6 days in Rome, I will try to do justice to this amazing city and the great trip that we took.June 15
We left our house for a train to Charles DeGaulle Airport to take a two hour flight into Rome, though because our plane was running two hours late - we didn't get to Rome until after 11:30 p.m. The city was very quiet and we waited in line for a white cab with a red light on top, not taking any of the offers for other kinds of rides. I had read too many stories of the scam artists to take a chance. Our cab ride was only $40, as it said on the meter and we went from the Leonardo DaVinci airport to our hotel very near the Vatican (all the way across town on a diagonal).
The Hotel Guilio Cesare was fabulous, and the room, while not spacious, was very nice. The staff were really friendly, spoke about ten languages and made great suggestions for dinner and sightseeing. Breakfast in the hotel was great. Fresh fruits, tomatoes and mozzarella, good pastries, and it was all homemade and grown by the owners, even the honey.
DAY 1 - Friday
We were going to the coliseum, but the desk clerk said Friday was the only real day Pat would have to see the Vatican Museum because Sat. Would be a complete zoo, and Sunday it was closed. So, Pat changed his shorts to pants and off we went to find the Metro to take us to the Vatican. The line at 9:45am was a mile long (literally), and not one we were going to stand in, so we wandered over to St. Peter's Square. Again the line! Well the line in the square is for the metal detectors - thank you 9-1-1 terrorists- but there was an offer for an English Speaking guided tour, and we took them up on it. The tour was free. They hoped you would give them tips, and would pay to go on their Vatican Museum Tour later in the day. The tour group got to cut the line, so we weren't in line that long, and we were entertained the whole time by Jason, our tour guide. The Basilica was fabulous.
We spent about two hours poking around there.I rubbed St. Peter's feet, we gazed up into the dome, stood quietly in front of the Piatta, and marveled at the amazing art, architecture and opulence, in a world that clearly has extreme financial problems, but obviously not inside those walls. The outfits are interesting too. We saw a couple of brides and grooms with their photographers in tow. The Swiss Guards in their Michelangelo designed uniforms were fun to watch, and the "pilgrims" as the visitors are called came in every form of dress known. We were warned to wear long pants or skirt, and no strappy shirts - so Pat left his in the room. A lot of people were draped in beautiful, and not so beautiful shawls or scarves. Some were wearing suits and ties, and of course there was the occasional nun and priest in full garb. I didn't see any cardinals, though rumor has it there are a few there...
After lunch, we met up with Jason and company again and took the Vatican Museum Tour - $25 + $12 for a ticket to the Museum and Sistine Chapel. The line was about half the length of the morning, it was now 2:00. I would recommend going in line about 12:00 if you don't do the tour. That seems to be after everyone from the morning gets through, and goes to lunch. Then you have enough time to wait for 2 hours in line, and go through the museum and chapel. Tour groups get a shorter line somehow, but still we waited about 30 minutes. We didn't get into the Chapel until 10 minutes before it closed! It was really crowded.
You can't take pictures in the Sistine Chapel, but the rest of the Vatican Museum is not off limits. The gardens were the most striking, and this is a shot of one of them. The great painting by Raphael with all the "players" at the time was really neat to see, but it was too crowded to get a good shot of it. Pat took over 100 photos inside there, so we have some good ones. Not the Bill Clinton bust though...But there are some great shots of the Hall of Maps (see above).
Back at the hotel by 6:30, hungry and tired, Pasquale gave us a great recommendation for dinner, which starts after 8:00 p.m. Time for a drink in the lounge, a nap and a shower.
Antonio, the owner, greeted us at the door like old friends. We had this amazing four course meal, in this tiny little restaurant with an enormous wine cellar. The owner and his wife make a lot of the desserts, appetizers, olive oil and apertifs that are served here. It is basically an italian fish restaurant, and the pasta was all homemade, the fish was really fresh, and you could taste the fresh herbs in all the dishes. GO - plan to spend a lot of time there, and eat everything they offer. Try the grappa, the tarta, ask for the owner's recommended wine and dishes. Where? Porto Di Ripetta 250 Via di Ripetta, just off the Piazza del Popolo. All that, and five days to go!
