When in Rome!

From Crete we took an easy flight to Rome. We spent four days there but definitely could have spent much longer with all it had to offer. We did, of course manage to see several of the major must-do tourist sights. For most we opted to avoid ticket line ups and view them from the outside. We loved Rome because in a few days you can walk around and see most of the famous sights (sans fanny packs, sun hats, and runners). You can experience the pulsing urban city and its ancient ruins all at once.


View of St. Peter's Basilica from the bank of the Tiber River


We walked to a great vantage point to see The Roman Forum. The view from here really gave you an idea of the position and scope of the Forum.


The Trevi fountain is beautiful and we walked by it by day and at night. Rome really is romantic at night. Most areas are pedestrian only, buskers are very talented, usually playing the violin or accordian, or belting out opera, and the streets and monuments are beautifully lit up.


The Pantheon

We went late afternoon to the Vatican City and managed to squeeze in to see St. Peter's Basilica without waiting long at all in line. As far as churches go, being the richest and most popular church in the world, it was worth seeing. Michaelangelo's sculpture, the Pieta, was also amazing. Unfortunately we were too late that day to get to the Vatican Museum to see Michaelangelo's materpiece in The Sistine Chapel. It was really the only attraction we were set on seeing for sure, so we were choked.




Michaelangelo's Pieta


The Colliseum

One of the most interesting things we saw was the keyhole view of St. Peter's Basilica from a Knights Templar building on Aventine Hill. You look through this small keyhole in a door through to an archway of trees lining a garden pathway, and far off in the distance you can see St. Peter's Basilica perfectly framed by the arch of greenery. It's a crazy, precise perspective! When we went it was the middle of the day, sunny, quiet and there was no one around. You really did feel like you were 'spying' on the Pope :)




Photograph with our camera right in the keyhole


Another great view from Aventine Hill

For a real bargain we stayed in a room in a flat in the Testaccio area. Our host was a woman named Flavia, originally from Buenos Aires, now living in Rome with her teenage daughter. The place was small and cozy, and turned out to suit us great. The Testaccio area is one with a long history. It used to be the slaughterhouse neighbourhood, but in recent years has been gentrifying, and so is a mix of gritty authenticity and urban chic. This area provided some of our more memorable experiences in Rome.

Testaccio is home to one of the largest and best markets in Rome, where actual Romans go to buy their weekly produce, cheese, meats and other random items. Also in Testaccio is the famous Volpetti brothers shop. The Volpetti's are fine producers of cured meats, cheeses and specialty food products, and so proud and hospitable when you walk through their door. The shop is usually jammed, but we were paid great attention and offered several samplings of pecorino cheeses, salamis, lemon and cinnamon spreads, truffle salt, and aged balsamic vinegar. We made a note to come back for a real shop there for a few goodies before we left Rome.



Another unique and entertaining highlight of the Testaccio area was Monte Testaccio. The hill itself was originally created almost 2000 years ago from thousands of olive oil containers dumped here as waste. In later Roman times the hill was used for an annual sporting event. Wooden carts filled with pigs were hauled to the top and then raced to the bottom. After collecting the winnings from their bets the pigs were collected and they celebrated with a feast. In more recent times slaughterhouses and other commercial stores carved their shops into the sides of the hill. And today it is Rome's most popular club scene among locals. There are all kinds of bars pumping dance tunes, staging live bands, DJ sets, offering massive patios, or beach themed bars. You can walk the full circle of the base of the hill and bar hop from one to the other (if you can get past the line ups!). Clearly a regular haunt of young people, the party goes on at Monte Testaccio until 6:00am (we made it to 3:30am!).

We ate some fabulous food in Rome. Our favourite lunches were at Fiaschetteria and Riccioli Cafe. Fiaschetteria provided simple, fresh food and we enjoyed an arugula and tomato salad, antipasto plate and a bowl of pasta with black truffles grated on top. Riccioli Cafe restaurant was a delicious sampling of fresh, well prepared seafood. We started with the plate of Octopus and it was the best we've ever had. Tender, slightly salty and delicious. We followed that with a freshly made pasta with mussels and clams. Yum.





We had a few cocktails, and dinner one night in the Trastevere area. This is a happening spot and frequented by tourists and locals. We could see ourselves having a lot of fun in this area if we spent more time in Rome.


Here's a link to more Rome photos: More Photos