STAYING ON VACATION

Vacatio (Latin) = Lack, absence

Few days ago one Roman host posted, in a group of a social network, the comment that one of her guests left about the stay in her apartment. The comment was very positive for the apartment, but the problems came. Here is, textually, what the guest wrote

We stayed 3 nights in Rome. I really wouldn't recommendo staying any longer unless you are a history buff. We were very underwhelmed by the experience of the Colosseum area and even the Vatican Museum. My favouriteplanned visit was to St. Peter' Basilica and the difficult walk to the top. 
Aside from that we just enjoyed walking around to the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona. We couldn't wait to leave & head to Positano.

The guest was a 30 y.o. bride from New York having the honeymoon in Italy.
Most of the comments by other hosts were about the lack of culture of that person. Frankly speaking I believe that what was missing was something else.

Let's go back to the word vacation, derived form the Latin, the language that was spoken in ancient Rome, vacatio.

When on vacation, one should stay away from everything that is similar to daily life. It is not a case that no one considers to be a vacation stayng at home during the weekend, To be on vacation it is necessary a big change.
Going to seaside or to mountains for a skiing vacation is a big change. Visiting a big city is not itself a big change, simply because most of the people live in a big city. If they don't, that is if they come from a small town or a village, the impact with a big city can be difficult. Well, that's not the case of the bride. She was coming from New York, a city that is even bigger.
But what she saw is exactly what she is experiencing every day: chaos, noise, crowded sites and so on.
Is there any difference among those two pictures?  Not really, just the buildings on the back.

Crowd at Times Square

Crowd at the Colosseum

But, indeed, the situation is the same, a lot people.
So why leaving New York to stay in the same situation in Rome? Furthermore, why doing that during the honeymoon, a period of the life when one would like to be on a full vacation?

Dear New York's bride, you are not guilty of lack of culture or something elese. You reacted as anyone, including myselg, would have reacted if left alone.

Your fault, if any, was to believe to those claiming that staying in an apartment is the best way to live as a local. No, staying in an apartment is the best way not to be on vacation, to stay like in your home, or even worse.

You would have deserved a Good Morning by the host or the by the staff every day and someone delivering to you a cup of coffee, just to start in the best way.  You would have deserved someone, the host or other guests, talking with you every morning to understand your mood, to suggest you which sites to visit away from the big crowd, to give you their feedbacks.
You would not have deserved to stay alone in an apartment, without any of those things.

Rome is a city that may be seen in several ways, not only the historical one. There are art, religion, politics, architecture, engineering, curious places, romantic spots, all of them away from the crowd.
One of my best moments in New York was looking at the families playing baseball (or is it softball?) at Central Park. You may look at the archeological site of Largo di Torre Argentina from an historical point of view. There is the historical one, it is the location of the Curia of the Theatre of  Pompey, the place where Julius Cesar was killed on March 15, 44 BC. But I would have recommended to you to look at it also as a Cat Sanctuary, a shelter for homeless cats.
You should have been told that most of the best restaurants of Rome are out of the center.
Therefore you were not on vacation, you were staying at home far away from your own home.

We run this blog to give to our guests our recommendations, to be close to them at any moment.
And we do not forget to tell to them - Good Morning- evey day

Vincenzo

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 16

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Back to part 15

It took some time to complete the diary of my trip to Rome but, as I wrote at its beginning, I was rather busy with the planning o my wedding with Janet.

Time to go

So my week in Rome came to the end. It would be nice to have longer vacations but it takes time and money. However Janet and I are already planning to come back soon to spend more time together where we met, sisiting also all the most romantic sites of the cisty. And they are not few.

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 15

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Back to part 14

Tramway Lines in Rome

While writing Part 10 of this diary, I mentioned that combining the use of tramway lines 3 and 19 allows the visitor to see several important sites as well as  hop oon - hop off bus.
Indeed that is true in general when considering the entire tramway network of Rome.

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 14

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Back to part 13

From St. Peter to Porta Portese

I will tell you the full truth and that is that I did not enter in the St. Peter's Basilica or in the Vatican Museums.
Even if that was my original idea when, in the morning, I left San Lorenzo Guest House, once I got there I changed my schedule. Weather was so nice, indeed bad weather is not a very usual event in Rome, that I thought that staying inside was not the best idea.
The lesson I got in the previous days was that, when in Rome, first of all, before visiting museum and sites, one must feel the ideal that is behind this unique city. The best way to get it is to walk around.

ONE WEEK IN ROME -PART 13

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Back to part 12

Going down for the Capitol Hill and proceeding along Via del Teatro Marcello, on the right one can see the Theater of Marcellus, one of the living monuments of Rome. It is dedicated to the nephew of Augustus and it was the biggest theater in ancient Rome. After falling out of use it has been transformed, along the centuries, in a residential building.

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 12

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Back to part 11

Sitting and drinkinga coffee at the corner with Via del Corso, I looked at Piazza Venezia.
The square is dominated by the white Vittoriano, the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy. It' is one of the landmarks of Rome but most of the Romans do not like it, being sometging completely out of the normal style of the city. Many people call it the Typewriter. Color is different but the shape, indeed, is similar.

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 11

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Go back to part 10 if you missed it.

During my stay in Rome, I heard that many Romans complain about the poor efficiency of public transportation?
Is that a problem for a traveler? Indeed yes, if one is visiting Rome with a tourist mentality, so focusing on the main spots. Once one enters into the point of view of a real traveler, it becomes an opportunity because, when walking, there is the possibility to see a lot of things that otherwise would remain unknown.
With the help of the staff of San Lorenzo Guest House I planned my next march (after the training I had during the week I beleive to be ready for the Olympics)

Santa Maria Maggiore

The final destination was the Caius Cestius pyramid and I got there through a long tour.
Walking along the Aurelian Walls, where you can see houses in the walls (it's Villa Gentili-Dominici, the biggest villa inside the center of Rome) and then along the Termini station I reached Piazza dei Cinquecento, in front of the station. Then I walked to reach the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four main basilicas in Rome along with St. Peter, St. John Lateran and St. Paul.

Moses by Michelangelo

According to the tradition, it has been built on the place where it snowed in August during the IV century AD. From Santa Maria Maggiore I walked to Colle Oppio, keeping aside od the Beths of Trajan, to reach the Basilica of San Pietro in vincoli to admire the Moses by Michelangelo Buonarroti. It's woth to enter to the faculty of Engineering, junt aside of  the church, to see the kloster and the well in the middle of it.
Going down though the Scalinata dei Borgia (Borgia's Stairs), I reached Via Cavour and the Via dei Fori Imperiali. What could I say about this street that connects the Colosseum with Piazza Venezia? Simply you walk across the history because the Forums were the center of the political life in ancient Rome.

Via dei Fori Imperiali

Piazza Venezia is the crucial point of the traffic in the center of Rome . I was told that, at the beginning of Via del Corso, there is a retractable footboard, but it is currently not working, from where a traffic policeman attempts to keep evereything in order. He must be a real artist.

But now is time for a break.

THE FAN

Link to part 10

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 10

Circus Maximus and the Imperial Palaces on the Palatine Hill

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Did you read part 9? If not click here

Visiting Rome requires good legs and good shoes. Ponits of interest are so many and so diffused that the best way to see them is to walk.
San Lorenzo Guest House is an excellent starting point for walks. I already did one going north to Villa Borghese, the nex one was on the opposite direction, with the final destination at the Circus Maximus.

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 9

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

It was the day I realized that you cannot understand what imperial Rome was without visiting Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana).

It is located just outside Rome, in Tivoli, slightly more than 30 minutes drive away from San Lorenzo Guest House.

I rented a car to get there to take the oppurtunity to visit also Villa d'Este that is located in Tivoli too.
Actually I got so lost with Hadrian's Villa that I will will have to come back to visit also Villa d'Este.

It's hard to describe Hadrian's Villa. The best thing I can do is to post this video I found on YouTube

THE FAN

Link to part 8

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 8



FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

After one day and half I had already seen, even if without visiting in depth, enough things to ensure prosperity to the tourist business of several cities.

A little bit tired by the long walk of the day before, and still eliminating the beer of the evening, I took the opportunity to talk about the place where I was staying.

San Lorenzo Guest House is located in a building of the late XIX century, the period of the development of the neighborhood.
It has always belonged to the same family, since the moment it was erected.
In contrast to the other houses of San Lorenzo, built for families of workers and artisans, this building was built for a family of wealthy merchants, as evidenced for example by the beautiful staircase leading to the first floor where there is the part that was intended to house the owners.
On the ground floor there were shops and, on the back, a courtyard with coal deposits, the goods traded by the family, and hospitalizations for wagons and horses.
Nowadays the first floor is used by San Lorenzo Guest House, and the shops on the street are used by a bar and a library that is specialized in university textbooks on psichology.
 In fact, right in front of San Lorenzo Guest House there is the faculty of psychology that deals with the area where previously there was a brewery.

The chimney of the old beer factory

The brewery was almost completely destryed during the bombing of July 19, 1943. Only the chimney and an office building survived. And the chimey, still standing high, has become a symbol of memory.

The office building of the old beer factory

And it can be considered, somehow, a symbol also for Rome, still standing over the other cities of the world after almost three millennia.
When one starts knowing more about San Lorenzo, it is possible to uderstand why this neighborhood is the soul of modern Rome, while San Giovanni, by the way just 15 minutes walk away, is the heart. Probably Prati is the brain and Esquilino the digestive system. The proximity to the university makes San Lorenzo a place where you will experience the new, the desire for freedom.
You can not say to have been in Rome if, in the evening, you do not drink a beer with the students crowding Piazza dell'Immacolata mixing with immigrants of all races or if you do not seat, at lunch time, in one of the cafe-restaurants serving quick meals and look to the students that, while eating are talking about the last lesson or are reviewing their works
Perhaps it is no coincidence that San Lorenzo, despite being a poor district, was already known in the world before the Second World War, being the place where the great educator Maria Montessori, whose methods are still widely used, founded the first Casa dei bambini (children house). unfortunately that was destroyed during the bombing.


THE FAN

Link to part 7

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 7

Temple of Aesculapius - Villa Borghese

 FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Bioparco

Entering to the Borghese Gallery was not possible so we walked through the villa during the afternoon. In reality one could dedicate a full day to the visit, especially when having kids. We passed in front of the Bioparco, the zoo. Then we went to the little lake with the Temple of Aesculapius and later to Piazza di Siena, the place where, on May, a famous international equestrian jumping competition (CSIO) takes place. I learned a funny story by the Romans.

Piazza di Sinea

According to them when it comes the time of "Piazza di Siena", that's the way they name the competition, one can be sure it will rain. Maybe that happens because all the ladies of the jet set are attending to the competition showing off the latest creations of the haute couture.

Anyhow I and Janet spent a delightful afternoon walking among the green.  As it happens every day to may Romans, it was during that walk that we realized that we could have a lot in common. And that is a story that now is going to a new start.

THE FAN

P.S. Later I was looking back to the notes I took during those first tow days, one and half more correctly, and I understood How much there is to see in Rome. I hadn't yest visited the most famous sites, just gave a brief look during the hop on - hop off tour, and I had already filled pages; that's really amazing. 

Link to part 6

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 6

Palazzo Barberini

 FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

Fontana del Tritone - Piazza Barberini

Piazza Barberini is named after the palace of the aristocratic family Barberini that is overlooking the square. Actually the entrance is on Via delle Quattro Fontane. The National Gallery of Anciet Art is located in the palace. At teh center of the square you can see the Fontana del Tritone (Fountain of the Triton), one of the famous Rome's fountains.
Leaving Piazza Barberini, I started to go uphill aloong Via Veneto, the street of La Dolce Vita.
Nowadays the glamour of the street is not the same as it was in the early Sixties of the XX century.

Via Venetto - Lower part

USA Embassy

Still, it mantains its fascination. Halfway betwwen Piazza Barberini and Porta Pinciana you will find the USA embassy.
Continuing to go uphill I reached Porta Pinciana, one of the several gates along the Aurelian Walls.

Via Veneto - Upper part

Porta Pinciana

Porta Pinciana is one of the few gates that has essentially mantained its original appereance although two new arches have been opened in the modern era to take into account the traffic,

Once crossed the gate I entered into Villa Borghese to reach the Borghese Gallery, to meet Janet.
We tried to buy a ticket, without any success: sold out.
Lesson learned: if you wish to visit the Borghese Gallery  during your stay in rome, book in advance.

Galleria Borghese

It was a pity not to visit it, but we had the opportunity to spend the afternoon of a marvellous sunny day walking inside Villa Borghese, the most famous of the villas of Rome. And that was the place where we realized that we could have something in common. We discovered later that is something occurring rather often among the Roman people.

THE FAN

Link to part 5

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 5

 FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

I came out of the Galleria Esedra and I had in fornt of me the complex of the Baths of Diocletian.
They overlook what officialy is Piazza della Repubblica but that, for most of the Romans, is still Piazza Esedra. That was the name till 1960. It comes from the exedra of the baths; the sqare has been built following exactly its limits. It is one of the most famous and beautiful squares of Rome, a city that is certainly not missing beautiful squares.

Baths of Diocletian

The Baths of Diocletian are really impressive. They were the greatest imperial baths in the ancient Rome, so wisely built that a large part of the buildings are still existing and in use, even if for different purposes. In past centuries the baths were used as a quarry for building materials for the construction of other buildings. A part of the complex was instead demolished in the late nineteenth century to allow the construction of the adjacent Piazza dei Cinquecento and Termini railway station.

Santa Maria degli Angeli

Many people may think that the word Termini has something to do with "teminal". Indeed it comes from thermae, baths. 

Interior view of Santa Maria degli Angeli

What has remained, and it is a lot, is nowadays used as museum space or, in other cases, transformed to churches. Among those, the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is particularly notable. It has been designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti, and later modified by Luigi Vanvitelli, using the tepidarium. it is the church used for the official ceremonies of the Italian state.
Once left Piazza dell Repubblica I walked down along Via Nazionale, one of the shopping streets in Rome to turn right to Via delle Quattro Fontane.

San Carlino and one fountain

This street is named after the four fountains  that are placed at the cross with Via XX Settembre and Via del Quiranale. Just at the corner you may see the church of San Carlo (better known as San Carlino) alle Quattro Fontane, one of the masterpieces of Francesco Borromini. This swiss archietct, along with his fierce rival Gian Lorenzo Bernini, characterized the baroque period in Rome.
In fornt of San Carlino there is the back corner of the Quirinale, the presidential palace that was previously the residence of the Pope and later of the Savoia royal family.
Going down from the four fountains cross to Piazza Barberini, you will leave on your left Via Rasella, sadly famous because it was the place where, during the German occupation in World War II, occurred an attack to the German troops that led to the horrible reprisals known as Fosse Ardeatine, from the name of the quarry where 335 comon and political prisoners were killed by the nazists.
Well, once reached Piazza Barberini it's time for another stop for a coffee.

THE FAN

Link to part 4

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 4

Porta Pia

 FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A BRITISH TRAVELER

The day after I was ready for a full immersion in Rome. And especially I was ready to walk, because that was what I understood the day before during the sightseeing tour. Rome is so full of things to see, almost at every corner, that the only way to go into depth is to walk. It is not a case that all the historical center of Rome is in the UNESCO World Heritage List with something like 25000 places of interest.
My new friend Janet was busy on the morning, as she was in Rome mostly for business purposes.
We were appointed in front of the Borghese Gallery in the early afternoon. Although she did not have a reserved ticket, she hoped to find one on sale. Therefore I decided to arrive there walking.
I followed the direction I was given in San Lorenzo Guest House for my itinerary.
So I walked first to Viale Castro Pretorio, taking the name by the Castrum Pretorium, the barracks of the Praetrorian Guard, that was the elite corp of the ancient Roman army, providing personal security to the Emperor. It has to be said that was not alway the case, sometimes the Praetorian Guard was at the center of rebellions againt the reigning emperor.
The area of the Castrum is now moltly occupied by the National Library. Anyhow the walls, that were incorporated into the Aurelian Walss, are clearly visible.
Short after I reached Porta Pia. Among Italians ,Porta Pia is probably the most well known gate of Rome from an historical point of view, because it is where, in 1870, took a short battle against the papal army after which the Italian army entered Rome, bringing an end to the temporal power of the Pope. A monument dedicated to the bersaglieri, the infantry cosp that took part to the battle is located in front of Porta Pia. But Porta Pia is also an important architectonical piece, being one of the last works of Michelangelo Buonarroti. 

The British Embassy

Just behind it, one can see the Embassy of the United Kingdom, a contemporary architecture work by Sir Basil Spence.The previousl building had been destroyed in 1946 by a terrorist attack related to the coflict in Palestine that was rising just in those years. Actually that is not the best part of the british history.
I walked along Via XX Settembre, a street that is named after the day of the battle of Porta Pia, passed the cross with Via Pastrengo, a curious street where circulation as in UK on the left side, and then turned to left to get to Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, just after admiring the fountain at the cross, the Fontana dell'Acqua Felice. then I stopped inside the Galleria Esedra, to taste one cannolo alla siciliana of the famous pastry shop Dagnino, to drink a coffe and to write the notes of my first hour of walk.


THE FAN

Link to part 3

ONE WEEK IN ROME - PART 3

FROM THE FICTIONAL DIARY OF A TRAVELLER FROM BRITAIN

I got back from my walk in San Lorenzo and took my room. It was comfortable as I expected and I was happy to find in the room a water kettle to prepare complimentary tea and coffee. After a shower, I went to take a quick lunch in one of the several places that can be found in the San Lorenzo district, such as Mejo, 100 Montaditos, pizzerie al taglio where one can get slices of pizza, and finally I started for my first tour in the centre of Rome.
Having no knowledge of the city and wishing to get a first idea, I decided for a hop on - hop off tour.
There are many companies running those toures with a double deck bus (obviously, seat on the upper deck when weather is good) and almost all of them have their terminal at Temini station that I reached with a 20 minutes walk.
They do not run all the same route, but variations are slight and all of them goes to the most famous places, Colosseum, Circus Maximus, St. Peter, Castel Sant'Angelo, Venice Square and so on. Nice tour for sure to get a first knowledge of the city, and also to meet a nice girl, Janet, that... well to make it short, we are now planning our wedding.
To tell the truth, when the day after I told to the girl at the reception about the hop on - hop off tour, I was told about a very good alternative that is easily available when you stay at San Lorenzo Guest House. I will tell you about that next time. But, anyhow, the tour was wonderful at least because I met Janet.

Campo de' Fiori

By the way, we completed the day at Campo de' Fiori with a nice dinner and later sitting in one of the several bars around the square.

The name of the square (Field of the Flowers) comes from what it was once, a field with flowers. Centuries ago it was the place for public executions. The most famous person that was executed here was the mok and philosopher Giordano Bruno, burnt at the stake, whose statue is dominating the square. Talking wih a local guy I learned a something of interesting about the Romans. Giordano Bruno lived in  the second half of the XVI century and became very famous, making also some money, for his work. He travelled all around Europe and teached in several cities. When he was accused of heresy, he was invited on numerous occasions to recant his philosophical positions but refused indignantly to do so. And he went to the stake. Every year, in the anniversary of his death, several people meet in Campo de' Fiori to celebrate him as martyr of freethought.

Whenever you talk to people in Rome you will discover that most of them will tell you the worst thing about the Catholic Church, that it is conservative, reactionary, hypocritical just to quote the first and easiest things coming to my mind. On the other side almost no one could consider the idea of a Rome without the Pope.

A common saying in Rome is  Venire a Roma e non vedere il Papa (you came to Rome but you didn't see the Pope) meaning that someone did't do what he was expected to do.
And, when a Roman want to talk about spmething occurring very rarely, he will say A ogni morte di Papa (on every Pope's death).
In reality the city and the Catholic Church are like two conjoined twins. They might hate each other but they cannot live separated.

Palazzo Farnese

THE FAN

P.S. It comes just now to my mind; steps away from Campo de' Fiori, there is Piazza Farnese where you can admire the worderful Palazzo Farnese, one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance. It is the location of the French Embassy, the most beautiful in Rome indeed. However also the British Embassy, modern architecture, is worth a view.