Photo by the Klugs
Links to Port Pages
Rome, Italy
We arrived in Civitavecchia port early on the 28th. We disembarked around 9 am and boarded our bus to the Hotel Eden. After about an hour we arrived at the hotel. It is a beautiful property and very well situated for us to walk to the sites we planned to see. After checking in we went up the the restaurant on the rooftop for an early lunch and to see the views. Just as their website described you could see St Peters Basilica, the backside of the Trinità dei Monti church, and even the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II in Piazza Venizio.
We headed out, first stop the Spanish Steps. We decided to take a route where we would walk down the step from the Trinita deit Monte. After a short walk we were there. Unfortunately the church was under renovation as was the Fontana della Barcacaccia (Fountain of the Old Boat) at the bottom of the Steps in the Piazza di Spagna. A number of hawkers also covered the steps with their wares spread out on sheets and would signal to run every time a policeman was seen near the area. It made it a little difficult to simply enjoy walking the steps.
We wandered down the Via del Corso to Via del Tritone and finally arrived at the Trevi Fountain. It is truly magnificent and every tourist in Rome was there at the same time! We met up with Lynn and David here and then headed toward the Pantheon. Another amazing structure you could easily spend hours looking at all the art and scultpures. Once we left the Pantheon it was time for some refreshments so we went back to the Spanish Steps and climbed up! and found a little bar at the top and to one side of the steps. A perfect view and break point. We also enjoyed Gin and Lemon Tonics! Unfortunately you can't buy the Schwepps Lemon Tonic here in the US. On to the Hotel Eden and enjoyed some drinks and snacks in the rooftop restaurant. The prices were rather high so we decided to get a dinner recommendation from the concierge. Hoping for a local restaurant he made reservations at a family place about 15 minutes walk away. After a quick clean up we met up with David and Lynn (they stayed in a hotel 2 blocks away) and went to the restaurant. The food was good and plentiful. We all noticed that Rome tended to be 100 euro per person for nearly anything you had, or an factor of 100 euros! As we walked back that evening we saw a restaurant in a side street a block from our hotels and decided we would look at it for dinner the next night.
Our last day in Rome was spent at Vatican City. We arranged for a tour guide and tour of the Vatican Museums through our concierge. What a true surprise! Our guide, Guiseppe, is a former professor, had worked in the Vatican Museum and also was involved in the restoration work for the Sistine Chapel! Small in structure and elderly was simply what you saw. Sharp, quick of foot, and so full of information. We had a wonderful time with him as he took us through the museum. He shared detail information about critical art work, what to really focus on in the Sistine Chapel in addition to the ceiling and works by Michaelangelo (Delivery of the Keys by Pietro Perugino, which is the first example of foreground and background with different sizes so that your eye travels back to the central point which is the door to the church), and then into the basilica. It was an extraordinary visit.
We returned to our hotels and packed up for the flights home the next day. But one more great evening! We met up with David and Lynn and walked to the Ristorante Vladimiro on Via Aurora just off of Via Ludovisi. We took an outside table as the evening was mild and clear. After a bit of a slow start communicating, we ordered antipasti and Chianti to start until we could decide on entrees. We each ordered something different and I tried the Veal Scaloppini which was incredible. We decided we were too full for dessert as the staff had been bringing us little plates of different foods to add to our meal! But they insisted we have their Tiramisu. OMG!!! Served table side theirs is a de-constructed Tiramisu. The lady fingers are brought on a plate then the coffee is poured over, freshly made marscapone slathered over and then cocoa and powdered sugar. We all took a small bite politely and then "fought" over the rest of the dessert. None of us had ever enjoyed anything close. This was not the Tiramisu of the US layered in a trifle bowl and served cold! We continue to look for a way to re-create this at home. The entire meal was fantastic and far exceeded the meal the previous night. If you happen to stay in Rome anywhere near the Villa Borghese and Spanish Steps, look this restaurant up and go have a meal. It is worth finding this place.
The evening ended and it was time to say farewell.
The next morning we were picked up on time by Silversea and driven to the airport in a very comfortable van. The only surprise we encountered was the airport process in Athens when you first arrive. They require all electronics, batteries, chargers, and cords to be placed in clear bags and separate from your carry-on bags! Needless to say we were not exactly organized for this and it took a bit of scrambling, but we managed! Our escort from Silversea traveled with us from hotel up to the last security checkpoint and she really helped. Our flights were changed due to some delays so she alsoassisted us with getting re-scheduled through Charlotte and into San Antonio.
We arrived back into San Antonio around 1030 pm and home by about midnight. What a wonderful trip!!
Writing up our adventures for these pages we realized a couple of key points - we did not take a lot of pictures of people, our fun times, on the ship, etc. Surprising! But since we've decided to head back over next June we will have the opportunity to do better!
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Hotel Eden |
Hotel Eden Front Door |
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Hotel Eden Lobby |
Our Room |
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View from restaurant |
View of Trinita dei Monte and St Peters |
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View to National Monument |
Victor Hugo Statue |
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View from top of Spanish Steps |
View up the Spanish Steps |
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Spanish Steps, Trinita dei Monti and Obelisk |
Obelisk |
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Fontana della Barcacaccia
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Column of the Immaculate Conception |
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Top of the column |
Trevi Fountain |
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Trevi Fountain |
Oceanus |
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Trevi Fountain |
Randy |
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Carey |
Tossing her coin! |
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David and Lynn |
Randy, Carey, and David |
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Pantheon |
Entering the Pantheon |
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Umberto 1 Tomb |
Interior |
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Ceiling and Occulus |
Sunlight through the occulus |
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Fresco |
Main Altar |
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Tomb of Rafael |
Solare Obelisk |
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Marcus Aurelius Column |
Detail of Marcus Aurelius Column |
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Vatican Museum |
Caeasr Statue painted as would have been |
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Walking up to the museums |
Narthex Ceiling - St Peter's Basilica |
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The Holy DOor |
Michaelangelo's Pieta |
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PIeta Up close |
St John Paul's tomb |
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St Pius Statue |
Vatican Guards |
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St Peter's Square |
Professor Guisieppe - Our Guiide |
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David, Lynn, Carey, Randy |
Map from Hotel |
Pre-cruise Posts
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Rome (/ˈroʊm/; Italian: Roma pronounced [ˈroːma] ( listen); Latin: Rōma) is a city and special comune (named "Roma Capitale") in Italy. Rome is the capital of Italy and also of the homonymous province and of the region of Lazio. With 2.8 million residents in 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi), it is also the country's largest and most populated comune and fourth-most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. Between 3.2 and 3.8 million people live in the urban area, and 4,194,068 in Rome metropolitan area. The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber within Lazio (Latium). Rome is the only city in the world to contain in its interior a whole state; the enclave of Vatican City.
Rome's history spans more than two and a half thousand years, since its legendary founding in 753 BC. Rome is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It is referred to as "The Eternal City", a notion expressed by ancient Roman poets and writers. In the ancient world it was successively the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded as one of the birthplaces of western civilization. Since the 1st century AD, Rome has been considered the seat of the Papacy and in the 8th century it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870. In 1871 Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1946 that of the Italian Republic.
After the Middle Ages, Rome was ruled by popes such as Alexander VI and Leo X, who transformed the city into one of the major centers of the Italian Renaissance along with Florence. The current version of St Peter's Basilica was built and the Sistine Chapel was painted by Michelangelo. Famous artists and architects, such as Bramante, Bernini and Raphael, resided for some time in Rome, contributing to its Renaissance and Baroque architecture. (From Wikipedia)
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Update: 22 September 2013
What We Plan to See:
So now we get to return to Rome and spend a few days before our travels end. On our cruise in 2012 we saw a number of key places, but missed some others like the Sistine Chapel (closed for a saint's holiday in 2012), Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and ....we'll have to research!
We booked our hotel through Silversea for the post cruise as well and again - perfect location. The Hotel Eden is located 0.5 kilometers from the Spanish Steps and has a rooftop view of Vatican City.
Other sights within walking distance are: Spanish Steps/Piazza di Spagna 0.5 km/0.3 miles;
Galleria Borghese Museum 1.0 km/0.6 miles
Pantheon 2.0 km/1.2 miles;
Trevi Fountain/Fontana di Trevi 2.0 km/1.2 miles. The Castel Sant'Angelo (Hadrian's Mausoleum) and
Vatican City/Citta' del Vaticano are 4.0 km/2.5 miles from the hotel. Seems like a perfect base "home" .
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Post-Cruise: Hotel Eden, Rome, Italy
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Rooftop Terrace overlooks Vatican City |
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Castel Sant'Angelo |
Trevi Fountain |
Photos above from the hotel website and Wikipedia
