Nanda & Nathan The Travellers

October 12, 2014

Rome, Italy (Day 3)

October 12, 2014 ---- Last day in Rome! I was sad and glad at the same time. I was sad because I had had a lot of fun, but I was glad to go back home and rest my poor feet! Anyway, my plan to end our trip in Rome was to concentrate on the Trastevere area and churches. It was Sunday, and it wasn't convenient to visit churches that day, but the opportunity to see a Sunday mass in Italy, the center of Catholicism, doesn't come everyday.

Nathan and I took the metro to Circo Massimo station and walked through Circus Maximus toward Fiume Tevere. It was just a big fair ground and there was a political fair and concert going on at the time. Then we reached Bocca della Verità located right in front of the Church of Santa Maria. Bocca della Verità is a round stone craved a man's face on it and people believe that it will bite a liar's hand off. The entrance was free (donation is encouraged) and there was a long line of tourists waiting to take photograph with the statue and put their hand in its mouth.

Then we walked to Theatre of Marcellus and explore a little bit before heading to Tiber Island. The tiny island was in Fiume Tevere, and Basilica of St. Bartholomew (San Bartolomeo all'Isola) is located there. It was built in the late 10th century and contains the relics of St. Bartholomew the Apostle.

Across the river from Tiber Island is Trastevere, a charming medieval neighborhood. I loved Trastevere because it captured my imagination of Italy. I remember some paintings of earth-tone houses with pots of flowers outside the windows and lots of scooters parked in the neighborhood's narrow roads....that's my imagination of Italy. Well, Trastevere is just like that.

Rick Steves's free audio guide of Trastevere starts right on Ponte Cestio, the bridge to across the river to Trastevere. We walked through the neighborhood and visited three churches following the audio tour. First we stopped at Chiesa di San Benedetto in Piscinula or the Church of San Benedetto in Piscinula, built in the early 12th century. There was a Sunday mass inside, so we didn't get to see much here. Then we proceeded to Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, a 5th century church devoted to St. Cecilia. The last church we visit was Santa Maria in Trastevere or The Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere. This is a must-see because it's one of the oldest churches in Rome (around the 4th century).

After visiting all the sites in Trastevere, we cross the bridge, Ponte Sisto, back to central Rome. We went to Campo de’ Fiori or Field of Flowers Square briefly just to look at Italian local market. Then we walked to Sant'Andrea della Valle, a basilica church built in the 17th century. The church's interior was stunning, and it's my favorite one. Visiting churches in Rome requires good time management because they close around 12 -1 p.m. for "siesta" and won't open again till 3:30 or 4:30 p.m. Nathan and I had to delay our lunch and visit Church of Saint Yves at La Sapienza before it closed. It was also built in the 17th century. The main building was kind of small, but the courtyard was very impressive.

Then we walked to Piazza Navona and sat at the beautiful fountain eating lunch. It was a great spot for people watching. After lunch, we went to the Pantheon and followed Rick Steves's free audio-guide. It was one of the must-see sites in Rome, and I couldn't agree more. Then we went to Santa Maria sopra Minerva, but it was closed for siesta. I was surprised because I didn't see that info when planning my walking route. Too bad that I didn't get to see Michelangelo's statue Cristo della Minerva (1521). Oh well...

We continued our journey and walked to the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola. It was built in 1650 and had the most beautiful ceiling painting. Then we went to Temple of Hadrian. The only remaining part of the temple is the marble columns. On our way to Trevi Fountain we passed Column of Marcus Aurelius. Too bad it didn't have a photo exhibit like at the Trojan's Column so that I could have learned the story carved on the column. The Trevi Fountain was also a disappointment because it was closed for renovation and our hostel staff said that it might take up to two years to finish. Oh well....

After all the walking I was too tired, so we went back to our hostel for "siesta" for a couple hours. Around five in the evening we went back out strolling at Villa Borghese and the Spanish Steps. Actually we hoped to visit one of the museums in Villa Borghese, which was free for the Roma Pass holder, it was temporary closed for some reason, so we just strolled around the park there. At the Spanish Steps we were looking for a famous pasta restaurant I found on Yelp, but it turned out to be only a shop selling uncooked pasta. It also served a meal but not at the time we went. Anyway, we just went back to our favorite restaurant next to Termini Station. Nathan ate till his stomach hurt! Italian food is soooo good that we couldn't stop eating!

Circus Maximus

Bocca della Verità

Theatre of Marcellus

Tiber Island and Fiume Tevere

Basilica of St. Bartholomew

Trastevere

Church of San Benedetto in Piscinula

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

Santa Maria in Trastevere

Ponte Sisto

Campo de’ Fiori

Sant'Andrea della Valle

Church of Saint Yves at La Sapienza

Pantheon

Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola

Temple of Hadrian

Column of Marcus Aurelius

Trevi Fountain

Villa Borghese

Dinner...

October 11, 2014

Rome, Italy (Day 2)

October 11, 2014 ---- On our second day in Rome we did, as Rick Steves called it, the "Caesar Shuffle" or the ancient part of Rome. After getting ready, we went to the cafe across the street from our hostel for breakfast, which was included to the room price. Italians eat only a croissant and drink a tiny cup of cappuccino for breakfast. We are not coffee people, so Nathan got tea and I got chocolate milk instead. However, Italian pastry is really good!

We took the metro to Colosseo station, which is right at the Colosseum. We both had one free site left on our Roma Pass cards, and I didn't want to use it at the Colosseum because I could get a big discount if I use it there after the two free sites. So we walked along Via dei Fori Imperiali toward the Trajan's Column, which was Nathan's favorite site of this trip. The column was amazingly perfect, so little damage to be seen. There was also a walking path where you can look at photos and learn the story carved on the column. Next to the Trajan's Column is the Forum of Augustus, and there was a wedding party there at the time.

Later we walked across the street to Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II or the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II . The white building was huge, and there was a roof-top view point where you can get a panoramic view of Rome. The elevator to go straight up was €7, no stairs. Nathan and I found the ground floor to be high enough to see the view of the city, so we didn't pay to go up. Inside the building was also a free military museum where you can spend 10-20 minutes strolling around.

Then we went to the Capitoline Museum, where we used our Roma Pass for the last free site. It is famous for housing many important classical sculptures, such as the statue of Constantine and the Etruscan Lupa Capitolina. The museum was quite big and had many buildings and many floors, so we spent a lot of time there. From the museum, you can get a really nice view of the Roman Forum too.

After lunch, we went to the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum. A combined ticket for these sites was €12, but with the Roma Pass, we paid only €7.50. The line to buy the ticket at the Colosseum was extremely long, so it was a good idea that we just bought ours at the Roman Forum...almost no line there. We just followed Rick Steves' s free audio tours around the forum for almost an hour and then headed up to Palatine Hill. I had learned about Western Civilization in college, but I didn't remember much about it, so it was nice to go to Rome with Nathan because he knows so much about history.

Across the street from the Roman Forum is the Colosseum. The ticket line was really long, but Nathan and I already had the tickets from the previous site, so we just went straight in. And again we followed Rick Steves's free audio guide of the Colosseum. It was really entertaining! I don't know about the others, but for me, the Colosseum is a sad site. I can't imagine myself being one of those gladiators waiting to be killed by monstrous animals.

After the Colosseum, I was too tired to walk, so we went back to our room and took a nap before heading for dinner. We found a really good and cheap Italian restaurant located by Termini Station, 3 blocks from our hotel. It's called Ristorante Mangrovia. A 3-course meal cost 15 euro/ person. The first course was a huge plate of pasta. It was the best pasta I have ever had! The second course was salad and a meat of your choice, and the last was a choice of gelato ice-cream or cake. The food and dessert were so good that Nathan and I ate there two nights in a row. Nathan ate so much that his stomach almost exploded! Hahaha...

After dinner we went strolling near the Colosseum and Trajan's Column again for a night view of these gorgeous structures. There was a light show at The Forum of Augustus at night about, I guess, the construction of the forum. If you want to hear the story of the forum, you can buy a ticket and get a headphone and sit on the provided seats, but Nathan and I just stood there watching the free show with no sound. Well, our second day ended beautifully here. :-)