Italy-La Dolce Vita- Roma

It's off to Rome for a well deserved winter break. We are up in the morning for an early flight, with a quick layover in Istanbul, a train to Rome's Termini station and one street car ride later we are ready for lunch in Rome. We stayed in the Pigneto District. It is a residential area with tree lined streets, local butcher, and cheese shops and it is loaded with great graffiti. The pedestrian street, Via del Pigneto, is Rome's newest restaurant district. During the day the street is a full farmers' market and after siesta the restaurants and bars are in full swing.

Pigneto District is close enough to the city center for our touring and far enough away to enjoy the non-tourist foods and life. We eat some pizza and hit a grocer to find wine, thrilled to find good bulk wine. We also pick up some cheese & prosciutto for afternoon snack because dinner begins around 9pm.  A note on food...Every meal we had in Italy was spectacular. It is one of the major reasons for visiting. We even took photos of the meals, but they just won't translate. Instead I will show the sites and just remember the food- indescribably delicious!

Day 2

It is a beautiful day so we hop off the bus early and start to stroll the streets and back allies ending up at Vittorio Emanuele II Monumenta. It was constructed to honor Victor Emanuele, the first king of unified Italy, and it is huge!

We get our bearings and wander back into the allies with hopes of navigating to the Pantheon. As we wander we find unexpected surprises, sites and sounds with a sense of discovery. Which is how we ran into St. Ignazio di Loyola with wonderfully executed trompe l'oeil.  This church hosts a flat ceiling that extends to the heavens and a faux dome.  Move over Sistine chapel!

 

Now it's off to the Pantheon which we all know is amazing but just around the corner is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Now, the plain outside it is not very inviting but you have to step inside. This is the only Gothic church in Rome (c 1300) and it is incredible.

 

 Before siesta begins we better find a little lunch. So it's back to the allies to test our luck. We find a small cafe with a bit of charm. We take a look and sit down to the family atmosphere. House wine is ordered and reading the menu we find that Caravaggio enjoyed this cafe quite often. Well you know what I always say "...good enough for Caravaggio than its good enough for me".  We sat and enjoyed a long lunch including dessert and made plans for walking it off.

Back to the allies and onto the famous Via dei Condotti for fashion and fame and a nice approach  to the Spanish Steps for a panoramic of the city. Before we start our siesta we have one more goal, tossing our coins and make our wish in the Fontaine de Trevi.... ahhhh Roma~~!

Day 3

Today we are off to see the Pope. It's another beautiful day and we jump off the bus near the Tiber and hit a cafe for espressos and brioche. We can see St. Peters Basilica in the distance as we stroll along the river. We head to strait to Michelangelo's dome and climb it while we are still fresh. We took the elevator up to the base of the dome and then up the 320 step to the base of the cupola for a panoramic view of Rome atop the largest dome in the world. It was well worth the exercise!

And now it's time to relax on top of the Basilica, enjoy the sunshine and write some postcards dropping them in the Vatican's post office.

 Though rain, sleet, and snow the Pope's on the go.

  

Now it's time to see the to head inside. What can I say, it's huge, it's amazing, it's St.  Peter's. After seeing the inside of the place we head to the cafe where the bishops and nuns will frequent for lunch- St. Peter's Cafe.

One last stop before we call it siesta...We are off to the Vatican Museum to see the Pope's collections, the Sistine chapel and The four Stanze di Raffaello (Rapheal's rooms). Again the place is huge, but with limited time we hit the hot spots before heading back Pigneto for a little siesta before dinner. 

Arrivederci Roma. Tomorrow it is off to Napoli for pizza!