The Mother-Daughter Trip to Rome

Carly may not realize it, but we planned for this trip for almost 18 years. It was her graduation gift, amd (cough-cough) my 50th birthday present.

We rented an apartment adjacent to both Piazza Farnese and Campo dei Fiori. The location was perfect, as long as we didn’t mind the graffiti laden little street and 55 steps to the door. Having previously rented an apartment in Florence we were quite comfortable with the process of renting an apartment in Rome. It’s hard to leave some American habits behind! The apartment allowed us to enjoy the daily market at Campo dei Fiori and to make small purchases at the nearby grocery stores—and to nibble whenever...

Rome is very walkable, especially with the right shoes! (Thank you to Merrill and Nordstrom for great sandals). We arrived on a Tuesday, which remarkably was a Holy Day honoring Saints Peter and Paul. It was quieter than a Sunday and it felt like it was a special day just for us. In an effort to keep moving (and to fend off jet lag) we walked to many of the “importante” sites. After buying our first bag of groceries, we set off on foot, and walked all over the city.

Our memorable meals include dinner at Pierluigi (most interesting case of Ugly American: the woman from New Jersey who walked out without paying) and Armando al Pantheon. Alas, I cannot find the name of the lovely café in Trastevere where we enjoyed fresh, crispy salads at midday.

Each day the city became more crowded and the heat more intense. We were often too hot to eat. In the end no day was complete without gelato.

One great evening was spent with Gioia, Giuseppe, and Domina, of the family that brings us (at Olio2go) Principe di Mascio DOP Colli Assisi-Spoleto Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We were treated to an out-of-this-world meal on the terrace of their home in the hills of Monte Mario. They have a marvelous cook who prepared platter after platter of their family’s favorites. My only wish was to know what was coming next in order to adjust my appetite. The highlights were abundant -- fettuccine with mushrooms and peas, roasted tomatoes stuffed with seasoned rice, a rolled meat, a platter with mozzarella, arugula, and bresaola (dried beef). Another platter held marinated beets, delectable mushrooms. As the dinner drew to a close, dessert was arrived with a spectacular fennel salad. This recipe for Fennel and Celery Salad from the New York Times’ Mark Bittman is a close approximation. Other selections included brought forth with a pineapple tart and a platter of photo-perfect fresh fruit, including golden-orange apricots and deep, dark cherries. They explained that the fruit is often brought to the table with a side bowl for washing the selections. Later, we took a grand tour by car of their favorite views of Rome. We can’t thank them enough for the wonderful evening.

Monte Mario is the highest hill of Rome and the community reminds one of Fiesole near Florence or La Jolla near San Diego. The homes are beautiful and the grounds are abundantly planted with trees and flowers. Domina has recently studied in the United States and we enjoyed being able to discuss her observations of life in the U.S. We hope that she comes back to the States for college!

To learn the most at the most historic site, we booked two tours. The first was a Vatican Museums tour with Presto Tours. Our guide, Ryan, was very enthusiastic and brought true excitement to the art. We would refrain from recommending Vastours – our tour at the Colosseum. Our guide was hot and tired and her comments were banal. "The aqueducts run from the east..." Uh, cuz that's where the mountains are? At one point, after she left us behind at the gate, she begrudgingly “recovered” us. Begrudgingly, as if we were the ones who couldn't count the group tickets! Our fellow tourists seemed to share our disappointment with the guide. The approach of a dramatic thunderstorm and a Gay Pride parade changed the tedious tenor of the tour and gave us all something more to chat about.

On this trip, we visited a USO for the first time ever. I don't even know if Tom has ever visited one. There's one within a couple of blocks of the Vatican, and it was a nice place to stop by, get tour information, use the computers, and grab a Coke. Thanks, Jen, for the USO recommendation.

On Friday, we took the train to Orvieto, a beautiful hill town in Umbria, just a one hour and 20 minutes by train from Rome’s Termini station. We had hoped to ride the famed funicular up the steep slopes to the historic town, but it was not running. From the same station we took the local bus, traversing the steep hillside, to the Piazza del Duomo in the heart of Orvieto. The church is heavily ornate on the outside and somewhat simpler on the inside. The horizontal striped marbke is reminiscent of the Duomo in Siena. Be sure to give a close look--to the right of the altar, there is a small chapel with brilliantly colorful frescos by Luca Signorelli. The best pictures of the chapel can be seen here. I'm currently reading a book set in Orvieto -- The Lady in the Palazzo.

About an hour into the return train ride from Orvieto to Rome, there was an announcement – spoken only in Italian. This was unusual as each of the prior announcements had been in Italian followed by English. Our kind compartment mates let us know that the train was no longer stopping at Termini on the way to Naples. Those riders destined for Termini were to exit at Tiburtina. What made this especially entertaining is that our compartment-mates didn't speak English. One gentleman quickly snatched my ticket and confirmed our destination. We were advised to exit “pronto”. A few minutes later, while waiting at Tiburtina, several other travelers asked our advice. With no bags other than purses we must have looked authentically Italian!

Our week in Rome crossed from the end of June to the beginning of July. As our week there progressed, the city became increasingly crowded with tourists while the stone buildings seemed to hold the more intense heat. We especially loved the apartment and neighborhood, and the magic of the nights in Rome.

Our memories (in no particular order): seeing the Pope when we didn't plan to, and not seeing him when we planned to, the wailing beggar approaching us on a bridge who stopped when I gave her a dirty look, a nearby gentleman's look of surprise and laughter, when I quickly waved away someone who was reaching toward me (another beggar?), the sounds of the crowds watching the World Cup games, my love for Italian windows with heavy shutters, standing on the balcony, listening to the sounds in the courtyard, watching the restoration out the window, hearing the fountains from Piazza Farnese in our room, watching a party at the Embassy, finding out that American coffee in the apartment is instant Nescafe, discovering the Il Fornaio bakery on the last day, visiting the yarn shop near Campo dei Fiori, buying footcare products daily, getting lost and finding our way again, Carly's exasperation with my sense of humor, visiting fountains at night, finding out the Colosseum really is around the next corner, riding in the car with Gioia, Guissepe, and Domina, that incredible dinner, my Carpaccio in Orvieto (really was a bit thick...), visiting the Hard Rock Cafe (a long walk to buy t-shirts),