October 20 - Rome - Day 1

This is the continuation of my trip diary. I will post photos when we return, so please check back often for updates.

• Arrive in Rome around 630.
• Take a cab to the hotel, leaving airport around 745
• Arrive at hotel Mascagni (Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, 90, just North West of the Republica) around 830.
• We checked the luggage at the hotel, knowing a room would not be available until 2 pm after those days guests had checked out.
• We went into the hotel bar so Nancy could change her clothes and Jeff had a cappuccino, to get some caffeine into the blood stream
• Giuseppe, the concierge, provides up with a map of Rome and away we go.
• Walk down Via Barberini (which reminds me of Vinny Barberino from Welcome Back Kotter) and take a picture of the fountain there and a picture of the snack bar (for Mollie, since she loves snacks)
• We then headed off the Trevi Fountain, down Via Tritone. We missed the turn for the fountain and wind up in the Piazza Colonna, which is under construction. There some very helpful poliza who pointed us in the correct direction and we were off again to the Trevi Fountain
• At the Trevi Fountain (which is under construction) we were impressed by the beauty.
• After this sight we starting heading towards the Spanish Steps. After a few wrong turns and short (long?) cuts, we found ourselves by the McDonalds (it is exactly where I remember it being in 1990, but it has been remodeled and does not look like a McDonalds inside) at the base of the very wet Spanish Steps. Apparently they had just been hosed down for cleaning, so there were only a few places to sit down where the sun had dried them off.
• We then climbed the steps and took in the breath taking view from the steps of the steps.
• We then consulted the map to determine our next stop. We started on direction then went in another. We were at the entrance to the Villa Medici, but did not go in, instead we decided to descend back down the hill.
• Around 1045, we were both feeling a bit hungry so we stopped in a café for some pizza and another cappuccino. We had a delicious sausage pizza and an alright Potato pizza.
• Now that our batteries were recharched we decided to go to the Piazza Del Popolo.
• We zigged and zagged up a lot of side streets until we found ourselves on Via Del Corso, the 5th Avenue of Rome with a lot of large retail stores and a lot of window shopping. Luckily we continued on to the Piazza.
• Upon arrival, around 1130 we found a huge ceremony going on, which rumor had it included the Italian President. The grandstands were filled with people; there were soldiers and police on horseback in the Piazza and a security gate which went around the entire perimeter, so our entrance to this Piazza was not going to be in the cards.
  We walked around to see if we could get a better view and no dice.
• So after a short break upon a bench on the west side of the piazza, we headed down Via Di Ripetta towards the Mausoleum of Augustus and the Ara Pacis. We found a nice piazza across the street from the Mausaoleum and sat down to rest again
• We then heading back to the Spanish Steps to sit down and people watch. Nancy actually fell asleep on my shoulder for 10-15 minutes. Finally around 1230, we decided to trudge back (uphill of course) to the hotel to see if they had a room available for us. I am not sure what Nancy would have done if no room was ready at 1300.
• After being up for over 24 straight hours we were both very happy that the cleaning crew had just finished in Room 402 so upstairs we went to rest and take a siesta
  We request a 1530 wake up to ensure our siesta does not go on to long and help our bodies become acclimated to the 6 hour time difference
• Got a call from the kids around 1445 during our siesta, which made us both feel better knowing they survived the first night at Grandmas and Grandpas.
• Go back to the concierge, Luciano, at 4 pm to discuss taking a hop on/hop off bus tour around Rome to see the entire city in approximately 2 hours. We walk one block where we meet the blue Ciao Roma Open Tour bus, which takes us by multiple sites. It is a great way to not expend a lot of energy and see the entire city. Very refreshing since we get to sit on our keisters and enjoy the October air from the top of an open air bus, while a tour is giving in the headphones provided.
• Hop on the 1615, Hop off the same spot at 1815.
• Walk back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes before dinner.
• Giuseppe has made us a 1900 dinner reservation at La Matriciana a lovely little restaurant that has been there since 1870, that is no more than a 5 minute walk from the hotel.
  Brothers Fabio and Mauro run the restaurant and we ask for them upon arrival a few minutes before 1900. We are the first ones there as the Romans tend to eat their meals later. Since we are both exhausted we are fine being the only ones there. We start off with a Caprese Salad, Tomatoes and Buffalo Mozzarella, served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The tomatoes are incredibly fresh and tasty and the mozzarella has an amazing, combine that with the oil and vinegar and we are off the races on our cuisine for the evening. We then share ha Penne Carbonara, which was suggest by Rachel Ray as the dish to get while in Italy. I emjoyed the dish, it wound up not being one of Nancy’s favorites, but enjoyed all the same. For entrees, I have the veal Osso Busco and Nancy has a beef with Garlic and oil dish. The Osso Busco is like butter and is falling off the bone with a light red sauce complimenting the meat. Nancy was not sure what to expect and it comes out and is quite good. The beef is tender and very much to her liking and had small plum tomatoes that added a wonderful sweetness to the dish.
• Decide not to eat desert there, but rather go hunt for a gelato place, since we seemed to pass a few dozen during the day and what seemed like 3-4 on the way from the hotel to the restaurant.
• Of course all the gelato places close at 8, so we find one on Republic Square which is still open. Nancy gets pistachio and Jeff gets zabione. Instead of going back to the hotel, we sit in Republic square, eat our gelato and watch people go by. All things considered a great end to a great day
• We go back to the hotel and retire around 2100