Rome

Travel Logistics and Resources for Naples, Paestum and Rome

May 8, 2012
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Below is information on the travel logistics for for an eight day trip to Italy in October 2011 to Naples, Paestum and Rome. These are our experiences with our specific transportation choices and accomodation.

To see the entire trip, start on the Naples, Paestum and Rome 2011 page.

Transportation:  Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

PLANES:

LAX-FCO-LAX on Air Canada
We flew Air Canada from LAX to Rome. My mother went two weeks ahead of me on a frequent flyer ticket and I bought my ticket to coincide with her flight home. The seats were fairly comfortable with a larger than average pitch (32″) in economy and seatback video on demand with tons of choices. Some of the economy seats also have A/C power ports and USB ports for charging your electronic devices. Headset jacks are the standard ones for an MP3 player, so bring your own because they charge for headsets (and pillows, and blankets, and food) on the US-Canada portion of the route. Those items are free on the Canada-Europe routes.

On the way to Rome I flew through Montreal and on the way back we flew through Toronto. Both airports have free wifi which is nice and way better than LAX which still does not. In Montreal I had my passport checked but my luggage was checked through to Rome. In Toronto we had to get our luggage, go through passport control for US entry, then through customs, then re-check our bags. Thankfully we had a 4 hour layover because this process took up almost half of it. In Toronto, my mother could have gone through customs in a flash using her Global Entry pass, but since I didn’t have one, she waited with me. I now have my own Global Entry Pass and I’m good to go!

TRAINS:

FCO-Termini (Rome’s central …

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Santa Cecilia in Rome; A Surprise Under the Church

May 2, 2012
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I’m just going to say this up front; this was the last thing we did and probably my favorite experience of the trip. And it’s a little odd that it has nothing to do with food, right?

We arrived at Santa Cecila to find it closed for a mid day break. My tip; get there when they open in the morning, or after mid day break and head right for the crypt. There were a couple of dozen people waiting, some clearly part of a tour group, when a nun in full habit arrived to open the locked doors to the church from within. We were there to see the crypt and headed there as soon as we entered the church.

The entrance is inside the tiny gift shop to the left as you go through the front doors. There is a small fee for seeing the crypt. I paid the nun and she handed me a heavy key and spoke to me in Italian. I didn’t quite understand what it was for, but I figured we had to unlock the door to enter and that I’d bring her the key right back.

It is said that Saint Cecilia was an aristocrat and an early Christian who was martyred in her home in AD 230. The church which stands in Trastevere today is built on top of that home which was used in her time as a secret place of worship. The remains of a tannery can also be seen in the area beneath the church. The first church on this site was founded in the 4th century and the present church was first built in the 9th century. Cecilia’s remains and those of her husband and his brothers were moved here from the catacombs of San Callisto. When her …

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A Visit To Trajan’s Market in Rome

April 23, 2012
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Even after many trips to Rome there’s always something new to see. I must have walked past the ruins of Trajan’s Market dozens of times and never really gave it much thought. This time I thought, “how is it possible I’ve never been in to see a 2000 year old market?”

They were taking down installed pieces from an art show when we arrived so unfortunately there were parts of the museum which were off limits to visitors. Still, we decided to go in and they discounted our tickets by a couple of euro. The entrance to the museum is on Via IV Novembre, but you can see the curved three story building of the market’s offices when standing in front of the Forum on via dei Fori Imperiali.

Inside the museum’s entrance is the vaulted Main Hall of the old market. Now, in the niches which once held shops, are various statues.

Trajan's Market

Once through the Hall and out into the open areas, it’s easy to imagine this as a bustling market almost 2000 years ago. According to what I’ve read, certain sections were set up for certain types of businesses, so on one street were all the taverns, and another area might have held all the wool sellers or jewelers.

Trajan's Market

Trajan's Market

Trajan's Market

Trajan's Market View

The view of the “Wedding Cake” or Victor Emmanuel Monument from the top of Trajan’s Market. In all my trips to Rome I’ve never been inside this structure. The Capotoline Museum buildings are in the back, to the left.

Finally from the chapter of my (yet unwritten) book called “Places I’d Like To Live Someday” check out these three apartments. They can all be seen from the top sections of Trajan’s Market so I can just imagne the views they have from their balconies…

Trajan's Market View

Trajan's Market View

Trajan's Market View

For more on Trajan’s Market, check out:
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Food in Rome; Restaurants,the Campo di Fiori Market, and a Giant Mortadella?

April 19, 2012
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One of the best things about being in Rome (besides the 2000 year old monuments around every corner) is the food. Like the monuments, fantastic fresh food is literally around every corner, whether in neighborhood outdoor markets, restaurants, or small specialty shops,  the quality of the food is astoundingly good. That’s not to say a bad meal can’t be found, but if you do your homework, you can eat very, very well.

One of our first stops was the Campo di Fiori market. Yes, it’s touristy, but it’s also filled with locals who shop there daily as well as some of the most beautiful produce.

One of my favorite vegetables to eat in Rome is Puntarelle, a bitter green which is usually served raw with a lemony anchovy dressing. In the Campo di Fiori market, you can see how this green is cut, stripped and prepared for purchase.

You can also see how artichokes are cut down to just the small hearts for the famous artichoke alla romana dish. If you’d like to read more about Roman markets, check out my Four Favorite Markets in Rome on my other blog, Former Chef.

The Campo di Fiori is also home to the famous Forno del Campo which is best known for its foccacia. Of course, we had to stop and get a slice which was still warm, right out of the oven.

I’d been wanting to try La Fiammetta since our trip in 2008 when I’d read on Chowhound it had the best eggplant parmesan around. I love anything eggplant, but had not been able to make it to the restaurant on either of my last two trips. This time we went and I am very happy to say we were not disappointed.

The eggplant parmesan was some of the best …

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A Walk Around Rome

April 16, 2012
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Arriving in Rome is starting to feel familiar, like a homecoming. After spending a full week here in 2008 and again in 2009, and at least three other previous visits, there is a comfort level that comes with spending enough time in one place. I love that I can now find my way around the centro storico without a map.

While I no longer feel obligated to go inside St Peter’s, the Colosseum, or the Forum on every trip, I still like to reacquaint myself with a walk around the center of Rome to see the old favorites. Of course, there are things which have not changed in 2000 years, but there’s also always something new to see. On this trip we’re staying in an apartment (to be detailed in a later post) between the Tiber and Piazza Navona. We have three days to enjoy some sights new to us, but after checking in and having a lovely, long anticipated meal at La Fiametta, we set out on an amble around the neighborhood to see those more familiar places first. Future posts will cover some lesser known sights which we saw for the first time like Trajan’s Market and Santa Cecilia church in Trastevere. But first, let me take you on this quick tour around some my favorite sights in Rome.

Walking into the Piazza Navona late in the afternoon, I was happy to see the fountains unencumbered by scaffolding (often there, at least on previous trips, for cleaning and renovations).

Piazza Navona

I’ve passed by the small hidden church of Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza dozens of times and I’ve yet to ever see the church doors open. This baroque church built by Borromini in the mid 1600′s sits at the back of a courtyard building on Corso del Rinascimento (#40) and …

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When Going To A New City Is Like Going On A First Date

November 7, 2011
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Where next; Naples, Paestum and Rome

The anticipation of traveling to a new city is a little like that of going on a first date. There’s excitement, nervousness, and anxiety all rolled into one big ball of anticipation.

To me Naples looks good on paper, albeit a little like the bad boy that many girls secretly adore. It’s often described as dirty, chaotic and dangerous but with fantastic art, architecture and incredible food. See what I mean? Naples sounds a like the 1950′s rebel complete with leather jacket, charming smile and a taste for mama’s ragú.

But then there’s the worry; I want to like him, but will he like me?
Will I get lost? Pickpocketed? Or will I find the Naples travel trifecta; great markets, the perfect pizza and the world’s best archaeology museum? Only time will tell.

This trip will also take me to Paestum, the home of ancient Greek ruins and buffalo mozzarella. There is nothing to fear there. While new to me, it feels safe, and I look forward to exploring this less traveled location.

Finally, we will end in Rome. I already know Rome. We are like old lovers who are now just friends. We have a history of over 20 years together, and every time we see each other the flame is rekindled. There’s a level comfort there which I do not have yet with Naples.

So here I go, off on my first date with Naples. I’m wearing a new dress and bright red lipstick. I’m ready to fall in love…

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Favorite Photo Friday-The Coliseum in Rome

May 21, 2010
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I’d like to introduce a new feature on wired2theworld called “Favorite Photo Friday” where I’ll be sharing some of our favorite photos. Today’s featured photo was taken during my trip to Rome in 2009. I like this photo because in black and white it has a timeless quality like the view itself.

If you really like the photo, you can download it via one of the links below to use as screensaver or desktop wallpaper. Each photo is slightly different depending on the dimensions.

Download as 1024×768 (typical 10″ netbook resolution)
Download as 1280×1040 (typical standard screen resolution)
Download as 1940×1200(typical wide-screen resolution)

Let me know what you think or if there are any specific photos you’d like me to feature in the future.

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