A Roman Holiday: Touring Downtown

Please excuse the rather cheesy title- I couldn’t resist. I assure you, I did not find myself pursued by a dashing journalist in pursuit of a missing princess.  I did, however, enjoy experiencing everything that Rome had to offer.

I don’t even know where to start talking about Rome. There is so much to see, and do, and eat, it’s overwhelming! Inside, the little elementary school me that had been fascinated by Rome since learning about ancient civilizations was jumping in excitement. Actually, the sort-of-grown-up me was also jumping…

I was incredibly lucky to have some wonderful family friends living in Rome who welcomed me to stay with them and spend a few days showing me around the city. Not only was it wonderful to see old friends, but there is no way I would have been able to experience as much of the city as I did without the excellent tour skills! Thank you! I loved exploring Rome with you and having your beautiful dog as our escort!

Without further ado, the sights in Rome:

Day One

– Pyramid dei Cai Cestio – Acattolico Cemetery – Trapizzino – Giardino Degli Aranci – Aventine Key Hole – Basilica Santa Sabina – Mouth of Truth – Castel Sant-Angelo – Teatro di Marcello – Capitoline Hill –

Around the block from the famous Circo Missimo stands the Pyramid dei Cai Cestio, a self-designed tomb for an ancient Roman magistrate. It was inspired by the idea of the Egyptian pyramids- a mystery and a wonder even thousands of years ago. While it has been mostly looted now, its vicinity provides some lovely perches and sunny spots for cats- there are a couple spots in the city that have been turned into cat sanctuaries.

Right next to the pyramid is a famous non-Catholic cemetery, and probably one of the most beautiful cemeteries I have ever walked through.  In addition to having the feeling of a garden, the Acattolico Cemetery hosts the graves of several individuals such as Keats and Shelley.

 

From cemetery, we walked to a little hole in the wall with excellent food- Trapizzino. They serve one dish- a sort of naan/pita bread pocket (that apparently takes days to make!) with different types of fillings- I had a spiced, stewed squash filling that was absolutely excellent.

From there, we made our way through sunshiny streets lined with rather grand houses towards the Orange Tree Garden, or the Giardino Degli Aranci. This pretty park offers a lovely space under the shade of, you guessed it, orange trees. It also has a spectacular view of the city- one of those crowded-even-in-February sites.

 

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Another must-see view had a line, but it is absolutely worth waiting for (and free, don’t worry!): The Aventine Key Hole. As you stand in Rome, in the  Italian State, you look through keyhole in the door leading to the jurisdiction of the Knights of Malta. Through a path lined with trees, St. Peter’s Basilica is perfectly lined up. So, standing in one state, you look through another state, to see a third state, with a very pretty view too.

Other sites we passed during the day include the Basilica Santa Sabina, the Mouth of Truth, Castel Sant’Angelo, Teatro di Marcello, and Capitoline Hill, overlooking the Roman Forum- there are so many different vantage points to get some really fantastic views of Rome! . It was a day of walking, on one of the 300+ sunny days in Rome. A tip I learned about the Mouth of Truth- You can wait in the line that seems to be ever-present, pay a few euros to go right up and take a picture. Alternatively, (and especially if you are a student travelling on a budget!) there is a gate next to the statue whose bars are the perfect size to sneak your phone in a grab a picture as the next tourist goes up for their turn… 🙂

 

 

Day Two

– The Pantheon – Trevi Fountain – Frigidarium – Spanish Steps – Campo Di Firori – Piazza Navona – Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi – Angelica Library – Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli –

Another cliche I can’t resist… Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it won’t be explored in one either! Where Day One had us just off to the side of the downtown core, more in the Trastevere neighborhood, Day Two took us to the more central parts of the downtown, historic centre of Rome. We had my hosts’ lovely dog as an escort today, which is apparently an excellent way to make friends with Romans!

There are so many churches in Rome that I can’t keep track of them all, but we certainly peeked in quite a few. The Pantheon, however, sticks out from the rest, an ancient temple-turned-Catholic-Church. Luckily, it was still free to entre and not very crowded by Roman standards. Now, I believe, there may be a small fee to enter, but it really is a beautiful building, worth a two-euro entrance fee!

The history of the Pantheon captures the religious history of Rome. When inside, you feel very small, and not just because of the massive vaulted ceiling. It is incredible to think of standing in a place that has served- and survived- the different religions moving through Rome (though not without a bit of pilfering for other buildings!). It is, in itself, a representation of rising and falling of empires and the lover of history in me was struck a bit silent.  Also, Raphael’s grave is in the Roman Pantheon, which is really cool in itself.

A lot of Rome can be explored and experienced just by walking through. In fact, I think you would miss a lot of the true atmosphere of the different parts of the city if you were rushing from museum to church to historic site to museum. It was a very enjoyable day walking through the streets, never knowing exactly might be coming around in the next piazza (at least for me, my wonderful host knew exactly where everything was, a feat I am still very impressed by!)

 

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Some sites we came upon, almost (for me…) unexpectedly:

The Trevi Fountain: I had no idea what the surrounding area of the Trevi Fountain looked like before I was actually there. Thus, I didn’t actually realize we had arrived until it was literally right in front of me! It really is a beautiful piece, and the water (with all the coins!) gleamed a beautiful turquoise in the sun. There’s also a number of really cute shops in the area, not all of them unaffordable on a budget… I found a truly fabulous pair of shoes from Angelo of Rome!

Frigidarium: I ate a lot of gelato in Italy. Like, a lot. Frigidarium, in the relative vicinity of the Trevi Fountain was definitely the best. Anyone going to Rome should absolutely put this place on their list and I highly recommend the house flavour. Also, we had dessert first, which automatically makes any good day an extra great day.

Spanish Steps: A broad, pretty staircase filled with people meeting, lounging, and, of course, eating gelato.

Piazzas, lots of piazzas: It felt like at almost every other intersection, there was another piazza, with a church and/or a fountain and/or a market. I desperately hope I haven’t gotten my Roman geography/monument pairings mixed up! We stopped for lunch (really yummy pizza!) and a wander through the market in Campo di Fiori (I think?). We also passed through Piazza Navona, with its beautiful Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. This will feel eerily familiar for anyone who has seen ‘Angels and Demons’ as it happens to be the fountain that Langdon saves the priest from near the end of the film.

 

Angelica Library: Another familiar sight for Angels and Demons fans. No, they didn’t actually get access to film in the Vatican archives. The beautiful room of the Angelica Library worked well as a substitute though. Even if you aren’t a fan of the movies, it’s a pretty (and again, free!) stop to visit if you appreciate the look and smell of old books like I do 🙂

Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli: Next to the steps leading up to the Capitoline Museum is a beautiful church filled with crystal chandeliers. It’s a bit of a hike up all the steps to get there, but- like most things you climb in Rome- absolutely worth it. I wonder what they would have looked like with dancing candlelight instead of electric bulbs…

 

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Whew. Is this really only the first two days? I told you Rome was a bit overwhelming! I’ll be back with part 2 of my Roman Holiday, exploring the big and ancient sites in the city!

Thanks for Reading!

XO,

Shannon