A Week in Italy: Day 5
- Marissa Weiss
- Oct 26, 2021
- 4 min read
My second day in Rome began with a voluntary early morning wake-up call. After visiting the Trevi Fountain during peak visiting hours the night before I wanted to return at sunrise to take pictures and create a better memory of the landmark.
Walking through cities in the early morning gives a fresh lens into the life of locals and allows you to peaceful observe monuments and architecture. I’m a morning person for sure – always have been, just ask my mom – but I’m also a bit of a night owl. Terrible combination when you really think about it, but I make it work somehow. It rained the night prior, so the streets were filled with puddles, and the aroma of Rome after the rain wasn’t necessarily pleasant but the calming silence made up for it.
The Trevi Fountain – the most famous fountain – is a baroque fountain built in the 17th century at the request of the pope. It’s still connected to the original Roman aqueducts and an estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. The money collected subsidizes a supermarket for the needy. I'd highly recommend visiting early in the morning before the tourist flock arrives it's much quieter and enjoyable when you're not fighting your way through a crowd.
After grabbing breakfast at the hotel, we followed Lizzy through a walking tour to Vatican City. As the smallest independent city-state in the world, The Vatican City’s 121 acres houses St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Museums, and roughly 825 people. Home to the current Pope, St. Peter’s Basilica’s crypt is filled with the remains of every previous pope and is the supposed burial site of Saint Peter, chief among Jesus’s apostles. It’s one of the four major basilicas’ but it is not a cathedral. St. Peter’s also hosts Michelangelo’s famous Pieta in the North aisle.
The rain came down in a sudden deluge that caught me off guard - no umbrella, no jacket, just a scarf to cover my exposed shoulder for when we inevitably visit churches. Additionally, cobbled stones are never ideal regardless of how much traction your shoes may have, you will slip. After a brief respite inside St. Peters Cathedral, we stepped outside again to head towards our next destination: The Vatican Museums.
The public museums of the Vatican City display the collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy including world-renowned Roman sculptures and Renaissance art; Most notably, The Sistine Chapel and the Stanze di Raffaello are open to the public. This museum is huge and it's run Ikea-style with one path that you have to have to follow until the end. It's a lot to take in, especially considering how intricate and thoughtful Renaissance art is, so I'd recommend pacing yourself. It's a lot of walking so make sure to wear comfortable shoes - I didn't - spots for sitting are a rarity. Tickets are always in high demand and go fast so make sure to purchase tickets online at least a week if not more in advance. Also, make sure to pay attention to signs indicating where you are and aren't allowed to take pictures - taking pictures in The Sistine Chapel is forbidden and you will be yelled at by a man in a fancy suit.
Once freed of the museum equivalent of Ikea, we took a train from Ottaviano to Flaminio to meet up with Lizzy at Piazza del Popolo. The rain had stopped and the sun broke through the clouds bathing us in warm sunlight. The respite didn't last long as Lizzy arrived and began leading us up the hill towards the Villa Borghese. Villa Borghese is a landscape garden outfitted with various museums and attractions. It's currently the largest park in Rome stretching across almost 200 acres. The gardens are a gorgeous break from the hustle and bustle of Rome itself.
Sitting upon the Villa Borghese Gardens is the Galleria Borghese that boasts a truly priceless collection of art including names such as Bernini, Raphael, Titian, and Caravaggio. The building is a former 17th Century estate housed by Scipione Borghese - an avid art collector of paintings and sculptures. Entering we had to check bags larger than a small fanny pack, present our vaccination cards, hand over our admission ticket, and climb a spiraling staircase. Overall, the collection is stunning. Seats for further observation were roped off due to Covid so there was a lot of standing but it's one of the most interesting art museums I've attended during my time in Europe.
After a bus ride back to our neck of the woods - Piazza Navona - we made a brief pitstop at Mariotti Gelateria because when in Rome you eat your weight in gelato daily.
We ended up having a late dinner back at our favorite Italian restaurant - Cantina e Cucina. This time around I sampled their Prosecco with a serving of Ravioli. Our waitress - Martina - was so sweet she gave us a digestive for free at the end of our meal. For those that don't know - digestives are commonly served in Italy to help aid digestion. Some places serve Limoncello while others do biscotti and an extremely bitter, strong alcohol that WILL make you gag uncontrollably.
Afterward, I proceeded to - yet again - eat my weight in gelato. This time around it was so late that the neighboring gelato shop that I'd already become an avid fan of had already closed so I had to wander a bit to find the next open gelateria. I ended up at a much fancier and pricier Gelateria Frigidarium. To a certain extent, you can't go wrong with any gelateria in Rome - all of Italy maybe - but as a self-certified food critic, I would rank this place lower on my list of gelaterias in Rome. Not terrible by any means but their mint chocolate chip was STRONG, and I didn't even ask for mint chip I wanted mango.
Step Count: 21,271 steps
Comments