Roman Times

Part 1

Jun, my mom, and I traveled to Italy for two weeks in the middle of October. My mom has wanted to go to Italy for a long time. She, however, was a bit hesitant to travel by herself. She asked if we were interested in going to Italy with her. We told her we would be delighted to do so.

We then started making plans for what we wanted to do. My mom’s only stipulation was that she would like to visit Milan. Everything else she would leave up to us to decide. After researching where we would go and what we would do, we determined we would stay in three cities: Rome, Florence, and Milan. We decided that if we wanted to take a day trip to a place nearby in any of those cities, we would plan while we were there. It ended up that we traveled to Pisa and Verona.

The other thing we learned as we were planning was the need to schedule our visits to nearly all the major tourist sites, especially in Rome. After checking days and times, we had scheduled everything we needed to by the time we left for Italy. The most challenging proved to be finding a workable time to visit the Colosseum in Rome. That required being tenacious and speedy, but we did it.

With everything set, we were ready to go!

Day 1

To get to Italy, we flew from Oklahoma City to Houston. We then flew onward to Munich, which allowed us to catch a connecting flight to Rome. Our flight from Houston to Munich proved adventurous. Our pilot informed us there was a problem with the engines about 30 minutes into the flight. That problem required that we return to Houston. Fortunately, the airline found a replacement plane, but it took an hour to transfer bags and get the airplane ready. The airline, however, compensated us for the lost time with a $200 flight voucher and a free meal for each of us. Soon, we were back on the plane. Because of the delay, we missed our connecting flight, but we caught a later flight that allowed us to get into Rome on the same day we had planned. We just arrived three hours later.

After collecting our items and getting SIM cards, we took a taxi to the Trianon Borgo Pio apartment hotel in Borgo. Everything went smoothly with our check-in. We were soon in our apartment. All three of us were ready to shower and go to bed. It had been a long day for us!

Day 2

We had a lovely breakfast at our hotel before venturing out that day. We spent most of it at the Vatican. We first walked from the hotel to St. Peter’s Square. We walked around the square and then collected our Omnia and Roma cards. I found both these cards incredibly useful for visiting sites in the Vatican and Rome. They allow you to skip that line at many sites, which saved us a lot of time. After receiving the cards, we tried to enter St. Peter’s Basilica. We, however, found the line was moving much too slowly for us to make it to the Vatican Museum on time. We decided to return later; we needed to get to the Vatican Museum for our scheduled entrance.

I found the Vatican Museum spectacular. The artwork, sculptures, and artifacts there are breathtaking. It was extraordinary to walk around and see some of the most renowned pieces of art in the world. The moment I walked into the Raphael Rooms and realized I was starring at Raphael’s The School of Athens took my breath away. You see these pieces of art in books and you study them in school, but to see them in person is astonishing. Then to continue to the Sistine Chapel and see Michelangelo’s frescos was equally mind-boggling. If it wasn’t for the number of visitors inside the chapel, I could have stayed there for hours to see the details in the frescoes by Michelangelo and others.

Soon, though, we decided to grab a quick lunch at the Vatican Museum’s restaurant before heading to St. Peter’s Basilica. Lunch was nice and fortified us for the rest of the afternoon.

All three of us were amazed at the enormity of St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s a large and ornate space. Each of us decided to wander around the place before coming back together. It was quite an amazing sight to see.

From there we decided to walk into Rome to do some shopping. Jun needed to get a t-shirt, and I wanted to buy the Swatch Rome watch. After we had wandered around and finished our shopping, we decided to get some gelato at Fatamorgana Croce. Our first taste of gelato in Italy was wonderful. We decided to take a break and sit on the steps of the nearby Basilica dei Santi Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso to enjoy our gelato. When we finished we started our walk back to the hotel to rest before dinner.

Jun was left in charge of food for the trip. He chose for our first dinner in Rome a small restaurant nearby called Ristorante Porta Castello. The food and house wine were amazing. Afterward, we walked my mom back to the hotel. Jun and I then went for a stroll around St. Peter’s Square before we returned to the hotel.

Our first full day in Rome proved to be amazing and left us anticipating what would await the next day.

Day 3

We started the day by visiting Castel Sant’Angelo. We arrived just as they opened. The castle was originally designed as the mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Hadrian. In the fourteenth century, it came under the jurisdiction of the popes and was subsequently used as a fortress and castle.

It was quite nice to explore the castle. Some of the apartments in the residential areas were quite ornate.  It also afforded wonderful views of the Vatican and Rome.

After our visit, we took the metro to the Colosseum. When we got there we decided to have lunch nearby at La Fraschetta der Panino. While a random pick for lunch, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

We then walked back to the Colosseum for our visit. The Roma pass proved wonderful as we skipped the line and entered the arena in under five minutes. Walking around the Colosseum was amazing. The sheer size of it was staggering. It was also nice that in certain areas we were fortunate that there were few visitors. That allowed us to experience and appreciate this magnificent structure.

From the Colosseum, we next went to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Jun and I first walked around the Temple of Venus and Roma. There was a neat exhibition, Korai, by Mattia Bosco that was being shown in the ruins of the temple. It was fascinating to see the sculptures juxtaposed with the temple and the Colosseum in the background. The views of the Colosseum also were quite spectacular.

As we were walking around the temple, my mom walked down to the main area of the Forum. When we reconnected, we walked around a bit together before splitting up so she could rest and we could go up to Palatine Hill. When we returned to her, we decided to go back to the hotel to rest before dinner.

We had a nice dinner at Da Romolo alla Mole Adriana. Again the food was amazing. Our luck of finding wonderful restaurants continued.

Afterward, Jun and I went for a walk around the surrounding neighborhood while my mom went back to the hotel.

Day 4

On our last full day in Rome, we first walked to the Pantheon. We enjoyed our stroll as it allowed us to see some of the narrow streets and alleys of Rome. We stumbled upon some quaint squares along that walk.

Upon arriving at the Pantheon, we took some initial pictures before going inside the church. We decided to take an audio tour of the Pantheon. Each of us took our time to explore the place and learn about it. One of the most interesting things I discovered was that the oculus in the dome is open to the elements. It rains down into the interior, but the design of the church has drainage holes strategically placed around the church. The floor also has an incline which helps move the water to those drainage holes. I found that intriguing.

We next walked to Trevi Fountain to take some pictures. The area around the fountain was packed with people. We decided to take those pictures and leave quickly.

Our next destination was Piazza del Popolo, where we walked around and had lunch at Canova Piazza del Popolo. When we finished lunch we went up to Terrazza del Pincio. After taking some pictures we then walked through the Villa Borghese so we could get to the Galleria Borghese.

The Galleria Borghese is a museum within what was once the Villa Borghese Pinciana—the home of Scipione Borghese. Borghese was the nephew of Pope Paul V who made him a cardinal and his personal secretary. As such, Borghese grew quite wealthy and was a patron of the artists Caravaggio and Bernini. His personal art collection and home served as the foundation for what became the Galleria Borghese.

The museum is quite ornate. The floors, walls, and ceiling are just as majestic as the artwork housed within them. It was quite a treat to visit this place. Also nice is how they limit the visitors to only two hours within the galleries. It keeps the experience nice and manageable instead of being crowded with people.

Afterward, we walked toward Trinità dei Monti, which is the church located above the Spanish Steps. When we got there we took in the views. Then we slowly walked down the steps.

When we reached the bottom we decided to go get some gelato at Venchi and buy some handmade chocolates at Moriondo & Gariglio. Jun and I had fun picking the different chocolates to try. Wow! Those chocolates were delectable.

From there we walked back to the hotel to rest before dinner.

Dinner that night was at a small restaurant with five or six tables. Rione XIV Bistro is a family-run establishment with spectacular food. We left quite happy after we had finished our dinner.

Mom decided to walk back to the hotel. Jun and I visited the Vatican to watch the Rosary ‘aux flambeaux.’ This procession occurred every Saturday in October to coincide with the XVI General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality. During the procession, people lit candles as they recited the Rosary. It was quite beautiful to witness.

It was also a serene way to end the day.

Day 5

Our last day in Rome had us check out of the hotel and head toward Roma Termini so we could catch the train to Florence. Once we learned which platform our train would depart from, we got onto our carriage and settled in for the ride.

Rome was amazing. It served as a great place to start our trip. It also left us ready for the rest of it!

Continue to Part 2: A Sojourn in Florence or Part 3: The Magnetic Charm of Milan