No need for words. More photos of Rome in the rain. Prati. Vatican City. Castel Sant’Angelo. Trastevere.
And if you like it, check out my first Rome in the Rain post.
Enjoy.
Category: Rome 2012
Trastevere by Night – Freni e Frizioni and People in the Streets
Trastevere, one of the hippest neighborhoods in Rome, is nightlife heaven when it comes to cool bars and great restaurants. And of all these bars, one of the most renowned is Freni e Frizioni (“Brakes and Clutches,” as it resides in a former auto shop). The bartenders are wholly capable, making me perhaps the best cocktails I’ve had thus far in Rome: an elegant mint julep with ice surrounding even the outside of the metal cup, and a unique Old Fashioned with blackberries and some amaro I can’t remember. The aperitivo food was also quite tasty, but the best part of it all was sitting outside in the cool Roman night with a drink and a good friend: Valeria, the new Yelp Community Manager of Rome, who was kind enough to give me an autographed copy of her novel, Invisibile.
After Freni e Frizioni, we headed to Antilia, another Trastevere bar. We met up with some new friends and enjoyed some amaro al fresco.
It was one of the best nights I’ve had in Rome, and I see now why Trastevere is so highly regarded as a hangout locale. Luckily, I had recently become accustomed with taking the buses in Rome, and I shared the ride home with a bunch of fellow night owls at 2:30 a.m., as evidenced by the last photo below.
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Exploring Rome’s Testaccio from food to grave with Eating Italy Food Tours
Yesterday I had the pleasure of exploring Testaccio, a lesser-visited-yet-incredibly-beautiful neighborhood in Rome just southwest of the Colosseo and east of Trastevere, with Eating Italy Food Rome Tours.
Led by guides Kenny and Domenico, the tour took us from the historic stands in the Mercato Testaccio (including a seafood shop run by the family members of renowned Italian cinema star Marcello Mastroianni) to famous spots like Volpetti and Giolitti. The group sampled various kinds of Italian cheeses, expensive meats, balsamic vinegar that made my eyes roll back, supplì and of course the three most famous Roman pasta dishes: Amatriciana, Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe. Two members of the group were filming a segment for Viator, and I may have found myself caught on tape saying something ridiculously silly.
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The view and the sunset over Rome from the Musei Capitolini
I had heard that the view from high atop Campidoglio, one of the seven hills in Rome where the Musei Capitolini sits, is quite beautiful, and I’m happy to discover that this bit of info does not disappoint. The museum itself is quite grand, housing an impressive collection of paintings and sculptures.
Remember Bernini’s Medusa that made its way to San Francisco at the beginning of this year? It’s back home now at the Musei, though just resting against the side wall amid the special exhibition, Lux in arcana, rather than occupying center stage as it did in SF. The aforementioned exhibition was by far my favorite attraction here. It’s a presentation of historic documents from the Vatican Secret Archives, from writings officially condemning Martin Luther to letters written from both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis to the Pope during the Civil War.
Back to the views. Here is a video taken from the museums’ cafe (I did not add the opera; there was a woman rehearsing in the event space behind me), and photos of the sunset over Rome taken from a lesser-known garden at the side of the Palazzo dei Conservatori.
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Crossing Ponte Sant’Angelo (video) and Castel Sant’Angelo
Castel Sant’Angelo may be the most worthwhile attraction in Rome that requires admission. Unlike more famous sites like the Colosseo or the Musei Vaticani, Emperor Hadrian’s fortress-turned-museum is relatively uncrowded, features an art exhibition and provides brilliant views of the city. Located in front of the castle is Rome’s most beautiful bridge, the Ponte Sant’Angelo, Bernini’s bridge with ten angels spanning its length across the Tevere.
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Rome in the Rain – Photos from Prati to Tridente and video of the Fontana di Trevi
“Paris is more beautiful in the rain,” says Owen Wilson in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,” still my favorite film. I thought of this line when I checked the weather, seeing that Rome would be under gray skies for the next two days. I hoped the line about Paris would translate to Rome as well. Of course, it did.
Best of the Italia Beer Festival in EUR, Rome
A few days ago, some new friends and I ventured out to EUR (Esposizione Universale Roma), a neighborhood outside of central Rome built by Mussolini for what would’ve been the site for the World’s Fair of 1942 if he hadn’t gone all cray-cray into World War II. We were there for the Italia Beer Festival, a celebration of craft brewers in Italy.
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Video of the Pantheon interior and Piazza Navona in Rome
As always, my goal is delivering the experience of being at a place through writing, photos and/or video. Below are three panoramic views of the interior of the Pantheon, an impressive structure built by the ancient Romans just under 100 years after the time of Jesus, and Piazza Navona, the grandest square in Centro Storico. Highlights of the former include the oculus, an “eye” at the top of the dome that lets in both sunlight and rain. The latter features Bernini’s legendary Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, an impressive fountain sitting near the steps of Sant’Agnese in Agone.
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