May 13th
Fly out of LAX, transfer from Paris to Rome. I was informed that the flight from CDG to FCO was canceled due to CFO airport fire a few days ago. What? Not exactly the best start, not sure what happened, but after 30 min, they told me it is OK.
Because I want the direct return flight from Alitalia, so had to choose this co-operated Air France flight. Not only they do not allow you to choose seat online, they also weight your carry on, and I was forced to check in my luggage because it is 5 kg over weight. Who the hell weights carry on any way?
Not surprisingly, I got called to the counter at CDG for some reason, and fortunately they fixed it too. So after long 15 some hours, finally landed in FCO. I did not exchange the currency at the airport, which turns out to be a huge mistake. It cost 20% whopping transaction fee when I exchange somewhere outside the Musei Vaticani.
After taking a bus to Roma Termini train station, then 3 metro stops (Line A to Spagna), and 15 min walk with the luggage, finally arrived at the hotel called iRooms on the 14th at 9 PM local time. Almost missed the entrance coz it was so small and looks like residential apartment. They own a few rooms on the 2nd floor, all specially designed, although I do not want to comment on the taste of the green/purple/blue light in the room, they are OK for the price.
Too tired to search for reviews on the restaurant, just came to the one cross the street called LaBuvette, proven to be another big mistake. The pasta was undercooked and the sauce is with overcooked bacon. Maybe I am obsessed with food, but this first meal in Roma is definitely disappointing.
May 15th
After reading the travel notes from other Qyers, I did book the ticket to Vatican Museum online, this saved a lot of time. The museum is 3 metro stations away from Spanish Steps (~30 min walk), Since the ticket was for 12:30. The first stop of the day is Piazza San Pietro. Becareful with people who tried to talk to you on the way, they will try to steer you away towards somewhere else. The only advice I have is to get there early, so you can take picture of the piazza, and get into Basilica di San Pietro early. Get into the line to buy ticket to clime up to the top of the dome ($5 for walking and d$7 for elevators). The elevator ticket only take you to the inside high point of the dome, so you can look down to the church, but the most challenging part is afterwards. So get hydrated, and sleep well the night you plan to do this, it will get physical. Once you get all the way to the top, the view is amazing.
I am not familiar with all the religious stories, after entering the main hall of the church, I am just humbled by the pure grandness. It takes strong belief in the same thing and takes a lot of determination and commitment to build such amazing structure. I have always agreed that people with belief is happier, regardless what they believe in.
Moving towards Vatican Museum, remember to turn to the left side of the Piazza, skip the line since you already got the online ticket. Go to the booth on the left side of the entrance to exchange the paper ticket. The museum is ~1/4 to 1/3 of the Louvre.
Nothing feels stunning until you enter the Sistine Chapel, the crown jewel of the museum. No picture is allowed, but you will recognize the most famous Michelangelo painting (The Creation of Adam) in the center of the ceiling. Sitting there looking up, staring from distance, it hurts my eye and neck after a while, then imaging him spending years turning head 90 degrees to paint on the ceiling, then and only then, maybe you start to understand what faith drives the artist for all that time.
Around 2-3 PM, after skipping breakfast, the craving for food just become overwhelming. I did a quick search on Yelp and found a joint called Angrypig (Angrypig Birretta e Porchetta, Via Tunisi, 38, Phone:06 6452 1633), probably the best sandwich in Rome, order a cold cut plate of ham, prosciutto and salami coupled with cold beer, ah, can life get any better. The owner of the shop is nice and friendly, taste it before you buy just in case this is not your cup of tea. Unfortunately the food was too good, and when I realize I want to take a picture, it is all gone. These are images I could find online, highly recommend and you should not miss it.
May 16th
It was forecasted to be raining, but changed to cloudy, so I want to take the chance and visit Colossem. It is probably the best thing that I woke up at 5:30 because of jet lag. I can take pictures of the Spanish Steps with not even a single human being.
The Night Before
I walked through the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon (only on the ouside, it did not open until 8:30 or 9) the Piazza Venezia (only on the outside as well), took my time and take plenty of good pictures with no crowed at all.
After all of the picture taking, still managed to get to the Colosseum before the 8:30 opening. I did not reserve tickets online, but I was there early enough so it did not matter. I love the outside much much better than the inside. I guess I am just a stone not a brick kind of gal, lol. I love the view where you can see part of the 4th story. I guess the mixture of stone and brick just signifies in my mind the glorious appearance and happiness of the Roman riches, and the miseries of the gladiators. Apparently my mind automatically wonders into the Gladiator movie scene.
After the morning stroll and nice tour to Colossem, it is good to take advantage of the free breakfast offered by iRooms, and take a short nap before planning for the afternoon. One thing to note, the ticket for Colosseum is good for 2 days but single entry, don't betting on you can get into it again on the 2nd day.
After 2 PM, I got out again to go visit the Roman Forum, which is also included in the Colosseum ticket. I stopped by a few nice churches on the way, don't know the name but really nice surprises. If you have time, it is not a bad idea to just wonder around the Roman city from Spanish Steps to Colosseum, don't calculate every step of the way, leave some space to pleasant surprises.
Unfortunately, it took me much longer than it should to get to the entrance of Roman Forum, don't be deceived when you can see people on the high platform, there are several entrances, the easiest is from the one closest to Colosseum. I got there at 5:30 and it closes at 7:30. 2 hour is not enough to see everything and the two museums were closed towards to the end. But I guess the best thing is you get to see Colosseum from across the street from a high point and when the sun shines through the thick clouds for a tiny moment, I captured this one (not sure about you, but I was taken away). I sit on the steps and looking at the amazing structure, wishing I have some porchetta and beer to go with the sun setting view.
San Carlo al Corso
Santa Maria in Ara coeli
It has been a long day, and I need some really nice wine and pasta to close it. I looked on Michelin website, they are either too costly or too far of a walk from iRooms. I just went downstairs and try my luck on the one around the corner called Dilla. The waiter was nice, there was ~20 min wait (it was after 8PM), and I ordered the pasta of the day (Fettuccini with shrimp and mushroom), not sure why Romans like beacon so much, but the hint of it in this pasta dish was just perfect. The Tiramisu and Cappuccino puts a last bang on the day. Well the camera sensor caught some major dust and I left it in the hotel during dinner. So here are the pictures I can find online for the restaurant.
If I go back tomorrow, this one might be my choice.
May 17th
Today is just for casual stroll in the city, look at life from all walks, and enjoy the pleasant temperature and mild sun light. If you get a chance, walk along the river, and get to the small island, it sort of reminded me of the lle de la Cite from Paris.
May 18th-21st
The official business meeting time, had to take the train to Napoli Centrale. The hotel I stayed is right across the street of Castle dell'Ovo. The garden restaurant on the 9th floor of the hotel has the best view over the water and the castle. At sunset, the view will just take your breath away.
During the breaks from the meeting, I would just wondering around the city. There was a wedding at another castle near the center of the city (which I don't know the name of). The Rolls Royce antique car in front of the castle is just a small hint of the happy atmosphere and the perfect wedding undergoing.
The City is near the sea, and water front images is just another sign of the casual life style of people here
Another day of favorite walk in the city
As the home of Maradona, you would see kids playing soccer everywhere. Thousands of year old structure is filled with happy laughter and all kinds of signs of new life.
May 22nd
The trip to Capri Island with picture perfect weather
The local colleague negotiated the price of 25 Euro per person for a private boat tour that was marketed as 1500 Euro on the website, which you would end of with ~50 people, where we only have less than 20. Ah, life can be so good…
