Rome

We are behind on our trip write-ups. The world got a little crazy in mid-January in general, then Minnie got sick and had multiple vet visits (she’s better now), and basically time got away from us. We went to Rome over President’s Day weekend, and I’m typing this update on my phone on a patio at a hotel on the Dutch coast in late April. (More to come on that later… hopefully not 3 months late.)

Rome, as one would expect, is amazing. Everywhere you turn there are ridiculously old ruins just hanging out, reminding you that this city has been a major seat of power for thousands of years. It’s awe inspiring and humbling to think of all the history in that region, some of it literally buried as life continued to build up the ground around the original city. Being Rome though, there are still plenty of ancient ruins to admire, along with fountains and building mere hundreds of years old rather than thousands.

“Only” hundreds of years old: Trevi Fountain; Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona

Honestly, I liked the ancient stuff best. Trevi fountain and Piazza Navona with Fontana del Netuno

were cool and fun to see, but my favorite things were much, much older. The Pantheon, which was across from our hotel, was spectacular, especially for how well preserved it was. As the audio tour pointed out, a grand temple originally designed to honor all the gods, took a decided Christian pivot somewhere along the line, which allowed it to survive the intervening centuries. Unlike some of the other places we saw, the Pantheon is even more awe inspiring when you realize that it is still in use as a religious temple, unlike most of the rest of the ancient world, which is somewhat more crumbled.

Next on the greatest hits of Ancient Rome was the Colosseum. Based on recommendations from friends we booked a Get Your Guide tour that included the catacombs. Since it was off season, we had our tour guide all to ourselves as we soaked in the history and dodged the hundreds of other tours, groups, and wannabe instagram stars wandering around the grounds. Our guide was great and helped dispel many of the myths and legends about the Colosseum, while also explaining the larger than life spectacles that took place to entertain the masses. We also learned that the holes pitting the columns and walls around the Colosseum and the rest of the city were not natural erosion, but rather ancient recycling (theft) as builders and entrepreneurs dug out iron pins to reuse in newer construction or to use in armor or weapons. In fact, the only reason one side of the Colosseum collapsed during an earthquake in 1349 was because so many of the pins were stolen from that side. By 1749 the Colosseum, like the Pantheon, was declared a holy Christian site, which helped preserve what was left of it into the modern era.

A quick panning shot of the Colosseum the morning we visited.

As impressive as the Colosseum and Pantheon were, two of my favorite ancient, crumbling artifacts were decidedly more modest. The one I liked the most was a giant column that was intricately carved with war scenes celebrating the victories of Marcus Aurelius. It was completed around 193 AD, and has stood in the square it is in now since then. It is quite weathered on one side, with the carvings eroded by the wind and elements to mere suggestions, but the other side still has a remarkable level of detail considering just how old it is.

One of my other favorite sites was actually just a few columns (11) that were built into another building. During our first morning in the city we were hurriedly walking by when I took a moment to marvel at these random, ancient columns near our hotel. Chris paused with me, but thought the columns were a little too perfect — almost Disney-esque in their crumbled, weathered perfection. His argument was bolstered by the fact that several of the columns were built into a much more modern building, which seemed like a travesty if the columns were truly ancient. However, the next time we walked past the columns we took a few minutes to look it up, and discovered that they were the remnants of Hadrian’s temple built around 145 CE. Just another example of the ridiculous antiquity that has crumbled into oblivion, even in a city that does a remarkable job of preserving so much, while still being a vibrant, bustling hub of the world.

In addition to the sites lurking in every nook and cranny of the city, we also have to rave about the food and drinks we experienced in Rome. The most memorable of course, was a With Locals tour we took called the 10 Tastings of Rome. Our guide, Maurizzio (sp?), took us outside the normal touristy spots, walking us to various local stores and restaurants to taste the types of food and treats that make Rome famous, while sharing the history and legends behind it all. The tour and food was amazing.

One of the other memorable meals we had was tucked in the back of a salamaria (a deli … more or less) next to the Pantheon. Despite living in Europe for 7 months by the time we visited Rome, we still hadn’t learned to make dinner reservations for the places we really want to eat. (Don’t worry — it’s been almost a year in Europe as I’m writing this and we still haven’t learned this lesson.) With no reservations, we ended up googling everything near the hotel, and found recommendations for this deli, which required pushing past the hordes of tourists at the front, to get to a few small tables crammed in the back. There, an older gentleman who did not speak any English, presented us with a heaping plate of cured meats, cheeses, olives, and bread along with their house red wine. We noticed with some amusement that while tourists kept the front of the shop bustling, the tables in the back were occupied by Italians looking for their favorite foods.

Charcuterie at Antica Salumeria near the Pantheon. A definite must visit, just head straight to the back and grab a table but bring an appetite.

Ironically, the one thing we did make reservations for, even though it ended up fairly empty while we were there, was a bar that made a list of the top 50 bars in the world: Drink Kong. We were unfortunately there the same time as a particularly obnoxious, drunk English group, but despite their loud antics the place was outstanding. The food, decor, and drinks had a distinctly Asian flair, and the drink mixology was almost mathematicaly precise, balancing sour, bitter, sweet, and umami while presented in Japanese glassware that allows the drinks to maintain a more perfect chill point.

At this point I have written paragraphs about the amazing things in Rome, and I have barely scratched the surface. I haven’t even talked about the gelato or pizza or tiramisu or coffee bars. I also haven’t mentioned all the cramped alleys with multiple restaurant workers asking every passing person if they perhaps would like to have a bite at this particular place, which was kind of annoying in general, but also amazing the one time we were tired and hungry and just wanted to find a place that could fit us in. It was even better when the workers at the place we ended up with treated us like friends to chat and banter with, rather than random tourists spending a couple of hours at one of their tables.

We expected a lot from our trip to Rome, and it delivered on everything. Even after 4 days sightseeing around the city and eating and drinking all the things, we know we need to go back, probably multiple times, just to see all the things we missed this time around.

The rest of 2025 is crammed for of trips, most of which have been booked already; here is the rough breakdown:

• Feb: Lisbon/Sintra, Portugal (cancelled because Minnie was sick)

• Apr: Netherlands to see tulips (complete)

• May: Normandy, France

• Jun: Poland for pottery

• Jul: Dunkirk/Calais, France

• Jul: Munich for large Ren fest

• Aug: Friend visit us, Melissa to Copenhagen and Berlin with her

• Sep: Bergen, Norway

• Sep: Munich again for Oktoberfest

• Nov: Lisbon/Sintra (not booked yet)

• Dec: Salzburg, Austria for Krampus Nacht