When my friend Andrea told me last year to mark my calendar for August 27, 2010 for her wedding in Spoleto, Umbria, I didn’t have to think twice. I would be there, I had wanted to go back to Italy for years and now I had a good reason. When earlier this year I started planning my trip to Italy, I contemplated what I wanted to do besides going to the wedding. I had never been to Rome. I took Latin in high school and had always been fascinated by the stories of the old Roman Empire. Also as a recovering catholic, I felt I had to see the Vatican at least once in my life. So I decided that after the wedding I would stay in Rome for a couple days. The Amalfi Coast and Naples would have to wait for another time.
After attending the perfect wedding in Spoleto, Roma was next. The first night I stayed in the Westin Excelsior, on the Via Veneto right downtown, thanks to a free Starwood night I had for all my recent stays.
Before this trip my favorite hotel was probably the Grand Hyatt in Beijing or the Park Hyatt in Saigon, but now the Westin Roma is on top of the list. When they showed me my room I thought they made mistake: we entered into a hallway with two doors, one to the bathroom, a luxurious affair with marble and separate bath and shower, the second door to the bedroom. With high ceilings with a chandelier hanging from it, antique furniture and smoked glass mirrors, it felt like a room from an old European castle. French doors opening onto a balcony and a big bed in the middle with the famous heavily Westin bedding completed the room.
I could have just stayed in that room for days if it wasn’t for the fact that I really wanted to explore Rome.
I started off my Rome exploration by taking one of the open bus tours to get a feel for the city and its lay out. I can recommend this to anybody as it is a great way to get a quick overview and understanding of the lay out of the city and the main attractions. After that I started walking. I always feel that the best way to explore a city is simply walking it. I never have a real plan, just decide what area I want to explore that day and then just go where the streets take me. The first afternoon I walked from the hotel via the Piazza Barberini to the Quirinale, the presidential palace, and on to the Trevi Fountain.
Although impressive from an architecture point, it was so packed with tourist that I didn’t spent much time there and walked on to the Pantheon. The outside was under construction but the inside of the Pantheon is definitely worth a visit. After a cold drink on one of the cafes on the piazza, I continued thru the cobblestone streets to the Spanish Steps.
The next day I left the hotel early and walked from the hotel via the Trevi fountain (hardly any people there at 9 in the morning) to the Piazza Navona and on to the Vatican.
The line to get into the St Peter was 3 hours so I decided to skip that and instead I took the bus back to the Villa Borghese.
I was tempted to go inside and watch some of Bernini’s master pieces, but decided instead to walk around the gardens to the place Napoleone, from which you look down on the Piazza del Popolo.
From Piazza del Popolo I walked back via the famous Via del Corso to the hotel.
Time for Siesta. After my siesta I took the shuttle to the Piazza Venezia on the other end of the Via del Corso for a bit of shopping. I had the most expensive gelato I have ever had : 9 euro for what I thought was just a simple cone. Trying to explain that proved useless so I just enjoyed my Straciatella and mixed berry ice cream concoction he made for me. I was having dinner with Andrea’s aunts and uncles that night, but as I was early I strolled around the area close to the Piazza Navona again and accidentally stumbled on a beautiful piazza somewhere in between the piazza Navona and the Pantheon. I sat down on a terrace and ordered a glass of wine while searching on the map where I was. It happened to be the Piazza Campo De’ Fiore.
The people were almost all Italians and the place was warm and charming. So was the piazza Farnese where we had dinner outside the same night.
The next morning I had planned to explore the ancient center. I started at the Coliseum.
I think it is absolutely fascinating that our current concept of stadiums and arenas dates back to the early Roman days, around 27 centuries ago. It was one of the most popular events in those days and tens of thousands of wild animals and gladiators got killed in the fights as part of the entertainment of the people.
From the Coliseum I walked to the Forum Romano, what used to be the capitol of the Roman Empire. It’s amazing how much from the era just before and after Christ is still remaining. Walking around there you can just picture how the Romans lived in those ancient times.
I crossed the bridge to Trastevere and walked around the charming small streets before crossing back over the Pont Cisto
and somehow ended back at the Piazza De’ Fiore, just in time for lunch. The rest of my last afternoon I spent on shopping and I felt I had accomplished a lot in the relatively short time.
After walking Rome for 3 days, I realized that my Rome is not the famous attractions like the Trevi Fountain or the Spanish Steps. Of course when in Rome, you have to see them, but my Rome is the tucked away piazza’s you find by surprise when turning a corner, the narrow cobblestone streets, sipping a cappuccino outside in a local café on a little street corner, watching the people go by.
Strolling around a local market on Tuesday on another nameless piazza or simply sitting on a bench in the Gardens of Villa Borghese with the sun on my face, letting the world go by for an hour or so; eating a straciatella gelato from a corner store, drinking a glass of Pinot Grigio in the afternoon at Sloppy Sam's on the Piazza Campo Dei Fiore; having dinner outside at 9.30 at night at Piazza Farnese with only Italians surrounding us; Prosciutto with buffalo mozzarella, home made gnocchi with walnuts and gorgonzola. For 3 days I was drinking in Roma. I smiled at the people, loved the looks while walking the streets and the “ciao bella”. Rome is alive, Rome is warm.
Italy and Roma: I will be back, you can count on that.
