Roma Part I
Oct 16th, 2013 by willmarks
Our new hometown has a Roman past, so it was time to visit the motherland. Not all discount flights lead directly to Roma but Vueling presented us with a reasonably priced straight shot across the Mediterranean. A 3-day weekend made it all worthwhile, not to mention the easy 20 minute cab ride from home to the Barcelona airport.
Cheesy pasta lovers take note; if you like a good spaghetti carbonara, with this one served in an edible bowl built with crusted cheese, please dine on the terrace of Ristorante Terme di Diocleziano. The overall meal and experience were good, and it was an easy walk from our hotel, Hotel Borromeo on Via Cavour, which was not so good. Sleeps5.com failed us this time (we have found it to be helpful for families of our size looking for bargains), not owing to the suite itself, which was fine, but because of the lingering smell from the bathroom, attributed to mold. Also, I think an ideal Roma locale is in the area of Piazza Navona, at least given our personal restaurant and touring preferences.
Saturday commenced with Giancarlo meeting us at our hotel to guide us through the old city. Hiring a guide is not cheap but without the exceptional Giancarlo (giancarlo.schettino@gmail.com), child boredom would have set in about 10 minutes after walking down into the Forum. This was our first stop, and highlights included the story of Romulus and Remus, observing how the newer city was built on top of the older city (in the form of the Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina), seeing where scavengers cut into buildings to steal stone or marble, and glimpsing the spot where Julius Caesar’s body was apparently burned after his assassination.
Note the doorway, clearly indicating one structure on top of another, as well as the holes in the stone (under the columns) from scavengers.
En route to the Colosseum (Colosseo), our van stopped briefly so we could look at the Baths of Caracalla, remarkable due to massive size and age (3rd century AD).
After recently watching a futbol game in Camp Nou, spending time in the Colosseo, a stadium almost 2,000 years older (opened in 80 AD) was spectacular, and here we heard about gladiator fights, prisoners battling lions, and the myth that this stadium hosted water battles.
Giancarlo and MEM
A short break at Circus Maximus, and then we toured the Pantheon, my favorite of the day’s monuments, built in about 120 AD by Emperor Hadrian. Giancarlo pointed out the massive single-piece columns outside the building that came from Egypt, and we stared in awe at the 142 foot high and wide dome. Just understanding the meaning of Pantheon (all gods) and its apparent purpose of allowing for the worship of many deities made me feel good about being here.
The rain started falling when we arrived at the Trevi Fountain, Giancarlo mocked his pal who was hosting a tour on bikes, and then told our kids to toss coins over their left shoulders to ensure a return trip.
Post-tour, we were dropped off at Dar Poeta for a fine (but not delicious) pizza lunch, followed by great gelato. I think we sampled 5 different gelaterias in 3 Roma days and all were good; even after tasting some recommended “best gelato in Roma” on a couple of occasions, none really stood out more than others. In fact, the best gelato we have had in Europe is right in our Barcelona backyard—Gelateria Italiana, in Plaza de la Reolución, Gràcia, at least if you like dark chocolate as much as I do.
The afternoon ended with a tired walk across the Tiber to reach Campo de’Fiori, the perfect spot to buy t-shirts and see the statue of Giordano Bruno, who was burned on this spot in 1600. Dinner is worth mentioning, as Osteria del Pegno served some appetizing fresh pasta dishes, with Ella enjoying her normal caprese. However, what stood out may have been the simple raw, grated zucchini salad, with olive oil, shaved parmesan, and salt, pleasing Max in particular, to his and our surprise. Piazza Navona was bustling after dinner, and we could not pull the girls away from the spray painting street artists—worth watching.
