Day 0-1: Rome
“Self-consciousness kills communication.”
― Rick Steves
We were close to the action; you can see the Vatican City wall at the top of the Via Tunisi steps. The Hotel Museum is a local family-owned enterprise and has a warm, intimate ambiance.
Day 0 / Hello Rome
Parli L’ Inglese?
We arrived in Rome a full day before the tour began to get better acclimated and get our bearings before our tour group met the following day. It was early in the morning, so we took a taxi from the Aeropuerto Fumiccino and just barely beat the traffic to our hotel.
The Hotel Museum kept our luggage for us and prepared our rooms before the check-in time. We knew that the receptionist spoke English, but we always ask in Italian if the locals speak English to lubricate the communication. When they don’t, it often becomes a warm-hearted exchange with comedic gesturing and smiling.
The Italians warm up to you immediately if you try to speak to them in Italian. “Try” is the operative word here as I mangled the words. Italians expect you to greet them before you ask for something. A smile and little dumb courage will help.
Buon giorno, vorremmo un po’ di gelato per favore?
We stopped at a gelato shop down the street to practice my very basic Italian that I crammed for in the past month.
Possiamo mangiare qui?
We skipped lunch since our daily rhythms were still out of whack and took siestas. I compiled a list of restaurants in the area that was well recommended online. Much to our chagrin, they were not open yet! Italians eat dinner late compared to Americans. We prowled the streets with our stomachs making sounds. We found a corner restaurant still preparing for the evening a few blocks from the hotel.
The wait staff smiled and were accommodating. When I asked in Italian if we could eat there, they did not turn us away. The wait staff was putting out sample dishes, and the smells were intoxicating. Having traveled before, we were wary of restaurants that have their menus on large signs in English, but this place was excellent.
The highlight of our meal was the bruschetta. All the ingredients were not baked or cooked like we often do in the States, but fresh with locally grown ingredients. We missed how Italians eat!
Bruschetta!
The ricotta cheese on the bruschetta tasted light, fresh, and not overly salted.
Molto bene!
The gelato flavors had a rich, pleasant smell, and the flavors struck different areas of the tongue; I mixed pistachio and raspberry - my favorite flavors. Perfetto!
Aperol Liqueur
Aperol is an Italian aperitif that has an orange and mandarin sweetness balanced with bitter herbs. New flavors to savor.
Si, siamo pazzi amerikani!
(We are crazy Americans!)
With our bellies full and satisfied, we decided to walk without a map to see where the moment would take us. We walked for a few hours and eventually ended up on the Viale Milizie, a boulevard street full of restaurants, stores, and espresso bars. It was after 7 pm, and the Romans were having their cena (dinner). After a day's work, there was the pleasant hum of city folk blowing off steam and having fun.
We walked by an espresso bar with a crowd of men in uniform that spilled onto the sidewalk. They were having shots of all kinds of liqueur. There must have been 100 kinds, and they lined two walls of an espresso bar that served mainly alcoholic drinks. We asked the bartender what the Romans drank after dinner. She spoke more English than we did Italian, so we had a chat about this and that, complete with comical gesturing.
We had a few shots of Aperol, the popular aperitif of locals, and somehow in the conversation, I said, “Si, Siamo Pazzi Amerikan!” (Yes, we are crazy Americans!) The bartender laughed, and we were overheard by the soldiers who started talking to us. Yes, we come from Chicago, the land of Al Capone. Our adventure started with a bang, and the official tour hadn’t even started.
Day 1: Strolling Rome
Excitement
“I’m sure when they partied when Rome was burning, that was a really great party.”
— Adam McKay
Promptly at 3 pm, our tour group of 28 people met on the Hotel Museum's rooftop terrace and introduced ourselves. We came from all over the States, and there was a nice mix of ages. There were newbies and seasoned travelers. Several people took several Rick Steves Tours before — one lady had been on six tours. There was a palpable excitement in the air after our host, Colleen, introduced herself, and she was cordial about the ground rules we would follow to make for a smooth and pleasant tour for everyone. Clear boundaries - good.
“Oh Rome! my country! city of the soul! “
—Lord Byron
For architects all over the world, a trip to Italy is a pilgrimage to an undying legacy. I design in a contemporary style, and yet the basic principles of architecture are the same.
We are indebted to Rome:
Most of the language we speak every day has Greco-Roman roots.
Look at the heart of many American cities, and many civic buildings are modeled explicitly after classical temples.
We borrowed and built on the Roman legal system; think of the often mentioned legal statement “quid pro quo” nowadays.
As a group, Eva and I would steal glances at each other throughout our first walk, thinking how thrilling Rome is.
Sorriso (smile)!
Eva goes crazy with her camera on the Spanish Steps. So many great views and people-watching. Someone walked down the steps fully naked. It was some art performance.
Colleen
Colleen is our tour host. She is a charming, petite, classy lady with a soothing alto timbre. Every morning she would post our daily schedule. She would have quotes and would often post what was exactly in the multi-course feast we would have that day.
The Twilight Walk
It was a chilly, overcast afternoon and evening in the 60s as we meandered through the heart of Rome. Layering light clothing makes the most sense when traveling because you don’t know what you will encounter.
Every time I go to Rome, it is always like the first time. Rome was the center of the ancient world, and you can feel the gravity of this in your bones. You see the complex history in the ancient stonework scattered everywhere, from shard-like ruins to the hallowed monuments that mark western civilization.
Cool air, hot pink azaleas
The Spanish Steps bloomed with neon-colored azaleas for Spring. There were just enough people to make it pleasantly vibrant but not congested. On the lower plaza is the “Fountain of the Old Boat” by Pietro Bernini. It was challenging to design because, unlike other parts of Rome supplied by ancient viaducts, water pressure here was low. The fountain has only two spouts. They shoot sideways, not up.
The First Feast
An exclusive vintage
The family owner of the Ristorante Origani picked out the vintage for us.
Origano is a 4-½ star restaurant off the Campo di Fiori and is locally-owned. Colleen had established a relationship with the owner that spans decades (by the way, Colleen met them when she was a baby - tee-hee. They gave us a multi-course meal that was not on the menu. We got loud. Luckily we had our room in the back, hovered over by the owner.
Gentle taps with the bumper
This scene was right in front of our restaurant. It is expert Roman parking where every square inch of the street is used. Everyone drives small clown cars (teehee) in the city.
Late Night Stroll
My favorite time to visit the Piazza Navona is at night when there are hardly any people in the square. I soaked in the crisp winter chill and quiet after our boisterous group meal together.
The Romans have turned even the “Sunday stroll” into an art form. The “Passeggiata” is the best way to see and be seen. The Piazza Navona is the perfect background because of its racetrack shape, the sound of splashing water, and the theatrical nature of its twisting, almost overwrought sculpture.
“Rome is a very loony city in every respect. One needs but spend an hour or two there to realize that Fellini makes documentaries.”
—Fran Lebowitz, Photographer
The Trevi Fountain shows up unexpectedly as you wind your way through the streets of Rome. The famous scene in which Marcello Mastroianni kisses a very ample, wet Anita Ekberg took place here. Wading in the fountain is not permitted today, but “La Dolce Vita!” by Federico Fellini symbolizes the Italian panache for living even today. Aah, the sweet life.la
By the way, throwing coins into the fountain was started by German intellectuals in the 19th century as a pagan rite offering tribute to the gods. The water was glistening and glowing with a light aqua color.