Clouds hung over our third morning in Rome- perfect museum weather. Our cab dropped us outside the Piazza del Popolo, where we began down Via del Babuino towards the Spanish Steps.
Piazza Del Popolo and Heliopolis Obelisk.
Photo courtesy of picstopin.com
Wander down Via Del Corso and Via Condotti- both popular shopping streets, but the latter is significantly more high end. Prada, Armani, Versace, oh my…and on to Borghese Park (fueling up with a quick espresso along the way)
View from the bottom of the Spanish Steps
Our main destination- Borghese Gallery. Though I had been monitoring tickets online, we were unsure which day we wanted to visit one of the greatest art collections in the world. In the interim, online tickets had sold out and the Gallery is closed on Mondays, our final full day in Rome. I knew that there was a chance to “Rush” the ticket office, banking on buying unclaimed tickets. You can do this at any of the set entry times: 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, or 5pm.
Borghese Gallery entrance
We were lucky enough to buy two tickets this way, and leisurely explored the galleries and gardens without pre-booking. Of course, the masterworks and very architecture of the gallery were spectacular, but the surprise hit of the day was the outdoor Uccelliera. The outdoor villa, an homage to birdwatching, currently contains a temporary exhibition “Thomas Houseago: Striding Figure / Standing Figure”.
Thomas Houseago’s Striding figure at Borghese gallery
All this walking had made us hungry. We followed Viale Del Museo Borghese south through the park, arriving at the head of Via Veneto. Life is truly sweet on this posh street, home to many up-scale hotels and restaurants like Harry’s Bar. We opted for a more affordable restaurant Gran Caffe Roma at the base of the street, scarfing the first pizza of the journey.
Our first real pizza, on up-scale shopping street Via Veneto
Directly across the street, The Museo E Cripta Dei Frati Cappuccini showcases the fascinating history of Capuchin Monks; “travelers and missionaries, diplomats and leaders, founders of civilization and of social works, artisans and even firefighters, ….with all the virtues and frailties of men in the midst of which they live” (according to the website). The craziest part of the museum is the crypt, where over 4000 Capuchins’ remains have been arranged in elaborate designs to remind us of our own mortality. “What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be” (Quote from a plaque in the crypt).
Capuchin remains
The Bone Crypt in Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini
Back down through Barberini square past the Pantheon, and on to Piazza Navona.
Pantheon, Rome
We sped through here on day 1, and I wanted to take some time to explore the many artists’ stands that speckle the piazza. This public space used to be a stadium, and is now a popular eating and meeting place.
Piazza Navonna early evening sky
More importantly, we wanted to try to famous tartufo at Tre Scalini, the supposed creators of the chocolate truffle. For 9 Euros, it was a nice bite, but one that I could have lived without.
Original Tartufo at Tre Scalini
With our chocolate appetizer in our tummies, we walked to Campo De Fiori- home of markets, fun shopping, and lots of outdoor drinking opportunities.
Shopping plaza Campo De Fiori
A friend had recommended L’Orso 80 for dinner, just a 5 minute walk outside the main piazza. We had heard great things about the antipasti “experience”, and were ready to taste.
Meat antipasti at Orso 80
We ordered both meat and vegetable antipasti, which was more than enough for the two of us. One thing has changed since our friend visited; the plates no longer come until you say “stop”, but the platters were overflowing with fresh and delicious homemade antipasti.
How can you resist?
It was a wonderful meal, which we capped off with a final gelato before returning to the hotel for the evening. I really was starting to get used to this…
very true – I have much more vivid memories and affinity for the places I slummed it than for the places I was pampered and venture a few blocks off the tacky tourist trail you will experience a whole different world
You experience the real world, which thankfully is a new, exciting and sometimes scary experience!
I agree with this sentiment.
These issues are the reasons I’m cutting back reading posts in this subculture/hobby/business. Sustaining the “everyone-can-do-it-click-here” business model seems to require selling people on the idea of sterile international travel. I don’t understand why, but I imagine a) one gets more results pushing aspirational travel and b) there are hotel cards to be pushed. I’m also not in the business, so these are guesses..
Honestly, I don’t think its about focused trip type for clicks, I really don’t think most of these folk have really ever traveled, so don’t know better, and are click happy because it obviously pays a ton of cash.
I’m taking my 24 yr old daughter and my 70 yr old mother to Paris and London in March. It will be my mom’s very first trip to both places. I’ve already booked business class seats for us, and we’ll be staying at the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome…..yup….in a suite. And if first class seats become available, I have every intention of upgrading us. You see, this trip is not just about Paris and London. Its about spending time with my mother and my daughter, both who live thousands of miles away from me, and treating them to things that they wouldn’t, otherwise, have access to. The three of us have never taken a trip together, and I intend to spoil them a bit….ok a lot. My mom, especially, deserves it, and I intend to take advantage of any opportunity to do that while I can. We’re making memories – not about Paris and London. We’re making memories about doing something super sonic awesome together.
Hi Kari,
I think you are doing a fabulous thing, and hope that one day someone will do the same for me. In no way shape or form is this post applicable to people doing what you are doing.
I’m addressing instead the people that travel frequently, indeed, solely in this fashion and simply do not get to experience the world as they should, which is outside of the hotel.
Sharing a 5* experience with your mother (and bringing your daughter along for the ride) is just a fantastic thing to do.
I travel frequently, but in the past, I’ve had to actually (gasp!) paid cash money for it (my first flight was at 6 months old). My point is – travel isn’t solely about the destination, or how much or little of it you get to experience. Travel is also largely about the people you share those destinations with. Neither one is more “real” than the other.
YOU DID WHAT?!
Travel is solely about the destination, and its impact on you and your dynamic. Sharing it with someone special is wonderful. Which is why I said it wasn’t about the room you got, but who you shared it with 🙂
Your travel may be solely about the destination. My travel is not. And neither is any more “real” than the other. Just differing perspectives.
And my upcoming trip down the Danube? Not a single mile/point spent. 🙂
Hey Kari,
I said AND its impact on you and your dynamic (relationship with the person traveling with your or elsewhere in your life).
Really, the way I look at anything is that it is all entertainment, education and enlightenment – I just think you are able to absorb more of those three E’s in dynamic and unusual environments, such as you can encounter when traveling.
The Danube sounds fun, I hope you will share the experience of it with me.
Cheers,
Matt
I’m really excited about the Danube trip, and I’ll definitely share.
I was just offering a dissenting opinion. I thought that’s what you asked for. 🙂
Great – I look forward to hearing about it. And no,there shall be no dissent, I only ask for that playfully. I expect everyone to agree with everything I say!
Thanks for keeping me honest. Cheers, Matt
Agree.
Just got back from 10 days in a suite at PHV last night. Cancelled my return direct nonstop biz flight (2 cabin) to SFO to upgrade and sit in F by taking a trip thru Frankfurt.
Sitting in F doesn’t devalue anything – it’s exactly the opposite. You arrive fresh/your hassle factor is much lower/you don’t often deal with crying babies/smelly Germans/fatso’s with their gut hanging over the armrest…or tattooed 20-Something bloggers (roll eyes now).
The notion that you get a more “authentic” experience sitting back of the bus/”enjoying” a hostel is ludicrous nonsense.
You took the wrong message from this, but that is OK. And we all used to be 20-something, just some longer ago than others. If you want to comment on my appearance perhaps you could balance it with something positive like I have pretty eyes no?
Sitting in F is fine, sitting in your room ordering room service every day is fine too, but you will see more of the world if you break free of the attachment to` consistent, globalized luxury.
Only some privileged DB blogger from the First World would ever have the gall to suggest that travel in back of the bus is “roughing it”.
“Roughing it” in a hostel may sound “horrible” if you travel F/stay at 5 star properties, but it’s relative luxury to the 50% of the world (~3.5 BILLION) who live on <$2.50 a day.
If you want to learn something about a culture, you need to live it – and that takes months, if not years in one place.
Tell me more, where did you live and what did you learn?
The point of the post was that you can learn when you are exposed to the culture, interacting with people – you do a lot more of that when meeting new people and not traveling in a bubble.