September felt like a bit of whirlwind, as we visited London, Budapest, Vienna, and Salzburg. Each city offers amazing history, architecture, and natural beauty, and Austria was especially pretty to travel through on the train. The Alps are stunning to see, and train travel allows for views that can't be beat. However, after roaming around for a month, we were really ready to put some roots down again, and what better place to do this in - the eternal city of Rome!
We decided to rent a place in a more traditional neighbourhood, away from the touristy centre of the city, as we really wanted to experience "living" here as opposed to just visiting. We found a lovely, spacious, 4th floor apartment on Viale dei Quattro Vente, in the Monteverde Vecchio area. We had taken the overnight train from Vienna, and after 14 hours squished into our little berth, we were so excited to arrive at 9:30 a.m. We waited in line for about 30 minutes for a taxi (pretty common in this very busy city) and as the taxi driver took us by many of the iconic sites of Rome, I couldn't wait to get out there and explore. We had one small setback when we reached the apartment - there was a leak in the bathroom and we needed to stay in another nearby apartment for a few days while it was being fixed. This wasn't too much of an imposition, as the temporary place had a fantastic balcony on the 6th floor from which we could view the city.
We decided to rent a place in a more traditional neighbourhood, away from the touristy centre of the city, as we really wanted to experience "living" here as opposed to just visiting. We found a lovely, spacious, 4th floor apartment on Viale dei Quattro Vente, in the Monteverde Vecchio area. We had taken the overnight train from Vienna, and after 14 hours squished into our little berth, we were so excited to arrive at 9:30 a.m. We waited in line for about 30 minutes for a taxi (pretty common in this very busy city) and as the taxi driver took us by many of the iconic sites of Rome, I couldn't wait to get out there and explore. We had one small setback when we reached the apartment - there was a leak in the bathroom and we needed to stay in another nearby apartment for a few days while it was being fixed. This wasn't too much of an imposition, as the temporary place had a fantastic balcony on the 6th floor from which we could view the city.
Our first big challenge once we finally moved into our apartment was trying to figure out how to get around. We both love walking, and I can tell you that we have definitely had the opportunity to do a lot of it here. The many narrow, winding streets often change names for no explicable reason, and even with a map, we often got lost in our first week. Most times this was not much of an imposition, as it has allowed us to see some outstanding sites and discover hidden gems. Monteverde literally means "green mountain" and the area is set high above the rest of Rome. This means that the views are incredible but it also means walking up and down lots of hilly streets.
We have also been very pleased with the weather here, and apparently October is the best month in Rome for temperature. Most days, it is a very comfortable 25-27 degrees, which means that we can enjoy sitting outside at restaurants for our lunches or at cafes in the afternoon for an Aperol spritz (it seems to be the most common aperitif served in Italy and is a bright orange concoction) or a cold glass of proseco. Since the neighborhood we are in is not touristy, we often see families together lingering over meals or drinks, living the sweet life (la dolce vita).
The historic centre is only a bus or tram ride away (or a nice long walk), and it has been amazing to just decide one morning that we want to see the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, or any number of historic sites. Since we have the luxury of time, we have also discovered some incredible sites that many people miss if they only have a few days here. One of the first ones we saw (and one I would highly recommend) is the Villa Borghese Gardens and Galleria, dating from the 1600's. The gardens are vast (the 3rd largest park in Rome) and full of lovely trees, flowers, fountains, and statuary. The real highlight for us was visiting the Galleria (a stunning villa in its own right) with its fantastic collection of art and sculptures amassed by Cardinal Borghese, who was a patron of the sculptor Bernini.
The historic centre is only a bus or tram ride away (or a nice long walk), and it has been amazing to just decide one morning that we want to see the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, or any number of historic sites. Since we have the luxury of time, we have also discovered some incredible sites that many people miss if they only have a few days here. One of the first ones we saw (and one I would highly recommend) is the Villa Borghese Gardens and Galleria, dating from the 1600's. The gardens are vast (the 3rd largest park in Rome) and full of lovely trees, flowers, fountains, and statuary. The real highlight for us was visiting the Galleria (a stunning villa in its own right) with its fantastic collection of art and sculptures amassed by Cardinal Borghese, who was a patron of the sculptor Bernini.
There are over 900 churches in Rome and Vatican City, and no visit would be complete without seeing St. Peter's Basilica and the Pantheon (which has been used as a Roman Catholic church since the 7th century). However, there is one church that we visited that was amazing for its historical look into Roman life - Basilica San Clemente. Upon entering this lovely 12th century church, it looked like many others we have seen in Italy - quite ornate with mosaics, tiled floors, paintings, and statues. As we walked through a side door and paid our 5 euros, we descended down some old stone stairs to view the 4th century basilica. Amazingly, we could view the walls that had been filled in with old pieces of marble statues (probably considered garbage in that time era) to build the church above. That wasn't the end however, as we descended down one more level to view a 1st century pagan temple and the remains of a Roman home. What an amazing way to view history!
The first time I visited Rome in 2006, I did not notice how many trees and flowers were in abundance. There is a very special tree that grows everywhere here, the Stone Pine (as seen in the picture above), and of course many examples of bougainvillea (as seen on the right). For such a large city of almost 3 million people (and probably as many tourists on any given day), there are still many parks to visit to get a respite from the crowds.
I discovered one such place on a walk close by our apartment, the Villa Doria Pamphila. The 17th century villa is located in the largest landscaped park in Rome, and upon entering the unassuming side entrance, it felt as though I was in another world altogether. It is a favorite place for locals to jog or picnic on weekends, and I can certainly understand why.
I discovered one such place on a walk close by our apartment, the Villa Doria Pamphila. The 17th century villa is located in the largest landscaped park in Rome, and upon entering the unassuming side entrance, it felt as though I was in another world altogether. It is a favorite place for locals to jog or picnic on weekends, and I can certainly understand why.