Thanksgiving in Rome!
Ah, the wine, the food, the old churches and lots of expensive leather shoes. Our little four day jaunt to Rome over Thanksgiving weekend was a smash. In addition to myself there was also Dave 'BCS or Bust' Parr, Jim 'Pass the Pasta' Krajecki, Vince 'The Interpreter' Coletta and Andrew 'Where's the Bud?' Smith.
Over the course of four days, we treated ourselves to the best the city had to offer. For my money, the food and wine is worth the trip alone. And the pizza tasted even better than on our last trip to Rome in March 1999. Rome is a city that just begs to be walked. Every couple of minutes it seems that you're passing by some great ancient basilica or monument. And if that isn't enough, try the gelato. Gelato is Italy's super fresh and creamy ice cream. Walking Rome requires some heavy fuel as well and there's none better than a stiff espresso, best served standing up at one of the many coffee bars.
Traveler's Hint: Italians only drink cappuccino for breakfast, so if you want to go local you should order espresso in the afternoon or evening.
Some of the major sights we saw included the Pantheon, the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Nero's Golden Palace and the Borghese Gallery. There were still plenty of sights to be seen as well. You could easily spend a week in Rome and not see everything. Still, four days was enough to enjoy many of the things this great city has to offer. My legs were seriously tired out after all that tramping across the city. Luckily we had some nice rooms to crash in at a place called Hotel Cambridge near the Termini train station.
As I said earlier, food was key on this trip and we found some great spots. Piccolo Arancio near the Trevi Fountain was a little gem of a place that we found last time in Rome and it didn't disappoint us on our second trip. A little place called Lucia in the Trastevere district was small and homey with an unusual menu but great food. Perhaps the highlight of the night was Hostaria Del Gallo. It was a place a few blocks off Piazza Navona, but very hard to find down some narrow, uncharted side streets. The homemade pasta was to die for and the 10.000 lire bottles of house wine kept us in our seats.
Traveler's Hint: If you want the full dining experience in Rome order the complete five course meal with appetizer, pasta, meat, salad, dessert and coffee. This is no town for crash diets!
I recommend heading over to Rome in March or November when the weather is pleasant, but not too warm and the crowds are small at all the sights. Buon Viaggio!
