Rome Is Always Filled with Adventures!
Our friend Ann recently spent a week in Sicily. We met Ann in Seattle when we were taking Italian classes. She has visited us here in Italy two times before. We hadn’t seen her since 2017. Fortunately for the Tandem Spirits, she was staying in Rome for a few days before returning to the US.
We arrived in Rome on Sunday afternoon. Our museum tickets were for 3 pm, so we had plenty of time to check into our room at the Best Western Universo, drop off our backpack and jackets and freshen up a bit. Then it was time to poke around as we made our way toward the Scuderie del Quirinale. We looked into a small church we hadn’t visited before, the Oratorio del SS Sacramento.
Lunch at Al Gallinaccio
We also found a nice place for lunch near the Trevi Fountain, Antica Trattoria “Al Gallinaccio”. They don’t have a web site, but they come up right away if you do a Google search and they also have a rarely updated FB page with contact information. It on a side street and was unassuming from the outside. Since we already had dinner reservations, we decided to split an appetizer plate. It was salami, spicy capacollo, prosciutto, grilled vegetables, mozzarella cheese and rosemary focaccia. We finished by splitting a panna cotta with caramel sauce. When we arrived the place was practically empty, but by the time we left, it was completely full and there were very few non-Italians.
Guercino at the Scuderie Quirinale
The tandem spirits have seen a number of exhibits at the Scuderie Quirinale, and their exhibitions are always interesting. This time, the emphasis was on an artist named Guercino, whom we knew nothing about. For the most part, his themes were religious. If you grew up in a Catholic family with a big, thick bible full of pictures, these works would be very familiar.
There were also quite a number of works based on Greek / Roman mythology. One room was full of pictures with Putti.
A Delicious Dinner Together - Maestro Bistro
We met up with Ann just in time to have an aperitivo, hear about her adventures in Sicily, and work our way to Maestro Bistrot for dinner. We split a delicious and very rich goat cheese appetizer and each ordered a different pasta dish. James had gnocchi alla pormodoro e mozzerella, Virginia had carbonara, and Ann had caccia Pepe. We all split a tiramisu for dessert.
Porta Pinciana and Villa Borghese Park
Monday was another full day. In the morning we walked up to the Porta Pinciana, one of the gates of the Aurelian walls which was built in the early 5th century under the emperor Honorius.
From the gate, we wandered into the Villa Borghese Park, which is enormous. We enjoyed spending some time in this lovely green space. We spent a fair amount of time admiring The Temple of Aesculapius and the Lake Garden.
The Trevi Fountain Up Close!
After our reverie in nature, we worked our way back into the center to the Trevi Fountain. It was quite a contrast between the two areas. Work is being done on the Fountain, so there is no water, however there is a walkway that allows one to get up close to the statues. Some people still tossed a coin into the empty fountain. Having seen the Trevi Fountain many times, it was a treat to get this unique view.
An Asian Lunch - Ristorante Asahi
We started to walk to our next planned activity, but it was getting close to lunchtime and we were hungry so we took a cab to the next destination, the Museo Storico della Fanteria. James had been looking for a place to eat and found an Asian restaurant right across the street, Ristorante Asahi From the outside it didn’t look like much, and the menu was on a screen on the table with pictures and descriptions of the food that were not inviting, however the place had really good reviews so we took a chance and ordered a number of dishes. Fortunately we were very pleasantly surprised. All the food was delicious.
Before going to the museum, we stopped in for a quick look a the Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem. It is one of the seven Pilgrim churches in Rome. Our cab driver said it was quite beautiful, and it does have a stunning fresco in the apse.
Joan Muró at the Museo Storico della Fanteria
One of the reasons we selected this museum is that it was one of the few that is open on Mondays. Most museums in Italy are closed on Mondays. It was a Joan Miró exhibit, and we have seen some of his works in other museums. This exhibit was excellent. His paintings always make us happy. We love the colors, shapes and childlike enthusiasm, but also the dark emotion that comes through at times.
Our final stop was the Porta Maggiore, another part of the Aurelian walls, which is just up the street from the museum. This gate was build in 52 AD by the emperor Claudius.
After a busy, fun filled day, we walked back into the center and had time to enjoy a Spritz with Ann before getting back on the train to Foligno.
I love that Scuderie! Our favorite apartment to rent in Rome is down the hill from there tucked away in tiny Piazza Scanderbeg. If you find yourself wanting a full apartment and full kitchen to share with friends, try this place. The bedrooms are en suite,, it’s amazingly quiet given how close it is to Trevi. https://www.sleepinitaly.com/rome/fontana-di-trevi-apartments/apartment-scanderbeg-crystal
I hope to return some day,, but this year and next we are exploring the British Isles. Best to you and Virginia,
Maureen