Sep 04 2016

Italy Day 3: The Zoo, Roman Forum, and the Knights of Malta Keyhole

Today, we woke up and were greeted by another sunny (and hot) day in Rome. The schedule today was a bit more lax than yesterday, but there were still several things that I had on our “to-do” list. We started out by walking to Bioparco di Roma (Rome’s zoo), which was about 35 minutes from our hotel. As the zoo is situated in the northern portion of the beautiful Borghese Park, we took our time getting there. It ended up being much like Saint Louis in the fact that the zoo is surrounded by a nice park (in our case, Forest Park) with lots of pretty scenery.

A view of Rome from Borghese Park
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The zoo itself was a bit expensive (about €20 per person, with the aquarium passes), but it was nice to see some of the different animals that we don’t have at our zoo in Saint Louis. Also, there was a new baby monkey, and who doesn’t love baby animals? We were lucky enough to see him and his mother eating some grapes as a mid-afternoon snack:

Baby monkey eating grapes at the Rome Zoo
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After a nice relaxing morning and early afternoon at the zoo, we started walking back toward the Colosseum. Though we toured it yesterday, our ticket also included the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. We didn’t have enough time to see them yesterday, and fortunately, our tickets were good for additional days. The ruins of the Roman Forum are certainly not to be missed, nor is the view from atop Palatine Hill:

The Roman Forum - ruins
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The Roman Forum - Temple of Antoninus and Faustino
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After that, we headed southwest along the River Tiber for some lesser-known sights. The first was Santa Sabina cathedral, which is situated on the top of Aventine Hill. It was a lovely church surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds. There was an event taking place that evening, though, so it was a bit busier than I had anticipated.

Rome - Santa Sabina church
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The second place on Aventine Hill was the Knights of Malta Keyhole, which is exactly what it sounds like—a keyhole. You may ask yourself “why would I want to see a keyhole?” and you would certainly be justified with that question. The reason is that through the keyhole is an astonishing view. It was difficult to photograph, (especially at dusk), but this will give you an idea:

View of Rome from the Knights of Malta Keyhole
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I was surprised that there was a queue leading up to the door, but I guess that the secret is out about the neat view. 😛 We didn’t have to wait very long, though, and getting to see St. Peter’s Basilica from this unique perspective was well worth it!

Our dinner reservations for the evening were not very far from the Keyhole at a restaurant named Lo Scopettaro. It is known for having simple and traditional Italian dishes, so we decided to order three different pastas and share them. We went with Tonarelli al norcino (a thicker spaghetti with sausage, onion, milk, and nutmeg), Tonarelli with tomato and basil, and Fettucine with porcini mushrooms. All three dishes were nice, but none of them jumped out at me as particularly fantastic. What did strike me, though, was a wine that I never saw coming. Lazio (the Italian region that encompasses Rome) has always been trumped in the wine world by Tuscany (its neighbour to the northwest), so when I ordered a relatively inexpensive IGT blend (of equal parts Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot), I wasn’t thinking that it would completely wow me! The 2012 Casale del Giglio Madreselva definitely changed my perspective on not only Lazio as a wine region, but also blends with such high concentrations of both Merlot and Petit Verdot. Simply outstanding!

2012 Casale del Giglio Madreselva red blend
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We caught a cab back to the hotel, and decided to make it an early evening since we have a private tour of the Vatican scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Cheers,
Zach

Sep 03 2016

Italy Day 2: Campo de’ Fiori market, the Colosseum, and nightlife

Today is a new day, and after sleeping some absurd amount of time, we were ready to get out there and see what Rome had to offer. We started off by heading to Campo de’ Fiori. There is an open-air market there in the square that is available every day except Sunday. Though the goods that are sold are not necessarily the most authentic, it is one of the most prominent markets in Rome, so we had to see it.

Entrance to Rome's Campo de Fiori market
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There were plenty of vendors selling pastas, fruits and vegetables, and various spices. We found a particular vendor who was selling lots of different dried fruits. Some of them were candied, but many of them were just dehydrated. He was nice enough to let us sample some of them, and we ended up settling on the dried melon for a small and quick breakfast. Costing us under €2 for a nice portioned bag, it was well worth it.

Spice vendor at Rome's Campo de Fiori market
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After the market, we started walking toward the Colosseum. On our way, though, we realised that we were in Rome for a very special event: the Coronation of Mother Teresa. Just like when we happened to be in Thailand for the start of the protests, we were unaware that such an event was taking place during our visit.

In Rome for the Coronation of Mother Teresa
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Fairly close to the Colosseum, we decided to stop at the Imperiale Café right outside of the Richmond Hotel for an early afternoon coffee break. It’s a rather touristy area, so I was hesitant, but it turned out to be a really nice experience. I got an Americano, and this time, they honoured my request for no sugar. Deb got iced tea with fresh peach nectar, and she loved it.

After our refreshments, it was about time for our reservations to the Colosseum. Normally, there are substantial wait times to get in, but tickets can be purchased ahead of time through Co-Op Culture, and I would strongly recommend doing so. We were able to queue up and get right in to see one of Rome’s most magnificent sites!

Rome - inside the Colosseum
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It was really impressive to see it from the inside, and witness just how enormous of a structure it truly is! Again, as to be expected, there were masses of people, but somehow, they didn’t seem to detract as much from the structure as they did at Trevi Fountain. I still preferred seeing it from the outside, though, and found the view to be even more stunning from the steps to the southwest.

Rome - the outside of the Colosseum
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After the Colosseum, we moseyed down the way to see a much lesser-known attraction called the Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth). Unfortunately, though, we were too late and had just missed the last entry time by about five minutes. It seemed like an interesting spot because of the legend that if one tells a lie with his or her hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off. Alas, though, we would have just to believe the legend. 😛

Instead, we walked across the river Tiber to the neighbourhood of Trastevere for our dinner reservations at VII Coorte. We had seats on the beautiful terrace, which was even more lovely at dusk. We started with a mixed Bruschetta plate, and all the choices were great! Unfortunately, though, for me, that’s where the goodness ended. I found the pasta to be wildly overcooked, which was disappointing considering the high reviews of the restaurant.

Bruschetta appetiser at Vii Coorte restaurant in Rome
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After dinner, I returned my camera equipment to the hotel, and then we walked back to Trastevere because it is known for its great nightlife. We started out at Ombre Rosse, but it was very busy, and didn’t offer the more subdued evening that we were after. We walked west toward the Tiber, and found Niji Café instead. We had a couple perfectly-made cocktails and just enjoyed one another’s company. Interestingly, though, it confirmed to me that cocktails completely pale in comparison to the enjoyment that I get from wine.

Afterwards we stumbled upon Café Friends just a couple blocks south of our hotel. We stopped in and shared some wine before retiring for the night.

Cheers,
Zach

Sep 02 2016

Italy Day 1: Coperto, the Pantheon, Trevi’s Fountain, and fantastic food

Arriving at FCO airport in Rome, we were a little tired after the overnight flight, but thankfully there weren’t any problems! We waited for our luggage at bag claim (which, surprisingly, took nearly an hour), and then went to find our car. I had hired a car service through Fattori Car Service, and though it was a decent price to get from FCO to our hotel, I was a little disappointed. Our driver didn’t pay much regard for safety, and drove unbelievably fast and erratically. However, we did make it to our hotel—the Assunta Domus— and unpacked our things.

In my opinion, the hotel was nicely located for the activities that we wanted to do whilst in Rome. One interesting aspect of the hotel was the security. We had four separate keys: one to get in the main door off the street, one for an inside gate, one for the outside door to the apartments, and then finally the key to our individual room. The room was a modern loft, and though it didn’t have the “traditional Italian” feel to it, it was quite nice overall.

Rome - Assunta Domus Hotel - front room
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After I finished unpacking, I thought it would be best to try to find a little grocer to buy some things (like snacks, drinks, et cetera) for the room. I headed north on Via della Scrofa just a few blocks and found a little butcher shop called Volpetti alla Scrofa. As I perused the shelf of wines, I noticed a rather nice Falanghina for an astonishing €10! I picked up a bottle and headed back to the room so that it could chill in the fridge for later that evening.

Our first stop was to a coffee shop so that we could get a little “pick me up” after not getting much rest on the flight. I thought that it might be a good idea to try one of the most well-known cafés in Rome—Sant’Eustachio. I ordered an Americano, Deb got a tea, and we tried a couple small pastries. That’s where the goodness ended, though. First of all, I asked for no sugar, but got it anyway. Second of all, and more importantly, I was immediately introduced to the idea of the coperto. Though the coperto, which is a cover charge or sitting fee, is forbidden in Rome, many restaurants and cafés get around it by charging a “service fee”. Basically, we were charged €5 just to sit at the tables outside. Welcome to Rome! 🙁

Rome - Sant'Eustachio Il Caffee
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Okay, so that wasn’t a great start. After our coffees, we headed just a few blocks away to The Pantheon. Neither words nor photos adequately describe the amazing hugeness or beauty of this building! It just seems to come out of nowhere when you round the bend.

Rome - The Pantheon from the outside
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Though I couldn’t use my tripod once inside the Pantheon, I tried to get some photos. A photo opportunity that jumped out at me almost immediately was when I looked up at the dome of the building. There was this beautiful column of sunlight traversing the magnificent stonework inside, and it looked like a portal to the heavens!

Rome - The Pantheon ceiling letting in beautiful light
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After the Pantheon, we took the ~15-minute walk to see Trajan’s Column, which is located just north of the infamous Roman Forum (which we will be seeing tomorrow). It was this absolutely astonishing work of engineering, considering it was built in AD 113 and is about 30m tall! Not only that, but it’s also comprised of 20 stones that equal about 29 megagrams (yes, ~29,000 kilograms)!

Rome - Trajan's Column
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After standing in awe of Trajan’s Column for a while, we headed about 10 minutes northeast to a museum called Scuderie del Quirinale, which was hosting an exhibit on Japanese Buddhism. Unfortunately, the exhibit wasn’t very well outlined or explained, and the gardens outside of the museum were not accessible to the public. So, for the €12 per person, it was a bit of a letdown. However, there were some beautiful views of the city from atop the building from a wall of glass known as the “Great Window”.

Our last attraction before heading to dinner was Trevi Fountain, which is famous for many reasons, but to me, the most important of which was its part in the lovely 1960s film La Dolce Vita. It was more beautiful in person that I could have imagined. The big drawback was the extreme amount of people there. I expected a lot of tourists, but it certainly does detract from the tranquility of the place.

Rome - Trevi Fountain in the evening
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We then walked just a few blocks to That’s Amore restaurant. Since we were eating early by Italian standards (19:30), we were seated promptly. It seems like we didn’t need our reservations since we were there so “early”. We started our meal with the Specialita Napoletana, which was a plate of hand-rolled pizza dough stuffed with various things like prosciutto, mozzarella and chicory. They were interesting, and I’m glad that we tried them. However, the stars of the show were our entrées. Deb had the Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, which were like little pillows instead of potato dumplings. They were served in a red sauce, and were wonderful. I had the long pasta with pesto, and it was cooked to absolute perfection. I like my pasta firm, and this was exactly what I expected from pasta in Italy! After our mains, we decided to split an order of Paccheri con calamari, guanciale e pecorino (squid, pork cheek, and cheese with wide tube noodles). It was also fantastic, and the squid was so nicely prepared that Deb had to ask which parts were squid (that’s a good sign coming from someone that doesn’t care for calamari). Also, based on the dishes that we ordered, Deb and I had a bit of role reversal in that I ordered the house white wine and she ordered the house red. She actually preferred her wine to mine! Who knows, maybe Italian reds will win her over. 🙂

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at Giolitti for some dessert. As it is a well-known gelato parlour, we both had our first experience with the classic Italian frozen treat. I had fig and black walnut, and Deb got a mix of mango, peach, and cream. My favourite part of the experience was how bold the flavours were! You never had to guess what you were eating, and that made it a really enjoyable treat.

After our gelato, we walked back to the hotel to retire for the evening. However, me being a total glutton (or just really hungry from not eating much due to the flights) went a couple blocks north of our hotel to Antico Forno la Stelletta and ordered the most perfect pistachio tart that I’ve ever had! Back at the room, we finished off the evening with the bottle of Falanghina that I had purchased earlier this morning. We had to drink it from the plastic cups that were in the room. Normally, I would be pretty unhappy about not having wine glasses, but I think that I was simply too tired to care.

Day 1, down. There were some glitches, but tomorrow we embark on seeing more of The Eternal City.

Cheers,
Zach