Goodbye, Rome
As we explored places that were fairly close to our B&B during the first days of our trip to Rome, this time we decided to head further, towards the Vatican - on foot, of course.
I can not state enough how much I like walking when we travel. There really is no other better way to discover a city and see things and places that you otherwise wouldn’t.
Of course, if you’re in a pinch of time, visiting the city by tour buses, and such is not a bad idea. But back to our exploration.
I have to say that even though there are so many [tiny] streets in Rome, I think it was fairly easy to navigate through and find our way anywhere.
We walked towards the Tiber River and walked along with it until we reached Castel Sant'Angelo.
If you’re not familiar with this monument, Castel Sant’Angelo is a fortress located close to Vatican City. It was built with the intention of serving as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian and his family. Years later, an underground corridor was built between Vatican City and the castle as a refuge for The Pope, in case of danger.
Now the fortress serves as a museum, one that deserves a visit; just know that there are plenty of stairs to be taken in order to reach its top. The museum includes rooms that were Papal residence, boasting some incredible frescoes, a weapon room, and cells with walls on which historical figures held as prisoners had carved their names and other statements. Once you get to the top of the castle, be prepared for stunning 360-views of Rome.
Ponte Sant’Angelo
On the official website, it states that the admission fee is 15 euro per person; at the time, I believe we paid 14 euro/each. Note: If you are in Rome between October and March, the admission is free on the first Sunday of the month.
From the castle, it was only logical that we headed to Piazza San Pietro - St. Peter’s Square. We thought about visiting The Vatican, but after finding out that the wait time was over 3 hours to get in, and considering that it was also a hot day, we decided against it.
I know I said that we many times strolled aimlessly, and that is true, however, we would have an idea of the area we were in (I recommend that, especially for security reasons), backed by maps (on our phones and on paper) to guide us.
As we decided that we wouldn’t be waiting to visit Vatican City, we, instead, headed to Piazza Navona. It is one of the largest squares in Rome and houses three stunning fountains and a massive obelisk in the center. It is another popular place in Rome, full of restaurants, cafes, and local shops.
Since we walked everywhere, my feet were hurting at that point, and we stopped in the piazza for a while to just rest, admire it, and people watch - yes, I love doing that. From there, we continued walking, this time with no place or goal in mind.
Fontana del Nettuno, Neptune Fountain
For that evening, we decided to stick with what we knew and went to dine at That’s Amore again, after having a nice dinner there the first time. Well, the second time our experience wasn’t as pleasant; we were seated in the middle of the restaurant, super close to a couple. The guy was visibly sick, and kept coughing and blowing his nose constantly - obviously not what I want to have with my dinner, which proves further my point that the tables in most restaurants in Italy are (or were pre-COVID) uncomfortably close to each other. On top of that, because we were seated in the middle of the restaurant, and because there was no A/C, we were miserably hot during our meal. We ate as quickly as we could, paid our bill and left, never to come back.
During our last few days in Rome, we kept exploring as much as we could, in spite of the heat. We visited Villa Borghese - a big park filled with monuments, beautiful gardens and fountains, museums, and other attractions, including the Zoo.
There, we found our way towards the lake, where we saw The Temple of Asclepius, which is located on a mini island. It was closed that day so we weren’t able to visit it. Note that there is a boat rental service available near the lake; on a cloudy or not-so-hot day, it would be something really nice to do.
We’ve also stumbled onto The Pyramid of Cestius, the last-standing Egyptian pyramid in Europe, which we had no idea about. It is believed to have been built between the 18th-12th BC as a tomb for a wealthy man, about whom not much is known.
The pyramid is located in a busy intersection; as far as we could tell, it was not open to the public for visiting, as there was construction surrounding it. Nonetheless, it was something unexpected and interesting to see in Rome; upon checking the Coopculture website, it seems that it CAN be visited.
As we were fairly close to the river, we continued to walk towards, and then along it to slowly make our way to Altare Della Patria - it seems that all roads lead to it in Rome.
We also revisited our favorite places and got caught in torrential rain again, this time by Piazza di Spagna. As the rain stopped, we were able to take a few photos on the Spanish Steps, almost people-free.
We strolled through Villa Borghese again and enjoyed the views of Piazza Del Popolo from Terrazza del Pincio.
We walked by the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine again, taking in the views in order to lock them in our memory.
We also had dinner at Al Forno della Soffitta, where I had the same complaint about the tables being too close and crammed in the corners. However, our experience there was pleasant. We arrived at the time they opened, without a reservation - again, those are highly advisable in Italy - yet, were seated with a smile, and our server was very nice and attentive. The food was good and the place was cool, which is a big plus if you ask me.
Overall, Rome did not disappoint by any means, as it really is a beautiful city with a lot to offer, from architecture, culture, history, food, fashion, and everything else you can imagine. Yes, I would go back there, but of a shorter time, as 9 days was more than enough, and even tiring, considering how hot it was even in September (we arrived at the end of August, and left at the beginning of September), and still full of tourists.
Per usual, I try to share some of our observations from each city we travel, so here are a few things we have found curious in Rome:
It can be a bit chaotic; if there’s a road anywhere, trust that cars will be driving through, even if they’re filled with people (unless the roads are clearly marked as closed for traffic). Traffic is chaotic as well, drivers are impatient, and they will not wait on you to get out of the way or even cross the street;
Italians aren’t afraid or ashamed to raise their voice and yell at you.
Trust that they have a car for any kind of road; a restaurant’s back alley is tiny? Don’t worry, they have a tiny truck for it.
It was interesting observing Italians getting out of work at 5-6pm, popping in a restaurant/bar/cafe for a quick espresso at the counter, and see them on their way. Seating down for an espresso would cost you extra.
It is highly advised that you make reservations for restaurants. Some will refuse to take you in if you don’t have one (even if the restaurant is/looks empty), and even get annoyed without trying to hide it. Not all restaurants are like that though, so do your research - reviews say it all. Also, they hate it if you decide to have “a small” meal like a salad, splitting a pizza, etc., and some will advise that on their menu.
Smiling is not a “must” for servers, don’t take that as a negative. If they’re being blatantly rude, that’s a different story.
On our flight to Italy, we sat next to an Italian woman, who lived in Rome. She offered to give us a list of restaurants, etc., for us to try while there. Sadly, none of them were close to us, and we never seemed to be in the area during their open hours, so we haven’t eaten at any of them. However, if you want to try them for yourself, here they are:
Osteria del Sostegno, Via delle Colonnelle;
Ristorante Fiammetta, Piazza Fiammetta;
Da Lucia, Trastevere, Vicolo del Mattonato
Ai Marmi, Viale di Trastevere, 53-59
Fiaschetteria Beltramme, Via della Croce, 39
Giggetto, Via del Portico d'Ottavia, 21/a
For drinks, she recommended “Piazza di Pietra” and “Piazza Margana” as there are many bars.
I hope you enjoyed my posts about Rome, and also, learned some new things about this city.
If you’ve been there, what was your experience?
Until next time.
xoxo,
Em
