29 October, 2024
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| St Peter's by morning |
When I began planning for this trip I wanted to maximize our experience in Rome, given the time we had available. I called our wonderful friend
Henrietta Ferguson and asked for her help. We met Henrietta in 2007 when she guided us on an amazing tour of Oxford College and Blenheim Palace. We found her listed as a "Harry Potter" specialist, and we thought that connection would be an excellent way to engage our kids (13 and 11 at the time) and draw them in to the long history represented by the buildings and institutions we were visiting. Six years later Henrietta helped our daughter plan her senior research project on Henry VIII and the Tudors. (An extensive trip that we haven't managed to backtrack and fill-in – fortunately I have LOTS of notes to help when I make it to that spot on the timeline.) During that trip, in 2014, we met Henrietta's family and our friendship was cast. In the years since we have visited London several times, and Henrietta's family has been our guest at the beach. She is beyond compare both professionally and personally. The old saying "you get what you pay for" was never truer than when applied to a bespoke tour from Henrietta Ferguson Tours.
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| Cinquecento & Me |
In an effort to overcome jet lag I thought we should spend most of the day outside, exposed to sunlight, but doing something that didn't require a lot of energy or effort. Henrietta responded to that thought/request with a personalized driving tour in an antique Fiat 500 – simply "Cinquecento" to Italians. Fair warning, the original Fiat 500 is significantly smaller than the current Fiat 500 model. For reference, I'm 5' 9" tall...
Alessandra picked us up in the lobby of our hotel at the appointed time, we loaded into the car and began our tour of Rome. With a whopping 18 hp and a 0-50 time of just under 36 seconds you don't need to be concerned about acceleration whiplash. Alessandra is a delightful lady, full of energy and information with a radiant smile; her English is excellent with a delightful Italian accent.
Our first stop was Piazzale Giuseppe Garibaldi, the highest point in Rome. We parked and walked around the plaza, taking in the views from the Passeggiata del Gianicolo and enjoying the wonderful weather. We departed the plaza and continued over the hill, looping around past the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola and over to Via Nicolò Piccolomini to see the anamorphic illusion of St Peter's Dome. After driving up and down the via a few times we retraced our route, headed for the Piazza Fiorenzo Fiorentini.
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| Basilica di Santa Sabina |
There we saw our first Roman fountain and our first ring-necked parakeets. We also experienced another anamorphic illusion. This Piazza is just up the block from the Aventine Keyhole, where you can see two nation-states and one country in a single view. As you peer through the keyhole you see an extra-territorial state belonging to the Knights of Malta, which was granted status in the 1100's. While it is within Italy, it is not legally part of Italy. Then you see Italy with the Dome of St Peter's Basilica in the distance, which is in Vatican City, which is a nation-state and also not Italy, despite being in Italy. We visited the Basilica di Santa Sabina all'Aventino, one of the oldest churches in Rome, built between 422 and 440. We drank from the fountain before folding ourselves back in the Cinquecento and zipping off through town, past the Basilica Papale di San Paolo Fuori le Mura (The Basilica of St Peter Outside the Walls) – one of the four major Papal Basilicas, and on to our next stop, Parco Centrale del Lago, for a bit of refreshment. After a short break we wound our way through afternoon traffic, back to our hotel, and bid Alessandra a fond arrivederci. I spent most of the return trip trying to reserve a table for dinner at several different restaurants, none of which produced results. I spotted a couple of restaurants near our hotel earlier in the day when I went to the ATM, so we decided to give one of them a go. Despite a relatively short day we were still struggling and the path of least resistance seemed the wise choice.
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| Amatriciana |
We walked around the corner from the hotel and surveyed menus and we parried the sidewalk salesmen. (First rule of the Rome restaurant scene – good restaurants don't have people pulling customers off the street.) Our selection was Ristrot San Pietro, which we found to be surprisingly good. One of the nearby tables was occupied by an older couple who appeared to be regulars, based on their interaction with staff. I took this as a sign that it wasn't purely a tourist trap. We ordered a bruschetta appetizer that turned out to be one of the better examples that we've ever eaten. Not the best, but definitely in the top five. Our selections for mains were carbonara and amatriciana – both of which were properly sauced and quite tasty. Portions were hefty by European standards, but not excessive. Service was reasonable, but not spectacular. The servers were easily distracted by trying to fill empty tables with passers-by. While there are many amazing restaurants to choose from in Rome, if you find yourself without a reservation this establishment is a good selection as a bail-out spot.
