Rome Housing Accomodations

While in Rome, we rented an apartment in an alley just seconds form Campo de Fiori.  We found the apartment thanks to airbnb.com.  When you find a place you like, you have to "apply" for it.  Fabio accepted our application and we then worked with him on the logistics of checking in (remember that arrival fiasco?).

(Here is a picture of the alleyway our apartment was located.  Nearby were clothing stores, cellphone store, little restaurants and other various shops.  If we continued walking down the alley this way, you would come out at Largo Argentina (about 5 min walk).)

(Here is the view out the door in the other direction in the alley.  If you continued to walk this way, you would be in the middle of Campo de Fiori in less than a minute.)

(We had 2 keys for 2 sets of doors.  First you had to enter the apartment complex via the alley door.)

(Then you went down a hallway, up about 10 steps, and into the door to our apartment.)

(Upon entering the apartment  -- behind to the left -- you could access the bathroom (to the right), bedroom (to the left), or enter the living room.)

(The kitchen was located through the living room.)

(We never used the kitchen.  We only used the fridge to keep the water in our Brita bottles cold.)

(Bathroom)

(This picture is for my mother -- ha!  Rome was the only apartment that had a bidet.  Unfortunately, the water pressure was lacking and we never used the bidet -- only laughed at its existence.)

(Bedroom)

We were surprised at how quiet the apartment was, especially being so close to Campo de Fiori.  We only had issues with sound in the morning, when there was banging overhead from some sort of construction.  There was also some crazy bird we heard that sounded like a cross between a squawk and chicken sound.  We heard this bird elsewhere in Rome, but never discovered the species that made the sound.  

March 19 - Final Day in Rome

For our last day in Rome, we decided to sleep in and take our day at a slower pace.  We woke up (me at 8am, Steve at 9am) to the sound of machinery & banging above us.  We know some sort of work had been going on up there due to the daily deposits of dirt and debris we would find laying on top of our stuff, counters, and seats at the end of the day.  We took our time getting ready and headed out the door.

The first stop on today's plan was St. Peter in Chains church.  While en route, it began to drizzle.  Of course, Steve had started our mornings walk talking about what nice, sunny weather we had been experiencing (even though March is known as the rainy season).  Although, we had already predicted the rain due to the overcast sky & chill in the air (again, I packed incorrectly for the trip and we did not have enough layers for wet, cold weather).  It was funny to see all the street peddlers (who once sold chotsky and little toys) were now lining the streets offering umbrellas.

We got into the church before the heavy rain came.  The church houses a grain marble tomb for Pop Julius II. Central on the tomb is a statue of Moses by Michelangelo.  The church is also home to the supposed chains that the apostle Peter wore while imprisoned in Jerusalem (Acts 12:3-9).  Like the manger pieces we saw at Santa Maria Maggiore, the chains were encased in a glass and gold box below the main alter.

(Monument constructed for the tomb of Pope Julius II.  Pope Julius II is seen lounging central on the monument.  Below him is Michelangelo's Moses.)

(Close up of Michelangelo's Moses)

(The chains that held Peter in prison, located below the main alter.)

After the church, we began our tour of Ancient Rome, starting with the Colosseum.  It was confusing at first on how to enter due to the massive tour groups parked at the entrance.  However, we figure it out, got our ticket, & even bought a video tour.  

We started off in the corridor on the 2nd floor filled with artifacts and explanations about the Colosseum.  It was raining again, so we read through the Rick Steves's Colosseum tour & watched some of the video segments.  The rain let up, so we ventured into the arena.  The sun poked out a couple of times, giving me some relief from the chilly air.  We sat on some steps, read the rest of our tour notes & watched the last videos.  Steve & I have discussed several times how hard it is to wrap our minds around the actual history and activities of such ancient sites.  We couldn't even begin to guess how many people and animals have died in the Colosseum.  While looking into the arena, you can see all the underground passages & lever systems used to enter exotic animals through trap doors into the arena.  A section of the Colosseum had been semi-restored to show how the seats & floor looked like.

(Inside of the Colosseum -- In the Colosseum's hay-day, you wouldn't be able to see the underground passages that are exposed today.  There also would have been balconies of seats over the supports, that no longer exist.  You couldn't access the far side due to restoration work.)

(Here you can see  the "semi-restoration" they did to show what the Colosseum would have looked like.  They recreated the floor that covered the underground passages as well as some of the seating (far end to the left of the entryway).)

(In 1749, Pope Benedict XIV had this cross put in the Colosseum declaring that the Colosseum had been sanctified by the blood of all the christian martyrs who had lost their life there -- even though there is no evidence of such martyrs.)

(The outside of the Colosseum.  Parts of the structure was damaged by earthquakes and fire.  Notice all the pockmarks in the wall -- bronze clamps used to hold the stonework together were torn out, melted down, and used elsewhere in Rome.)

After the Colosseum, we strolled by the Arch of Constantine and saw the "greedy gladiators" (Italians dressed up as Gladiators who will pose for pictures for money).  WE got a couple of paninis & a Fanta for lunch.  While eating, another American couple asked me to take their picture.  They were pretty surprised I spoke English.  I could tell I had been in Rome too long because it took me awhile to process that they were speaking English and what they were saying.  I'm finally used to all the Italian and we will be switching to Spanish tomorrow.

Next, we headed to the Roman Forum & Palantine Hill.  Between Rick Steves & English speak tours, we got a better sense of what Rome was like back in the day.  We were also able to understand more how these iconic structures were found.  I thought modern day Rome was built around these sites; when in fact, only the tops of some of the structures were poking through rubble & dirt.  After excavating and cleaning up the areas, we can now see how the Forum was once central to Romans.

(Overview of the Forum, it is hard to see the ancient structures due to the decline of the hill.  How weird is it that there is such modern architecture surrounding this ancient site?  The white building in the background to the right (with the horses & chariots on top) is the Victor Emmanuel Monument.  The brown building with the bell steeple is the Tabularium of the Capitoline Museum on Capitol Hill.)

(Temple of Vesta -- held a flame that was tended to by the Vestal Virgins, who lived nearby.  The Vestal Virgins were held in high esteem and even had special seats in the Colosseum.)

(Julius Ceasar was assassinated on the steps of the theater of Pompey -- located near our apartment -- but his body was brought to us house in the forum where they burned it.  Today, people still bring flowers to his grave in the center of the Forum.)  

(Temple of Saturn)

Palantine Hill once held a grand palace for the Roman Emperors.  Only a few rooms can be pieced together with the fragments as well as a stadium (with gardens and a later added running track) as well as an open courtyard.  Due to some reconstruction, we were unable to see the site of Circus Maximus.

(View of the recreational area)

(The other end of the recreational area)

(View of a courtyard -- the center structure was once a grand fountain)

(Steve sitting on the missing throne in the "throne room".  This was once a huge room where citizens could come to the emperor and air grievances or ask for help.  The citizens would have to walk up Palantine Hill from the forum and cross through the huge room towards the emperor which was very intimidating.)

Our last ancient site was Trajan's Forum, Market, & Column.  To get there, we had to walk back down Palatine Hill, through the Forum, up the backside of Capitol Hill and around the Victor Emmanuel Monument (boy we're getting good at navigating Rome!).  Unfortunately, Trajan's Forum was closed, but we could still look upon the Forum.

(Trajan's Forum & Market.  Trajan was an emperor  known for his conquests.  The forum was built from his spoils after the defeat of Dacia.)

(Trajan's Column -- this column is located on the far end of his forum.  The column is encompassed in a continuous frieze that tells the story of Trajan's conquests against the Dacians.  Trajan's ashes were once in the base of the column; however, they have since been lost.)

We crossed the street and finally got up close to the Victor Emmanuel Monument (we've passed it every day, but the time has never worked out to go up and get a closer look).  As Steve was about to take a picture of their "Tomb of the Unknown Solider", our camera died.  Instead, we just got to enjoy the marble statue of Rome Goddess & the eternal flames.  In front of the flames, stood 2 soldiers at attention; however, they were talking to each other and even laughing at times.

(It's really hard to grasp the scale of this building and it's statues.  The mustache of Victor Emmanuel (the man on the horse) is 5 ft across.  The horse is so large, a man can sit in the horse's hoof.)

(This monument is not well liked by all Italians.  Many were upset with its construction because it destroyed a portion of Capitol Hill.  It's also very boxy and large compared to architecture found elsewhere in Rome.  Lastly, they hate it's pristine white marble that sticks out to its darkened stone neighbors.)

We continued up the steps to take a peak inside.  After we entered, 2 workers closed the big entry doors.  They were not letting anyone in or out that that location.  We figured out that there was another exit & we returned back to our apartment.

After a little rest (and charging up the camera), we headed back out for our last evening in Rome around 6.  We decided to try another recommended (by roninrome.com) gelato place in Trastevere.  Along the way, we stopped & split a potato pizza slice.  When we found the gelato place, it was closed.  We continued on to a piazza, but not many people were out.  We assume it had to do with the weather (still spitting) & being a Monday night.

We decided to head back to our apartment and stop at the gelateria we went to on the first night.  Steve got Stracciatella (chocolate chip) & I tried Zabaione.  It had a picture of a pastry, but it tasted like rum (after researching it back home, I discovered it is a dessert made with egg yolks, sugar, and marsala wine).  It was not my favorite.  While on this trip we tried these flavors of gelato: stracciatella (Steve's favorite!), zabaione, crema crostata (my favorite!), nutella (tasted as if I was eating nutella out of the jar, very rich), mixed berry, and kinder chocolate.

Once we got back, Steve began to plan out our travel to Spain while I packed.  We can't believe our trip is 1/2 over :(.

March 18 - Day 5

**Note: The beginning of this day is a hard story to tell.  You know how things happen, and people say, "Oh someday you will look back on this and laugh"?  Well, I wasn't laughing then, and I'm not laughing about it, yet.**

We left our apartment an hour before our set reservation for the Galleria Borghese.  It was located in northern Rome, and we had estimated it take us about 40 minutes to walk there, so we'd have a 20 minute buffer for error.  We didn't have the real tickets, we just had a voucher reserving our entrance.  At the time, I did not understand how the gallery's system worked.  Apparently, there is a 2 hour window that a set number of people are allowed to tour the gallery.  If you have not redeemed your voucher 10 minutes before your reservation, they let others in until the set number is hit.  At the time of your reservation (which ours was 9 o'clock) if you are not at the gallery, they won't let you in.

Along the way to the gallery was the Trevi Fountain.  We decided to take the opportunity to make a quick spot and take a picture in front of the fountain (the morning is the best time to visit the fountain, otherwise you have to fight all the tourists).  We got our picture taking by a couple (and we took theirs), threw a coin in the fountain (per tradition -- if you throw a coin in the fountain, you'll one day return to Rome), and continued our journey towards Galleria Borghese.

(Remember these smiling faces now, because we were not smiling for the next 45 minutes)

We were a little unsure of how to get into the Borghese Park.  We knew the gallery was positioned on the east side, but the park is surrounded by walls, with entrances in certain locations.  We got to one of the south east entrances, but the gate was locked.  We decided to turn around and head the other way to the west (where we knew a gate would be opened due to it's location on the map).  By this time, it was going on 8:45 and we were in danger of losing our voucher reservation (plus, we had 15 minutes to enter the building regardless of voucher).  We still had quite a ways to go & increased our walking speed, even running at times.  We made our way into the park and had to ask for help several times.  People just kept pointing eastward.

We had finally got close to the right area, but there were several pathways and we didn't know which was the right way.  We could see the Galleria in the distance just as a clock began chiming 9 o'clock.  We were too late.  I wanted to keep going just in case they hadn't reached the set number of people (this is when Steve explained the whole system and that they shut the doors at 9 not letting anyone else in, regardless of numbers).  We were literally like 5 minutes late.  We were winded from running, tired from walking an almost constant hour, and I was of course emotional at the missed reservation.  (Steve was surprisingly okay with the situation, even though we had paid for the missed reservation)  We found a nearby bench & recovered form our "wasted hour".  Steve's recovery was more physical, where as my recovery was more emotional.  We took in the views of the park, watched the random dogs running around, and the decided on a new plan for the day.

(Right after the meltdown, and recovering on the bench.  Steve was trying to make me laugh, I'm still not laughing over this one)

(After discovering we'd get to do some other things that we weren't sure would fit into the day, I found a renewed sense of contentment and was ready to take on the day for the second time.)

(Here is a fountain in the park that we enjoyed.  I may have enjoyed this fountain just because Steve bought me a croissant to try to smooth over the fact that we ran for 15 min for no point.)

After stopping at the fountain with a croissant & Fanta in hand, we backtracked out of the park and headed Southeast towards the Capucchin Crypt.  The crypt is a series of 6 rooms in the basement of a church that is decorated in scenes made of over 4,000 bones from friars.  It was a pretty neat (as well as disturbing) display of art.  We weren't allowed to take pictures, but you can visit this website if you are curious.

Next, we headed to the National Museum of Rome.  We were originally supposed to visit this museum upon arrival into Termini on day 1 (before the 5 hour delay turned fiasco).  In the museum, we got to see some sculptures, remnants of a ship, and coins.  After exiting the museum, we grabbed a slice of pizza to share & headed towards another church.

(A pretty cool bronze sculpture of a boxer.  Rick Steve's called him "Sylvesterous Stalloneous" in his guidebook.  Oh Rick Steves.)

(Another neat marble statue of a discus thrower)

The church we visited first was Santa Maria Maggiore.  Underneath its alter is housed the supposed remnants of Christ's manger bed.  They are stored within a glass and gold encrusted shell.

 (Front of Santa Maria Maggiore)

(Supposed remnants of Christ's manger)

After the church, we headed towards the Colosseum in search of San Clemente's.  This church is by far one of Rome's coolest treasures (and in my top 5 things to see in Rome).  It is a 12th century basilica, atop a 4th century basilica, atop a 2nd century pagan temple.  For 5 euro (the best 10 euros we spent on this trip), you get to visit all three layers!  Being able to visit the bottom 2 layers, helps make it real how modern day Rome is literally built on layers of history.  As you toured each layer, you could feel the history (or maybe just the cold dampness) and tell the age of each layer according to it's construction.  On the bottom later (2nd century pagan temple), you actually get to see an old alley way between the pagan temple and nearby home.  Unfortunately, you couldn't take pictures, such a shame! But you can visit and explore the website.  

                                         

(Outside of San Clemente, while standing in the courtyard.  This is the outside of the top layer, or 12th century basilica.)

After San Clemente, we decided to head towards the Colosseum.  We got to the entrance location; however, there was a big 4k race going on with barracades set up all around the Colosseum.  We walked around the barricades hoping for a spot to enter the Colosseum, but realized there was no way to cross to the other side (even though we could see people sitting on the lawn outside the Colosseum, but guess they were somehow affiliated with the run).  We were herded with the sea of people until we somehow reached the Victor Emmanuel monument and the end of the race.  In front of the monument, there was a mob of people watching River Dancing on a set up platform.  The whole area was trashed with heat blankets, cups, and papers.  We stopped to people watch and decided to go to Capitol Hill & the Capitoline Museum.  Before heading there, I got to witness a man throwing up in the middle of the street surrounded by people; and we both got to watch paramedics call an ambulance & load up a former runner.

(Here is the mob of people at the end of the race.  The River dancing platform is just off the picture to the left)

(The actual end of the race and the end of the barricades is straight on in this picture.  Notice all the trash -- the runners' discarded heat blankets would kick up with wind (the next day, we saw remnants of the blankets caught on high places).  The group of people to the right of the picture are huddling over the sick runner that was loaded up in the ambulance in the next picture.)

(Yes I am a shoob and took a picture of the paramedics helping the sick runner.  First off, I thought it was crazy that paramedics are decked out in bright orange; secondly, I was just curious of how they'd treat the guy.  The man was looking pretty bad (even Steve said he looked a little ghostly).  They loaded him up and took him away.  He was a runner from the race, because he still had his number pinned on him.)

We left the craziness of the race area and rounded the Emmanuel Monument in order to bound up Michelangelo's "Grand Staircase" up Capitol Hill.  The Capitoline Museum is what makes up most of the area now.  Inside, we got to see some more sculptures, various artifacts, and a section of the old pagan temple of Jupiter (Zeus in Greek mythology).  In the Tabularium of the museum, we got to see a neat overview of the Roman Forum.  

(Grand Staircase leading up to Capitol Hill)

 (Pieces of a statue of Constantine that once stood near the Colosseum.)

(Symbol of Rome -- She wolf statue with Romulus & Remus)

(View of the Roman Forum from the Capitoline's Tabularium)

A little after 5pm, we made our way back to the apartment to rest our legs & minds.  The mornings failed race to Galleria Borghese as well as a packed (both our schedule & hoards of people) day has worn us out!

We decided to go crazy tonight & go to a restaurant for dinner.  On this trip, we've pretty much been scrounging for food because we don't want to deal with the language barrier & because we've been on the move.  Tonight, however, we ate out at Pizzaria da Baffetto 2, just north of Campo de Fiori.  They had an English menu & were prepared for tourists.  Steve chose a cheese brick oven baked pizza, while I had Rigatoni Carbonara.  For drinks, we had cans of coke & coke light (I went ahead and had a "diet" coke on the trip even though I gave it up for Lent.  I drank it out of curiosity and to not be complicated in ordering).  The bill came to 20 euros.

After dinner, we went for a stroll in Piazza Navona again.  While there, a little dog was running around in the inside of a fountain basin (the water level was low in the basin).  We cut the stroll short due to being chilly (I don't know if I've addressed this in the blog, but I did not pack properly.  I had it in my head that the weather would be in the high 70s, forgetting it would cool off at night.  Most of my clothes were 3/4 sleeves, but I did pack 2 long sleeve light jackets & 1 hoodie.  I layered almost all the clothes I packed for myself every evening.  Steve had at least brought a thick jacket and didn't suffer nearly as much as I did).  

March 16 - Day 3

We were awake and out the door by 8:10.  With our pre-purchased Vatican Museum tickets in hand, we walked to Largo Argentina to pick up a taxi.  We arrived well before our 9 o'clock time slot, but they let us in early anyway.

We walked around the museum with our Rick Steve's guidebook in hand.  We navigated through all sorts of frescos, statues, & artifacts and into the Sistine Chapel.  Thanks to RoninRome.com & good ol' Rick Steves, we took the "secret shortcut" into St. Peter's Basilica.  There is the normal exit that most are herded towards, which leads to the front of the museum.  When we exit this way, you then have to walk 20 min around Vatican City to get to St. Peter's Basilica.  Instead, we had to blend in with a tour group to take the group exit, which drops you off right in front of the basilica.  

(Unfinished art piece by Leonardo De Vinci.  It's hard to see it in the picture, but there is a square cut out around the man's head that was used as a bar stool cover in a barbershop until it was returned to the painting.)

 (Famous statue: Laocoön and His Sons : Here you can see Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons being strangled by sea serpents.  This piece of artwork should the breakthrough in marble work where statues could portray emotion and movement.)

(On the ceiling in the Room of Constantine, you can see an homage to the new religion Constantine brought to Rome.  You can see a Christian crucifix has "defeated" a Roman pagan god.)

With Rick Steve's book in hand, we toured the basilica.  It's hard to grasp its size with all the ornate detail.  We left the basilica just as the Swiss Guard were changing.  Steve & I agreed they looked like a joke with their outlandish costumes & sloppy choreagraphy.  We then walked around St. Peter's Square.

(Michelangelo's Dome from St. Peter's Basilica)

(Michelangelo's Pieta, which is now behind bullet-proof glass after someone tried to destroy it some years back)

(Changing of the Swiss Guard)

(In front of St. Peter's Basilica in St. Peter's Square)

We got done with Vatican City at noon.  We took a Rick Steve's suggestion for a sandwich shop.  We got 2 paninis & a Fanta for 12 euro.  We ate our lunch out in an open area outside the Vatican city walls.

After eating, we meandered to Castel Sant'Angelol.  Built by Hadrian as a fortress in 138AD, it has become a symbol of Rome's security from barbarians.  It's high position near the Tiber River helped defend Rome from invaders.  There is even a secret passage that is connected from Vatican City into the Castel for Pope's to hide in case of an invasion.  We goofed & had forgotten our Roma Pass at the apartment, so we had to spend 20 euro to gain access.  There wasn't much to the Castel, but it was neat to see Rome & Vatican City from the fortress.  We tried to think about what it would have been like thousands of years ago when barbarians were trying to invade Rome, it's just hard to grasp all of Rome's history.  We enjoyed the experience but would not advise the site for that price. We exited the castle and strolled over its bridge across the Tiber River.  

(Castel Sant'Angelo & bridge)

(View of Vatican City & St. Peter's Basilica from the top of Castel Sant'Angelo)

(View of Tiber River from Castel Sant'Angelo)

(Me using our Rick Steve's book to navigate back to our apartment)

We returned to our apartment through Campo de Fiori.  The market was busy but we were too tired to browse.  Instead, headed straight to our apartment and took a nap!  

After our nap, we regrouped and set the plan for the rest of the day.  We decided on taking a Rick Steve's Heart of Rome tour.  It started just outside our apartment at Campo de Fiori.  From there, we walked to PIazza Navona and saw the Rome night life beginning.  The piazza was filling with people, street entertainers (like music, artists, magicians, live statues -- which got me every time, peddlers -- selling chotsky like "magic ball", laser pointers, & shooting lights).

(Statue in the center of Campo de Fiori)

(1 of 3 fountains in Piazza Navona)

From Navona, we venutred over to the Pantheon, as we approached the netrance, they stopped letting people in because they were preparing for mass.  So we detoured from the Heart of Rome tour and did Rick Steve's church tour.  We saw two churches -- Santa Maria Minerva & Church of the Gesu.  We then back tracked to the Pantheon, which was still closed.  So we continued on the Heart of Rome tour and headed towards Trevi Fountain.

(Santa Maria Minerva)

(Church of the Gesu)

(Fresco on the ceiling at Church of the Gesu)

En route to the fountain, we stopped at Giolitti's (a well known gelateria) and got some gelato.  We got to Trevi Fountain and it was packed with people.  We felt like we had to swim through a sea of people to get to the other side.  We didn't attempt to get close, but just gaze from afar. After the fountain, we trekked to the Spanish steps, completing the Heart of Rome tour.  Only, we still hadn't gotten to see inside the Pantheon.  We took a different route back through a shopping district and finally made it back to the Pantheon.  The Pantheon was opened & we were able to go inside.

(Trevi Fountain)

(Spanish Steps)

(Pantheon)

We returned to the apartment, but only to add layers, snack, and prep for another walk.  This walk was opposite Campo de Fior into the Jewish Ghetto.  This area is known as the Jewish Ghetto because in 1555 it all the Roman Jews were segregated into a gated area and kept separate from Christian Rome.  By the time we started this walk, it was after 8pm and things were pretty quiet in the area.  While there, we came upon some ancient ruins that really outlined how "tall Rome has grown (due to the many rebuilds on rubble).  

(Jewish Ghetto ancient ruins)

(Steve is located on the first part of the ramp, just to show scale.  Notice how "tall" Rome has grown.  The bottom of the walkway is dated from beginnings BC, where as the top is modern day Rome.  As Rome was conquered and destroyed throughout the years, it would be rebuilt upon layers of Rubble.)

(The alley ways in the ghetto were really slim.  This was due to the fact that they had lots of people and not a lot of room.  Even though Jews are no longer confined to this area, they still make up the majority of the neighborhood.)

We returned to the apartment and called it a night.  We set a strategy to shower back-to-back without losing hot water; however, I took too long (or set the wrong time), leaving Steve with only cold water again.  Oops.