We had a helluva ordeal leaving Athens. I overestimated the efficiency of the Athens metro system, which delivered us to an outer station 15 miles from the airport with a 30 minute wait for the next train to the terminal. We realized we very likely might miss our flight if we waited on the train, so we hailed a cab for the remainder of the journey.
The taxi paid off, we thought, because we arrived just around an hour before our departure. We found the EasyJet line, and waited. And waited. 15 minutes later, we got to the desk and were told our flight was overbooked, and that we had to get in a separate line. Five minutes after THAT, we were told that the flight stopped check-in 40 minutes before departure. F#%*&$ airlines.
We begged with the woman at the desk, who acted like she was being generous by giving us two standby tickets and no promises that we or our luggage would make it to Rome. I imagined her cackling over a witch's cauldron as we sprinted to the security screening, which must have been staffed by the Athenian Glue-Sniffers League. They frisked Annie, and debated me over the pronunciation of "iPad" because I hadn't taken my "iPawd"(their pronunciation...sounds like iPod, right?!) out of the bag.
Anyways, longer story shorter, we made it to Rome Fiumicino frustrated and tired, then took a bus to Stazione Termini, then two (filthy, circuitous, confusing) metro stops to Piazza Barberini where our hotel was one block away.
Piazza Barberini
We had reserved a double room at the Daphne Inn-Trevi as recommended by our Lonely Planet guide. We found it off a major thoroughfare on an old, quiet cobblestone street, up three flights, and well staffed. Helpful Franco at the desk spoke great English, checked us in easily, gave us a Rome map and showed us where everything was--including his favorite pizzerias and gelaterias.
Our humble abode.
We gave ourselves some time in the room to rest after lugging our bags through the airport and downtown Rome, and time to figure out a game plan for the day. The first order of business was food, so we walked to a nearby pizzeria called Alice(pronounced "Ah-LEE-chay") and devoured several homemade slices of ham and margherita pizza.
With food and coffee in the guts to power us through the day, we went exploring. Leaving from Piazza Barberini, we walked northwest to the Spanish Steps and its Piazza di Spagna, then we cut north slightly to enter a park area called the Pincio Gardens that had great skyline views of Rome and the Piazza del Popolo below.
We descended the path from Pincio to head that way. From the NE corner of the Piazza, we entered an old church with stunning sculptural work--some of it quite macabre. There were tombs lining the walkways, and many alcoves had tomb-shaped monuments or outright skull/skeleton sculptures. Annie got really creeped out.
Rightfully so.
We walked around the whole Piazza, noting that three large roads entered the piazza from the southern end, which was why the area was referred to as "Il Tridente," or, "The Trident."
Wandering to the southwest corner, we entered a large church with several side chapels and alcoves. It was less morbid inside, though the outside was populated by hormone-stricken Roman teens. I got really creeped out.
Walking south on the main drag of the "trident" toward the center of Rome, we took a right turn to see an obelisk, a parliamentary(?) building and another obelisk...
Rome: Lovin' phallic symbols since 200 B.C.
... then we proceeded around another corner to the Tempio Adriano. It was an ancient temple with new buildings constructed within and onto the old corinthian columns. It was an as-yet-unseen-by-us literal blending of ancient and modern architecture.
Upon a strong recommendation from Franco, we found and entered the Chiesa di San Ignazio di Loyola, which had spell-binding mosaics on the roof and cupolas, but we got kicked out at closing.
Just like our ceiling back home.
The main dome of the church was particularly intriguing, but we couldn't figure it out before our sudden departure, so we made plans to see it again later in our stay.
We moved on down the street, westward to the Pantheon...It. Was. AWESOME.
From the outside, you could tell the building was large with a big-ass dome on top, but the inside was far more vast and breathtaking. The dome was actually open at the peak, and we later read that this was a monumental achievement of ancient Roman architecture that could not be replicated with modern materials.
The inside walls once held large statues of the Roman gods--hence the name Pantheon--but it had been converted to a Christian church like many other pagan sites of the western world. A couple tombs could be found there, most notably(to us) that of artist Raphael.
No sign of the other three Ninja Turtles.
After a moment's respite by a fountain in the Pantheon's piazza, we aimed toward home with a stop by the Trevi Fountain for photos and gawking.
It was very crowded, with tourists practically clambering over each other to snap the perfect photo, and with gypsies everywhere hawking cheap merchandise or propositioning you to take your photo...for a price, of course.
We paused in the throng just long enough for Annie to toss a coin over her shoulder (thus guaranteeing, according to legend, her return to Rome), then we shortly retreated back to the Daphne for much-needed showers.
ABOVE: A photo NOT taken by a gypsy.
We ate dinner on our street at Gioia Mia Piscipiano. It was convenient, though proved fortuitous because Annie loved her dinner. We split a Prosciutto and bread appetizer, then ordered gnocchi and wine for her, and parpatelle(?) and beer for me: 43€ (~$64).
Totally worth it for the peeing cherub logo.
Bellies full, we walked back to Trevi Fountain to see it at night, thinking it may be less crowded. We were not the only ones. There was still a pack, though the tourists' zeal seemed to have tempered into patient appreciation for the lovely architecture and sculpture work.
We eventually wandered back home and into bed, exhausted.
Rome June 27 Album:
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| Rome: June 27, 2011 |
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Athens to Rome
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