You can't see Rome in just one day

Neil eating breakfast on the Roof terrace

We ate our breakfast this morning with the quintessential Italian view of ancient terra cotta roof tiles, roof terraces draped with greenery and a picturesque church in the Background. The hotel serves breakfast on their roof terrace which we shared with chatty Americans and aggressive pigeons. 

We didn’t linger too long though as I had a busy day planned for us. The streets were already bustling and the crowd was building around the Trevi Fountain when we arrived to throw our obligatory coins in the fountain. Both Neil and I were surprised by how big it is, but it’s probably just as well because when we returned in the evening the fountain was swamped by a colossal  crowd of tourists and hawkers selling a range of trashy souvenirs. The photo is taken at night, holding the camera up over the heads of the crowd!

At the Piazza di Spagna we admired Bernini-senior’s “Fountain of the Ugly Boat” and treated our creaking knees to a climb to the top. Here, as in several other places, there were a succession of artists (?) selling their sketches and water colors of Roman scenes and caricatures of famous faces. I can’t really see why anyone would want to take home a sketch of Brad Pitt as their memento of Rome!  We sat on the steps and did a little people watching.

The stroll down to the river was first along the plushy Via Condotti ( lined with stores that were WAY out of my price bracket) and then via lesser, quieter streets that were far more appealing. The Tiber was green and flying very quietly along between its high walls but the massive build up of debris at some of the bridges hinted that it must get pretty furious at times.

Neil capturing the view from Castel Sant Angelo

we crossed at Ponte Sant Angelo and climbed the stairs and ramps inside Emperor Hadrian’s mausoleum,, the Castel Sant Angelo. At the top our long-suffering knees were rewarded with a marvelous view across the city. The Vittorio Emmanuele II Monument to the North-west, the massive dome of St Peters Basilica in the south and a score of lesser domes in between. We walked the ramparts and decided it would have been a risky place to attack in ancient times, too many handy slits in the walls for the residents to shoot arrows and drop boiling oil on you.

The Tiber river and St Peters

It’s been a warmish day, and we were very happy to sit on a cool , stone bench in the shade and share a panini for our lunch, before we met our Tour guide for the afternoon near the entrance to the Vatican museums. We were delighted to discover that instead of the 12 person small group tour we had paid for, we were the only people on the tour and had Francesca all to ourselves!

I’m SO glad that we booked a tour guide, I don’t think we would have enjoyed the museums any where near as much without her fascinating snippets of info and her suggestions for other places to visit inRome. The only thing was that occasionally Neil and I both felt like we were back in school because she would ask US historical questions about Rome as part of her schpiel! Thank goodness for all my pre-trip research otherwise I think she may have been sadly disappointed in us 🙂

To be honest I was more struck by the gorgeous Map Gallery than by the Sistine Chapel, although you can’t help but be amazed by the talent of Michelangelo as well as the strength of his neck muscles . He did not paint the ceiling lying on his back, as Hollywood would have us believe , but spent 4 years with his head tilted back and arms stretched above him. I spent 4 minutes with my head tilted back and that was enough for me!

Inside the Basilica, Michelangelos Pieta glowed gently under soft lighting behind its bullet proof glass and we listened to the bells and chanting of the 5 pm Mass as we tried to take in the sheer size of the place. On Previous travels in places like the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park I’ve been struck by how inadequate the camera is in conveying the enormous stature of the cliffs etc. Today, at St Peters is the first time I’d had a similar reaction to an interior space. I’d see many photos of the bronze Baldachinno that stands over the high altar but it was just so much taller than I had ever imagined.

Creative parking!

Francesca took us to little corners in the church where we could admire (???) the embalmed bodies of a few Popes and pointed out that all the paintings that  are, in fact, mosaics created from the finest and tiniest of tiles. She left us with a cheery “Ciao” after giving us an extra half hour beyond the time we had paid for and we meandered back across the river towards the hotel. Along the way were struck again by how creative Italians can be about finding a parking spot!

Via dei Coronari

On Via Dei Coronari, lined with antique shops and quaint little side lanes we stopped to Re-energise ourselves with a gelato cone. We both loved the ginger flavor but Neil added lemon to his while I tried the Fig. I can definitely say we will be eating gelato again!!

A late dinner at Sabatino a S. Ignazio was wonderful. It’s tucked away in a Quiet little piazza behind the hotel and away from the crowds. It’s a family concern with the hostess rising from her own dinner to show us to the table and not much in the way of English translation on the menu. My tortellini with ham , cream and green peas was wonderful! The bill is just a hand written note but we’d had 2 courses, wine, bread and salad for 50 Euro so we didn’t feel the need for anyone to explain the bill. We will probably be back there one night…

It’s still early days but… I love Rome!