Rome, October 2007

Travelogue date: 21st October 2007

We've just returned from a weekend in Rome. We arrived late on Friday night and left our hotel early Sunday evening (17.30) to return to Zürich. Although a short stay, we managed to visit a few places in Rome which we had not visited on previous stays. For our weekend, we stayed in the Hotel Raphael, close to Piazza Navona.

Usually in Rome, we are treated to good cuisine although it is easy to drop into places which cater solely to tourists. We didn't seem to suffer from tourist-only syndrome on this visit - getting either a good mix at both Ristorante 'La Taverna degli Amici' and Trattoria/Pizzeria Polese while experiencing a mainly Roman-restaurant at Ara Pacis restaurant - La Capricciosa. We also took luncheon at the for which the review is coming.

For us, having been to Rome previously, we took the oppurtunity to visit some places we had not visited previously, including the Catacombs of Saint Callisxtus and the Case Romane under the Church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, which is close to the Colosseum. Normally, I'd be game for taking a good poke around a church - but a wedding was in progress so we decided to hang back this time round.

We also visited the Campo di'Fiori, a well known Roman market, during our rummage through the small streets of Rome. This, in my opinion, is one the joys of repeat visits to Rome. It gives you a great oppurtunity to visit things you didn't get round to the last time round.

We also had the oppurtunity to visit the Travestere district of Rome. While in Travestere, we visited the Tempietto of San Pietro (pictured right) which is after a design by Donato Bramante. Travestere, in parts at least, afford excellent views over much of Rome and is, without a doubt, somewhere we will return to on our next visit to Rome.

Close to Campo di'Fiori is the small church of S. Barbara dei Librari which is currently bestowed to the Guild of Booksellers. The interior of the church is a wonderful example of the Baroque style of interior design and dedicated to Santa Barbara who was martyred by her father during Roman times for her Christian faith.

We also came across what appears to be a protest in Rome. As we don't speak Italian, we were unable to make out what the protest was about but words such as "Mafioso" were used in the protest and two small passport-sized photos were attached to the top of the statue. Perhaps someone with a better knowledge of Italian can tell us what the protest was about?

Related websites

Map of Rome


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