36 hours in Rome
We have really packed a lot into the last 36 hours. Yesterday after enjoying a welcome cappuccino at the Lumen Bar at our hotel, we stashed our stuff in the room and hit the road. First we went to have a look at the Porta Maggiore and the Tomb of the Baker. The six aqueducts that run through the Porta Maggiore come from a maximum of about 62 miles a way. Simply amazing! We will post some videos from these sites soon.
Porta Maggiore
Aqueducts leaving heading into Rome from the Porta Maggiore
Next we walked to the Colloseum seeing a few other sites like the Ludus Magnus on the way.
Then we walked through the adorable neighborhood of Monti. It's full of unique shops, charming streets, and great food. We opted for some Roman Pizza a Taglio, supli, and arabcini. Highly recommend Pizzeria Boccaccia! Grab some pizza and stand at one of the tables outside.
In the afternoon we had siesta then ventured back out to the Pincio for passegiata (the evening walk before dinner). The Pincio is a park just outside the ancient walls of Rome on a hill overlooking the city. As it was Sunday it was filled with Italian families having an afternoon together.
After watching the sun dip behind the horizon and hearing the pappagalli chirping away, we headed down to Piazza del Poppolo for an aperitivo at Hotel del Russie. The garden was stunning and the drinks cane with so many snacks we didn't even really need dinner.
We finished off our first day in Rome with a glass of Barolo for Sara and Brunello for Colin a long with some Steak Tartar. It was a great first day!
Tartare di manzo at Lumen Bar.
Our second day started with exploring to of the earlier churches in Rome. Santa Maria Maggiore, established around 450 AD and San Celement at which the earlier basilica dates to the 12th century. The fifth-century mosaics telling the tale of Moses parting the Red Sea and other Old Testament tales in Santa Maria Maggiore were amazing. We also saw a piece of wood purportedly from the manger Christ was placed in.
On the way to San Clemente, Colin relived his backpacking days stopping to check out Casa Olmata and the Fiddler’s Elbow.
At San Celemente the highlight was seeing the Mithraeum that was added in the second century AD to a first century AD house. Then we walked to Testaccio and had lunch at Salumeria Volpetti near the old meat market. Monte Testaccio with it's mountain of oil amphora shards was cool to see although it seems neither of us took a picture. Salmueria Volpetti had some lovely cheeses and charcuterie. We tried a parmigiano, pecorino sardo, gorgonzola dolce, and a cheese flavored with saffron and peppercorns. This was served with Prosciutto, Coppa, and Mortadella with pistachios. We also, important for Colin, saw a fire station or stationed Vigili del Fuoco.
Before dinner we had a passegiata through Monti, where most of the locals were finishing their aperitif at bars near the main square. Colin got to see another fire station. We then finished our time in Rome with dinner in Monti at La Taverna dei Monti. Colin had Tonarelli Cacio e Pepe and Sara had Bucatini Amatriciana. We shared some fried shrimps and squid and a salad. It was a nice little dinner and we would definitely recommend this restaurant for it's handling of the classic Roman pastas (although Amatriciana is technically from Amatrice). We capped the night off with gelato from The Gelatist. It did not disappoint.
