3 Search Results for ""san pietro""

• Discovering Rome - For the Fir

  • From: marjen
  • Description:

    San Pietro Inn

    From Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport just outside of Rome, we were whisked by our driver onto a very American-looking freeway. It was just after noon, local time, a balmy eighty-degree day in early May. Sun glistened along the highway's warehouses, buildings, and businesses. Strange, exotic trees with pine needles stood like umbrellas shadowing the structures. Before long, our van plunged down an off-ramp onto a narrow winding road outside Rome. For what seemed liked miles, we rode beside a tall, vine-covered wall, snaking along the tree-covered road. Suddenly, the wall ended and buildings lined both sides of the street. After a minute or two, the driver pulled over along a small, but private street anchored on the corner by a Chinese restaurant.

    We were greeted by the landlord of the apartment we would be staying in. (www.apartmentsanpietro.com) Even though our connecting flight had been delayed for five hours, she still had managed to have her driver meet us at the airport and was waiting at our apartment. Rosa Maria Chirico was an amazing landlord, hostess, and concierge. Her excellent English and kind manner relaxed us immediately.

    From the street, she guided us through a marble-floored lobby to an elevator, up to the third floor. From the landing she opened the door to apartment number 8, we were greeted by pale yellow walls as she raised the electric blinds. Golds and burgundies shone from fabrics around the room and the polished mahogany floors gleamed. The apartment sparkled. Immediately, we felt at home. No wonder the apartment's name is "The Sun Room."

    Rosa Maria showed us where to locate light and blind switches, as well as how to use the accoutrement of buttons in the large marble bathroom with huge shower! Opening a small fridge, she explained that she had stocked it with sparkling water and milk. In addition, she had supplied us with pasta, sauce, fresh fruit, coffee, and cereal. She encouraged us to eat it all as it was free of charge. Before leaving, she indicated on a map where to locate her bed and breakfast and how to negotiate the city, specifying which busses and trains were best and even made recommendations for dinner. An amazing apartment for less than most hotel rooms!

    Vatican Tour Scams?

    Because the apartment sat a block and a half from the Vatican, we set out to conquer our first tourist site. We wandered through the columns of San Pietro Square and located the line for the Vatican Museums. It was nearly three p.m. and we had read that the last patrons were admitted at 4 p.m. Based on the way the line was crawling, we feared we would not make it in that day. However, after a few minutes, we were approached by an American who asked us if we spoke English. Expecting her to ask us questions, we were surprised when she offered to acquaint us with a tour forming nearby, promising that we would bypass the line. Leery of being scammed, we declined, but she encouraged us to listen to the tour guide who headed a group of a dozen or so English-speaking natives huddled a few feet away. We obligingly trod over to the group and listened as a young woman showed pictures and diagrams of the history of St. Peter's Bascilica. She seemed knowlegdgeable, friendly, was American, and didn't seemed phased by direct questions about the tour, its cost (25 Euro each in addition to the cost of admission - 14 Euro each).

    Fears somewhat alleviated, we followed her down the block past the queue of people and around the corner to the security line. After passing through security, she collected our money. My husband, at 6'2" didn't let her out of his sight as she walked up to the group tour window. She actually returned to our group, doled out the tickets and led the way up a sprialing marble staircase into the museum. Our tour guide was, in fact, knowledgeable, informative, and appeared to know where she was going and what she was doing. Rooms and halls were adorned with amazing sculpture and artwork. Ceilings were painted brightly and floors held amazing mozaics. Our tour guide even explained that the Vatican had placed fig leaves or disfigured many of the statues. Though, it plagued us for the rest of the tour that the Vatican would intentionally deface works of art. The Vatican museums hold and amazing collection of art. The crowds and security, however, made lingering impossible. Next time, we would arrive earlier, but would definitely pay for the tour. In fact, when we visited the Colosseum the next day, we signed up immediately!

    Dinner at La Vittoria

    Rosa Maria had recommended a restaurant between our apartment and Vatican. So after visiting the Vatican museums and the inside of St. Peter's Bascilica and the tombs below, we stopped at Ristorante La Vittoria for dinner. (www.ristorantelavittoria.com) Invoking the landlord's name, we were immediately ushered to a window seat. The waiters spoke English well and didn't laugh at our attempts in Italian. We started with a seafood antipasto - a wonderful assortment of fish and shrimp along with Bresaola - salted beef sliced paper thin served with rocket (rocket turned out to be a form of spiky lettuce with a slightly bitter taste, similar to endive.) We also ordered vino rosso, or red wine, which arrived in a glass pitcher. After the appetizers, we shared pasta alla carbonara which consists of pasta, eggs, parmesan, pancetta, and black pepper. We followed the pasta with veal, Marsala and Saltimbucca, both delicious! Capping dinner with a shared tiramisu and grappa, we chatted with our table neighbors who were enjoying their last night in Rome from their home in Germany.

    After dinner, we walked down the street, looking through shop windows at wares glistening in the streetlights, feeling like Romans as we entered our apartment. Ah, Rome...

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  • 1 year ago
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• Rediscovering Rome

  • From: antfern
  • Description:

    Rome, September 12-18, 2008

    After four earlier trips to Rome, we decided to use the opportunity of a Mediterranean cruise that departed and returned from and to Civitavecchia, to stay in Rome after the cruise for about six days.  For the purpose of this journal, we will arrange our experiences around five topics: Churches, Plazas, Fountains, Ruins, Outside Rome.  At the end of this writing I will offer you some points about lodging, transportation and security.

    Churches:  Don’t miss St. Peter Basilica in the Vatican City.  As you walk through Bernini’s colonnade you will be leaving Italy and entering in another country: The Vatican.  Normally everyone enters the great basilica and takes a couple of pictures in the Plaza.  However, I would recommend two other things to do here: 1. Climb the 320 steps to the top of the cupola for the best views of the Gardens of the Vatican and the whole city of Rome.  Once you reach the top you are in the highest point of the city. 2. You may visit the Scavii (Excavations under the main altar of St. Peter).  This will require that you made a reservation; it can be done by e-mail.  St. Peter’s Basilica web site offers information about these two areas as well as other points of interest in St. Peter: http://saintpeterbasilica.org

    The list of churches in Rome could be like a telephone directory of a small city.  It is impossible to mention all of them here.  Keep in mind that there is a dress code requirement for entering them and you must preclude from taking pictures while a religious ceremony is taking place.  Also they are quite dark and provide you a cool refuge from the Roman heat as well as a place to sit down and relax for a while.  Catholics have a saying that whenever you enter a church for the first time and you do a prayer you can ask for a favor….Your wish list in Rome could be quite lengthy. 

    Plazas: Rome give the impression of grow and live around plazas.  As you walk around you will not be able to avoid them: regular shaped or without any designs, small or big, old or new, crowded or strangely deserted.  The list here, like the churches, is large.  Almost every church has a plaza in front, or around it somewhere.  I would mention only about a dozen of them: Piazza de Spagna, San Pietro, Venezia, Navona, del Popolo, della Boca della Verita, del Quirinale, della Repubblica, di Santa Maria in Trastevere, del Campidoglio, dell’Esquilino, and Campo de Fiore.

    In the plazas you could find a place to eat or drink a cappuccino.  I would recommend to look for a gelateria (ice cream shop) mainly in Piazza Navona.  Also most of the plazas aside from one or more churches you will find also one or more fountains.  To sit around a fountain is one of the Romans preferred outings in the middle of the afternoon or early evenings.  Don’t forget the saying: “If in Rome do like the Romans”   

    Fountains: The fountains of Rome have been the subject of classical musical pieces or well known-movies.  Many of the fountains you will find in Rome were like public works constructed by the Popes for the benefit of the various sectors of the city. Likewise the list of plazas, I will offer only the names of few fountains that should be in any visitors' lists:  Starting, probably with the most worldwide famous fountain: The Fontana de Trevi.  This fountain together with the Triton Fountain in Barberini Square are the subject of two of the symphonic poems of Respighi, Fontane di Rome.

    We should mention also the three fountains in Piazza Navona: Four Rivers, the Moor and Neptune. There are beautiful and worth mentioning fountains in Piazza del Popolo and Nicosia.  There are numerous fountains in many of the plazas that are worth the visit and to enjoy their cool environment.

    One of my favorites is the small fountain at Santa Maria Cosmedin in the Forum Boarium, see picture of the fountain as well as the Temple of Hercules in the back.

    Ruins and Monuments:  Aside from churches, plazas and fountains the other ever present element of Rome are its ruins and classical monuments.  From the countless Egyptian obelysks to the classic roman buildings and monuments, your selection is overwhelming. They are everywhere!  The most famous probably is the Colisseum, followed by the Roman Forum.  I would recommend that you buy a combined ticket of admission covering these two points of interest plus the Palatine.  The Palatine is a place that most turists pass or simple ignore. 

    I strongly recommend that your itinerary includes these three attractions.  This time we tried to visit the Domus Aurea, the old ruins of Nero's palace next to the Colisseum, but unfortunately it was was closed that day.  Also among the recommended ruins you should visit are the Forum Imperiali and the Forum Boarium.  There is a beautiful old Roman monument well preserved in a modern museum: Ara Pacis Augustana.  Is an altar built by the Senate and People of Rome (SPQR) to conmemorate the peaceful era of Emperor Cesar Augusto.

    Outside Rome: Rome is a place that must be visited by everyone… but also visitors of Rome should adventure outside the City and go to places such as Tivoli, Amalfi Coast, or even Florence and Assissi.  

    The pictured attached is from Positano, the jewel of the Costiera Amalfitana.  To drive the Amalfi Coast that runs south of Sorrento, until the area around Salerno, will take a full day.  But it may be shortened by returning a short while after visiting Amalfi turning toward Naples through the interior highway and thus avoiding the slow traffic of the coastal winding road.

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     Practical Guidelines: 

     Let me end with some general guidelines: During this last trip we avoided the museums due to the long lines and by the fact that we have visited the major ones during earlier visits.  However, the Vatican Museums should be a priority for everyone visiting Rome.  

    Lodging: In our first visit to Rome in 1975, we stayed at D’Inghilterra, great location but we couldn’t afford it now.  We have stayed in far out places and in the middle of the city.  During our last trip we stayed at the Alimandi Tunisi about two blocks from the Vatican Museums.  This was a great experience and we highly recommend it.  However, the most important thing we would recommend about a hotel or pension in Rome is to find one that is close to a Metro station, this will provide you with the necessary mobility in this magnificent city. 

    Transportation: As we were planning to stay for six days we purchased at the Metro station a Carta Integrata Settimanale for Euro 16.  This allowed us free access to the Metro and all city trams and buses for our complete stay.  One of our best purchases ever!  We recommend that you obtain this pass as well as a Roma Metro-Bus map for Euro 6, in any newsstand as a companion guide to the pass.  That’s all you need to move around besides your own two feet wearing the most comfortable shoes you may have.  Try to stay away from flip flops or high heels.  The streets and pavement in Rome are quite uneven without considering the ancient cobbled streets and water running from a myriad of fountains around the city.

    Security: In Rome, like any other large city, you may run the risk of being pick pocked if the basic security steps are not observed.  Never carry valuables in your back pockets, carry your bags closely held next to your body, leave what you don’t need in a safe deposit in your hotel, carry copies of your passport, never put a bag in the floor or in an empty chair while you dine (regardless of the type of restaurant).  Avoid strangers that approach you with a map or a book or any article trying to show or ask you something.  Stay always alert.  We never have had a problem in Rome regarding our security!

    Accept the fact that you are going to be surrounded by hundred of thousand people living and visiting Rome at the same time that you are there.  If you don’t like people in your pictures of buildings, plazas, parks, etc. you need patience and creativeness.

    Enjoy the food and don't be afraid to drink water from any of the running fountains in Rome.  The water is fresh and safe, unless there is a post indicating that it is not good for drinking.

    Also, be prepared for the fact that Rome is not a  cheap place to visit.

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    Each of the pictures appearing on this journal is individually explained in detail under the "My Photos" section. As an alternative you may click the photos appearing here for expanded information.

     

     

     

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  • 1 year ago
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• four days in italy

  • From: stareyedl
  • Description:

    before taking a week long cruise around the greek isles, i spent 4 days in italy - which, if you've ever been to italy, is equiviant to spending 4 minutes in italy.

    i flew to rome first, and met up with my sister and her fiance, who had been in rome for about 4 or 5 days already (the dollar being weak as it is over there, i couldn't afford to do a lengthy stay).  having been to italy once before, many years ago, i was fully prepared for the hell of termini station, but to my surprise, found that it wasn't as bad as i remembered it being.  but perhaps i was just having a good day.  my 60-euro-a-night hotel was about a block from the station, and when i say it was no frills, i mean it was NO frills.  but i was traveling alone, so i didn't need anything fancy.  my sister had rented a scooter, which i think was the best idea she's ever had (i still claim she stole it from me), and i was treated to the most thrilling and horrifying 20 minutes of my life.  if ever you find yourself on a scooter in rome, it's really best to do as the romans do.  driving in a safe, cautious manner is not an option in rome.  everyone in or on a motorized vehicle either has a death wish or has accepted their death and welcome it with open arms.  but it is by far the best way to get around the city, provided that you are ok with darting in and out of oncoming traffic and rubbing elbows with fellow scooter drivers.  it was, by far, the most fun i had on the trip, and it was basically the first 20 minutes of my trip.

    i literally was in rome for a day.  i scrapped my plans to see more than 3 things and set my sights on st. peter's, the palazzo barberini, and a small borromini chapel that i'd missed on my last trip.  palazzo barberini was surprisingly empty of tourists.  considering that i'd waited in line for nearly a half an hour to get into st. peter's, i expected there to be more people and was thrilled to find myself alone under the ceiling of pietro da cortana in the grand salon.  imagine, if you will, looking up at a slightly smaller sistene chapel ceiling, minus the noisy tourists snapping photos every 2 seconds.  i was quite free to lay down on a bench and spend about 20 minutes, just taking it all in.  it was really breathtaking, and i was glad i'd gone out of my way to get to the barberini palace.  the now museum also has a great art collection, and i even found myself looking into the eyes of henry the 8th, as his famed portrait hangs there.  i dragged my sister and her fiancee all over rome trying to locate the small sant ivo chapel by borromini, which we found after some circling the same block a few times.  it's a bit out of the way and not exactly a tourist hotspot, but i am a bit of an architecture nerd and have read up on borromini and was really looking forward to seeing this particular church...only to come all that way and find it closed.  pretty crushing blow, but i vowed to put it on the top of my list for the next trip.  but considering that it took me 6 years to get back to italy, it may be a while. 

     

    from rome we took the train to florence.  i stayed at a wonderful, wonderful, very small hotel quite literally in the piazza of maria del fiore, the cathedral of florence.  again, no frills, but the view from the window was frill enough for me.  i spent 2 nights there and each morning i was awakened at 8am (i would not reccommend this place for those who like to sleep in!) by the same bells that have sung to florence every morning for centuries.  i pretty much did my own thing during the day and met my sister and james at night for dinner, so my first afternoon i mostly just walked around, saying hello to all those incredible buildings i'd missed so much for the last 6 years.  (side note:  upon arrival in florence, i lugged my 50 pound suitcase up 5 flights of stairs only to find that the proprietor of my small but lovely hotel had stepped away for a meeting.  she did leave me a note and a phone number, and was back on the premises to let me in in a matter of about a half hour, but if you are staying at a small hotel in italy that you suspect is run by one or two people, and they say check in is until a certain time, they really mean it.  if your train is going to be late or you'll be arriving after their usual check in time, make sure you make arrangements to get in to your hotel.  otherwise...you'll end up sweaty and confused at the top of 5 flights of stairs, wondering what to do next!)  dinner the first night was awful...which was dissappointing after so much delicious food in rome (i was there for one night, but i ate about 6 times!)...but the gelato always seems to make things better! 

    most of my second day was spent on the phone with my bank.  turns out that despite calling to let them know i'd be abroad and asking them to put a note on my account, they went and froze my accounts anyway.  i managed to spend about 6 hours on the phone (you cannot imagine how livid i was at wasting one of my precious days in italy on the phone with a bank in the us!!!) and in internet cafes, trying to prove to someone 5,000 miles away that i am who i say i am.  i did manage to stop by the palazzo pitti (it's basically the versailles of florence) and have a delicious 4 euro sandwhich from a street vendor before the bank fiasco, so the day was not a total loss.  and i did also stop by santa maria novella and san lorenzo, both fantastic, very different churches.  for someone who is not very religious, i LOVE me some churches.  we crossed the arno and found some great pizza at an out of the way place for dinner before collapsing in exhaustion in our respective hotels.  (another side note:  sending a fax from italy to the us is NOT easy and i would not reccommend it.  if you are at a small hotel like i was, find an internet cafe and pray for the best)

    day four saw us get up early and, after i climbed all 463 steps to the top of the dome of santa maria del fiore before most folks were even awake, we headed to the train station to hop on the 3 hour train ride to venice.  don't eat train food, by the way.  it's not good.  trust me.  venice...ahhhh, venice.  i need a week, i need a month, i need a lifetime to describe such a city.  the best thing about venice, hands down, is getting lost in venice.  which is unavoidable.  just accept it.  it's going to happen.  we met up with my parents, who were accompanying us on our family cruise around the greek isles (the ship left out of and returned to venice) and we stumbled around venice, getting lost in the alleys, the art and the architecture.  nobody was about to spring for a gondola ride, so mostly we just watched other people empty out their wallets to hop on one for a half hour, and window shopped and walked until our feet couldn't walk anymore. 

    word to the wise:  don't attempt to get into the fenice opera house before 1 in the afternoon.  yeah, cause it's closed before that.  and after spending 2 hours trying to find it, to say we were bummed would be the understatement of the year.  but we had to board the ship before it would open...another thing to put on my list for next time.  my 4 days in italy went by in a blur.  the last time iwas here, i spent 4 incredible weeks in a summer semester, touring around, going to classes (when i felt like it, which was rare), and really soaking in the richness and beauty of italy and italian culture.  to spend 4 days there after 6 years away was simply not enough, but to have been able to spend 4 days there at all was more than enough to carry me through until i go back.  hopefully i won't go 6 years in between trips this time...

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  • 1 year ago
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