FRIDAY, JANUARY 15TH
An early start today. The obsessive compulsive in me made the itinerary with a 30 minute grace period for the 8am tour time. Not because I was told to do so, but because I didn't want to risk oversleeping. Leisurely, we rose at 6:45am, got ready and were out the door by about 7:15am. We even went as far as to stop at a vending machine for bottled water, and then a cappuccino and croissant stop....right next door to the meeting point. By all accounts, we were very early, yet somehow late at 7:50am when we walked into the meeting point destination. We were very graciously scolded and then shuffled to the Vatican entrance as quickly as possible. From our POV, we nailed it - avoided the awkward waiting around, "where are you from," "what brings you to Rome," and generally forced conversations with what was soon established as a pretty lame group overall. Instead, we jumped to the front of the line. Natural born leaders, I guess. The tour guide was incredible. An Italian-American native named Julius who had lived abroad for 42 years, first in Germany and now Rome. For over 3 hours he took us through the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, providing insights and personal anecdotes on all of ancient Rome's offerings. I could write ten blog entries on the historical figures involved alone, but they would not do the magnitude of the location - and it's aura - the credit it deserves. Something that needs to be seen to be believed, certainly.
After the Vatican tour wrapped, we made our way to St. Peter's Basilica, which is more or less connected. Holy. Shit. Balls. See what I did there?! I'm by no means the religious type, or a Catholic for that matter, but the architectural genius behind this structure stands alone. The cryptic vibe of the catacombs was icing on the cake - seeing an actual Pope's grave is pretty humbling to say the least.
An early start today. The obsessive compulsive in me made the itinerary with a 30 minute grace period for the 8am tour time. Not because I was told to do so, but because I didn't want to risk oversleeping. Leisurely, we rose at 6:45am, got ready and were out the door by about 7:15am. We even went as far as to stop at a vending machine for bottled water, and then a cappuccino and croissant stop....right next door to the meeting point. By all accounts, we were very early, yet somehow late at 7:50am when we walked into the meeting point destination. We were very graciously scolded and then shuffled to the Vatican entrance as quickly as possible. From our POV, we nailed it - avoided the awkward waiting around, "where are you from," "what brings you to Rome," and generally forced conversations with what was soon established as a pretty lame group overall. Instead, we jumped to the front of the line. Natural born leaders, I guess. The tour guide was incredible. An Italian-American native named Julius who had lived abroad for 42 years, first in Germany and now Rome. For over 3 hours he took us through the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, providing insights and personal anecdotes on all of ancient Rome's offerings. I could write ten blog entries on the historical figures involved alone, but they would not do the magnitude of the location - and it's aura - the credit it deserves. Something that needs to be seen to be believed, certainly.
After the Vatican tour wrapped, we made our way to St. Peter's Basilica, which is more or less connected. Holy. Shit. Balls. See what I did there?! I'm by no means the religious type, or a Catholic for that matter, but the architectural genius behind this structure stands alone. The cryptic vibe of the catacombs was icing on the cake - seeing an actual Pope's grave is pretty humbling to say the least.
Since we were not in the business of paying the Catholic church to listen to our sins, we made our way to a lunch spot called Trattoria da Luigi. We ordered the Capri de Bufala and prosciutto, then told our waiter to surprise us. We split a seafood rigatoni - with clams, prawns and the sweetest of lobster tails, as well as the Roma especiale, prochete - slow cooked pork tenderloin in olive oil and rosemary. This was different from what we had learned on the food tour - it was served hot out of the oven and bone in, as opposed to chilled and over bruschetta. After splitting a bottle of pinot nero, they topped us off with a healthy serving of limoncello and sent us on our way. Grazie!
Keeping with the walking theme of the day, Google Maps directed us right to the Pantheon. I can't even believe I'm making this comparison, but it did kind of remind me of Wrigley Field. Not the structure itself, which was beautiful, but the location. It is very literally located in the middle of a neighborhood. And while St. Peter's is on a whole other level, I prefer the practices of the Pantheon. I mean.... These are Gods that I can make sense of! Throw in the tomb of Raphael to feed my fascination for mortality, and this place lands at the top of my list of Roman attractions thus far.
After honoring the Gods, we crossed Piazza Navona and found a wine bar with outdoor seating and fancy fire heaters. Staying true to my heritage, I went for the most expensive wine by the glass from Sicilia. A whopping 15 euros worth! I did not regret it. Brandon, feeling like a local, went with the Campari and soda. Gross.
From there, we made our way to Trevi Fountain. Impressive, no doubt. A fountain on steroids, for sure, but... It's just another fountain. Or maybe I was jaded from the scale of everything else we saw today?! Worth seeing for the history and structure of it all, but I wouldn't plan your day around it.
To cap off the 10+ miles we walked today, we felt like a late afternoon coffee was in order. In what could have only been an attempt to impress the staff of Origano, Brandino ordered the espresso corretto without having any idea what liquor was actually included. The answer is sambuca, which he hates. As I gulped my whole milk cafe latte, the great Brandino struggled through his 1 oz pour of black licorice - but finished nonetheless. A real success story....
Did I mention we walked over 10+ miles today?! Our feet (and backs) were killing us, so we did choose a cab as a means of transportation for the dinner portion of the evening. Antica Pesa was recommended by a friend of a friend, who is from Rome and still has family here. There were definitely more Americans present than we would have liked, and they did just expand to open a restaurant in Brooklyn, but this place was absolutely legit. Plus, my celebrity doppelgänger, Jared Leto, was prominently displayed on the wall of fame - Win!
We shared an appetizer (that I, sadly, forgot to take a photo of until after it was gone) and then indulged in some pretty amazing pastas - the cacio pepe for me, and carbonara for Brandino. Both were as delicious as we had hoped! And because they forced it upon us, after also forcing us to order cocktails prior to bringing us the bottle of wine we had already ordered, we also had the short ribs as our secondi. I'm definitely not complaining, but man... Italians know how to eat.
We shared an appetizer (that I, sadly, forgot to take a photo of until after it was gone) and then indulged in some pretty amazing pastas - the cacio pepe for me, and carbonara for Brandino. Both were as delicious as we had hoped! And because they forced it upon us, after also forcing us to order cocktails prior to bringing us the bottle of wine we had already ordered, we also had the short ribs as our secondi. I'm definitely not complaining, but man... Italians know how to eat.
After hailing a cab with a 66 year old, disco loving Italian man - who spoke very little English, yet talked to us and danced the whole way home - we are now retiring to our bed, bringing our very successful full day #1 in Roma to an end (with night cap of Barolo in hand). Tomorrow is bound to be another great day of food and history, but without the early call time....
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