Rome

October 28-31

Rick and I spent a wonderful weekend in Rome. For those of you who have enjoyed time in Rome, you might want to skip the photo portion of the blog…we took 400 pictures and I managed to cut it to 176.

We took a night flight on Thursday and checked into our little hotel room right near The Spanish Steps. On the advice of veteran Rome travelers, we pre-booked our Vatican tickets and after a short Metro ride, we were able to walk right in to the Vatican Museums and bypass the lines that already wrapped around the buildings on two sides. The Vatican Museums are truly incredible and defy description…more statues then you ever imagined and galleries that surround you with works of art…even on the ceilings! We took a self-guided tour and after about 2 ½ hours, we made our way to the Sistine Chapel, the only part of the tour where photos are not allowed. It is everything you ever imagined and more. We spent close to an hour just listening to our audio guide and observing all aspects of the masterpieces before heading to St. Peter’s Basilica…again, words cannot begin to describe! Since our arrival in London, we have been in loads of cathedrals and have been in awe of many but they would all easily fit inside St. Peter’s and nothing even comes close to its magnificence!!! We took a few pictures but how do you capture the enormity…both in size and grandeur!!! We left the interior and got in the queue to climb the 320 steps to the top of the dome and gallery around the cupola where we were greeted by more awesome sights!

By the time we left Vatican City, it was late in the afternoon and we were in need of a glass of wine and some cheese so we headed to Piazza Navona and enjoyed the sights and sounds as the day turned to dusk. We took Rick Steves’ advice and one of his evening strolls and saw The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps. There are so many wonderful restaurants and we happened into one near our hotel…if you are ever in Rome we can recommend Ristorante Mario on Via della Vite…they will treat you like family. It is, in fact, family owned…the mother greets you at the door, the son seats you, the father oversees all the tables and makes sure that everyone feels welcome and satisfied and the place is filled with families who obviously eat there often. Rick’s lasagna was great but my pasta was worth coming back for! It was soooo good that we booked a table for the next night and we were greeted with a special starter that our waiter ordered just for us. Dinner and dessert were every bit as good as the first night and when we left we were presented with a small book about the restaurant, Mario, and some of the special recipes…all in Italian (anyone want to translate???)!!!

Saturday, we had a wonderful tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Again, we took the good advice of friends and family and pre-booked a tour. Our guide had a degree in history and gave great information and commentary while skillfully guiding us to the exact right spot to stand for the best views of all that is there. After 3 hours, we were free to explore on our own before we headed to one of Jennifer and Ben’s recommended restaurants: Ristorante Al Cardello…again filled with people who seem well known to the staff and food that is worth returning for. After lunch we found that we were at only steps away from St. Peter-in-Chains church were we saw Michelangelo’s Moses and the chains which are in a glass case below the altar. We then proceeded to see all of the churches, columns, and piazzas that Rick Steves describes stopping only to enjoy a serving (or two) of gelato!

Sunday, we checked out of our room and headed out for brunch and I agreed to eat pizza if we could have it with Prosecco since those were the only remaining Italian food groups that we had not sampled! Then we went in search of The Great Synagogue and Jewish Museum of Rome. The museum and history of the Cinque Scole (five schools) is fascinating and we again had a very knowledgeable guide in the synagogue which is closely guarded and can only be viewed with a guide. The synagogue is not ancient but it does sit on the edge of the Jewish Ghetto which has been completely demolished but is remembered in the museum. Leaving there, we happened upon the Teatro di Marcello and several other archeological areas and thoroughly enjoyed our explorations before it was time to collect our stuff and head for the airport.

Enjoy the photos….
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alysehirsekorn/Rome?authkey=Gv1sRgCKyPqsnZr-W7nQE&feat=directlink