation is contrasted by the Bensons tiny airless room barely fitting a queen sized bed and a wardrobe. We were delivered after 22:00 by our driver who Bob had arranged to meet us at the airport. Quick walk through Navona at night was breathtaking and we collapsed into bed by midnight.

Please visit May 22 slide show.

Campo di Fiori Farmer’s Market


Piazza Navona


Pantheon

Rome - May 23

Up at 7:30 - Bob earlier to scout for brioche. He was unsuccessful but we had a great breakfast of pressed coffee, corn flakes, bread with jam, cantaloup, bananas, blood oj- thanks to Bob.

First stop on morning trip was the Campo di fiori farmer’s market toshop for cheese, salami, eggs, strawberries and cherry tomatoes, then on to Navona by daylight and on our walking tour to Pantheon, Temple of Minerva (now a lovely Gothic Church) known for watermarks on facade from flooded Tiber before 1870 when river walls were erected. Bob & John tried the famous caffe granite to help sustain them through Trevi Fountain stop until we had panini al fresco on the Spanish Steps. (Tuna on white bread with crusts removed called “toast” first sampled here by John and Ann).

Took #16 bus back to apartment for a cold beer and rest. Off again to walk along the River Tiber, crossing “hospital island’ and walking to Travestare area, visiting Church of St Clara where nuns singing service quite unnerved Ann as they became more and more off pitch. The poor Saint had been beheaded when her claim to the church was disputed by Romans who hated christianity.

On our walk back we passed a fallen pedestrian whose body blocked traffic while polizia tried to figure out what hit him. Another reason to tour on foot, carefully.

Dinner was an experience. For 21 euro fixed price we ate a five course meal with wine and fizzy water included, the catch being that we ate what the cook decided to prepare that night and she was a kick. The trattoria Derpallero’s motto was “here you will eat what we feed you”. Paola Fari is the boss. We waddled out after 2 hours and back to hit the sack by 10.

Please visit May 23 slide show.

Children Waiting to Enter the Borghese Gallery


John and Bob Eating Lunch in the Borghese Gardens

Rome - May 24 - Gallery Borghese

Thanks to 11 a.m. reservations had leisurely bus ride to the above on #116. First enjoyed scrambled eggs w/cheese, tomatoes and sides of bread and salami. Still very hungry by 1 p.m. after touring this wonderful baroque collection. To avoid the crowds we took the tour of the gallery backwards, which meant we saw the Caravaggio's first, still David with the Head of Goliath and the young man with fruit left indelible impressions!

Panini from museum cafe held us until we returned by bus to Navona via Internet Point at Barberini and the Medici, our last hotel on RS trip where we will store Bob’s bike until we return on the 11th. Bob convinced Ann to try Tartuffs, chocolate decadence gelato from Tre Scappolini. She could eat only 2 bites, one of which was a candied cherry but Bob happily finished it. Went for delicious pizza at Montecristo where very aggressive waiters rushed us through thin crusted pizza and insalata mistas. Found a bottle of the local cheap white wine, Frascati, for $3. Not bad for a nightcap.

Please visit May 24 - 25 slide show.

Ann, John and Ellen at Piazza Argentina


Ellen, John and Ann at Victor Emanuele Monument

Rome - May 25 - Classical Antiquity Day

Walked from Navona past the Piazza Argentina where cats swarmed over the roped off “dig”-ancient columns and tunnels. Then through the Piazza Venezia dominated by the ornate 19th century Vittorio Emmanuel building shadowing Foro Imperiale ruins and just before the Forum, Palatine Hill and The Coliseum. Very crowded and hot in all these partially restored sites, but still quite awesome for all of us.

Our lunch break before the Coliseum was at the same restaurant Bob and I enjoyed on this tour in Rome last time, except we ate inside and our waiter was not the officious one.

Found a #87 bus that delivered us right to Navona and, exhausted, we put up our feet for awhile before peeling out to the laundramat. Bad experience there with the attendant who wanted to go home early so gave us the surly treatment despite which we got our clothes clean. We sipped Frascati in our apartment and then found a table, luckily, at the “best pizza place in Rome,” Da Baffetto - good but the Montecristo was better. New guests in our apartment building are young and boisterous. Still at 4 AM they charged around the hall yelling, knocking on doors and smoking above our open transom. Not much sleep for us.

Please visit May 24 - 25 slide show.

St Peters


Vatican Guards

Rome - May 26

While Bob and John delivered bags to Hotel Medici and checked e-mail, Ann and Ellen shopped at Campo di Fiore market for antipasti. Most bustling stalls with cheaper prices were besieged by Italian housewives so we opted for the quieter, English speaking stall on across the market with slightly higher prices, but came away with artichokes and haricot vert which Ellen prepared along with cherry tomatoes for later.

Ann took nap while John, Ellen and Bob visited the Vatican by bus in the afternoon as advised by Rick Steves. Venturing forth around 3, Ann found postcards and stamps, wrote cards sitting in Navona while sampling cocoanut/mango gelato What a life!

When Vatican tourers returned having had to wait in line 45 minutes each for the Vatican Museum tour and to enter St. Peters, they praised bus service on #492.

We sampled antipasti with beer/wine before going out to dinner at Cul de Sac, a trendy endoca(wine bar) with excellent tapas style food. Discovered Santa Maria Nouvella Farmecia outlet across the Navona square before headng home for bed.

Please visit May 26 slide show.

Castle S Angelo


View from the Castle

Rome - May 27

This was a free day to roam the streets around Piazza Navona and discover the neighborhoods near our apartment. Ellen and Ann shopped at Santa Maria Nouvella. Later we all walked across St. Anthony Bridge to the Castle. First built as Hadrian’s tomb, this metamorphosed into a mediaeval prison and later a refuge for fleeing popes. It is a large round stone building entered by circular ramps large enough for horse carriages. It now houses mediaeval weapons museum including ordinance-pyramids of stone cannon balls decorating courtyards. The view from highest terrace is spectacular, looking beyond the Tiber to see ancient Rome and the dome of St Agnes in Agony at Navona. Close on same side of the river is the Vatican complex with with St. Peter’s beyond, easily reached by underground passages from the Castle.

Found our way back to Pasquino to veg until dinner at the Fish house which featured deep-fried cod fillets, anchovies with bread and butter, fried zucchini and house red wine. The place was a trip - no table settings, just squares of butcher paper for table covers and napkins used to clutch greasy fried food as it is eaten sans plates or untensils. Favored by locals, we adapted to the place and abrupt servers, but might consider lunch there instead next time! Stopped at IL Forno bakery for pasteries, where earlier we had bought breakfast buns for our very early departure tomorrow. Some grappa had been left in the kitchen cabinet which we drank for a nightcap after goodbye tour of night time Navona.

Please visit May 27 slide show.