The Road Warriors are at it again!!! Ray has a Conference in Tuscany, so we are spending a few days in the "Eternal City" First. September is a fabulous month to be in Italy .... Anywhere actually!
Our restaurant list : Pierluigi, Assunta Madre, AlloRoma, Nino, Dal Bolognese, Fortunato.
FRIDAY, September 12th we boarded our Delta flight from JFK and flew overnight. Arrival at the Rome Airport was amazingly a breeze. No waiting anywhere! Our taxi dropped us off at the Hotel de La MINERVA, just behind the famous PANTHEON in ROMA..... Our room looks out over the Piazza Minerva and a cool obelisk with an elephant base.
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| Grande Hotel De La Minerva with Elephant column in foreground. The Hotel roof is a garden restaurant and bar! Great views there. The Obelisk is one of many that were taken from Egypt by the Romans. The Elephant base is by Bernini. |
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| Bernini's Elephant. This Piazza becomes a playground for the local kids in the afternoons. |
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Cyn in front of the Pantheon early Sunday morning, way before the crowds arrive. The place can be wall to wall people inside the temple. Built by the Emperor Hadrian in 125 AD on the site of a much earlier temple. This dome is the largest constructed anywhere prior to the 20th century. It is massive. |
SATURDAY, Sept 13th.... First thing we did was visit the Pantheon. It is free all the time and full of visitors. An amazing dome structure originally built in 27 BC. Later destroyed and rebuilt by Hadrian in 126 AD.....We walked to the Piazza Navona in the late morning and had an ordinary lunch in one of those outdoor cafes that line the Piazza. The view was great, and that was the idea. Then we strolled through the Museo di Roma, just at the end of that famous Piazza to see paintings of ancient and Renaissance Rome. Many things have changed since then. But this town is a walking museum!
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Ray's photo inside the Pantheon. We feel so lucky. We can visit this every day that we are here!!
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Piazza della Rotunda on Saturday afternoon. You're looking at the Exterior facade of the Pantheon and the central fountain created in the 1575 and made of African Marble. Very neat!
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Fabulous buildings everywhere in the "Centro Storico" ( the historic old city on the left bank of the Tiber River). The Vatican and St Peters are on the other side of the River.
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View from the rooftop garden and restaurant on top of our Hotel Minerva
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Later, while I rested, Ray took a walk to Piazza Venezia where he took this photo. Wow.
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Piazza Venezia looking at the monument Vittorio Emanuele the second.
The next group were shot during our walk around town on Saturday:
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| One of hundreds of beautiful little churches in the city. This one is near Piazza Minerva. |
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| Lollipops : A family joke.... The kids will know why we took this. |
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| Fabulous Fountain at Piazza Navona |
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| Piazza Navona..... The living Room of Rome |
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| Interior hallway at the Museo di Roma near the Piazza Navona. Very worth visiting just for the building. |
After a nice nap to sleep off the jet lag, we went out for dinner. Near the Campo de Fiori is a great seafood trattoria called "Assunta Madre". We sat outside and dined on lovely seafood with a nice Italian Chardonnay called "Jermann", then a slow stroll home in the evening air.
SUNDAY, Sept. 14 we got up early to wander the streets before the city awoke. There was almost nobody around and no cars to dodge. We left the hotel at 7:10 am and headed for the Spanish Steps.
We walked for 2 hours and felt we had the city to ourselves. ALWAYS wander Rome on a Sunday morning early!!!! We passed so many fabulous buildings, churches and piazzas and did a lot of window shopping. Later this week we will walk this area with our guide Daniela, and learn a lot more about these places. We returned to the hotel for breakfast around 9 am, just as the town was beginning to awaken.
Lunch was on the rooftop of our hotel. They have a nice open air restaurant there with good views of the neighborhood. They served a lovely White wine and a reasonable buffet lunch.
In the afternoon we decided we needed a good overview of the main sights in Town so we took a City Bus Tour ride. We found a bus with a covered top as the sun was hot. Started at the Piazza Venizia and on to the Vatican City and the magnificent St Peters Cathedral, Castello St Angelo, then to The Trevi Fountain ( which is undergoing restoration and nothing to see) and the Piazza Barberini. At the Central Train Station stop, we got off to visit the truly wonderful Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli,
recreated over the sight of an old Roman bath, and the Piazza Republica with a huge fountain.
We boarded another bus to ride past Cathedral Santa Maria Maggiore, Then on to Ancient Rome and the Colosseum , Forum, and Palatine Hill where Romulus is said to have founded Rome. Then Circus Maximus, and finally back to Piazza Venizia.
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Close up of statues at the Piazza Venezia. This is a huge monument to the first President of unified Italy,
Vittoro Emanuelle the second. |
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| Behind the Piazza Venezia... Church and ruins |
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| Roman tourists in action |
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| They have to shop too! |
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| The Castello St Angelo. Our friend Patrick Lives in Rome with his dog. They live near the bridge and like the dog park in the back. |
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| Vatican City with the dome of St Peters. |
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| Piazza Cavour and The Palace of Justice where the Supreme court meets |
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| Michaelangelo's bronze doors at the entrance to the Church Santa Maria degli Angeli. The exterior is not at all impressive, but prepare to be amazed when you enter. We were. |
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| The alter in Santa Maria Degli Angeli |
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| One of many glorious statues in this church |
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| Gorgeous vaulted ceiling. Great scale of size. Awesome church! |
MONDAY, Sept 15th...... This morning we began our serious study of Rome's history with a four hour walking tour of the "Centro Storico" and the Jewish Ghetto. Daniela, a lifetime Roman was our professional guide. We learned that there are many layers of former buildings beneath our feet , that Rome is truly an eternal city.... stratified. We discussed the popes through the centuries and the power they had over everyone and how they later lost much of that power. Then over coffee Daniela told us the story of the Jews in Rome. they came here from Jerusalem before the time of Christ. Julius Ceasar
gave them rights and privileges when he was Emperor in about 54 BC. Those rights eroded over time until the mid 1500s when Jews from all over the region were forced to move to the city and kept in captivity in a small neighborhood near the river ( even walled in). They were separated from society and in poverty there for several hundred years until the late 1800s. Now this "Ghetto" area is a desirable place and even expensive real estate. As the walls were removed, the old shabby buildings were torn down and new built along with a beautiful Synagogue ( early 1900s). It is the second largest and finest in all of Europe after the one in Budapest. Great food there, many Kosher shops. Daniela bought us a little loaf of Sweet pizza with raisins and nuts form a special bakery. Then we visited the Jewish museum and synagogue. After, a taxi took us to meet Patrick, our friend who has lived here for 4 years now. We had lunch in his neighborhood at the "ANTICA TRATTORIA POLESE", a simple and delicious local place. We ate outside with Brewster his dog at our feet.
We shared grilled and stuffed zucchini flowers, Ray had legato, Patrick pasta with tomatoes, and I had calamari and verdure. We are learning that the Italians are great at honest food with fresh ingredients. Leave the fancy stuff for the French.
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Fountain with boys and turtles on the Piazza St. Mattei
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| Francesco Borromini designed this "Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza" Courtyard and facade in the 1600s. He is a contemporary of the famous Bernini. |
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| September in Roma.... a beautiful little chapel mixed into the streets cape. It is St Barbara de Libreria. |
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| Inside the Synagogue with domed ceiling |
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| Bloggers outside that gorgeous Synagogue |
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| This bridge was built in 62 AD and is still in use today. It takes you across the river from the old Ghetto. |
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| With Patrick and Brewster outside his apartment building. |
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Another Borromini church.... Roman Baroque style. Sophia Loren is here in the movie "Roman Holiday".
They removed the hands of the clock so the bells would stop ringing every 15 minutes. That could make you crazy! |
On our walk back to the hotel, we stopped at a coffee shop across for the St Eustache church for a
"Caffe Granita con Panne", a treat in Rome. Then home for a little nap. This was a very big day!
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| Caffe Granita con Panne ( whipped cream ) YUMMM! |
Dinner Monday evening was just near the hotel at LA CIAMBELLA on Via Dell'Arco Della Ciambella , 20....... what a good place! Lovely food, service, and wine. Reasonable prices.
We shared a lovely carbonara, then chicken ( rooster apparently) and lava bean puree with chicory salad and a nice Brunello. SO good!
TUESDAY, SEPT. 16TH.... Breakfast on the Piazza della Rotunda looking at the Pantheon and fountain. Later in the morning to the BORGHESE GARDENS and the Museum there. We were in for an amazing treat! A Sumptuous mansion filled with sculpture and art from the most famous Italian artists of the 16th and 17th centuries. Ray took many photos of the treasures in here. It was absolutely
fabulous. You have to reserve your tickets ahead here, and it is well worth it!
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| Borghese Museum exterior. This built for a seventeenth century Cardinal. It now houses many great works of art and advance booking is required. It is always sold out. When we were there it was busy but not jam packed, thankfully. |
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The best news... they let you take photos! So we can show you some of these amazing things!
This one is by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It is Pluto kidnapping a young girl to drag her to the underworld. |
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| Antonio Canova's "Pauline Borghese Bonapart as Venus" |
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| Bernini's "Appolo and Daphne" .... You can read about the fascinating myth around this one. |
Lunch was at HARRY'S BAR a short walk from the gardens. Delicious handmade pasta and fresh sole with spinach.
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| That's a really fake smile. I actually was quite happy..... not faking it! |
At 3pm, we rallied and met up with Daniela, our guide, for another tour. She really knows her stuff and the best places to go. The afternoon was hot and sunny ( as it has been every day so far!) so we took refuge in the churches and the underground city. First to the famous Basilica
Saint Peter in Chains to see the marble statue of MOSES that Michelangeo created for Pope Julius
the second in the 1530s. Fabulous. A real highlight!!
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| Michaelangelo's Moses! Simply breathtaking! |
Then on to a gelato! and a visit to St Clement, another Basilica from the 12th century. Wonderful Mosaic in the apse that is quite famous. Lots of ancient paintings from the first early Christian Basicila have survived there as well. From there, we descended 4 levels to see up close the "layers of civilization that remain under the streets of Rome. We passed a former graveyard and walked around in an apartment building from 2,000 years ago. Daniela charges 75 euros an hour for her time and it is well worth the expense because you get taken to the best place and told what the heck you are looking at! It was remarkable.
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| Inside St Clements Basilica with the mosaics in the apse. Everything is a symbol for the purpose of telling the people what they should behave and be good Christians. |
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| Here I am with Daniela, our guide, waiting for a taxi to take us to the secret keyhole |
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| After ALL that touring, I needed to rest. Not Ray. He went walking....He shot this at the Piazza Navona ..... He really captured great light. |
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| The first church Ray visited on his way from Piazza Navona to the Campo di Fiori market. |
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| Then on to this beauty! Still wandering to the Campo di Fiori. |
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| He finally made it to the daily food market at Campo de Fiori. wow! He bought us some good Italian cheeses. |
Dinner was at PIERLUIGI outdoors under the stars ( well, umbrellas). A Lovely evening walk to a delicious seafood place. We shared 4 courses..... Iberian Ham, Fish ceviche, Linguini with shellfish, and a gorgeous roast whitefish with potatoes, olives, and tomatoes . this is a MUST restaurant. We sat at a table next to 2 men from The Netherlands. They were very nice and so proud to be Dutch! Tuesday was a BANNER DAY in ROMA!!!!
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17th
Morning was rest and recuperate time! We need that. Ray went to a THAI massage place and got his body worked on. I took a hot bath and relaxed...
Lunch was at a neighborhood restaurant called "LA VOLTA". All the necessary menu items, Caprese salad. Fresh Pizza, and Tiramisu for dessert. With a nice little Chianti. PErfecT!! Inside is a room with a high vaulted ceiling all intricately painted from the 16th century. It used to be a General's home. At least we think that's what the waiter said. He didn't really speak English.
We revisited the Church of Santa Maria Sopra ( above) Minerva. It is on the Piazza outside our window and is built on top of an old temple to the Roman Goddess Minerva. (There is an original statue of Minerva in our Lobby.) Inside the church is a statue of Jesus, naked, carrying his cross by Michaelangelo. And St Catherine of Siena is buried at the alter and her tomb is elegant.
For dinner we walked 20 minutes or so to the other side of the river. This area is called "Trestaverre"
meaning "the other side of the river"... so original. Our hotel concierge sent us to a place called "Checco er Corretiere" not far from the bridge. The food was OK and the service very slow. We do
not want to send you there. It was rather disappointing. But again a nice evening for a stroll.
We returned to our room to discover a cricket had made it's way in and was serenading us. There are a lot of those creatures in this town at this time of year. Thank goodness for earplugs!
THURSDAY, SEPT. 18th
This was the Day Scotland voted on separation from Great Britain. It was all over the news. The NOs won and they chose to stay united. We had one last breakfast in our hotel, packed up and headed out of town. But first I walked the neighbored and took a few last minute shots.
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| A beautiful Mosaic in the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva |
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| Michaelangelo's Jesus is in the same church, just next to our Hotel della Minerva |
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| One last visit to the Pantheon.... go in the morning before the crowds arrive. |
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| This exquisite statue of the goddess Minerva is in the hotel lobby |
Our Tuscan destination was a Ferragamo owned hill town resort near Siena called "Castiglion del Bosco". We learned that Bosco means hamlet or small village. We are here for a 3 day international
insurance meeting for Ray. The place is absolutely wonderful... a self contained complete resort
hidden away in the middle of Tuscan wine country.
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| Castiglion Del Bosco ...... our suite is on the ground floor of the building on the left. We have an open patio in the back that looks out over the landscape. |
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| Looking back toward the main building with restaurant and the pool area at Del Bosco |
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| The vege garden at Del Bosco.... a highlight of my personal tour of the property. |
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| Suite "Del Macine" |
WE arrived Thursday afternoon with just enough time to settle in and take a walk around the grounds
before dinner. Group of 10 in a nearby villa with a 4 course Italian dinner. Nice people and scrumptuous food with grappa and Vin Santo at the end.
FRIDAY, Sept 19th
Ray was in meetings and I joined a small group to visit the nearby hill town of Montalcino ( home of the famous San Giovese wine called "Brunello") and a Romanesque Abbey called St Antimo.
WE wandered the streets with a guide, tasted wine, took a coffee break... all very civilized.
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| Del Bosco is up on a hill.... the roads are not easy here. |
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| Friday afternoon tour of Montalcino. This town of 5,000 is set even higher than Del Bosco. We walked with a guide and sampled some local Brunello. |
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| Looking up from the Abbey Sant' Antimo Grounds |
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Abbey Sant' Antimo.... built in the 12th century, this is the best example of Romanesque architecture in all of Tuscany.
We drove down and went inside. Note the enormous cypress tree just next to the Abbey.
Dinner Friday evening was at a remote country restaurant on the other side of Montalcino. The whole group was escorted in vans to .....................
It was a really nice dinner starting with a neat dish of grilled eggplant stuffed with spaghetti and topped with a great tomato sauce. So simple even I could do this! Then steak and veges.
Very nice local wines and a Muscatella sweet wine at the end.
SATURDAY, Sept. 20th....... Ray's meeting started early. I rested this morning. Took a good walk and had a facial at the Spa with La Prairie Products. Felt great! We were all taken to Siena to
have lunch in Restaurant de Mangia sitting right out on the Piazza di Campo where they hold the annual horse races. Again delicious food and wines. Dessert was the highlight. An ice cream concoction that looked like a chocolate mushroom. Inside was hazelnut and vanilla ice creams in layers. Fabulous!
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| Our Ice Cream dessert, slightly soft |
After lunch we took a walking tour through town and up to the famous Siena Cathedral. Build in 12th century in early gothic style using All kinds of marble. The black and white stripe is
predominant. The marble that looks black is actually dark green. With our guide, we climbed up inside the walls to a balcony where we could look both down into the church, and out to the countryside and over the town. Very hot climbing, but worth it.
Home to relax and blog, then off to dinner on the hotel grounds.
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| Town Hall in Siena |
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The fabulous Cathedral in Siena
Below are two photos Ray took inside the Cathedral. Our group of 10 got a tour inside the walls of this place. We climbed a narrow stairway that took us to the balcony above the main doors. We were able to look out over town and country and then turn to admire the church interior from above. Ray took the shot you see below from up there. It was quite amazing! |
Dinner Saturday night was at a restaurant on the Castiglion Del Bosco property, preceded by an elegant cocktail party out by the swimming pool at dusk. Very beautiful there. Salad with artichokes and truffles, roasted fish for the main, and way too many desserts. I shared my cookies from Montelcino called "Ossi de morto" ( bones of the dead).... they were tasty.
SUNDAY, September 21st...... One last meeting for the Insurance people. Lunch was a barbecue
with fresh salads for starter. Fabulous steak, chicken, lobster, tuna all on the open grill...buffet style.
Tiramisu for dessert. ALL the meals they served were amazing. Too much to eat, but a real delight.
We met a gentleman from Shanghai at lunch who encouraged us to visit China.
We said goodbye to our colleagues and friends, and headed by car back to ROME and a return to the Hotel De La Minerva. I'm typing this blog from the outdoor terrace on top of the hotel
while I wait for Ray to return from his Thai Massage. The church bells are ringing and the seagulls are crying, and the Japanese ladies at the next table are giggling. There is a parade going on in the streets below us...........
Dinner Sunday night was at "Osteria Antiquaria" a friendly Rome restaurant with an outdoor
"room" where all the Summer patrons dine. Nobody eats inside on a beautiful night like this if they have the choice. We had Veal Saltimboca Romana, Handmade pasta with a porcini sauce and grilled veges, then a fine gelato. Vino Nobile de Montapulciano to wash it down. We hate to leave Rome, but it is time to return home to our lives there.
CIAO ITALIA!!!! You are Molto Bellissima!!!!
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