Roman Holiday

September 15 - September 20

Carmela, Susi, Jess and me - Villa Borghese

An early departure from Rovinj and back on the autostradas to Marco Polo Airport, Venice.  We gave ourselves plenty of time in case of traffic issues, but the journey was uninterrupted and quick.  In fact we were able to have along the coast east of Venice towards Jesolo to fill in some time instead of waiting too long at the airport.  Not the most interesting coastline - very flat and agricultural with few nice beaches - mostly mudflats and channels.  We returned the rental car and still had time for a nice lunch at the airport and then a short flight to Rome.

Derpy little Benji dog collecting its bags - Fiumicno Airport

We were settled into our little apartment in the old Trastevere district by late afternoon.  One bedroom, but a very comfy sleeper sofa in the living room (Ikea I am pretty sure).  The apartment is located in one of the old buildings of the area but is super modern inside.  Once we were settled in and cleaned up we set off through the narrow lanes of this funky part of Rome in search of dinner.

Trastevere 

 Stef knew of a reputable pizza place on the main thoroughfare of the district - lots of others knew about it too as it was packed.  Luckily a table outdoors became available pretty quickly and we enjoyed a nice meal of courgette flowers, grilled vegies and pizza - very yummy and not too far to walk home as we were tired travel bunnies this evening.

Crossing the Tevere River from Trastevere

Stefano left to travel to Pomezia early the next day so Jess and I went strolling across the river and found a good place in the Campo de Fiori for real breakfast - omelette, toast and coffee - delish.  A huge market covers the whole of the piazza during the day.

Tevere River near our apartment

Campo de Fiori market - so colourful

After a very satisfying breakfast we went strolling to pass by some of the famous sights of Rome - Piazza Navona, Pantheon and then Trevi Fountain.  Plenty of crowds to negotiate through the streets of Rome but a beautiful day for strolling.

Piazza Navona - quite empty in the morning

Love the Pantheon - such an elegant and other worldly building - and mind-boggling in terms of age and preservation.

  And not too many people at the Pantheon

The Trevi was barricaded and devoid of water - fortunately the barricades were perspex so it was possible to see the statues.  Obviously a major reno job going on.  Seems that Rome must be under a constant state of restoration and preservation.  Luckily we had visited the Trevi previously but it must be disappointing to see it in this state if one was a first time visitor.

Trevi Fountain - lots of people looking at a waterless fountain!

 After a lot of walking in 31 degree temperatures we headed back to the apartment to meet Stefano.  Stopped for a gelato at the Punta Gelataria by the Ponte Sisto.  What a strange array of flavours they have on offer! Not really your traditional gelato, but I stuck with salted caramel - not game to try the buffalo milk and basil or other concoctions.  Jess was keen on the sugar free varieties - sweetened with agave syrup apparently.
We had made a booking at Sciapo restaurant,in the Travestere district as Stef knew of the chef and its reputation.  It turned out to be a disappointment - our reservation was lost and we were seated inside in a very hot room (luckily we were able to move outdoors after a while) and the food turned out to be mediocre for the price we paid.  We did enjoy the wine and the warm summer evening.  So home to rest after a quite strenuous day.  Good to have lots of exercise though.

Dinner at Sciapo

Thursday was Stef's last full day in Rome before returning to London and work.  We decided to have breakfast at the famous Panella Paticceria which is near the Colosseum.  It looked like an easy walk from Trastevere but we managed to get lost and finally jumped on the underground after we found that we had been heading in the wrong direction.

Crossing the Trevere again - beautiful morning

Panella was busy and a bit chaotic but we managed to choose our pastries and drinks and find a table. It is located quite close to the apartment which the family used in July and they patronised it regularly then, but it was my first visit.  Certainly delicious food and great coffee.  For us it was almost lunch as we had taken so long to get there!  It is located in a rather nice area of Rome on a hill above the Colosseum.

Brunch at Panella

Afterwards we walked past the Domus Aurea ruin and down to the Colosseum,

Must have found the Colosseum

 then followed the road to the Piazza Venezia, past the ruins of the Forum.  More work going on there and much of the street side views were hidden behind safety hoardings.

Part of the Forum that we could actually see from the street.

  Got snaffled by a cheery gladiator for a photo - a bit cheesy-

Doing the tourist thing with a local gladiator

- then headed for the shops of Via del Corso.  Browsed a bit and finally arrived at the Piazza di Spagna where we were to meet Stefano's mother,

Made it to Via del Corso

 Carmela, and his sister, Susanna who were arriving on the train from Pomezia.  Feeling hot and thirsty we went for tea and a snack at Babington's Tea Shop adjacent to the Spanish Steps.  Pricey but very pretty and a nice cool place to sit and wait.  Carmela and Susi arrived and we decided to take a break from the heat at the Villa Borghese Park - accessible by a series of tunnels and escalators that lead from the nearby underground station.

Spanish Steps, Piazza di Spagna

It was a pleasure to sit and chat in the park for a while - Carmela does not speak English but we got along just fine with Susi and Stef as interpreters.  Susi works in London too and is returning temporarily at the end of September.  She is thinking of moving to Malta  next year.
After a nice rest we took a taxi ( cheap in Rome) to Campo de Fiori and booked a table at Magnolia, where the others had enjoyed a wonderful meal previously - great atmosphere in the evening in this popular piazza.  While waiting we strolled through to Piazza Navona which was teaming with people - lots of art for sale, various street performers doing their whacky statue and musical things and restaurants filling up.  The buildings looked lovely in the golden evening light.

Stefano, Susi, Carmela and Jess - Piazza Navona

 Back to Magnolia eventually and a great dinner, with a fiery sunset and entertainment from a very skilled dulcimer player as well as the passing parade of people.

Campo de Fiori - before the evening crowds

 A wonderful evening!  Finally we walked Carmela and Susi to the bus stop to catch an express bus to the edge of city where their car was parked.  It was so nice to spend a lovely evening with them.

Lovely dinner at Magnolia, Campo de Fiori

Friday and we walked back to Campo de Fiori for another nice breakfast, then wandered over to the Castello San Angelo and the Vatican.  St Peter's is magnificent, but this time we didn't queue to go inside.  It is a shame that the area around is so tacky with touts and horrid souvenir stands littering the place.  We though we would find a nice lunch spot away from the tourist area and again managed to walk the wrong way - not towards our apartment as we had planned.  As it turned out we ended up in a lovely area of Rome, with wide tree-lined boulevards, huge pavements, high end shops - obviously a wealthy residential area and somewhat reminiscent of Paris. There we had a tasty light lunch under the trees and shouted ourselves a taxi home so Stef could get ready for his car to the airport.

Bridal photos happening at the Vatican

After he left in the evening Jess found a recommended restaurant in our location  - not too far to walk.  We had a very nice meal at Mirrors - another yummy risotto!  Gelato on the way home - a little snack bar near us has the best amarena gelato - my favourite.
Saturday was shopping day and after breakfast in Piazza Navona with its beautiful buildings, we pounded the Via del Corso and its familiar and not so familiar stores.  Ended up in Zara where Jess stocked up on work clothes - much better selection and lower prices than London - and certainly than our local Zara at Robina.  My case is full so I resisted the impulse to buy shoes or a leather handbag.  Spoiled for choice here - decision making is difficult!

Love the faded colours of the buildings - Piazza Navona at breakfast time

Lunch was a triumph - we found a lovely small restaurant near Piazza di Spagna which was certainly not a tourist menu type of place.  Nice glass of wine and spinach and feta ravioli for me (home made ravioli) and gnocchi with a tomato sauce (no cheese) for Jess.  Just right in terms of serving size, flavour and ambience.
We managed a little more shopping and then it was home for a rest.  After an evening walk through some more of the pretty streets of Trastevere ( heaps of restaurants but no menu that grabbed us), we decided to head for Campo de Fiori for our final dinner in Rome.

Strolling through Trastevere - lots of Saturday evening entertainment

  Tried a different restaurant there and enjoyed yet another delicious dinner - front line by the square - vegetarian  pizza for Jess and a delicious salad for me - cranberry, gorgonzola and walnuts with yummy little potato croquette thingys on the side.  ,Rome has been a bit of an eat-fest but my excuse is that I have to return to Germany where the food is not to my liking.

Sunset - Campo de Fiori

On Sunday  morning we headed out for breakfast before going to the airport and found little open. However Sciapo was busy and we thought that breakfast would be difficult to mess up.  We opted for American breakfast - eggs and French toast with tea or coffee - not too bad.  At midday our driver turned up and we were soon at the airport.  We had different, but adjacent terminals for check in and then met up - hopefully for a nice sit down and a coffee.  Unfortunately the airport in Rome is still not totally repaired after the fire so choices were limited and there was no where to sit.  Finally we decided to go our separate ways in the hope of finding somewhere more appealing to wait for our flights.  So goodbye to Jess (back to London) but I hope to see her again in November.  We have had a marvellous, warm, sunny holiday and seen some beautiful places.  I enjoyed strolling through the streets of Rome without rushing to visit the historical sites - the city really is a feast for the eyes and senses. It  has been great and I am feeling healthy after two weeks of plenty of exercise, sunshine and delicious fresh food,. Having Stefano to look after us has been a real bonus too - a lot less stressful for Jess and me and he loved driving our funky Alfa Romeo Giulietta.   Looking forward to getting home now after a short detour to Germany.

Arrivederci Roma!