Ciao! Rome, Italy Day 2
Our Day 2 began at Regoli. The family-run artisan pastry shop near Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II has been offering classic Italian pastries since 1916. My target was a Maritozzo. Sweet rolls filled with whipped cream are traditional dessert in Rome and usually eaten for breakfast. The pastry shop was close to our Airbnb and their Maritozzi seemed very popular. It was a right place to experiment the Roman breakfast cream bun.
Look at very generous amount of whipped cream on my Maritozzo! Do Roman people really eat this for breakfast?! It looked like a dream breakfast for who loves whipped cream like me. Both the cream and the bun were fluffy and not so sweet. I loved it very much. However, when I finished it, I was too full to think about any food, especially whipped cream...
I think J had a pastry with custard cream. We both had cappuccino, too. The pastry shop was already very busy around 8am. We didn't stay there long. Time to walk!
We passed through Parco del Colle Oppio, an archaeological park with the remains of the Domus Aurea, the Baths of Titus and those of Trajan. I loved to see Italian stone pines, also known as umbrella pines or parasol pines. There are more than 300,000 of the trees in Rome.
We walked around the Colosseum, and...
looked at Arco di Costantino, or the Arch of Constantine. Erected in 315 AD, the largest remaining triumphal arch is the last great monument of the Roman Empire, remaining just next to the enormous amphitheater.
Then we entered the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, a large archaeological area and open air museum. We wandered into a mass of ruins, including shrines and temples. The Roman Forum was the center of political and social activity of the ancient Roman citizens. Some monuments in the Roman Forum date back to the 6th century BC.
The Palatine Hill, adjacent to the Roman Forum is also one of the most ancient parts of Rome. Going up to the top of the hill via some steps and slopes wasn't difficult. There was a lovely garden with orange trees. Fresh oranges on the tree looked so bright and alive after seeing tons of ancient ruins. Does that make sense?
The panoramic views of the Roman Forum from the hill were splendid!
Our tickets covered the entrance to extra sightseeing spots, including Church of Santa Maria Antiqua, one of the earliest surviving Christian monuments in Rome.
Aula Isiaca con Loggia Mattei was another special spot that our ticket covered. Frescos in the Aula Isiaca, a chamber of the great residence of Augustus date from around 30 BC, mainly referring to Egypt and the goddess Isis.
We could spend the entire day in the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, but it was time to go because there were more places in Rome we would like to see. We walked to the Basilica of Saints John and Paul, situated on the Caelian Hill. Originally built in 398, the ancient church has been heavily rebuilt multiple times since then. The current interior is in Baroque style, completed in the early 18th century. Low hanging chandeliers were impressive!
Actually visiting the church wasn't the real reason we came there. We wanted to see its underground - Case Romane del Celio, the ancient Roman Houses, or Domus, hidden beneath the hilltop basilica. Over 20 Domus were discovered at the site. Apparently the residential complex had been mainly used between the 2nd and the 5th centuries in four phases. According to a legend, the burial martyrs, John and Paul lived in the Domus in the 4th century, which is why the basilica above has the names of the two Saints.
There was a series of chambers on the various levels, connected with corridors and staircases. Ancient frescos, which were beautifully reserved, indicate the house complex was a witness of the transition between paganism and Christianity.
At the end of a dark stone path, my eyes were surprised at an automatic door to a modern, clean, bright antiquarium that exhibits Roman and medieval artifacts that are collected from the excavations of the houses.
We came back under the blue sky. We found a bench in Villa Celimontana, a lovely garden near the basilica to take a break and think about where to go next.
We decided to go back to the busy area around Piazza Navona and find a place for a late lunch. Time to walk again!
The Palatine Hill over there!
We didn't need to look through the list of restaurants on Tripadvisor to find a good restaurant because my friend gave us several names of the restaurants she recommends for authentic Roman cuisine. We checked out one of them, Verso Sera.
It was an unexpected summer day in November. We had seated at the outside terrace.
My friend recommended us to try artichokes, specifically Roman style artichokes, not Jewish-style ones. We followed her advice but we were also curious about Jewish version, which is also a classic Roman dish. We ordered both after all. The Roman style artichokes, which are usually braised gently in a mixture of white wine, olive oil, garlic, and herbs, were tender. On the other hand the Jewish-style artichokes, which are supposed to be seasoned with salt and pepper and then deep-fried, were very crispy. Which one did we like? We liked both but agreed we would prefer Roman-style. It was more delicate and more flavorful, we thought.
We shared two pasta dishes. One was Pasta (Rigatoni in this case) Amatriciana, a Roman classic. It was very nice, but a little sweet for our taste. J was sweet to say my homemade Amatriciana was better.
The other was supposed to be Carbonara, another Roman classic. However, it didn't look like Carbonara. We asked our waiter whether it was really Carbonara and found out that it was actually Cacio e pepe by mistake. They apologized and could bring Carbonara or give us a free Cacio e pepe. We simply had Cacio e pepe and paid for it. It was a pasta dish I would like to try during the trip anyway. I have never had Cacio e pepe before. It's a minimalist pasta dish - spaghetti with pecorino cheese and black pepper. I liked it and it made a good contrast with meaty, tomato-y Amatriciana. A happy ending, bravo!
We didn't have a dessert at the restaurant. Instead, we walked for a while, looking for a gelato shop.
There were many gelato shops in Rome. It didn't take long to find one. It was Maravè Gelateria at the corner of Campo de' Fiori. I don't remember what flavors I had. According to the photo, one could be cherry and the other may be rum raisin?
We walked more and had a short break at Parco De La Piazza Benedetto Cairoli, a small park in the busy central Rome near the Jewish ghetto of Rome. Then we walked again and did some shopping. The sky was still clear while the sun was going down.
We tried to find a new route to go back to Airbnb but somehow we passed through Piazza Venezia again.
The city of Rome was graceful at dusk.
To be continued...
