Trip Report, page 2
Our American ex-pat landlady answered the ring – she lives on the top floor (4th level) with her Italian
lawyer husband. The 18th century family-owned building contains two tourist apartments (2nd and
3rd levels, respectively), as well as a restaurant, formerly owned and managed by her father-in-law
and his father, which is located on the ground floor.
The Really Rome Holiday Apartments were exactly as advertised on their website. We were very
pleased. Shelley had provided for our every need, and was a wealth of information and assistance,
including the loan of a cell phone and the provision of wireless internet access in our apartment.
This was not an advertised feature of the apartment, but she gave us the password and we were
able to receive the WiFi signal well from the desk in the foyer of our apartment. She had also
thoughtfully provided many other touches, including a starter supply of coffee, sugar, pasta, garlic,
olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, together with a bottle of wine. The apartment included a washing
machine, as well. The street noise was minimal, and the apartment was very quiet at night.
The kitchen did have an Italian coffee pot (the model is called a "Moka" – and it's just like the ones
we have at home, made by Bialetti). We brought with us a milk frother for making lattes. We also
brought our own coffee. Yes, really. For several years, we have continued to routinely order
Lavazza Qualita Rossa coffee – espresso-ground and vacuum-sealed bricks. Three of these little
bricks traveled quite nicely in our suitcase, next to the frother. We wanted to wake up to our usual
morning coffee, without wondering where to find it in the neighborhood.
After Shelley's orientation (by now it was almost 6:00 pm), we headed out to the neighborhood
supermarket for shopping. We stopped and picked up a pizza to take home ("da portar via, per
favore" – one of my best Italian phrases; the other is "una tavola per due, per favore"). We were off
to a great start!
Sunday, 21 October (Rome)
After George made our customary morning latte, we headed out to explore the city. The weather was
on the cool side and somewhat windy, with winds of over 30 mph. But we brought warm clothing to
layer, and in the narrow streets it was not that bad. Our first objective was to walk to the Colosseum
and pick up our two Roma Passes that we had ordered online prior to leaving the States. The 20
Euro pass includes three days of bus/tram/metro transportation, two free museum entrances, and
discounted museum entrances.
Once we discovered the Rome bus system's website (the computer was really helpful to have along
the trip), we used it extensively to plot out our various bus/tram routes. With the Roma Pass,
traveling around the city became quite easy. Just get on and go. The Pass only needs to be
stamped by an on-board machine the first time it is used. Finding our way in the narrow streets was
a different matter, since the street names changed quickly and the maps were often difficult to read.
The compass we brought turned out to be essential to orient ourselves to the map once we stepped
off the bus or tram.
In the morning, we walked around the Pantheon, Forum, Colosseum, and Circus Maximus areas to
acquaint ourselves with the general layout. We stopped for our first gelato… this time in our
neighborhood of Trastevere. We also picked up a pizza for lunch (life is short – eat dessert first!).
This particular gelato place was good, but not THE best. In fact, we found two other places that
eclipsed this one… but we'll share that information further on.