Enjoying a Spring Weekend in Rome
The Tandem Spirits had a 3 day weekend, so we splurged and booked a hotel in Rome for a couple of nights. Normally we do day trips to Rome, taking an early morning train there, and leaving in the late afternoon. We enjoy staying for a few days, but last year was a Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church. Hotel prices rose due to the increased demand, and of course they haven’t come down.
Since we weren’t in a hurry, we took a later train, and arrived at 11:00 am. We stayed at the Viminale View Hotel, a small Hotel with nice rooms that were very clean and comfortable. Our room was ready when we arrived. Our only appointment for the day was for 4:00 pm at the Arca Pacis museum, which is located along the Tiber River. We took our time wandering over to that side of town, then crossed the bridge into the Prati neighborhood. The first thing we came across was the Palazzo di Giustizia and Corta Suprema di Cassazione, an enormous building.
We started looking for a place to have lunch. We spied Taki Ristorante Giapponese and thought it would be nice to have some non-Italian food. We both ordered the Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura plate. It was perfect tempura, crunchy, light and not at all greasy. We followed that up w th a plate of mixed nigiri sushi, and had a scrumptious ginger ice cream for dessert.
The Arca Pacis Museum & Masterpieces from the Detroit Institute of Art
After lunch we wanted around the Prati neighborhood up to Castel St. Angelo, then walked along the Tiber to the Arca Pacis museum. The Arca Pacis, the Altar of Peace, was built to honor the Augustan Peace. It was completed in 9 BC.
We also went to the Impressionism and Beyond: Masterpieces from the Detroit Institute of Art exhibit in the lower exhibition hall. It was a small show and included paintings by Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh Matisse, Picasso and others. It was a beautiful collection.
When we got back to our hotel, we stopped into a bar for a Spritz. It was good to sit down after traipsing all over town We had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Rome, Maestro Bistro. We split an order of Ravioli for a primo, and then each had the swordfish for the second course. We shared an order of gelato for dessert.
From Vienna to Rome, Hapsburg Masterpieces
On Saturday, after breakfast at the hotel, we made our way over to Palazzo Cipolla to see the exhibition “From Vienna to Rome, Hapsburg Masterpieces from the Kunsthistorisches Museum”. This was another small, beautifully curated show with 50 works form the imperial Austrian collection.
We had lunch at Vivi, which has both a cafe, bar and restaurant. We both had big salads. Virginia had a salad bowl with salmon and James had one with tima and olives. It is located right next to Palazzo Bonaparte.
The Hokusai Exhibit - Palazzo Bonaparte
We didn’t have plans for the afternoon, and since we were already at Palazzo Bonaparte, and since I had open tickets to the Hokusai exhibition, we decided to check it out. This was not a small exhibit. It was huge and very impressive. We enjoyed seeing the artist’s evolution and the changes to his style over time.
On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at a small place for a Spritz. Just what we needed after a long day. It gave us a little break in the walk. It was nice to have some time to relax and wind down before dinner.
We chose an Indian restaurant close to our hotel for dinner. Ghandi 2. It has been a few years since the Tandem Spirits have had Indian food (the last time was in Cremona). Our meals were delicious. They bought sauces and spices on the side so you could make it hotter or spicier according to your tolerance.
Bernini Exhibit - Palazzo Barberini
For Sunday, we had tickets to the Bernini exhibit at Palazzo Barberini at 11:00. This allowed us to sleep in a bit, have time for breakfast and check out. The hotel was able to hold our bag for the day. The Bernini exhibit focused on the sculptor’s relationship with his main sponsor, Cardinal Maffeo Barberino (Later Pope Urban VIII) and included works by both Pietro and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. There were even 2 busts on loan form the Diocesan Museum in Foligno.
After the exhibit, we walked leisurely around Rome until it was time to find a place for lunch. We came across a small place whose owners are from Saradegna, as a result, the menu had some interesting items. Virginia had a pasta with mirto, guanciale and pecorino. We were fortunate that our friend Tom was able to meet us for lunch. He is studying in Austria, but was in Rome for an Erasmus study-abroad program. It was so nice to sit outside, enjoy our lunch and catch up.
Some Other Pictures from our Visit
The Tandem Spirits have visited Rome over 30 times since we moved to Foligno in 2014. It takes less than 2 hours to reach Rome by train, so we consider ourselves truly lucky to be able to see the Eternal City so easily. During this trip, we covered a lot of ground, saw 4 incredible exhibits and, of course, ate some delicious food. We thought you might like to see a few more images from our trip. Enjoy!
