So the first night, we took a leisurely stroll through Trastevere, ran into Camille by school, and had some quintessential Italian dinner. The pizza was delicious, as always, but more than anything, Mom loved the bruschetta, fiori di zucca, and wine - I think she enjoyed the proof that wine really is cheaper than water!!
The next day we hit the ground running with the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. The weather was great and the Colosseum often closes when it rains due to flooding, so I wanted to make sure that we were able to get that in. There were, of course, lots of people, but it was really cool to be able to see the inside of the Colosseum with my own eyes - it is indeed quite massive.
Having spent a good 2 hours being touristy, we decided it was time to take a break and find some lunch. This time Mom and Dad were introduced to Italian pasta. It was all very tasty and provided some much needed fuel.
Next we made our way to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum by way of the Arch of Constantine.
We took a leisurely, although somewhat abbreviated, stroll through the Palatine before making our way to the Forum. Mom was, going in, just about ready to call it day, but upon entering was very happy see a much more natural setting. Excavations date settlements back to about 1000 B.C., and, perhaps even more significantly, Palatine Hill is believed to be the site where Remus and Romulus were found with the she-wolf. (INSERT LINK TO LEGEND HERE??) And, of course, being 1 of the 7 hills of Rome, there are some pretty good views.
Having taken in the city views, we made our way back down the hill and into the Roman Forum. What was, at one time, the center of Roman life, is now, in places, not much more than piles of granite that used to be columns and buildings. Nonetheless, with the Arch of Titus and the Basilica of Constantine, it is not difficult to imagine what the Roman Forum once was. A literal walk through centuries old history - very cool!
Sunday, we made the mandatory reservation and visited the Borghese Gallery - this was on the top of Mom's list of things to do in Rome. They only allow 200 people in at a time in 2-hour windows. We saw a lot of Caravaggio and Bernini, but most of all we walked away with the sense that Borghese had way too much money - even in his day.
Finally, on our way back to Trastevere, Dad wanted gelato, so I figured that I should start them out right and let their first gelato experience be at Giolitti's. Being the most famous gelateria in all of Rome, it was, as it so often is, crazy busy. A little experience will go a long way though. With that amount of people it is fairly similar to Ivar's (for those that will understand the reference) - no real line, make your way to the counter, tell them what you want, and they'll get you out of there in a snap. While I will say that Giolitti's is not really superior to any other gelato I've had, it is worth it for the experience, and it definitely never disappoints. So, with our gelato in hand, we slowly made our way back to Trastevere.
Monday, I had class and a presentation, so we decided to meet up around lunch time in Piazza Santa Maria - an easy to find mid-way point with one of the oldest churches in all of Rome. From there we decided to walk to Vatican City, have lunch, and go in Saint Peter's Basilica. I've done the entire Vatican experience myself, but Saint Peter's in absolutely incredible and wanted to go back, so I was happy to lead the way.
To wrap up the week, I had class all day Tuesday, so I sent Mom and Dad to the Vatican Museum - definitely an all day thing. They said they were exhausted by the time they made it back to their B&B, as they should be, but were glad they were able to see it all. I met them for dinner and we decided to stay in and watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Wednesday was another somewhat lazy day, I was to meet them at their B&B following class, but ran into them in Piazza S. Maria. They'd been out exploring the Jewish Ghetto and found an Irish Pub of all things, so we made our way back for lunch. As unexciting as it may be, we then headed back to the B&B to relax for a little while. Eventually we decided to do a night walk across Rome. We took the bus to the Spanish Steps (they had yet to see them), walked over to Trevi Fountain, and planned on making our way back to Campo de Fiori for dinner at La Carbonara - the restaurant that invented Carbonara. However, we ran into a fellow SMC student and Seattlite at Trevi with her parents and decided to have dinner with them instead. I think Jillian and I both found it somewhat funny, but all in all it was a lot of fun - a little PNW time in the heart of Roma!!
Thanksgiving I will save for a separate blog. So far, busy busy busy in Rome, but it's fun to see the parentals and be able to show them around. And low and behold, even though she thought otherwise, Mom is getting her bearings in the city and is learning her way around - BENE!!
Ciao, ciao!!
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