We rented an apartment, because it was less expensive for a family of 5 than two hotel rooms, gave us more space to spread out, provided us with internet, and gave us a more authentic feel to our time in Rome. There are so many areas to choose from, when choosing a location...
Our apartment overlooked Piazza Farnese...and an alley away from Piazza Campo di Fiori. The owner of our apartment is an artist who lives in the apartment half of the month, and rents it the other half. It is filled with his books, art and antiquities....nothing fancy but real. The kitchen was perfect for preparing breakfast, a picnic lunch, or another glass of wine. It can be a little noisy on the Piazzas at night, but we embraced the sounds as part of the experience of the city. I loved our location. Three floors up (no elevator) and a picturesque view. Steps away from just about everything. Surrounded by locals, and tourists alike...
our front door...
graffiti is not an indicator of an unsafe neighborhood,
it is all over the city.
cal from our window on the third floor
600 year old ceilings within the aprtment.
the owner of our apartment, Edoardo, in front of his studio below our apartment...
The view of Piazza Farnese from our apartment
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A short walk thru our alley to Piazza Campo di Fiori from Farnese.
Campo di Fiori is a wonderful Piazza. In the morning...a flower market, fruit stalls, meats, cheeses....in the afternoon it is all torn down, and the restaurants surrounding the Piazza open up their tented patios with heaters and tables. The kids can run and play in the Piazza while you drink wine right on the fringe...amazing. We were a short short walk to the Pantheon, which was our ALL time favorite. We kept going back....
Campo di Fiori flower market...
Bren and Trip buying Parma in the market to bring home...
think about the age of these stones...
roma: day 1
When planning our trip, I tried to keep our schedule loose, leaving room to move things around, based on mood, weather, and energy levels...we wanted to experience Rome...not just the sites of Rome.
We arrived on tuesday morning to a beautiful day...we settled into our apartment and then set out for Ancient Rome. The 11euro ticket covered the Colosseum, the Forum and Palantine Hill...and is good for two days. We explored the Coloseum in detail and headed back to the Piazzas for some cappuccino followed by wine of course...
walking to the Colosseum...see it up ahead?
This image of the Colosseum shows the structure beneath the floor,
where the animals and gladiators were held before lifting them up thru
an advanced pully system to emerge from trap doors...
what you don't see...every picture we are in together...
has the top of Trip's head, snuggling us.
cappuccino and pastries...
shops illuminated in the evening...
Piazza Navona Fountain...note the little head in front, once again.
Roma: Day 2
We completed Ancient Rome with the Forum and Palantine Hill, followed by a walk to the Pantheon. Two of my favorite apps for my iphone were great to have on the trip...City Slicker Rome, and DK Top 10 Rome. I was able to read highlights and give a tour to the family by following the applications...much easier than hauling around a guide book.
The Forum: walking on basalt stones once walked on by Ceasar Augustus, 2000 years ago...
Palentine Hill
Our first peek at the Pantheon....thru buildings, from behind...
wow...awe inspiring...
giant doors
the ceiling is a dome...open to the sky...built over 2000 years ago...
my one regret during our visit...we missed our opportunity to visit
the Pantheon in the rain...would be wonderful to watch the rain
come down into the building. i have read that snow is even
more spectacular...
i absolutely love this picture...to touch and feel....
we kept returning to the Pantheon day and night. Nothing like sipping wine
at 10:30pm at an outdoor cafe, while the kids play tag amidst the dark columns of the Pantheon... none of us will forget it.
roma: day 3
Today we walked to the Vatican...drizzly, rainy day. The Vatican is beautiful, no doubt...but we all preferred the churches we saw on our daily walks. Later that day we went to the Crypt of the Capuchin Monks....very macabre. I found it very interesting, the kids were intrigued, but Bren could have skipped it. After returning to the apartment for a change into dry clothes...the rain cleared and we headed to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and Gelato of course....
The crypt was designed using the skeletons and bones of monks to draw people to the church for pilgrimage and as a source of income.
love the alley ways...
here you can see remnants of the Ancient Roman Wall between buildings that were built around it...
peek a boo
hazelnut gelato...mmmm
Dinner out at our favorite restaurant Maccheroni, near the Pantheon.
The waiter shown here with Trip...brought Trip the most amazing Buffalo Mozerella Ball ever...It was all for Trip, he barely shared and ate the whole thing...yummm
roma: day 4
this was the day reserved to visit Via Appia....however, the weather was not co-operative...rain was in the forcast, and after waiting for close to an hour for our bus, as looming clouds closed in on us, we gave up. In hindsight, this was good fortune, because unbeknownst to us at the time, a transportation strike was in effect from 2 to 5:30, which would have left us stranded out there. It was not an ideal picnic day either...the catacombs would have to wait for another visit. We walked to Castle Saint Angelo, had cappuccinos, a leisurly lunch, and returned to the apartment late afternoon to prepare for our visit out to my highschool friend (Valerie's) home, on the outskirts of Rome. Once again....we tried the bus...eek, but ended up in a cab. Valerie and David opened their beautiful home to us for a lovely "catch up" visit and to meet eachother's kids...They took us out to their favorite Family Pizza Place (which is their Friday Night routine). They ordered for us in Italian, and shared their knowledge of the city. What a treat! We all had a wonderful evening!! Thank you Guarnieris!
my cappuccino was so pretty...
waiting for our sandwiches.
prosciutto and mozerella
2009 David, Valerie, Candace and Bren...Rome
1982 Candace, Simona and Valeria...India
Our Babies...back: Isabel, Tristan, Cal, Nick
front: Aidan and Trip
a few of my favorite things...
the drinking water fountains...situated throughout the city, sometimes on walls but most often from the ground...the water is fresh and cold, still coming from the Roman Aquaducts.
the drinking water fountains...situated throughout the city, sometimes on walls but most often from the ground...the water is fresh and cold, still coming from the Roman Aquaducts.
my favorite is the dragon wall fountain, near the Vatican.
they may look unclean because of the pool of water below...but the water from the spigot is very clean.
the art that surprises you in alleys and high up on buildings...usually the madonna and child...
and the patina on buildings, the faded paint, the chipping stucco...the age
another such surprise...these are on each of the corners of Piazza Farnese
a street artist working in chalk...unbelievable
i was drawn to the graffitti...
these were standardized clips on the outside of many stores and restaurants, to hook your dog up while you shop...
Ciao...
