Rome

Wednesday, April 1, 1998

Got to Rome at 9pm. Bags didn’t make it to the carousel until
9:40. Most frustrating : they didn’t say why!

We almost got swindled by a pseudo taxi driver who wanted 150,000
Lira for a ride to Rome (about $80). Instead we got in a taxi
line and paid 68,000 Lira to the Hotel Primavera in Rome. We were
scared at first. The area looked scary and suspicious and the
hotel is a scarcely marked building with a SCARY elevator.

The clerk / owner showed us to our room on the 5th floor which
was new but unfinished (loose wires and no decor) and smelled
of stain and paint (we were the first people to stay on the new
floor.) We dropped off our bags and went outside to wander (11
pm). We found we were just south of Piazza Navona.

Thursday, April 2, 1998

We woke to banging and construction. We were the only ones on
the fifth floor and they started working on the other rooms shortly
before 8. We walked to Campo di Forio (old outdoor market) which
was basically across the street. It was neat to see but not impressive
compared to the market in Singapore. We found a bar / cafe and
stood for 2 cappuccinos. Very good. Better than anything we had
in the US. We passed a bakery and picked 2 spinach and ricotta
pies for breakfast.

We started heading down the street and stopped for another couple
cappuccinos. We were pleasantly located close to ancient Rome
and came across Piazza Venezia first – huge monument with the
grave to the unknown Italian soldier. We walked around the piazza
and found ourselves overlooking the Roman Forum.

We bought a guidebook with overlays showing what used to be there
and it helped visualize things. We spent a while in the Forum
dodging tourist groups – Keith with the Frommer’s walking guide
and Jill with the book with the overlays. It was nice and awesome
to see / feel what what was ancient Rome.

We took a walk through Palantine Hill and got a great view of
what is left of Circus Maximus – we vowed to watch Ben Hur to
see it in action.

From there we walk the short distance to the Colosseum and found
a trattoria from Frommer’s for lunch (Trattoria Da Pasqualino).
It was excellent. We split a bottle of Chianti. Jill started with
Minestrone and Keith with bruschetta with olive spread and then
Rigatoni with cream sauce for Jill and veal for Keith. For dessert
we split a lemon / vanilla gelato and had 2 espressos. Great lunch.
We left slightly buzzed (this accounted for about 40 pictures
of the Colosseum.)

We toured the Colosseum with an audio guide and had a good time
imaging the battles and hunts there. It drizzled rain and was
chilly but bearable.

From there we took the metro to Termini(train station) to get
tickets to Florence. We walked through Piazza Republica (another
thing under renovation) and hopped another metro to Spagna, the
Spanish Steps. The Spanish Steps were okay, but there weren’t
any flowers like there are during the summer, so it wasn’t too
exciting.

We were pretty tired by this time, so we started back to the hotel.
We passed by a piazza and mausoleum and the altar of something
(it wasn’t open.) We crashed for a mid-afternoon nap at the hotel.

We run into another American couple at the hotel who are being
lectured on taking a 150,000 Lira cab ride from the airport! Keith
haggles the room price a bit, we find out we will have to change
rooms tomorrow because of a tour group and then we head out to
dinner.

We choose a place in the guidebook – La Campana. This place is
serious Italian. We wonder about the mafia connections of the
other guests, while trying to translate the handwritten menu.
With the help of the waiter, a partial English menu and our language
guide, we finally order. We split a plate of Antipasto Misto (mixed
anti-pasta.) First course is Penne Arrabiata for Jill and Risotto
verde "aux erbe" (with spinach and herbs) for Keith. We try to
make a dent but fail miserably. I forgot to mention that before
our afternoon nap, we picked up a bottle of Chianti and killed
2/3 of it before dinner. During dinner, we work on a one liter
carafe of the house Chianti. Main course is chicken coquettes
and zucchini fries for Jill and abbiachio al forno con patate
(roast baby lamb with potatoes, garlic and rosemary) for Keith.
Two espressos for dessert, Jill says "scusi" to herself in a mirror,
and we’re done.

We walk by Trevi Fountain on the way home, throw in the three
coins (this is a tradition from the movie "Three Coins in the
Fountain" – I think), then visit Piazza Venezia and then call
it a night and finish the bottle of Chianti at the hotel! The
pictures at Trevi Fountain should be interesting – Jill drunk
lying on her back on the ground trying to get a good angle upwards
at Keith and the fountain. (Surprisingly enough, these photos
didn’t turn out too well.)

Friday, April 3, 1998

Wake up again to banging and construction and then moved down
to the first floor. We’re glad not to be with the huge tour group
that just arrived to unfinished rooms. Out for a sticky croissant
breakfast and cappuccinos at Cafe Columbia off of Piazza Navona.
Then we head off walking to the Vatican. We’d barely started out
when we realized how bad our bodies hurt from the previous day’s
walk. We went "Singapore speed" (locals in Singapore walk very
slow) to the Vatican and had a great view of San Pietro (St. Peter’s
Square). Part of the basilica (church) was covered in scaffolding
– more renovation in Rome! We could see the pope’s door though.
We read about St. Peter’s in Frommer’s and then set off to see
St. Peter’s Basilica.

Tired and hungry, we found a lunch tavern a few streets over and
settled in. 1/2 liter of house red does amazing things for tired
feet. We had bruschetta. Jill had ravioli (okay, but too much
pasta) and Keith had veal marsala. We finished with Formaggio
Misto (mixed cheese plate). We set off for the Vatican museum
entrance with a stop in a little shop for a pretty little bottle
of Grappa (as a souvenir). Museum entrance was a quite a walk
again from the square. We get to the Sistine Chapel, you have
to go through the museum for 15,000 Lira ($8). They also had audio
guides her but we didn’t want to spend hours so went without them.

There are four walking tours you can take ranging from 1 1/2 to
5 hours. We went through pretty quickly trying to get to the Sistine
Chapel. Jill thought it was catholic bribery to make you go all
the way through the museum to see the chapel! Frommer’s helped
with their description and explanation of Michelangelo’s work.
The Sistine Chapel was supposed to be silent, but there was much
talking which was a little disruptive. We spent a while there
craning our necks to see the ceiling and looking at the last judgment
on the wall that was painted 20 years after the ceiling (1/2 was
under more scaffolding, though.) After the Vatican, we took a
taxi and headed to the hotel for a nap.

And more wine. And a slice of spinach-ricotta calzone (yum). We
wait around as long as we can and then head to the restaurant
for dinner – this time to al Fontanone in Trastevere (across the
river from the hotel, but still close.) We get there when it opens
and are the only people there for awhile. Gradually tourists fill
in the room we’re in – some even have the same guidebook. We have
a plate of mixed antipasta, Jill has cannelloni (okay, but cheap,
grisly meat) and Keith has Pasta Amatraciana (red sauce with ham).
We both have the veal alla romana (with prosciutto in a wine sauce.)
Jill goes for the tiramisu and Keith gets the fresh wild strawberries
in lemon juice and sugar. We also split a 1/2 carafe of white
wine and then 1/2 carafe of red with the main course. We notice
that the restaurant is divided into 2 sections: tourists and locals
– a popular thing for restaurants to do. We impress the guy as
tourists who can eat/drink and he brings us Vin Santo (sacred
wine – sweet dessert wine) for free. Pretty good. We make a comment
about the 2 sections of the restaurant and the guy laughs about
it. We head back to the hotel, Keith finishes the bottle of wine
from earlier and takes a crack at the journal.

Saturday, April 4, 1998

We get up a little late, but have plenty of time. We taxi to the
train station, have a couple of cappuccinos, a croissant and half
a sandwich and then board the train.

We’re a little confused for a bit and then finally figure out
our reserved seats and car. The seats are extremely comfortable
and we’re across from an American couple – another man who stays
home while his wife works.

The ride is very pretty – we see several small towns and countryside
covered with farms and grape vines.