On Monday we took the train from Bari to Rome. The train trip itself was strange in that there was no space for larger bags, so we were forced to reshuffle our packing in order to jam our bags in the small rack above our heads. Nonetheless, we arrived in the late afternoon and quickly made our way out of Rome Termini toward our room at A&F Colosseo (details at the end of the post).
Monday, Oct 7
After traveling most of the day we wanted to stretch our legs, so we walked over to the Colosseum. The overlook had a new view as always; sadly, the sunset was mostly blocked by clouds.
With an hour to kill before our dinner reservation, so we decided to try Naïs cocktails & co. for a pre-dinner drink. They are set a few steps below street level with great ambience – bookshelves, low couches, nice lighting – and a good playlist with great sound system too. We went for classic cocktails here, a Rob Roy for me, and an old fashioned for Leandra. Not cheap at 14€ each, but really well made, and they also came with potato chips and nuts. The friendly bartender also had us try a free shot of Acqua di Cedro liqueur – citrus like, semi sweet.
Dinner was at Birreria Marconi, practically in the shadow of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Their name tells you they have a focus on beer, so I ordered a Lowenbrau Oktoberfest and the pasta alla Gricia (guanciale was rather fatty, but nice pepper flavor) and Leandra paired a Guinness with the Bolognese.
Tuesday, Oct 8
Expecting rain, we decided to focus on indoor activities for today. Galleria Borghese was booked out a month in advance, but on their website they noted a portion of their collection was on display at the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica. Intrigued, we found that they had two locations covered by one ticket, so we bought our tickets online. On the way over to the closer location, Palazzo Barberini, we stopped at Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs. Unassuming on the outside, it is quite a big church on the inside and free!
Next we walked past the Fountain of Moses, then Complesso delle Quattro Fontane (four fountains, one on each corner of the intersection).
The Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica Palazzo Barberini location had an amazing interior, especially the ceilings!
The art was great too.
After about two hours we finished with the various levels, which meant it was time to visit the second part of the museum, Galleria Corsini. That section is in Trastevere across the Tiber river, and since it was still dry we decided to walk the 40 minutes across town instead of trying for a bus. Along the way we walked past the Trevi fountain (an absolute zoo at noon), then the Pantheon (same) and Plaza Navona (under reconstruction). Thankfully we’ve been able to see all of these under better conditions on previous trips!
One bonus of our walking route is that it took us past our favorite gelato spot, Frigidarium. We were lucky and there was no line! I finally got a mint and chocolate (less mint than last time, still excellent!!) and Leandra got pistachio (of course).
The Palazzo Corsini was a little difficult to find. They do have flags out front, but they are located in a building with other offices, and there wasn’t a clear sign pointing you upstairs. We eventually did find the entrance though and our tickets were scanned with no issue.
This museum is smaller, but densely filled with artwork nearly everywhere you look. We were pleasantly surprised by the sculpture and paintings here and it was well worth the walk across town.
It was now afternoon and starting to rain. We happened to be three blocks from a wine bar we liked on previous trips, Essenza Wine Bar, so we stopped in to relax our feet over wine. We ordered bruschetta with almonds, honey and gorgonzola and paired those with Pecorino (nice body, good mineral structure ) and Grillo (white pepper and jasmine, medium light body, like a gewurztraminer-chardonnay blend. lovely) for me, while Leandra ordered a Lazio Shiraz and a Primitivo. Note that they now have a 2€ cover.
The rain had lessened at this point, so we made our way back to our room to rest for a bit.
On the way back we stopped for a quick peek inside Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva and its amazing ceilings.
After dark we headed over to Sapphire Bar Roma. At first glance it looked a little grungy, but the reviews were good so we decided to try it out. This time I went simple with a Lynchburg lemonade, and Leandra got an old fashioned. Later we split a Manhattan in a martini glass. Once again, the bartender offered us chips and nuts, plus a shot, this time of an anise-adjacent liquor. Overall a fun pre-dinner experience.
This evening we had reservations at Astemio, just around the corner from our room. We started with a bottle of Franciacorta (substitute for what we originally ordered, which was not cold) and shared a focaccia appetizer (salt and rosemary was nice). For our mains I went for the surprisingly cheesy ragu lasagna and Leandra the steak tartare. Throughout our meal we chatted with a Canadian couple next to us about travel.
Wednesday, Oct 9
We had an hour to kill between checkout and catching our bus to the airport, so we walked over to Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli. This 400s church is known for Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses, and St. Peter’s chains.
We then looped past the Baths of Trajan that were dedicated in 80 AD!
This day was rather humid, which made for a sweaty walk back to the train station for the bus to airport. Thankfully it wasn’t too busy and we got seats together – but they definitely don’t care about reservation times! Note that there was a bus for each airport, and each bus has both airport names on it. Of course. So make sure to ask!
A&F Colosseo
Hard to know by Google maps, but the building itself was up a large set of stairs, and that was followed in the building by an even steeper flight of stairs.
Our first room had a narrow walkway around the bed – one way to the bathroom, the other to a small room with a table. This room faced the street and had some noise, but not too bad. Bathroom had mold, definitely damp issues – needs more ventilation.
Breakfast was good with toast, ham and cheese, yogurt, blood orange juice, etc. Our host made coffee on demand and Leandra was quite happy with it. The door to our room opened directly on the table which was a little awkward.
Our host offered us a larger room for the second night. The bedroom itself was more spacious and a little quieter since it didn’t face the street and it was further from the front door. However, the toilet in the bathroom faced directly into the shower, so no room for legs!
Owner was pleasantly friendly – let us leave our bags while we went for a walk before catching the bus to the airport, and we had some discussion about wine too.