In 1998 I travelled to Rome to visit my sister Kathy and her husband, Tim. Kathy and Tim were taking a year off ("YO"). They spent their first six months in France and travelled around the Mediterranean for the next six months. I met up with them in Rome. What a fun week with Kathy and Tim and their friends, TC and Katie! Returning to Rome 12 years later, I was excited to be the tour guide for Rich and my daughters, Elisabeth & Kate.
The Vatican City: The Vatican Museum & Gardens, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica
We rented a wonderful and cozy apartment in Campo de' Fiori. My sister, Caroline, recommended that we stay in Campo de' Fiori in Rome (Caroline studied in Rome and her husband is Italian). We arrived late on a Thursday evening. Elisabeth and Kate fell asleep in the cab from the airport. While I put the girls to bed in the apartment, Rich walked to a local market and bought groceries for the weekend.
On Friday morning Rich made a wonderful breakfast with eggs, sausage, and toast. Elisabeth and Kate were in heaven. They peeked through the curtains of the apartment at the square below. Elisabeth announced that there was a pizza parlor outside (it read "Piazza...." on the corner of the building). She asked if we could go there for dinner. So cute!
The weather was glorious (a nice break from Brussels). We left the apartment around 9am and walked across the Tiber River to the Vatican. I bought tickets to tour the Vatican Museum in advance. Our tickets were for 10am. We arrived in plenty of time. Elisabeth and Kate are great walkers! I think Elisabeth and Kate liked the Egyptian rooms, especially the mummies. Elisabeth also enjoyed the pottery from Jerusalem and the Middle East. (Kate asked, "When will we go to Jerusalem and see where Jesus lived?"). Elisabeth and Kate were awestruck by the opulence of the galleries and ceilings in the Vatican Museum, especially the ancient tapestry maps. They seemed to recognized continents.
We were only half way through the museum and they were getting tired. So we took a shortcut through the galleries to the Sistine Chapel (it was 11:00am and they were ready for lunch!). We enjoyed some quiet time in the Sistine Chapel. Elisabeth wants to be an artist when she grows up. Her art teacher recommended that we show her Michelangelo's fresco in the Sistine Chapel. The girls found some of the stories of the bible in the ceiling (they found the story of Adam and Eve first). After we left the Sistine Chapel we decided not to walk up around the dome (we were tired). We toured St. Peter's and the girls looked at the stars painted in the dome by Michelangelo. Elisabeth and Kate just stood and gazed above at the stars. It was hard to pull them away.
We left St. Peter's Basilica and headed straight for lunch along the avenue leading towards St. Peter's Square. We ate outside on the terrace between St. Peter's Basilica and the Castel Sant' Angelo. During lunch Elisabeth drew a picture of Rome and wrote "Roma: The Best City in the World." After lunch we took a carriage ride from St. Peter's Square to the Castel Sant' Angelo, Piazza Navona (where we got out of the carriage and looked at the ruins of the original racetrack built by Domitian), the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. During the carriage ride, the horse would put is head into people's cars to say hello (they were friends of the driver!). A very happy horse!
Piazza di Spagna (The Spanish Steps)
We ate a gelato in St. Peter's Square after the carriage ride and began our walk to the Spanish Steps. We walked from St. Peter's Square to the Castel Sant' Angelo, across the Bridge of Angels over the Tiber River, continued along a shaded sidewalk along the Tiber River and finally turned right on V. Condotti towards the Spanish Steps. What great walkers!
When we turned onto V. Condotti, the girls were in awe. The crowds, the flowers, the fountain and steps in the distance were shining in the afternoon sunlight. Elisabeth and Kate sat next to the fountain. They threw in coins to make a wish (I'm glad we brought a lot of coins - there are so many fountains in Rome!). We walked up to the top of the Spanish Steps and bought a lemon citron. We sat on the steps and drank the lemon citron and enjoyed the view over the square below.
From the Spanish Steps we decided to "walk across Rome" - Rick Steves' had proposed it as a "Night Walk" - however, with two young children in tow, we doubted we would stay up late! Our next stop: the Trevi Fountain.
The Trevi Fountain
After the Spanish Steps, we walked to the Trevi Fountain, a Baroque fountain created by Nicola Salvi. We had a map, but didn't need it. We just followed the tour groups coming from the opposite direction. As we approached Elisabeth and Kate could hear the water splashing. Again, Elisabeth and Kate were amazed. They threw coins into the Trevi Fountain (and got a little wet). Fortunately, they didn't fall in!
Piazza Colonna & Piazza Capranica
We crossed the Via del Corso and came upon the Piazza Colonna, a quiet and grand square with a column honoring Marcus Aurelius. There was a smaller fountain. Elisabeth and Kate splashed each other (they didn't fall in!). We continued on our walk to the Piazza Capranica, another square with an Egyptian obelisk which was taken by Augustus after his victory in Egypt over Cleopatra and Marc Antony.
The Pantheon
We continued our walk towards the Pantheon through a narrow street. With each step the Pantheon came into view. It is an impressive structure, dominating the square. Half of it was covered in scaffolding and it was crowded so we decided to save it for early the next morning.
Plaza Navona
We continued our walk to the Piazza Navona. I think that they recognized the square and Domitian ruins from our carriage ride earlier in the day. Elisabeth and Kate watched the artists paint and the musicians play. They danced with Rich to the music and sat near the Bernini fountain.
Campo de' Fiori
We ended our evening at Campo de' Fiori, a "field of flowers". We ate dinner at a restaurant on the square. We found that at 5pm Campo de' Fiori was a wonderful place to eat dinner with a family. After dinner, the girls played around the square.
Capitol Hill, The Forum and The Colosseum
For Saturday I bought tickets to The Colosseum in advance for 10:00am Saturday morning. After we ate breakfast in our apartment, we walked from Campo de' Fiori to The Colosseum. The girls were surprised to turn the corner and see the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II. Elisabeth and Kate were the first to spot the Colosseum in the distance!
The Colosseum was impressive. Luckily, we had advance tickets so we avoided hours in line. We climbed the steps to the top of the Colosseum. Elisabeth took pictures with her camera. After the Colosseum, we walked by the Arch of Constantine to enter the gates for The Forum and The Palatine Hill (another long line that we avoided!). We ate snack on some fallen columns in The Palatine Hill (no falls or skinned knees!). Elisabeth and Kate walked through The Forum. After walking past the Column of Trajan, Elisabeth and Kate found a pink scooter (the last item on our scavenger hunt!). They were so excited. It was pink with a butterfly and a heart. We took a few pictures of the girls with the scooter before lunch.
The Villa Borghese Gardens
After lunch we took a cab from The Forum to the Villa Borghese Gardens. What an amazing garden! Puppet shows, cafes, galleries, pony rides, choo-choo trains, play grounds, etc. The perfect place for a family in Rome! First, we rented a bicycle cart for a family of four. Rich and I (mainly Rich) bicycled the girls around the gardens for an hour. At one point we stopped and Elisabeth and Kate rode ponies through the gardens. Unfortunately, the battery died at the end so we really had to pedal to return the bicycle! After returning the bike cart, we ate a gelato (we averaged two gelatos a day in Rome!). Rather than take a cab home, we walked through the Villa Borghese Gardens to the Spanish Steps. We were a little lost at times, but we muffled through to discover a merry-go-round for the girls.
The Long Walk Home
After our long afternoon trek through the Villa Borghese gardens, we ate a gelato on the Spanish Steps of the Piazza di Spagna. We sat on the steps and enjoyed the beautiful weather. By now we knew our way around Rome. Elisabeth served as our "tour guide" and led us from the Trevi Fountain to Campo de' Fiori! We ate a fantastic dinner at another restaurant on the square. Elisabeth and Kate watched the street performers before we walked home for the evening.
The Pantheon: A Challenging Morning
On Sunday morning Rich, Elisabeth & Kate walked to a local pastry shop for breakfast while I finished packing. I left the apartment shortly after them to catch up, but I couldn't figure out how to get out of the building. There were huge doors and Rich had the keys. I sat inside the lovely and peaceful courtyard of our building for about 45 minutes. Finally, someone came and opened the doors (later I found out there was a button to open the doors - how did I miss it?). Luckily, Rich, Elisabeth and Kate were walking back to the apartment and Kate spotted me! Yeah!
We had saved the Pantheon for last morning, but the Pantheon was scheduled to close at 10:30am for a service. We walked from Campo de' Fiori to the Pantheon only to find that it was closed to the public due to a Reunification ceremony of Rome until 1pm. We were very disappointed. While we tried to regroup, we ate our delicious pastries on the steps. Elisabeth and Kate jumped over the ancient boulders. And, Rich treated us to a final carriage ride around Rome. The girls favorite was the Trevi Fountain and they threw in our remaining coins to ensure their return!
I can't describe how fantastic and wonderful it was to live in Rome for a weekend in Campo de' Fiori. But, we were glad to come home to Brussels. The girls played quietly in the afternoon on Sunday with their blocks while Rich made dinner and I unpacked (and started laundry!). Elisabeth and Kate built a very big play ground and church with their blocks. I love that they build something new and different after each trip.
I wish we could take them to Florence and Sienna like my sister took me. Perhaps we'll return in a few years....
