When relocating to Egypt for the first time as a family, our original plan was to spend an
overnight stopover in Rome, Italy. My
husband had already made arrangements for a hotel, a driver and a whirlwind
tour of Rome’s greatest attractions in a single day. Then the weather on the East Coast didn’t
agree with our plans. Our departing
flight from Albuquerque, New Mexico was canceled. Once we were able to make new arrangements,
our new connection took us through Frankfurt, Germany. We managed to get down to old town Frankfurt,
but we were jetlagged and short on time.
One of the benefits of living in Cairo is our close
proximity to other amazing destinations.
Having missed our chance to see Rome on the way to Cairo, my husband and
I devised a plan to resurrect our dream trip to Rome. Neither of us had ever been before. It was only one hour behind Cairo time and
only three and a half hours of flight time.
After taking our little girls to Luxor (where they completely
under-appreciated the experience and complained about having to see so many “old
buildings”), we thought it best to plan this Rome trip as an adults-only
getaway. Fortunately, we developed a
friendship with another family living in Cairo.
I negotiated a babysitting swap scenario where we’d watch their kids for
a vacation if they’d watch ours. They
agreed and so my husband and I headed off for an amazing six-night vacation in
Rome during December 2014.
Hotels in Rome aren’t cheap.
We’re not tightwads, but we don’t want to spend money on a place to
sleep when, in Rome, that’s almost all the hotel would be for – a place to sleep. So we rolled the dice and tried our luck with
HomeAway, one of many websites where owners advertise their flats as vacation
rentals (see also VRBO, FlipKey, Airbnd, etc.).
On
the whole, we lucked out with an affordable, great place to stay in Rome very
near the Pantheon. We enjoyed having the kitchen
to serve up breakfast and cook dinner once or twice, but Rome is as much about
eating as it is sightseeing. Our
contemporary, clean flat was in a perfect location. To get over to the Pantheon about a block
away, we had to cut through the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Basilica as a
shortcut. To the left of the main alter
is an exceptional Michelangelo sculpture of Christ the Redeemer inside Rome's
only true, original Gothic church. So
cool!
In truth, I’m writing this post months after our actual
vacation. I attempted numerous starts,
but I never finished because there was so much I wanted to share. Every detail.
Rome is so, so incredible. We took
hundreds, almost thousands of photographs. Thanks to my hubby I am able to get this post completed with a bunch of photographs from our even-better-than-expected
Roman immersion.
Pantheon
 |
| We absolutely fell in love with "our neighborhood" around the Pantheon. Lots of activity, restaurants, shops, gelato. Perfect. |
Santa Maria sopra Minerva/Piazza della Minerva
 |
| We'd walk through this church and square most days as we started and ended our adventures. |
Vatican City
 |
| Here's the view of some of Vatican City and more of Rome from the top of St. Peter's Basilica. You have to climb the narrow, cramped stairs to get to the top of the dome. Not my favorite, but the view was worth it! |
 |
| When we visited the Vatican, they were in the process of setting up the Christmas tree. |
 |
| Statues atop St. Peters as seen from the roof: R-L are Jesus Christ, St. Andrew, St. John the Apostle, St. James the Younger, St. Bartholomew, St. Simon. |
 |
| AMORE! |
 |
| We spent the entire day at Vatican City and enjoyed watching the sun set over this incredible place. |
 |
Ponte Sant'Angelo / St. Angelo Bridge
|
St. Peter’s Basilica
 |
| One of Michelangelo's most famous sculptures - The Pieta, a very touching, emotional rendition of Mary holding her crucified son (inside St. Peter's Basilica). |
 |
| Kids and cupids. |
Vatican Museums
 |
| My husband with the audio guide; he would stay in one room all day if I didn't push him along. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| The Battle of the Milvian Bridge
(Giulio Romano): This painting depicts Emperor Constantine's victory over
Maxentius; Constantine attributed his victory to the God of Christianity, and
at that moment essentially embraced Christianity. By doing so as the Emperor, Christianity came out of the shadows and began to spread to the mainstream. |
 |
| There's no way I would ever have the patience to do the painstaking restoration work this guy was doing. |
Sistine Chapel
My husband did a little research before our trip and learned it was best to order tickets online ahead of time when visiting the Vatican. I'm glad we did because there was a long line queuing outside at the beginning of the day before opening. We breezed past that line and made a beeline straight for the Sistine Chapel. Most tourists will take their sweet time working their way all the way back to the world famous chapel. By the time they get there, they find themselves shoulder to shoulder with all the other tourists. The advice we got about going there first paid off. Only a few other tourists were there when we arrived and we got to enjoy the experience of the morning prayer. When we were done, we walked back to the beginning and worked our way through the museum. By the time we arrived at the Sistine Chapel again, it was packed, hot and stuffy. At the back of the chapel is a door on the right that is sometimes open. Through it we were able to take a shortcut to St. Peter's Basilica for the dome tour and everything else. Unfortunately, photographs inside the Sistine Chapel aren't allowed, so these are borrowed from Wikipedia.
 |
| This is the Last Judgment. Michelangelo was so insanely talented that not only could he carve intricate, life-like sculptures, but he could paint masterpieces, too. |
 |
| My husband and I try to collect nativities from each country we visit. Since Vatican City is recognized as its own autonomous state both politically and geographically, we picked up this hand-carved, hand-painted set from the Vatican gift shop. |
 |
| It's crazy to imagine all the extravagant slaughters and spectacles that happened here. |
 |
Arch of Septimius Severus, Santi Luca e Martina in the background.
|
Palatine Hill
 |
| View toward Altare della Patria from atop Palatine Hill. |
 |
| The Hippodrome of Domitian or Palatine Stadium. | | |
Piazza Vittoriano or Altare della Patria
 |
| Our taxi driver made it clear that locals strongly dislike this monument. It's too big, too white and too un-Roman-esque. |
 |
| Regardless, this area was perfect for a stop to slow down and warm up with some thick, hot chocolate. |
 |
| There seemed to be a lot of police in this area, too. I guess it's popular with protesters. We saw protesters on two different days. |
 |
| The police weren't messing around. |
 |
From the news of that week: At least 40,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Rome, protesting against
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's reforms to the labour market. Trade unions called for nationwide rallies
against loosening restrictions on firing workers when companies are struggling.
|
 |
| Unfortunately, this was the state of the Trevi Fountain when we visited. But since we want to return to Rome someday, we still tossed in a coin! |
Hard Rock Café Rome
 |
| For my husband, it's a thing. If one is within 50 miles, he has to go to the Hard Rock Cafe, eat something and collect a pin. |
Trastevere Neighborhood Stroll
Trastevere is a neighborhood on the west
bank of the Tiber River with all sorts of charm and character. We
followed Rick Steves' itinerary exactly and were so glad we did. We had
a wonderful time exploring this unique part of town, eating traditional
cookies, exploring quaint shops, appreciating a few different churches,
studying its historical relevance . . . a must see part of any week-long+ trip
to Rome.
 |
| Saint Cecilia was an early Christian martyr, and is recognized as the patron saint of musicians. |
 |
| Pope Paschal I (on the left) had this church built during his lifetime (9th century). As such, he is the only one in the apse with a square halo (indicating he was alive when the mosaic was created). |
 |
| I stepped out of this church for a little bit and really missed out; my husband was treated to a private concert by this nun playing the organ. |
Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere
With a charming plaza out front, this church was another exquisite sight to see in Trastevere. It's one of the oldest Christian churches in Rome and possible the first dedicated to the Virgin Mary. From the glorious mosaic apse to the striking geometric 3D ceiling, this was yet another fantastic stop on our tour of Rome.
 |
| What a lovely market! After a morning stroll in the Trastevere neighborhood, we crossed back over the Tiber River and ate lunch on the periphery of this famous square (sadly, famous for public executions like burning Dominican Friar Bruno alive at the stake in 1600 - that's his statue in the center). I did the very typical-American-tourist-in-Rome-no-no and ordered spaghetti and meatballs. I'm telling you, it was delicious! The best spaghetti and meatballs I've ever eaten! |
 |
| Of the four rivers represented (Danube, Ganges, Nile & Rio de la Plata), this statue depicts The Nile; we're partial to all things Egypt. |
 |
| Seemed like there were more Egyptian obelisks in Rome than there are in Egypt! |
Gelato and other Goodies
 |
| Yes, as a matter of fact, those are chestnuts roasting. My husband loved them and they filled the crisp, winter air with the greatest Christmas-time aroma. |
 |
| And of course . . . PIZZA!!! |
Via del Corso/Via Condotti Designer Stores
 |
| Via Del Corso and Via Condotti areas near the Spanish Steps are famous for all the high-end fashion stores. This is a collage of stores we saw while window shopping. And this was me the next day...I wish! |
The selfie stick vendors are a hyper-aggressive band of criminals. The Italian police attempt to scatter them from popular tourist spots in vain. Here's a sampling of their relentless efforts at the top of the Spanish Steps. Unfortunately, my husband stopped filming too soon (I can't figure out how to turn the video back sideways; sorry!). Shortly after being slapped in the face with a rose, I pretended to agree to buy a dozen roses from the same culprit. After handing me the bouquet, I turned around and slapped him in the face with the whole bunch and took off running down the steps! My husband and I were bombarded with a swarm of green laser beams as we made our escape (those obnoxious laser pointers are another popular item for sale by these hoodlums).
The tour book we bought suggested finding something less typical to add to our itinerary to make it more unique. My husband picked this stop, and I'll be scarred for life. I guess as the story goes, a long time ago the friars ran out of room for all their dying brothers' bodies. So one of them somehow convinced the others to let him take all the bones of deceased friars and make intricate designs, art and even a chandelier out of the bones! I took one look at the first (of several) rooms and just sped through the rest of it, barely daring to glance anymore. My husband seemed to get a kick out of it. Photos aren't allowed, so these images are borrowed from Wikipedia. Yuck!
Selfie Sticks
Finally, our trip to Rome introduced us to the blight of selfie sticks. How obnoxious! The tourists seemed to embrace the "technology" and the illegal vendors of said sticks swarmed every popular location with relentless harassment. What ever happened to asking a stranger to snap your photo???
And yes, we saw lots of nuns, priests and friars
I love Rome!! So beautiful and you captured some stunning shots! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. It really was lovely. I can see why you loved it so much.
DeleteAmazing and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks. It was really an amazing vacation.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete