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Introduction: Frommer's Favorite Experiences
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Walking Through Ancient Rome--A vast, almost unified archaeological park cuts through the center of Rome-all the way from the Rome of the caesars to Via Appia Antica. For those who want specific guidance, we have an entire chapter devoted to the most sight-filled of Roman walks. However, it's far more adventuresome to wander through the very streets where Julius Caesar's carriage or (much later) that of Lucrezia Borgia once rolled. A slice of history unfolds at every turn-an ancient fountain, a long-forgotten statue, a ruined temple dedicated to some long-faded cult. A narrow street suddenly opens, and you'll have a vista of a triumphal arch. The Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill are the most rewarding areas for an archaeological tour, but the glory of Rome is hardly confined to these dusty fields. If you wander long enough, you'll eventually emerge onto Piazza della Rotunda to stare in awe at one of Rome's most glorious sights, the Pantheon.
Picnicking on Isola Tiberina--In ancient times this boat-shaped island stood across from the port of Rome and from 293 B.C. was home to a temple dedicated to the Aesculapius, the god of healing. A church was constructed in the 10th century on the ruins of this ancient temple. You can reach the island from the Jewish Ghetto by a footbridge, Ponte Fabricio, the oldest original bridge over the Tiber River, dating from 62 B.C. Romans come here to sunbathe, sitting along the river's banks, and to escape the traffic and the crowds. Arrive with the makings of a picnic from one of the hundreds of shops scattered throughout the city, and the day is yours.
Taking a Sunday Bike Ride in Rome--Weekdays are too traffic-clogged, but on a clear Sunday morning while Romans are still sleeping off Saturday night's vino, you can rent a bike and discover just how scenic Rome is. Start early after dawn, while the streets are still cool from the night. The best places to cycle are the parks, including the Villa Borghese. Its 4-mile borders contain a world unto itself, with museums and galleries, a riding school, an artificial lake, and a grassy amphitheater. Another choice place for Sunday biking is the Villa Doria Pamphilj, an extensive park lying above the Janiculum. Laid out in the mid-1600s, this is Rome's largest park, with numerous fountains and some summer houses.
Strolling at Sunset in the Pincio Gardens--Above the landmark Piazza del Popolo, this terraced and lushly planted hillside is the most romantic place for a twilight walk. A dusty orange-rose glow often colors the sky, giving an otherworldly aura to the park's umbrella pines and broad avenues. The ancient Romans turned this hill into gardens, but today's look came from the design of Giuseppe Valadier in the 1800s. Everybody-including visitors like King Farouk of Egypt, composer Richard Strauss, and even Mahatma Gandhi-has found it fashionable to stroll here. Pause at the main piazza, Napoleone I, for a spectacular view of the city stretching from the Janiculum to Monte Mario. The Egyptian-style obelisk here was erected by Emperor Hadrian on the tomb of his great love, Antinous, a beautiful male slave who died prematurely.
Enjoying Roma di Notte--La dolce vita is still alive at night in Rome when the ancient monuments like the Forum are bathed in a theatrical white light. Of course, don't get too carried away with the romance of the Colosseum with the moon rising behind and through its arches. Remember that this is where Henry James's heroine Daisy Miller met her downfall. Begin your nocturnal diversions with a Roman passeggiata (early-evening stroll) along Via del Corso or Piazza Navona. There's plenty of action going on inside the clubs too, from Via Veneto to Piazza Navona. Clubbers flock to the colorful narrow streets of Trastevere, the area around the Pantheon, and the even more remote Testaccio, once viewed as "Siberia." The jazz scene is especially good, and big names often pop in. All you need is a motor scooter and a young Roman Holiday Gregory Peck (or Audrey Hepburn, depending on your taste) to show you around Rome by night. Open-air opera, classical music, and jazz concerts fill the calendar from late June until the end of September. A little English-language publication, Info Rome, will keep you abreast of what's happening.
Hanging Out at the Pantheon--The world's best preserved ancient monument is now a hot spot-especially at night (see the photo insert). Find a cafe table out on the square and take in the action, which all but awaits a young Fellini to record it. The Pantheon has become a symbol of Rome itself, and we owe our thanks to Hadrian for leaving it to the world. When you tire of people-watching and cappuccino, you can go inside to inspect the tomb of Raphael, who was buried here in 1520. (His mistress, La Fornarina, wasn't allowed to attend the services.) Nothing is more dramatic than being in the Pantheon during a rainstorm, watching the sheets of water splatter on the colorful marble floor. It enters through the oculus on top, which provides the only light for the interior.
Exploring Campo de' Fiori at Mid-Morning--In an incomparable setting of medieval houses, this is the liveliest fruit and vegetable market in Rome. At this stomping ground of everybody from aristocrats to fishmongers, peddlers offer their wares as they've done for centuries. The market is best viewed after 9am any day but Sunday. By 1pm the stalls begin to close. Once the major site for the medieval inns of Rome-many of which were owned by Vanozza Catanei, the 15th-century courtesan and lover of Pope Alexander VI Borgia-this square maintains some of its old bohemian atmosphere. We come here every day we're in Rome for a lively view of local life that no other place provides. Often, you'll spot your favorite trattoria chef bargaining for the best and freshest produce-everything from fresh cherries to the perfect vine-ripened tomato.
Attending Opening Night at the Rome Opera--The Milanese claim that the stellar quality of operas at their La Scala opera house diminishes the operas presented at Rome. Roman opera buffs, of course, beg to differ. At Rome's Teatro dell'Opera the season runs between December and June and programs concentrate on the classics: Bellini, Donizetti, Puccini, and Rossini. No one seems to touch the Romans' operatic soul more than Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), who became a national icon in his support for Italian unification. His Aoda used to be performed by this opera company at the Baths of Caracalla, but these days you're more likely to witness his La Traviata, which remains a perennial favorite, even though the reviewer for The Times of London, on first hearing it at its debut, found it filled "with foul and hideous horrors."
Touring the Janiculum--On the Trastevere side of the river, where Garibaldi held off the attacking French troops in 1849, the Janiculum Hill was always strategic in Rome's defense. Today a walk in this park at the top of the hill is a much-needed retreat from the traffic-filled and often hot streets of Trastevere. Filled with monuments to Garibaldi and his brave men, the hill is no longer peppered with monasteries as it was in the Middle Ages. Today you can go for long walks, inspecting the monuments and fountains while enjoying panoramic views of Rome. The best view is from Villa Lante, a Renaissance summer residence. If you choose to visit the Janiculum, you're in good company. The poet Torquato Tasso liked to sit in the park contemplating the meaning of life before he died in 1595. The most serene part of the park is the 1883 Botanical Gardens, with palm trees, orchids, bromeliads, and sequoias-in all, more than 7,000 plant species from all over the world.
Strolling Along the Tiber--Without the Tiber River there might have been no Rome at all. A key player in the city's history since its founding, the river flooded the capital every winter until it was tamed in 1870. It is the massive lungotevere embankments on both sides of the Tiber that allow such memorable strolls today. You not only get to walk along the river from which Cleopatra made her grand entrance into Rome, but you'll also see the riverside life of such characteristic neighborhoods as Trastevere and the Jewish Ghetto. At some point you can cross over to visit Isola Tiburtina, an island in the middle of the Tiber, taking in panoramas of the river in both directions. You can start at Piazza della Bocca della Verit` and go for some 2 or more miles or until you tire. Walks along the river are best in the early evening.
Following in the Footsteps of Bernini--One of the most enjoyable ways to see Rome is to follow the trail of Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), who left a greater mark on the city than even Michelangelo. Under the patronage of three different popes, Bernini "baroqued" Rome. Start at Largo di Santa Susanna, north of the Stazione Termini, at the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, which houses one of Bernini's most controversial sculptures, the Ecstasy of St. Teresa from 1646. Walk from here along Via Barberini to Piazza Barberini, in the center of which stands Bernini's second most dramatic fountain, the Fontana del Tritone. From the piazza, go along Via delle Quattro Fontane, bypassing (on your left) the Palazzo Barberini designed by Bernini and others for Pope Urban VIII. At the famous crossroads of Rome, Le Quattro Fontane, take Via del Quirinale to see the facade of Sant'Andrea, one of the artist's greatest churches. Arm yourself with a good map at this point and continue west, bypassing the Pantheon to arrive eventually at Piazza Navona, which Bernini remodeled for Pope Innocent X. The central fountain, the Fontana dei Fiumi, is Bernini's masterpiece, though the figures representing the four rivers were sculpted by others to his plans. For many, this fabulous Bernini fountain, with its rocks, shells, and other natural forms, will complete their Bernini fix for the day.
Spending a Day on the Appian Way--Dating from 312 B.C., the Appian Way (Via Appia) once traversed the whole peninsula of Italy and was the road on which Roman legions marched to Brindisi and their conquests in the East. One of its darkest moments was the crucifixion in 71 B.C. of the rebellious slave army of Spartacus, whose bodies lined the road from Rome to Capua. Fashionable Romans were buried here, and early Christians dug catacombs through which to flee their persecutors. Begin at the Tomb of Cecilia Metella and proceed up Via Appia Antica past a series of tombs and monuments, including everybody from Marcus Servilius and Seneca, the great moralist who committed suicide on the orders of Nero, to Pope St. Urban, who reigned from A.D. 222 to 230. The sights along Via Appia Antica are among the most evocative in Rome. You can go all the way to the Church of Domine Quo Vadis.
Drinking in Rome--The grape reigns supreme, although Rome is filled with famous drinking fountains as well, bringing fresh and sweet water from the surrounding hills through a system of pipes and aqueducts (but never drink from a fountain where a sign says acqua non potabile). While in Rome, do as the Romans do and enjoy a carafe of dry white wine from the warm climate of Lazio. In restaurants and trattorie you'll find the most popular brand, Frascati, but try some of the other wines from the Castelli Romani, too, including Colli Albani, Velletri, and Marino. All these wines come from one grape: Trebbiano. Sometimes a dash of Malvasia is added for greater flavor and an aromatic bouquet. Of course, you don't have to wait until dinner to drink wine, but can sample it at any of hundreds of wine bars throughout the city. At these bars you'll find all the great reds and whites of Italy. Naturally, nothing beats sipping a bitter, herb-flavored aperitif-perhaps Campari or Martini-at one of Rome's legendary cafes.
Savoring Gelato on a Summer Night--Sampling Roman ice cream (gelato) at a gelateria is worth waiting through the long winter. Tubs of homemade ice cream-among the best in the world-await you in a dazzling array of flavors: everything from candied orange peels with chocolate to watermelon to rice. Gelaterie offer semifreddi concoctions (made with cream instead of milk) in such flavors as almond, marengo (a type of meringue), and zabaglione (eggnog). Naturally, seasonal fresh fruits are made into ice creams of blueberry, cherry, peach, or whatever. Italians often like their ice cream with espresso. Granite (crushed ice) flavored with sweet fruit are another cool delight on a sultry night. Tre Scalini at Piazza Navona is the most fabled spot for enjoying divino tartufo, a chocolate concoction with a taste to match its name.
Dining on a Hidden Piazza--If you're in Rome with that special someone, take her or him to a typical trattoria that opens onto an almost forgotten square deep in the heart of ancient Rome. And if your evening dinner extends for 3 or 4 hours, who's counting? The waiters won't rush you out the door even when you've overstayed your time at the table. This is a special experience, and Rome has dozens of these little restaurants. Two in particular come to mind: Sant'Eustachio Archimede, Piazza dei Caprettari 63 (tel. 06/6861616), with outdoor tables placed on this tiny square with its architectural gems, including a small Renaissance palace and the Chiesa di Sant'Eustachio. Try fried zuc-chini flowers stuffed with cheese and anchovies or the freshest seafood anti-pasti around Piazza Navona. Or sample the wares at Vecchia Roma, Piazza Campitella 18 (tel. 06/6864604), with a theatrical setting on one of the loveli-est squares to visit during a summer evening in Rome. Order spaghetti with double-horned clams or traditional pastas and seafood while enjoying an ambience that remains unspoiled in spite of its long-lasting popularity with savvy local foodies.
Hearing Music in the Churches--Classical-music lovers flock to Rome for no other reason than to hear music in the city's churches. World-famous artists like Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti have performed around Rome in halls ranging from churches to ancient ruins. Music is usually performed in concert, not at regular services. By decree of Pope John Paul II, it must be sacred music-not that hip-grinding, body-slamming stuff. When church concerts are performed, programs appear not only outside the church but also on various announcements posted throughout Rome. The top professionals play at the "big name" churches, but don't overlook those smaller, hard-to-find churches on hidden squares. Some of the best music we've ever heard has been by up-and-coming musicians getting their start in these little-known churches. The biggest event is the RAI (national broadcasting company) concert on December 5 at St. Peter's-even the pope attends. Other favorite locations for church music include Sant'Ignazio di Loyola, on Piazza di Sant'Ignazio, and San Paolo Fuori le Mura, at Via Ostiense 186.
Walking from Fountain to Fountain--Londoners might prefer a pub crawl, but Romans-especially those who live in crowded ghetto apartments without air-conditioning-are out on summer nights walking from fountain to cooling fountain. It's an artistic experience for the visitor as well, as some of Rome's greatest artists created these works. Everybody makes at least one trip to Bernini's fountain on Piazza Navona, after stopping off at the Trevi Fountain to toss in a coin-thus ensuring their return to Rome-but there are hundreds more. Our favorite is the Fontana delle Tararughe, in tiny Piazza Mattei. It has stood there since 1581-a jewel of Renaissance sculpture showing youths helping tortoises into a basin. Despite its charm, it's still considered a secret fountain of Rome. Back on the main fountain-hopping trail, you'll encounter our favorite Bernini fountain at Piazza Barberini, the Fontana del Tritone, a magnificent work of art from 1642 showing the sea god blowing through a shell. If you think you can still jump into these fountains and paddle around as Anita Ekberg did in La Dolce Vita, forget it. That's now against the law.
Hanging Out in the Campidoglio at Night--There is no more splendid place to be at night than Piazza del Campidoglio, where Michelangelo designed both the geometric paving and the facades of the buildings. A broad flight of steps, the Cordonata, takes you up to this panoramic site, citadel of ancient Rome from which traitors to the empire were once tossed to their deaths. Home during the day to the Capitoline Museums, it takes on a different aura at night when it is dramatically lit, the measured Renaissance facades glowing like jewel boxes. The views of the brilliantly lit Forum and Palatine at night are also worth the long trek up those stairs. There's no more stunning cityscape view at night than from this hill, even if the long ago gilded temple to Jupiter is gone the way of the empire. Few places in all of Europe are filled with as many memories of ancient glories as the Campidoglio.
Shopping in the Flea-Markets--We have never discovered an original Raphael, much less a Michelangelo, at Rome's Porta Portese flea market (which locals call mercato delle pulci). But we've picked up some interesting souvenirs over the years. It began after World War II when black marketers needed an outlet for illegal wares. Today the authentic art and antiques once sold here have given way to reproductions, but the selection remains enormous: World War II cameras, caviar from immigrant Russians, luggage (fake Gucci), spare parts, Mussolini busts, and so on. This is the largest flea market in Europe. Near Porta Sublicio in Trastevere, the market has some 4,000 stalls, but it's estimated that only 10% of them have a license. Sunday from 5am to 2pm is the best time to visit, and beware of pickpockets at all times.
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