A Weekend in Rome with Good Friends
The only thing better than going to Rome, is meeting up with friends there. The Tandem Spirits were excited to hear from our good friends Janice and Dave saying that they would be in Italy this year for their vacation. Since they were leaving from Rome they suggested we get together there before they returned home.
Virginia worked as Janice’s Assistant for many years at the University of Washington’s Center for Experiential Learning and Diversity. They have stayed with us before, and we went to an Opera with them in Panecale. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, it’s been several years since we’ve seen them.
The Baths of Diocletian
We arrived in Rome on Saturday morning and checked into our hotel, the Bettoja Hotel Massimo D’Azeglio, near Termini station. Although we were early, our room was ready. We quickly dropped off our bag and headed out.
The Baths of Diocletian are close to Termini station, and although we’ve previously visited the attached church, Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, we had never gone to the museum part of the complex. We are so glad we finally made it to the other side.
Built between 298 and 306 BC and covering 32 acres, They were were the largest Baths in the ancient Roman Empire. In 1561 Pope Pius IV commissioned Michelangeo to build a church on the site with an attached Carthusian monastery (Charterhouse).
Before going into the bath complex we viewed the ancient sculptures, altars, and sarcofagi that are on display in the Michelangelo Cloister and the Small Cloister.
There is also a large epigraphic museum which looks at the epigraphs on various items and structures through the prism of writing in various contexts – social, economic, religious, administrative, etc.
Lunch!
We had lunch at Trattoria Buca di Roma. I had pizza diavola, with spicy salami, and James had pasta with caccia & Peppe.
Catching Up With Good Friends!
Janice and Dave arrived in Rome just as we finished our lunch. One they had settled in, we spent the afternoon talking as we wandered the streets of Rome. It was great to see them again and catch up on everything.
Dinner At Maestro Bistrot
When we were in Rome last December, we had dinner at Maestro Bistrot and loved it, so we reserved a table there again. We were not disappointed.
Sunday At the Galleria Borghese
We’ve been to the Galleria Borghese museum before, but this was the 1st time for Janice and Dave. You have to reserve in advance and the tickets go quickly. They only allow 360 people in at a time and there’s a 2-hour limit to your visit which is actually comfortable amount of time.
The rooms in the Galleria are beautiful in and of themselves, adorned with frescoes, mosaic floors, paintings and sculptures.
The 1st Floor of the Galleria
The first floor has a number of incredible sculptures by Bernini, Canova, and a collection of Roman Art.
The 2nd Floor of the Galleria
The second floor is full of paintings by Caravaggio, Rubens, Titian, Veronese, Raphael, Perugino, and other great artists.
A Wonderful Lunch and Goodbyes
We took our time heading back toward the hotels, enjoying the sights of Rome along the way.
We had a delicious lunch at Ristorante Gallo Nero, which was close to our hotels and Termini station. We started with 2 antipasti, melon with prosciutto, and mussels and clams.
The main courses were fabulous: tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, rissoto with porcini mushrooms, tagliatelle with wild boar and polenta with wild boar.
It was really great to spend a couple of days with Janice and Dave. We’re truly lucky to be able to go to Rome as it’s only a 1.5 hour ride by train from Foligno. Of course, it’s alway hard to say goodbye to good friends, but we are already thinking about the next adventure in Italy or some other place in Europe.
