Corona Virus in Rome

People are reaching out to me multiple times a day concerned about me here in Italy. So I just need to say, I’m fine. It’s not anything like the media has been describing. Though it might become that way soon; that’s actually changing while I’m writing this, so I’ll tack that on the end.

Italy is doing a pretty damn good job, IMO. There is honestly no other country I would rather be living in during this.

Tuesday all of Italy entered a “Lockdown” — as multiple English language headlines called it. A misleading term to say the least. It implies we’re all quarantined, and in fact Colbert and others started calling it a nation-wide quarantine shortly after. This is not the case, though as I mentioned, a new law today might change that.

As of yesterday, we’re just supposed to stay in our “community” and be able to justify travel between regions. Work is a justification, for example. Additionally, some “common sense” rules. School closures have been extended. Clubs are closed. Businesses are to minimize crowds.

For a while here the virus has been a major topic of conversation. Not panicked, just everyone was very aware. Though we were also still saying goodbye with a kiss on each cheek at the end of those conversations.

Now everyone is actually making adjustments to their lives. But I have to say– it’s not that bad! These “inconveniences” are things I would put up with if they even saved one life. At this point all we can do is slow the spread; doing so will save lives.

Businesses minimizing crowds

This means people wait outside the grocery store so it’s not crowded inside. Quite the visual, but then you don’t wait at the cashier, so it’s not that bad. And appointment businesses are to stagger appointments to avoid crowds in waiting rooms.

Yesterday (Wednesday) I was at the dentist. I was the only one there (plus the dentist and hygienist). Normally there are a few people in the large waiting room. Tomorrow I had a chiropractor appointment at 9. He moved me to 10:30 for the new staggered schedule. Frankly, he is always running very behind so this is a positive for me, haha. I also have a consultation Friday; that one looks like it will move to Skype. I had my nails done Tuesday. Most people’s arms are not long enough to keep the recommended 2 meters apart. So they gave everyone a mask at the door and no one inside ever lowered or removed their mask.

Still imagining me locked in my apartment? We also went on a picnic Monday. We are not under quarantine. But I’ve still never been within 2 meters of any human outside my family without them wearing a mask (I can hardly wear a mask myself at the dentist).

School closures

The change that affects me most (by a mile) is the schools being closed. I now have two small children to entertain all day. And I have to feed them all their meals! Che palle! I miss the hours I could expect them to be under their teachers care and plan non-mom tasks. And I miss knowing they were eating healthy 4-course lunches that I didn’t have to cook. I miss how much easier they were to entertain at home when they hadn’t already been home all day (for days in a row).

Still, as my kids are 1 and 4, this just puts me on level with every American mom who is stuck with their little angels until they can go to kindergarten at age 5.

Corona virus in Italy

My husband, an ICU nurse, has been following every minute update for months. He’s normally not one to be particularly glued to his phone, but he is these days. As such, I’m about as informed as any non-virologist out there. He’ll tell me about new studies published the day before over breakfast. Then I see the same thing on Twitter that night. I. Am. Informed. If information is more that 24hrs old, don’t bother sending it to me, I’ve seen it.

A summary of the outbreak in Italy

In January, we had 3 cases. A couple from China on a bus tour and one of the passengers on the government flight evacuating Italian Nationals from China. Later an additional single case on a second evacuation flight. The evacuees are not interesting because they got it in China and were quarantined the second they set foot back in Italy.

The bus tour couple was cared for here in Rome. The rest of the bus was quarantined in an out-of-use hospital that was converted for them; no others got sick; they’re all home now. The couple are still recovering here but doing well.

Yes, it takes that long. If you think it would be better to get it now before the peak, you’re wrong. Get it now and you will still be sick at the peak.

Back to the history summary. We went a month with just that one couple. During that time anyone who even sneezed and had any connection to them (e.g. was in the same hotel, even a different floor) was tested. Anyone with cold symptoms and an Asian face was tested. Anyone with cold symptoms that could claim any connection to Asia was tested.

Then everything changed the weekend of February 22. In a day we went from 4 to 11 cases. By Monday, 124.

These were all in small towns in the north. One town at the center of the outbreak is Vo’ Euganeo, a small town of 3k people in Veneto near Venice. The other is Codogno in Lombardia near Milan. These new cases didn’t have any connection to China. In Vo’ Euganeo none of the 3k residents had any connection to China. It was obvious the virus had been circulating and was estimated to be the 3rd or so generation.

The government reacted quickly. Venice carnevale (a big deal, possibly the most famous carnevale celebration after Rio) was cancelled. Fat Tuesday was February 25, so we’re talking very short notice. Schools all over the north closed — including for my poor pregnant sister in-law with her not-one-to-sit-still-at-home toddler.

Experts continue to try to track infection for the sake of understanding this new virus. For example, in that little town of 3k people they tested every soul to understand it better (89 were positive, that number has stayed stable). But now the focus has shifted from following the chain to slowing the spread.

Since that carnevale weekend, things have basically been growing at the expected exponential rate. Anyone who is calls Italy a “failure” is not particularly informed. Here you can see a table of cases in Italy compared to Germany, offset by 8 days. The missing numbers for Germany since that table was made are: March 9: 1224, March 10: 1565, March 11: 1966. They are exactly following our numbers.

Source: https://twitter.com/henrikenderlein/status/1236748772455170049?s=19

Someone also made it a chart and included more countries. You can see every western country is basically doing the same.

Source article: https://www.ft.com/content/a26fbf7e-48f8-11ea-aeb3-955839e06441
Source image: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ES31or1UYAEY3Ih.jpg

Note, the growth is exponential while the lines are straight because the y-axis of that chart is on a logarithmic scale. That means it is increasing by a multiple (in this case 10) rather than a number. The bottom of the chart is 100, halfway is 1,000, the top is 10,000. If your rusty on logarithmic and exponential growth and how they graph, this video is a nice refresher. And even if you’re not rusty, it’s a lovely visualization that makes a satisfying watch.

https://kottke.org/20/03/exponential-growth-and-epidemics

Back to the summary of what has been happening in Italy.

For a while the outbreak kept itself largely to the north. And the situation sounds much more dire there. We had a few cases here in Rome. On March 4th the city announced that all schools would be closed starting March 5th until at least the 15th.

Then Tuesday (March 10th), the so-called “Lockdown” went into effect nation wide. It was partially leaked and there was some panicking Monday night from people who thought it was going to be an actual quarantine.

There have also been prison riots. I confess I have not been following those stories. I believe the first ones were protesting limits to visits. I assume now it’s the opposite, that the prisoners are afraid they are primed for an outbreak and won’t get access to care.

Wednesday (between me starting this and uploading it) a new law went into effect which is much closer to a nation-wide quarantine. We’re really supposed to stay home now — except for work, medical reasons, or to buy necessities. Businesses are closed except those selling said necessities: supermarkets, pharmacies, Tabacchi, and some others. And only one person from the household is supposed to do that shopping. There are various restrictions on cars designed to limit travel.

I just got my nails done in the nick of time! My chiropractor appointment was cancelled. We’re not supposed to go outside for non necessities. It’s not clear if airing out children qualifies. We’re going to keep bringing them outside once a day at least to the building courtyard or roof or linger for a bit on the way to their Nonni. Places where there isn’t another soul anywhere near.

For our family, I believe our biggest risk factor is the same as it was before: getting it from Daniele. At the start, about 10% of infected in Italy were healthcare workers. Now it’s 13%. Maybe that number is inflated because it’s more clear when they’ve been exposed and they are tested. But either way.

As for us infecting other people… The vast majority of people that the girls and I interact with are from school. For them, their classmates. For us, their teachers or the other parents for a coffee after drop off. So that’s stopped. I stoped going to my co-working space a little while back. I normally would see my chiropractor twice a month, my manicurist once a month, and most weeks some other appointment (dentist, electrician, etc) — that’s all on pause and (stiff neck aside) I won’t miss those. Daniele normally does the shopping and I mostly keep in touch with friends on Slack, WhatsApp, Skype, and Hangouts for years now. I don’t interact with a lot of people in my normal life, and these small changes have effectively made it 0 outside Daniele, the girls, and Daniele’s parents. The x-factor here is my in-laws who could more-or-less be considered part of our nuclear family. I believe they are being more careful now for the sake of the girls, but I don’t know everything they do.

These changes from yesterday are pretty “drastic”. But it’s still not that big a deal. It’s not that different from when we keep the kids home for a cold normally. Frankly, its easier than being snowed in after a blizzard (we have power, we can go to the store). And it’s much easier than the extended power outages and fuel shortages in NJ after Sandy (what I time for me to go home for a visit!).

The Italian health care system

Switching gears back to Italy. Italy has a very good health care system. I’ve been living here 10 years — through surgeries and baby deliveries and plenty of preventative care. I get better care here than I did back in California with my fancy Adobe health insurance that even paid for massages in full (if done at my chiropractor’s office).

When people say Italy has one of the best health care systems in the world, it’s actually true. The best jobs in Italy are government jobs. And the best position for a doctor (or nurse) is a contract with the public healthcare system. So by having the best doctors, the public system keeps from being a system for the poor. There is a parallel private system. We sometimes use it because it’s not that expensive and the experience is what I imagine celebrities get in the US. Some public hospital doctors keep a private office one day a week (my gynecologist does this). But if the richest man in Italy needed bypass surgery, he’s having it done at a hospital (every hospital is public even the Catholic ones).

The situation in Italy

I’m pretty aware of the situation in Rome because of Daniele. For what’s happening in the North, I only have the same news and doctor Facebook posts that everyone else does.

Rome is nothing like what the doctors are describing up North. Just like NJ is not like Seattle (yet). Every US news story that describes the situation “in Italy” based on the doctors up north are misrepresenting us, IMO.

How is it possible to be fine here and a “war” up there?

Supplies are owned by the regions. I’m in Lazio (central Italy), Tuscany is directly north of here (where Florence is). Lombardi (Milan) and Veneto (Venice) are way up North. So while we’re sharing… Rome’s not about to give them everything just like the rest of the US isn’t offering everything to Seattle.

Couldn’t we at least move them to our empty hospitals? Nope. The pneumonia you get from corona is serious enough that patients can not be moved 5hrs away.

The response in Rome

Here in Rome the plan is to dedicate entire hospitals as either corona hospitals or clean hospitals. The first corona dedicated hospital has already been completely evacuated and has about 100 corona virus patients. This is almost all of Lazio’s infected; a few can not be transported. The second corona hospital is currently in the process of completely evacuating the normal patients.

Daniele works in the ICU of Ospedale San Giovanni, which for now is dedicated clean. There is a plan for converting more clean hospitals as needed.

If you come to the San Giovanni ER as a potential corona patient, you are sent to a temporary structure that’s tented and all the staff are in full gear. There you will be screened (temperature, chest x-ray, etc) and probably tested. If you’re in critical condition, you’ll be treated in an isolated area.

For non critical patients, the tests can take a day to come back. If you are not in critical condition and you live alone, you’ll optionally be sent home on quarantine. They add your info to an app where you check in every day. You can stay home using the app while “healthy” even after testing positive. If that’s not practical for you, you get a bed in that temporary structure. If positive, you’ll go to a dedicated corona hospital.

If you come to San Giovanni with something like a broken leg, you are sent to the regular old ER. The staff here are still in full protective gear. You’re screened just the same. Assuming no fever or anything, you proceed through the process as normal (just getting you temperature taken more). If you need surgery, there will be more screening than normal, specifically a CT scan.

Staff outside the ER like Daniele, who works in a sub-department of the ICU for post-surgery patients, wear more protective hear than they used to (masks and goggles) but not the whole suit that the ER wears.

That’s where we are now.

However, exponential growth means things aren’t just changing quickly, the rate of change itself is increasing. Before February 22, our only cases were still just that one Chinese couple. Our schools closed March 5th. The first official nation-wide restrictions were put into law March 10. Then March 12 every non-essential business was closed.

There is nothing unique about Italy. There has been no particular failure of the government here. Granted, that’s cheeky of me to say when people have died. But I think there would have been riots if they had tried to close everything down sooner (or it would have just been ignored).

So to reiterate, we have actually had to make some drastic changes in the past few days. But other than getting less kid-free time, my life has not actually changed much.

Places to Eat in Rome

I’ll try to keep adding to this list!

Link to Map:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1P1Jw9O0bzdJ4isxCdhm2SWccvx-wTkXl&usp=sharing


Breakfast
In Our Neighborhood

Underground Caffe
Right in front of the Ponte Lungo metro entrance (at Via Gela and Appia Nuovo).
Has seating.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d3958168-Reviews-Underground_Caffe-Rome_Lazio.html

Bar Rio
Just around the corner the other direction, at Via Tuscolana and Via Saluzzo.
Smaller, more traditional quick cafe taken at the bar style place.
https://goo.gl/maps/UKjosRj5f8U2

La Cannoleria Siciliana
A little farther, at Piazza Re Di Roma. Also a pastry shop, so sweets do not sell out like a regular bar. They are slightly more expensive, but carry cornetti with almond, hazelnut, or pistachio cream filling — very special even in Italy and highly recommended!
https://www.lacannoleriasiciliana.it/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d6019795-Reviews-La_Cannoleria_Siciliana-Rome_Lazio.html


Lunch / Dinner
In Our Neighborhood

Pizzeria dal Bersagliere
One of Rome’s best pizzerias is very close. Wood oven pizza is normally only for dinner, and that’s the case with this place, too. Very casual (slow service).
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d4088176-Reviews-Pizzeria_Dal_Bersagliere-Rome_Lazio.html

Dar Bruttone
Roman style dishes.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d1164091-Reviews-Dar_Bruttone-Rome_Lazio.html

Trattoria Re Di Roma
Roman style dishes.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d2321865-Reviews-Trattoria_Re_di_Roma-Rome_Lazio.html

Locanda Rigatoni
By San Giovanni cathedral. They are delicious.
Right now if you make a reservation via The Fork website you get 1/2 off your total — which is a real steal.
https://m.thefork.it/it_IT/restaurant/locanda-rigatoni/65950

Pizzeria Sanremo
Pizza and Kebab. Few tables but mostly to-go. Open all day. Great pizza by the slice or round pizza to order. Falafel and kebab also good.
https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d10438828-Reviews-Pizzeria_Sanremo-Rome_Lazio.html

Re Di Roma Pizza – La Casa del Supplì
Pizzeria at Piazza Re Di Roma. Tables, but no table service.
Famous for their suppli (fried rice balls). Besides pizza, there is a good selection of other ready foods.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d3190881-Reviews-Re_di_Roma_Pizza-Rome_Lazio.html


Lunch / Dinner
Outside Our Neighborhood

La Villetta dal 1940
Near the Piramide Metro. Famous for Roman food (you could bump into an Italian celebrity or soccer player here). Highly recommend the pasta (but don’t get pizza here).
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d802331-Reviews-La_Villetta_dal_1940-Rome_Lazio.html

Il Margutta
High quality vegetarian place between the Spanish Steps and Piazza Popolo.
This is vegetarian food than anyone can appreciate.
They do a buffet for lunch and regular menu ordering for dinner.
http://www.ilmargutta.bio/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d787973-Reviews-Il_Margutta-Rome_Lazio.html

Mò Mò Republic
Very chic with great prices. Great both for pizza, pasta, or less carb-heavy second courses.
http://www.momorepublic.it/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d909328-Reviews-Mo_Mo_Republic-Rome_Lazio.html

Krishna 13
Indian near Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d1888163-Reviews-Krishna_13-Rome_Lazio.html


Happy Hour / “Aperitivo”
In Our Neighborhood

BRILÒ food & drink ROMA
Large Aparitivo (“Apericena”) farther down Via Appia Nuovo https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d6131965-Reviews-Brilo_Food_Drink-Rome_Lazio.html

Happy Hour / “Aperitivo”
Outside Our Neighborhood

In July and August: The Expo
A collection of temporary pubs, restaurants, and vendors along the tevere river bed.
Only in the summer.
Centered around the Tiburtina Island
http://www.lungoiltevereroma.it/

Momart
Very large Aparitivo (“Apericena”) near Piazza/Metro Bologna.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d793586-Reviews-Momart_Cafe-Rome_Lazio.html


Sweets
In Our Neighborhood

La Cannoleria Siciliana
Mentioned above. A full pastry shop at Piazza Re Di Roma

Procopio Gelateria
Piazza Re di Roma

Il Gelato Tentatore
Farther down Appia Nuova, near Happia Shopping Mall

Gelateria I Caruso
Gelateria inside Happio Shopping Center

Pasticceria Antonetti
More Roman style pastries (not the Naples or Sicily ones you might expect). Cookies and the typical dessert of the current season.
https://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d7285536-Reviews-Antonetti_Michele-Rome_Lazio.html


Sweets
Outside Our Neighborhood

Gelarmony
Gelato and pastry off Via Cola di Rienzo, near metro Lepanto.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d3873210-Reviews-Gelarmony-Rome_Lazio.html

Della Palma
Gelato near the Pantheon. Many flavors… a sight to see!
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d1011663-Reviews-Della_Palma-Rome_Lazio.html

La Casa Del Caffè Tazza D’oro
Famous coffee near the Pantheon.
I recommend the “granita di caffe” (an espresso italian ice)
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d1508983-Reviews-La_Casa_del_Caffe_Tazza_d_Oro-Rome_Lazio.html


Grocery
In Our Neighborhood

Todis
Open 27/7. Right by Tuscolana station.

Conad
More “brands”. Two nearby locations.


Grocery
Outside Our Neighborhood

Castroni (two locations)
Great for gifts.
http://www.castroni.it/

 

Sardinia Summer 2017

We just came back from 12 days in Sardinia with baby Aurora and my parents.

Here are the pictures:
https://goo.gl/photos/yTBhXhAzRZpmiUwz8

My parents wanted to visit us in Italy this summer. They also normally take a week or so beach vacation each year in NJ at LBI. So we suggested that if they were going to fly out here anyway, to take their beach vacation somewhere in the mediterranean instead.

They flew in on June 4th. We spent a day in Rome and a day in Anzio (beach town south of Rome) visiting Daniele’s Zio Amato.

Then on the 7th we took the train an hour north to Civitavecchia. That’s the main sea port for Rome and where a cruise visiting Rome would dock and let off its passengers.

We would take an overnight ferry right to the town of our resort in Sardinia (Arbatax). We booked a cabin with 4 beds for the 5 of us (including the baby) with Tirrenia. I was expecting a floating version of Trenitalia’s overnight cabins, but it was more like a nice hotel. As soon as we walked in there were chandeliers. We took escalators up to the level with the check-in desk where we got a card-key for our room.

We boarded around 6pm, so we explored a little bit. We didn’t even get to see most of the boat, for example the map showed a piano bar. We did get to spend a bit of time in the kid room.

Video: https://goo.gl/photos/z34SgoiSXGybi5Y88

Our little cabin was bigger than I expected. There were bunk beds on each side, with a desk in the middle. The desk was high and wide enough to fit our two large and one small suitcases underneath. And we had a private bathroom with a shower.

We actually would have liked if the boat ride was longer. We arrived at the port of Arbatax at 4:30 in the morning! We broke up our one-mile walk to the resort be stopping for a long breakfast.

We thought that lots of people would arrive to the resort via the ferry, but apparently not! Arbatax is pretty far from either airport to the north or south and I read several reviews complaining about the ride, so I’m very happy we took the ferry. Instead of losing the first and last days of our trip to travel, we got an extra half day before check-in as well as after check-out (the boat back to Rome left at midnight) on each end of our stay.

The resort was Arbatax Park Resort.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g608903-d1803492-Reviews-Arbatax_Park_Resort_Dune-Arbatax_Tortoli_Province_of_Ogliastra_Sardinia.html

It’s the largest resort in Sardinia. It’s a huge nature park with several different resorts inside, but all under the same owner.

We already had our eye on “Telis” (the largest sub-resort) when Daniele found an discount site offering a deal for “Dune” at the same price as Telis. Dune is the beach-front part of the parent resort and where we ended up.

We got 2 little huts next to each other (one for me, Daniele, and Aurora; one for my parents). The location was perfect, like a 1-minute walk to the Dune Reception / Dining Hall and another minute to the beach.

We were also close to the “Tropical Pool” over in the “Telis” part of the resort (all the pools are in Telis, which is behind Dune). The Tropical Pool was so pretty and perfect for Aurora. It’s a pool with no sides. It just slopes down, like a beach but no waves or sand.

(Pictured about to be dressed for a nap. She swam in swimmy diapers and a bathing suite.)

We got the half-board option which included buffet breakfast and buffet dinner. Dinner had unlimited wine. We all liked the food. We were on our own for lunch — though who can eat lunch after a big buffet breakfast? Also there was plenty of stuff to buy at the bars. There were also restaurants, but we only ever went to the pizzeria, which I thought was very good. Even though the resort sold things, they were totally cool with us eating our own food and drinking our own booze in the common areas.

With taxes and everything, these 2 beach-front huts and tons of good food cost $48 per night per person (Aurora was free). Which when we go to the Jersey Shore, can be what we spend on restaurants. We were all very happy with the resort, but for the money it’s amazing.

Part of the discount package Daniele found included a day for each of us at the Spa. Italians use the word “Spa” and there are spa treatments offered there, but I would describe it more like modern roman baths. It’s a series of different pools/rooms that you go through. The rooms or pools can be hot or warm, some with hydromassage, a waterfall you stand under, a turkish style steam room, a dry sauna. Then you have tea and cookies at the end. Daniele and I went first while my parents watched Aurora. Then they went the next day.

The following day we went on a tour with the park ranger through the nature park part of the resort and the farm there, too. (A lot of the food comes from their own farm.) Daniele and I brought Aurora back 2 days later just to the farm and we had all the animals to ourselves.

There was tons of free stuff like that to do. There were shows every night, but we only watched one: a greek mythology story about a mermaid and a fire god. It was performed in the water at the beach right in front of our rooms / dinner. That’s how lazy we are.

You could also take a boat to Orrì, a bigger sandier beach for $5, so we did that one day. My mom even went in the water!

Daniele really wanted to explore outside the resort, so one day we left the baby with my parents and rented a motorbike. We went North to Santa Maria Navarrese beach, which was gorgeous. And the town of Baunei up on the mountain (fun ride on our little 50cc motorbike). I was surprised by how similar Sardinia looked to Utah once you went just a mile inland; it’s all red rocky mountains. We also went to Altopiano di Golgo.

And that’s how I spent my summer vacation :)

Ancient Rome with Alison and Tom

The Colosseum, Rome

For our first full day of seeing Rome we hit up the Ancient Roman sites including the Colosseum and Roman Forum. Since it takes about the same amount of time to get to the Colosseum walking as by Metro, we walked.

San Giovanni Cathedral, Rome.
San Giovanni Cathedral, Rome.

The walk brought us inside the city walls of Rome through Porta San Giovanni, named so because the main church of Rome, San Giovanni Basilica, is located right there. We popped our heads in to look around.

Inside San Giovanni Cathedral
Inside San Giovanni Cathedral

We started with the Roman Forum, since the line for entry is always shorter there. This day in fact there was no line at all. We walked around the ruins listening to Rick Steve’s audio guide and even had a picnic surrounded by the once center of the civilized world.

Alison and Kait in the Colosseum, Rome
Alison and Kait in the Colosseum, Rome

Tom and Alison in the Colosseum, Rome
Tom and Alison in the Colosseum, Rome

Once we exited the Forum, we went in the Colosseum, again listening to Rick Steves audio guide.

L'Altara alla Patria, Rome
L’Altara alla Patria, Rome

From the Colosseum, we walked up Via dei Fori Imperiali, through crowds and past the outside of the Roman Forum. Until we reached Piazza Venezia and the white monument Altare della Patria. There are also some ruins here, including those in the photo below and another site newly uncovered during the city’s work on the its new metro line.

Ruins, Rome
Ruins, Rome

From here we just had time to make it into the Pantheon before they closed. We admired the building a bit, then sat down until they kicked us out. From here we met up with Daniele for a walk around Trastevere and dinner.

Dome of the Pantheon, Rome
Dome of the Pantheon, Rome

Full album from this day:
https://plus.google.com/photos/+KaitlynHanrahanIsidori/albums/6072649602698081489

Rome at Night with Alison and Tom

The Pantheon, Rome, Italy

I’m so happy, my bestest friend and former roommate, Alison came to Rome with her husband Tom to visit us and Italy. They got here Sunday, and after a little rest to recover from the long trip and time difference, we set out to see some of Rome.

View of Rome from Villa Borghese
View of Rome from Villa Borghese

We were saving the big sites for the coming days, when we would have more time. We decided to spend this first evening walking around the historical center and taking in some of the open-air sights.

We took the Metro a few stops to Flaminia (Piazza Popolo), where we walked past the grand doors to Villa Borghese (Rome’s main park) from back when it was the villa of the family Borghese. We went in Piazza Popolo and stuck out heads in one of the Santa Maria churches there, before climbing the many stairs to the terace that looks out over the city from Villa Borghese. At this point the sun was setting and we got a lovely view.

The busy Piazza Spagna at night, Rome, Italy
The busy Piazza Spagna at night, Rome, Italy

We walked along the edge of Villa Borgese, enjoying a view down into the city, a shrt distance until we arrived at the top of The Spanish Steps. We walked down the Spanish Steps and at the bottom took in the beauty of the freshly restored fountain there.

The fountain "Barcaccia" in Piazza Spagna, Rome, Italy
The fountain “Barcaccia” in Piazza Spagna, Rome, Italy

From here we walked up Via Condotti, lined with beautiful window displays of the most iconic top fashion and jewelry designers.

The Pantheon, Rome, Italy
The Pantheon, Rome, Italy

At the end of Via Condotti, I got a little disoriented leading them to Piazza Navona, but it worked out because we ended up going past the Pantheon this way. We did eventually reach Piazza Navona, with its three lovely Bernini fountains. Here we rested on a bench for a little enjoying the people watching and piazza itself, while listening to Rick Steve’s description of the Piazza.

The Tiber River, Rome, Italy
The Tiber River, Rome, Italy

We were hungry at this point, so we walked along the Tevere to the other side of the river. Here we stopped at Mondo Arancini for a “light” diner of fried balls of risotto stuffed with different toppings.

Castel Saint Angelo at night, Rome, Italy
Castel Saint Angelo at night, Rome, Italy

Daniele finished work then and joined us for gelato from my favorite gelateria in Rome, Gelarmony. A church nearby was doing a firework display, probably to celebrate the saint day of that churche’s patron saint. So we finished off our dessert under the fireworks. Quite literally “under the fireworks” we actually got hit with ash and bits.

Saint Peter's Square at night, Vatican
Saint Peter’s Square at night, Vatican

Castel Saint Angelo at night, Rome, Italy
Castel Saint Angelo at night, Rome, Italy

Daniele stopped by the Vatican, so we could see St. Peter’s Square and Castle St. Angelo at night, before bringing us home. The next day we did Ancient Rome, with the Colosseum and Roman Forum.

Full photo album from this night:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/+KaitlynHanrahanIsidori/albums/6068298854999691569

Villa d’Este in Tivoli

A popular day-trip from Rome is to visit Tivoli and its historical villas. My friend Alicia was leaving Rome, after spending the summer here, and we wanted to take a trip “fuori porta” (outside city walls) before she left. In the end we chose Villa d’Este, since I had never been there either.

Kait and Alicia at a balcony in Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Lazio, Italy

There are a few villas in Tivoli worth visiting, the main two are Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este, both listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Villa d'Este and Tivoli

Villa Adriana (aka Hadrian’s Villa) was built by the ancient roman emperor of the same name as his version of Versailles. He was out of the city and politics, but still close enough to rule. The problem is that this villa has been looted many times over the ages, to quote Rick Steves:

Regrettably, this “Versailles of Ancient Rome” was plundered by barbarians. The marble was burned to make lime for cement. The art was scavenged and wound up in museums throughout Europe. Visitors have to piece together the majesty from the parts that remain.

From Fontana dell'Organo

Based on that and Daniele’s advice, we visited Villa d’Este. To again quote Rick Steves, since I couldn’t say it better:

Ippolito d’Este’s grandfather, Alexander VI, was the pope…probably the only reason Ippolito became a cardinal. Ippolito’s claim to fame: his pleasure palace at Tivoli. In the 1550s, Ippolito destroyed a Benedictine monastery to build this fanciful, late-Renaissance palace. Like Hadrian’s Villa, it’s a large residential villa. But this one features hundreds of Baroque fountains, all gravity-powered. The Aniene River, frazzled into countless threads, weaves its way entertainingly through the villa. At the bottom of the garden, the exhausted little streams once again team up to make a sizable river.

The cardinal had a political falling-out with Rome and was exiled. With this watery wonderland on a cool hill with fine views, he made sure Romans would come to visit. It’s symbolic of the luxury and secular interests of the cardinal.

After years of disuse, the villa has been completely restored. All the most eye-popping fountains have been put back in operation, and — with the exception of the two highest jets of the central fountain, which are electric-powered — everything still operates on natural hydraulics. A new terrace restaurant has been installed on the highest level of the garden, opportunely placed to catch cool afternoon sea breezes coming in across the plain of Rome. Expect lots of stairs.

Over the fountain

As Rick says, this palace / villa was built in the 1550’s. In my completely amateur opinion the architecture and decor of this villa are great examples of the variety of early and late renaissance art. Specifically, there are lots of frescoes, but many are faded. There are realistic statues (especially in all the fountains), but they don’t have that perfect finish that wows you when looking at David or the Trevi Fountain. There are mosaics surrounding the fountains and statues, but again, lack that over-the-top perfectionism.

Ceiling in Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Lazio, Italy

The villa also features lots of gloppy cement as a decorative feature. Sometimes a natural coral-like stone is incorporated into the mix. It’s kinda weird looking in my opinion, but it is definitely done on purpose for what seems to be decoration. It is definitely something you would not see in a later renaissance palace.

Venus Room or "Sala di Venere" in Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Lazio, Italy

A "Fontanina Rustica" fountain in Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Lazio, Italy

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The villa is actually a fascinating mid point between the roughness you can see in all the medieval towns in the area and the more famous later renaissance works in Rome, Florence, and beyond.

The inside of the villa is lovely, with your characteristic chain of rooms, one leading into the next. The rooms include a hunting themed room, the carninal’s bedroom with lovely views of the gardens, a large dining chamber with the same views, a private chapel, and many more, each with a decorative theme like Nobility or Noah.

Cardinal's Chapel

"Sala della Caccia" or The Hunting Room in Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Lazio, Italy

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The best part of Villa d’Este is the gardens. The gardens are tiered into levels; you start at a large terrace, then zig-zag your way down different staircases to the bottom. At the bottom are Italian style gardens, featuring geometrical sections divided by tall hedges. All throughout are very impressive fountains including several large ones, a large reflecting pool, a the “100 Fountains” all in a row.

Garden Path

14-VillaDEste-1705 Cento Fontane

The 100 Fountains (Cento Fontane) in Villa d'Este in Tivoli, Lazio, Italy Fontana dell'Ovato Fontana dei Draghi Fontana di Nettuno Fontana dell'Organo
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The rest of the photos from Villa d’Este and Tivoli are in this album:
https://plus.google.com/photos/+KaitlynHanrahanIsidori/albums/6062273409676448577

Wish I Was Here Italy Premiere

Zach Braff, Kaitlyn Hanrahan, and Daniele Isidori having drinks before the Italy premiere of Wish I Was Here

This weekend was the Italian premiere of Zach Braff’s new movie “Wish I Was Here”. It has already been out for a while in the US. It’s received mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. I cried through most of it actually.

Just like Zach described it, it’s a continuation in tone and feel from “Garden State” but not a sequel in story. For example he’s married to Kate Hudson in this movie, not Natalie Portman. Where “Garden State” was a story about a guy in his 20’s struggling to be an actor, “Wish I Was Here” is about a guy struggling to be an actor in his 30’s. It takes place in LA now and he has very different issues he deals with, like paying for his kids private school, his wife getting tired of supporting him, and generally accepting grown up responsibilities. Where in the last movie it was more finding himself and the juxtaposition of his NJ and LA lives.

The film is best known for the fact that Zach raised a good potion of the funding to make it via a Kickstarter campaign. Since he was the first to do this on such a large scale, it became a bit controversial. The naysayers I guess thinking that it wasn’t right for Zach to use his fame to raise money for his own project. I was a backer and I certainly don’t feel tricked in any way; if anything I feel that they over delivered on their promises.

I first showed Daniele the movie “Garden State” a few months before Zach launched the Kickstarter campaign. He really liked it and he also had his 30th birthday coming up (in July 2013, about a month after our wedding in June 2013). So I bought a “for two” benefit and told him about it on his birthday.

We then spent the past year getting regular updates on the film’s progression. These were normally in the form of short (well produced) videos on a specific topic, like shooting a tough scene, meeting key member of the crew and what their job was like, touring a facility that was providing his space suit or some fancy camera, casting selections, going to film festivals, and so many more.

And then just recently we were mailed two t-shirts (one designed by Zach another designed by a talented fellow backer) and two sets of prints (one of concept art one of movie stills).

Roof top bar were we had drinks before the Italy premiere of Wish I Was Here
Roof top bar were we had drinks before the Italy premiere of Wish I Was Here

The hallmark of our backer level benefits was meeting Zach for drinks before the Italy premiere. We had a few hours here at this great roof-top terrace, enjoying an open bar and appetizers, while hanging out with Zach, his publicist, and about 12 other backers.

Zach Braff, Kaitlyn Hanrahan, and Daniele Isidori having drinks before the Italy premiere of Wish I Was Here
Zach and Kait

Zach Braff and Daniele Isidori having drinks before the Italy premiere of Wish I Was Here
Zach and Daniele

He was clearly really tired, he flew in from Vienna that morning and to Berlin that same night. But was still high energy and great to all of us. We chatted, he signed things, took lots of pictures. Then we walked over to the nearby Cinema Barberini.

Zach Braff taking questions at the Italy Premiere of Wish I Was Here
Zach Braff taking questions at the Italy Premiere of Wish I Was Here

At Cinema Barberini there was a much bigger crowd waiting for us. He introduced the film. Then we all watched it (and it was great, like I said at the start), while he tried to see some Rome sites — unfortunately the two closest The Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain are both covered in scaffolding right now.

It was really cool to see the day dream scenes. We had been sent a video of them filming that scene months before. Or the the scenes from the stills that I have prints of. Or seeing Ashley Greene dressed as a furry, still funny even though I knew it was coming.

Zach Braff taking questions at the Italy Premiere of Wish I Was Here
Zach Braff taking questions at the Italy Premiere of Wish I Was Here

After the movie was over we had a Q&A. The questions were about everything from the story of making this movie, Scrubs, past movies of his that I had never even heard of but were big in Italy, and or course the Italy distribution issue.

There were some really big Scrub fans, including a few dressed up as doctors and a guy with a Scrubs tattoo. Really. Tweet: https://twitter.com/zachbraff/status/511148467432206337

Unfortunately, this will probably be the only projected screening of the film, because Italy was the only European country where they were not able to get a distribution partner. Not having a distribution partner also meant there was no one to add subtitles to the film, so I think a few Italians were not able to understand it very well. He said they may try again for dvd release. I’m disappointed in Italy on this.

Zach also said that he probably would not do a kickstarted movie again. While it was the only way this movie would have been made, because traditional movie funding would have demanded too many changes. Managing thousands — 46,520 to be exact — kickstarter backers was pretty demanding in itself. Not to mention that the kickstarter thing dominated how everyone talked about the film and besides organizing all of our rewards and demands, he had to spend a lot of time kind of pr-managing how people were talking about the kickstarter aspect, defending himself when others said he was somehow scamming all 46,520 of us. Oh yeah, and writing, directing, producing, and starting in the movie. Turned out all that was pretty time consuming.

Zach Braff taking questions at the Italy Premiere of Wish I Was Here
Zach Braff taking questions at the Italy Premiere of Wish I Was Here

Overall, it was an amazing day over a year in the making. I can’t thank enough Zach and all the other people who made the movie and the kickstarter possible!

Rome in a Day, a Week, or a Lifetime

The Colosseum

Everyone should visit Italy at some point in their lives. As the capital, with all its sites and major airport, Rome is very likely going to be a part of that visit. Whether you can give the Eternal City just a few hour excursion from your cruise or (like in my case) several years, here is an idea of how to prioritize that time.

Rome in a Day

While it’s hard to give a major capital city justice in just a day, something is better than nothing. I imagine most day trippers are just trying to squeeze in another city between trains, flights, or they are on a cruise excursion. For such a short visit, your priority should be the Colosseum and the Vatican. If you have a night here as well, then there are a few others you might also try to see after hours.

The Colosseum and Roman Forum

Roman Forum
Roman Forum

The Colosseum and the Roman Forum are a joint ticket. If you want to enter both, it makes sense to go to the Roman Forum first because the line is always shorter. Here you buy the joint ticket, enjoy the Forum, and then exit near the Colosseum. The Colosseum itself always has a long line, but you have already bought your ticket, so you walk right past all the other people waiting to the turn-style and go right inside.

Inside the Colosseum, Rome
Inside the Colosseum, Rome

If you are rushed, don’t want to buy the ticket, or just are not very excited about Ancient Roman ruins, then you can enjoy half of the experience of visiting these sites from outside. You wont get to see the inside, but you will have “seen the Colosseum”. It is more stunning from the outside anyway. The Roman Forum is easy to see into from Via dei Fori Imperiali or from Capitoline Hill. You wont get to walk on the paving stones that Caesar once walked on, or see every aspect of the ruins, but you will see a lot of them.

If you can avoid it, don’t buy anything from the food trucks in this area. Their food is about the most expensive that you can find in all of Italy; even Michelin Star restaurants don’t charge that much for water. And worse, it is so, so horrible. I think their monopoly on the area must be mafia enforced; that is the only explanation I can come up with on why no one offers anything better to eat in such a heavily trafficked area.

The Pantheon

Walking between the Vatican and Colosseum, you should try to stop at the Pantheon. The Pantheon is important because it was built by the Ancient Romans, but rather than fall out of use and into disrepair with the rise of Christianity, this temple was converted into a church dedicated to martyrs. So it doesn’t look like a ruin, it looks amazing. Its domed roof was built about 1,500 years earlier than the famous architectural masterpiece that is Florence’s dome and served as its inspiration. You can also visit the tombs of two out of Italy’s three kings, Queen Margarita (the namesake of margarita pizza), and the Renaissance artist Raphael. It is free, so there are no lines, people just walk in and out. Though it does close at sunset.

The Pantheon
The Pantheon

You may be ready for a snack by now. There is a great Gelateria right near the Pantheon, Della Palma (like a palm tree). With the Pantheon behind you, walk straight across the square, slightly to your right, and down about two blocks. You can also get an iced espresso at Tazza d’Oro. With the pantheon behind you, go a bit to the right, it is just on the outside of the square. From Tazza d’Oro, if you keep going straight (or as straight as you can) on that street, you will arrive at the Trevi Fountain, but I recommend saving that for night time, after the other sites are closed.

Della Palma Gelateria
Della Palma Gelateria

Vatican City

Vatican City, for our purposes, consists of St. Peter’s Cathedral, which is located in St. Peter’s Square, Castle St. Angelo, and the Vatican Museums. The Vatican Museums are where you would see the Sistine Chapel, or you will, anyway. On your next visit when you have more time.

St. Peter's Cathedral
St. Peter’s Cathedral

You will normally have to wait in a quick-moving line to enter St. Peter’s because everyone must pass through a metal detector. This line will be longer on Sundays and Wednesdays, when the Pope makes an appearance. He generally takes summers off and goes on lots of trips. For more accurate information on Pope Frank’s activities, it’s better to check here.

The cathedral itself is breathtaking. It was designed to feel both impressive and intimate; things farther up are larger to confuse your perception of distance. And everywhere you turn is famous art like the Pietà (immediately to your right when you enter). If you are Catholic, the importance of this place as the center of the Catholic world and the resting place of St. Peter will add a wonderful spiritual element to your experience. If you are not, you will still be able to appreciate the architectural and artistic accomplishment that is all around you.

View of St. Peter's Square and surrounding Rome
View of St. Peter’s Square and surrounding Rome from the top of St. Peter’s dome

With a little extra time and a donation, you can go down to the catacombs or up to the roof. I like the roof better. You can pay a little more to take an elevator to the level of the main roof. Everyone has to take the stairs from the main roof to the top of the dome. Climbing these stairs, you are between the inside and outside walls of the dome. The walls quickly become slanted, soon you are in a tiny passageway, then finally an improbable spiral staircase before coming out on the very top of the dome. It is a beautiful view and a memorable experience. Though, I would not recommend it for anyone who suffers from claustrophobia.

Castel St. Angelo and the Angel Bridge
Castel St. Angelo and the Angel Bridge

If you are somehow ahead of schedule, leave St. Peter’s Square via the central opening and continue down that street until you reach the river. Here you will find Castle St. Angelo and the angel bridge just across from it.

Rome at Night

The Trevi Fountain at night
The Trevi Fountain at night

Having been a diligent tourist all day, and assuming you don’t have to rush to a train, you can now enjoy the Eternal City at night. Take a breath and take in the city itself. The fast pace of the capital clashing with the slower Italian pace of life. The Italians, always wearing one more layer than the foreigners. The immigrant street vendors. The police and carabinieri (military police). The street performers– who are actually quite good. The crazy car traffic. Everything that is the city itself, beyond the list of sites.

Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona

There are a few open-air, always-open, free sites that are good places for this reflection. Primarily these are the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navona. Each of which are stunning Renaissance works that were designed by their makers to be in these very places. So rather than seeing them in a museum, you are seeing their work exactly as the artist intended.

The Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps

Done in this order, you will have started your day in Ancient Rome (Colosseum, Roman Forum), transitioned (Pantheon) to the dawn of Christianity (Vatican), and ended in the Renaissance (Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona). Witnessing about 25-hundred-years of civilization develop in a single day.

Rome in a Week

If you have just a little more time, I would separate the Ancient Roman stuff from the Vatican and consider buying a Roma Pass. This card includes the Colosseum, Forum, and a handful of other sites. It also functions as an unlimited Metro Pass and lets you skip all the lines for the sites that it includes (not the Vatican).

Ancient Rome

If you have the Roma Pass, you don’t need to worry about lines and it may make more sense to go to the Colosseum first (there is a Metro stop right there) and the Forum afterwords. Since you have a little time, and there is nothing good to eat in the area anyway, have a packed lunch ready and enjoy it in Palatine Hill. Palatine Hill is simply a section of the Roman Forum, which is a bit more spread out and park-like. It is in the same enclosure as the Forum.

Palatine Hill, Rome
Palatine Hill, Rome

Continuing in the same direction down Via dei Fori Imperiali (from the Colosseum, through the Roman Forum), you will arrive at Piazza Venezia and the white marble monument to Italian patriarchy. Go ahead inside and take a look at the view from the steps. You can also go inside and get a higher vantage point.

Altare della Patria in Piazza Venezia, Roma.
Altare della Patria in Piazza Venezia, Roma.

If you walk all the way around the monument you will arrive at Capitoline Hill (the monument is built into the backside of the hill). The square at the top here, Campidoglio, was designed by Michelangelo. Straight ahead of you is Rome’s city hall and the mayor’s office. Go around the back of that building and there is a great view down into the Roman Forum. On the two sides of Campidoglio square are the two buildings of the Capitoline Museums, which are included in the Roma Pass and worth a walk through. The museum buildings are lovely Renaissance palaces, with remains of older churches underneath; a nice setting for all the art inside.

RomanForum from Capitonine Hill
RomanForum from Capitonine Hill

Vatican City – St. Peter’s

My advice for Vatican City is pretty similar to that for day-trippers. Though you might have time to go both up to the roof and down to the catacombs. You may also want to visit Castle St. Angelo, featured in Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons,” and the bridge across from it, which is famous for the Angel statues that decorate it.

View of St. Peter's Basilica and Castle St. Angelo from St. Angelo Bridge, The Vatican
View of St. Peter’s Basilica and Castle St. Angelo from St. Angelo Bridge, The Vatican

You have the luxury of choosing which day you go to St. Perter’s, so do it wisely. If you want to see the Pope, you probably want to go on a Wednesday or Sunday, although he isn’t always home, so check. If you want to avoid the Pope and the crowds he attracts, avoid those days.

St. Peter's Square for Pope Frances's coronation
St. Peter’s Square for Pope Francesco’s coronation

Vatican City – The Vatican Museum

The Vatican Museum is a very big and amazing museum. It is comparable to the Louvre, Met, Smithsonian. I mean, it’s really big! Most people rush through it just to see the Sistine Chapel, like they rush to the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. I think this is such a shame, to walk right by rooms with works by the great masters without sparing a glance. In fact, for short visits, I recommend skipping the Vatican Museum all together and spending a little more time enjoying the art inside St. Peter’s Basilica or just not being so rushed overall. However, it is a great museum, so if you can give it a little time to do it right, then you should go! It will take you a full day to walk through every exhibit, so it makes sense to look at their website and prioritize rooms based on your time and interests. Go in with a game plan.

Vincent van Gogh, Pietà hanging in a large gallery room with no one besides me inside.
Vincent van Gogh, Pietà hanging in a large gallery room with no one besides me inside.

The last rooms of the Vatican Museums are the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. The Raphael Rooms are frescoes, and my favorite part of the museum. They are so beautiful and realistic, and thinking that he had to finish them racing against the plaster drying blows my mind away. The Sistine Chapel’s ceiling was painted by Michelangelo and, of course, features the Creation of Adam. This is also a functioning chapel. This is the room where the Cardinals get locked in for conclave, where they choose the next pope.

"The School of Athens" in the Raphael Rooms, the Vatican Museum
“The School of Athens” in the Raphael Rooms, the Vatican Museum

The Vatican Museum always has an incredibly long line. Always. There is no beating it, by coming early or late. But luckily they have recently started accepting online ticket orders. There is a fee, but this will likely save you hours waiting in line. Buy your tickets online. Everyone that I give this advice to is always hesitant to pay extra, then they are so glad they did when they see how horrifyingly long the lines really are. Here is the real website for buying tickets to the Vatican Museum.

The Main Streets of Rome

Rome’s closest thing to a main street is Via Del Corso. This partially-pedestrian street runs from Piazza del Popolo (and the park Villa Borghese) to Piazza Venezia (and the alter to patriarchy). Along the way it comes close to the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Rome’s modern Senate, and the Spanish Steps.

Piazza del Popolo
Piazza del Popolo

From Piazza del Popolo, you can go one way up the steps to Villa Borghese or the other across the river on Via Cola di Rienzo. Villa Borghese was once a noble “country estate” and is now the main park in Rome. The gardens are full of ponds, fountains, and even a horse racing track. The Borghese family came from Siena where they are very into horse racing. You can rent group bicycles here if you wish. You can also visit the Borghese Gallery, but this museum requires an advance reservation. On the other side, Via Cola di Rienzo will take you over the river and to Vatican City. This is a good street for shopping (so is Via del Corso). If you want a delicious snack or meal, from Cola di Rienzo turn right on Via Marcantonio Colonna (near Metro Lepanto) and get an Arancini (fried risotto ball) from Mondo Arancina, then a gelato or canoli from the gelateria Gelarmony one door down. Not the healthiest lunch, but delicious!

Villa Borghese
Villa Borghese

Circo Massimo

Just south of the Coloseum is Circo Massimo. There is not much still standing now, but once it was a race track (for chariot racing) and field grounds (for events that became the model for circuses).

On the side of Circo Massimo closer to the river is the church that holds the Mouth of Truth (Bocca del Verita), for any “Roman Holiday” fans. It is outside the church, but inside a gate. So you can see it anytime, but to take a picture with your hand in its mouth, get there before sunset.

Kait and Daniele at the Mouth of Truth
Kait and Daniele at the Mouth of Truth

From here you can walk up Palatino Hill. On top of which are the Orange Gardens, with a nice view over the city of Rome and the Vatican. Continue a little and there is a building where you might see a line of people waiting to look through the key hole. Look through and you’ll see the gardens inside leading to a balcony and the dome of St. Peter’s right in front of you. If you continue you will get to the Rose Gardens, open only April 21 to June 15, 8:30 to 19:30. Then end up back down at Circo Massimo again.

View of St. Peter's
View of St. Peter’s

From here, if you’re a good walker, you could get dinner at La Villetta dal 1940 (Viale della Piràmide Cèstia, 53, Rome). This restaurant serves authentic Roman food at reasonable prices. It is also frequented by celebrities. I saw the captain of A.S. Roma, Francesco Totti there once.

Trastevere

Trastevere literally means across the river. I could spend every evening here, walking the narrow winding streets and trying new restaurants and gelaterias. This is where Italians go when they come to the city center for an evening out. Since restaurants are kept in business by regulars, rather than one-time tourists, you will eat much better for much more reasonable prices in this area. Making it the perfect place to head after the museums close to find dinner and enjoy a “passeggiata” (stroll). There is also a wide selection of pubs and nightlife. To get started, find Ponte Sisto (Sisto Bridge) or Isola Tiberina (Tiber Island) and just get lost wandering the little streets on the “Vatican” side of the Tiber River. If you are visiting in the summer, there is an Expo of temporary bars, market vendors, and restaurants specializing in happy hour all set up along the river banks by Tiber Island. The Expo is the place to be at night in the summer.

Porta Portese

If Rome is your last stop, you might be looking to get some souvenirs or other shopping. Consider Rome’s largest market, Porta Portese. It is held every Sunday morning at the Porta Portese, the ancient door that once lead to the city of Portus. It is a 15 minute walk from Metro stop Piramide. This very large open market sells everything: shoes, t-shirts, used clothing, jewelry, scarves, electronics, photo frames, food specialties, books, kitchen supplies, furniture, you name it and there is a booth selling it.

Excursions

Rome has a lot to see, but there are also lots of nice places nearby for the traveler with a few extra days. Rome prides itself on being the only capital in Europe with a beach and there are also lakes and medieval hill towns nearby. These are conveniently connected by commuter train lines.

Ostia is the western edge of the municipality of Rome, right on the sea. You get here by taking the Metro to Piramide, then go above ground to board a train to Ostia. This is like a transfer, and you don’t need a new ticket. The trains leave every 20-minutes and it takes about 40-minutes. You can get off at either Lido Nord or Lido Centro and you are in Ostia. Under 2km/25-minutes walking (or you can take a bus) will get you to Faber Beach, a free beach were you can rent an umbrella and bed if you want or just use your own for free. Alternatively, you can walk just 9-minutes straight to the water from Lido Centro and pay a small fee to enter. These are city beaches, so they can be crowded. But they are crowded with Italians and provide great people watching. If you are going to Cinque Terre or the Almalfi Coast during your trip, those mountain-side beaches are much more picturesque.

Ostia
Ostia

There is also Lake Bracciano. The two prettiest towns on the lake are Anguillara and Bracciano. Bracciano is up on the hillside from the lake. It features a castle and sweeping views of the countryside. You can take a hike down to the lake below; you’ll pass olive orchards and small farms along the way. Anguillara is a little cuter, in my opinion. The old city center is built along the slope that leads down to the lake. It also features a lovely path along the lake edge with views across to Bracciano or up along the side of the city and its layers of stone houses. There is a little beach area where those who want can sun bathe, but this isn’t a popular swimming spot.

city of angular on lake bracciano
City of Anguillara on Lake Bracciano

To get to Lake Bracciano, you take the Metro to Piramide, just like for Ostia. This time walk over to the attached train station, Stazione Ostiense. You will need to buy a ticket from either a machine or counter (biglietteria). Board a FM3 train in direction Viterbo. Get off at either Bracciano or Anguillara. Both stations are slightly outside the historical centers. You should take a bus to the center, than another to see the other city. At the end of the day, take the only train there is back to Roma Ostiense.

Rome in a Lifetime

You may be lucky enough to be spending an extended period in Rome, whether a semester abroad, part of a gap year, a sabbatical, summer off, you just moved here, or whatever your situation.

In this case, in terms of site-seeing you will probably be interested in mostly the same sites a visitor for a week would see. You can enjoy them more slowly and take advantage of special free days and limited exhibits. These can be found in the Tourism and Culture sections of the city of Rome’s website. You can also look into sights off of the beaten path that meet you own personal interests. For example, I enjoy learning about the history of the aristocracy in Europe, so I really enjoyed the Museum at Palazzo Doria Pamphilj.

That little black speck in the bottom-center is me
That little black speck in the bottom-center is me in the Roman Forum

You also have the chance to use Rome as your base city to see more of Italy or Europe. Train tickets are cheaper bought in advance, considerably cheaper. Compare both Trenitalia and Italo, the new private company. Plane tickets with low-cost European airlines, like Easyjet or Ryanair, also offer great deals when you buy in advance.

Since you are spending a longer time, you may be worried about housing, working, meeting people, and speaking Italian. Enrolling in Italian language classes can solve nearly all of these problems. Being a student is the easiest way to make friends. Enroll in a larger school to increase your chances of finding people around your age who share your interests, also they will be able to provide classes at more specific skill levels. Schools can also set you up with a place to stay (it won’t come cheap, but this is by far the easiest way). And of course, you’ll be improving your Italian, which will improve your overall experience in Italy.

For working, the easiest gig for a native-English speaker is to teach English classes. You can find these jobs easily, both above and “under the table” situations. Just be prepared to have to brush up on your grammar and to have to spend time preparing for classes. You will also likely make friends with your fellow teachers.

Hostels sometimes hire travelers for temporarily work, often for a small salary and free stay. This will take care of your pocket money and housing in one shot. You will have ready access to people to go out sight seeing with, though less potential long-term friends.

There are plenty of sites with help wanted listings. Wanted In Rome is one of these. You can look for English teaching jobs here as well as nanny, business, and other types of work aimed at English speakers.

If you want to keep working in your chosen field when in Rome, and your current company isn’t able to offer you that option, then it can be more difficult. I think the best way is to use LinkedIn to look for companies hiring in your field. Even better, use it to find connections you already have to people at companies with offices in Rome.

It can be very difficult to meet people when living abroad. The language barrier may keep you from making a strong connection with locals. The expats and travelers are often just staying temporarily. Meetup is one way to find people who share you interests, from something specific like photography to general topic groups like wine lovers. Personally, I go to the happy hours hosted every Tuesday by Expats Living in Rome, who also organize language lessons.

Finding a place to stay can be a real challenge. You probably can’t read the listings because of the jargon and abbreviations not even recognized by Google Translate. You don’t know where any of these neighborhoods are. And everyone wants a 2-year lease.

It’s overwhelming. One thing to keep in mind is that short-term rentals (less than 1-2 years) are mostly handled under the table, so they are not listed online. You need to go to the bulletin boards at universities, read the fliers, and call people.

Airbnb, and similar sites like HouseTrip and 9 Flats are great places to find a place to stay for a medium-length of time. They can also be great places to stay when you first arrive, while you try to find that long term apartment. If you are in the spare room of a local, that person can be a great asset to getting your bearings in a new city.

Europeans use Trip Advisor and Booking almost exclusively when looking for hotels, and you should too. Whether planing a weekend trip outside Rome or looking for a place to stay when your first arrive. Hostel aggregators like Hostels.com and HostelWorld are also good resources for finding a short-term place to stay. You will notice these two sites have a very high overlap of listings. All four of these sites are powered by user reviews, allowing you to make the best choice. You can even stay with me.

If you want something legal and longer-term you can try these sites:

  • Porta Portese – Rome want ad’s
  • Subito – Italian want ads
  • Immobilare.it – Everything to do with real estate, including renting and buying houses
  • Kijiji– Want ads powered by Ebay

In terms of neighborhoods. Your first choice is probably the historical center, anything inside the Aurelian Wall. Beyond that, you will get around easier if you are close to a Metro stop. The cool places to live are Trastevere and San Lorenzo. You will need to learn the Tram and Bus systems if you live here (no easy metro), but you can stay in your neighborhood for great food and nightlife.

On a positive note, rentals are always furnished in Italy, so that is one less thing to worry about.

In closing…

Rome is an amazing city. Its central location and airport make it easy to fit into your vacation or strategic to make your base city for a longer time abroad. It is such an important city with so many iconic sites that you will want to see it, even for just a day, at some point in your life. Its endless list of things to do and places to see also make it a good choice for a longer stay; I’ve been here 4-years and still have sites that I want to visit.

Ian and Emily’s Visit

View from the stone wall of Tarquinia

My college friends from San Francisco, Ian and Emily have been trying to plan a trip to Italy for a while. Ian’s schedule is pretty busy with his startup, Artillery, who are doing console style games in HTML. But they finally made it this July, and Rome was their first stop!

They got in late on Saturday. We didn’t know if they would have eaten or not so we had a cold dinner of buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, prosciutto, bread, and those types of things ready for a dinner as light or heavy as one would want.

Sunday Daniele was off from work, so that was out excursion day. We went up north, just over the boarder into Tuscany. There we spent the morning at the Terme di Saturnia  (pictures). These are natural Hot Springs made of different pools. It was crowded since it was a Sunday in the summer, but we still had a little pool to ourselves some of the time.

 Terme di Saturnia

In the afternoon we stopped at the small historical center of Saturnia. Then the very cute medieval town of Montemarano. Both of which are still on the Tuscany side. Our last stop was Tarqunia, an important Etruscan city and a little bigger than the other two. Tarquinia was having a special culture day, so we were able to enter and walk along the top of the ancient city walls and climb to the top of one of their towers.

Tower that is part of the stone wall of Tarquinia
Tower that is part of the stone wall of Tarquinia

At the end of this long day we had some nice thin Rome-style pizza from Dal Bersagliere, along with some fried appetizers and beers.

On Monday Emily and Ian took to Rome’s historical on their own. They saw most of the big sites.

Tuesday was Daniele’s 31st birthday. Ian and Emily continued seeing Rome’s center during the day, then after we all went out together for the evening. We started with Aventino Hill, where we polished off a bottle of prosecco with some cheese, boar sausage, and crackers while watching the sunset. Then we went to the restaurant Betto e Mary, which is known for its Roman cuisine. Daniele ordered some authentic, but unique, appetizers. He, Ian, and Emily all had some horse meat, veal intestines, cartilage, and pasta in a sauce made from the meat of a cow’s tail. I had cacio e pepe, basically a peppery mac ‘n cheese. After dinner we walked through the Lungotevere Expo, all the temporary bars, restaurants, and vendors that set up along the river banks in the summer.

Wednesday was their last day with us. Ian’s feet were bothering him, so Emily set off on her own to see the last few sites in Rome’s center that she didn’t want to miss. While she was out, Daniele made Ian and I lunch with gnocchi in seafood for them and pesto for me. Then he had to go to work in the hospital that night, while Ian, Emily, and I had dinner at the local Trattoria dar Bruttone on Via Taranto. A restaurant in the same Roman style as Betto e Mary, but we ordered more mainstream dishes.

Then on Thursday the two of them were off on the train to Almalfi!

Pictures:
https://plus.google.com/photos/+KaitlynHanrahanIsidori/albums/6038635653376643345

Ravenna

On our way home we stopped in the town of Ravenna. This is one of the many little towns in Emilia-Romagna that we have been wanting to visit together. Others include Ferrara, Rimini, Cesena, Forli, and San Marino. San Marino is actually its own country inside or Italy, similar to the Vatican, rather than a part of Emilia-Romagna, but it is in the same area. This pretty area is characterized by small walled cities on the flat river valley of the Po’.

Being flat, bicycling is very popular in Ravenna. The small streets are shared by pedestrians and cyclists in a way more similar to Copenhagen or Amsterdam than the rest of Italy. Cars are only allowed on the bigger streets.

Ravenna holds a campus of the University of Bologna, the oldest university in Italy. And with all the students comes shops, lots of different types of food, and general culture. It also has a decent tourism industry thanks to its history and monuments. Many of these date to when it was the capital of the Western Roman Empire from 402 to 476 AD, at which point the Western Roman Empire collapsed. Later it would be absorbed by the Byzantines; who would also use it as a capital.

The biggest monument in Ravenna is the tomb of Dante, noted renaissance poet and father of Italian language. He was born in 1265 in Florence, where he lived most of his life. He died in 1321 returning to Ravenna from a diplomatic mission in Venice. He had lived his last three years in Ravenna where he finished Paradiso, the last book of his Divine Comedy.

On the drive home we made a short stop at the spring where the Tevere River starts. I was too tired to make the short hike to the spring from the road, but Daniele went up and drank from the spring. The Tevere is the river that flows through Rome before finishing in the Mediterranean, near Fiumicino Airport (FCO).

The rest of our photos from Ravenna and the spring are online here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111221349198606775660/albums/6040832020708410177