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First of all— I didn’t mean to send this out two days late! I realized sometime Friday that I had no time to put a blast together between work and packing for Venice last weekend, so I decided to defer it a couple of days. I should have time this Saturday to get one out while I’m waiting for my flight to Istanbul, and I’ll tell you all about Venice then. Last week was fairly uneventful, particularly because I came down with a non-COVID cold starting around Wednesday. I never lost my sense of smell or taste, and my cough certainly wasn’t dry, but it definitely slowed me down enough to deter my touristic agenda and put me off of work for half a day. All in all, mostly recovered now— just trying to kick the last bit of lingering congestion. Last Saturday morning (9/11), we set aside some time to walk to the weekly farmer’s market at Campagna Amica near the site of the ancient Circus Maximus (where they held chariot races— think Ben Hur). We picked up an assortment of dried and cured meats from nearby farmers, some homemade cherry tarts, fresh fruits, artisanal bread, artisanal cheese, fresh flowers, and a bottle of wine. I particularly regret not taking more advantage of the meat selection while we were there: the salsiccia and jerky were to die for. I went through it very quickly as an alternative to my diet of gelato and carbonara. We also met up with one of my college friends who has been living in Rome for five years, which was really fun. On Sunday, we walked to a local flea market, which was rather disappointing because it was more like an outdoor CVS or Dollar General. Of the hundreds of tents lining the Mercato di Porta Portese, exactly two were selling the kind of vintage-retro-nostalgic junk I’m always looking for: old clocks, rotary phones, musty books— you know, the kind of things I’d find in antique stores back home. First thing Monday morning, we headed back to the Vatican to hike up the dome and pick up some tickets to tour the Necropolis for whenever they had availability. The ticket office for the scavi (excavation) is outside the basilica and the square, and we actually had to gain admittance from the Swiss Guard. It was so off the beaten path that it almost felt like we were sneaking backstage at a big concert or going illicitly behind the scenes at a big museum. Anyway, there were two spots left on the next scavi tour, so we were able to get in immediately, getting the whole archaeological history of Vatican hill from the death of Peter to the development of the Necropolis and the construction of the first and second basilicas overhead. Unfortunately, photography was expressly forbidden, and we even had to wear surgical gloves to prevent any acidity from our hands damaging the site. Overall, that tour was fascinating and I highly recommend it, but the cold, damp, dark, and tight spaces of the scavi are not for everyone. It wore on me after the first hour, but it was definitely compounded by the mandatory N-95 mask and my growing hanger. Climbing the dome was really amazing though. It’s a 400’ hike through the very walls of the structure. Halfway up, you get an incredible view of the ceiling mosaics of Saint Peter’s Basilica. At the top, you can walk around the cupola for a 360 degree view of Rome. Truly spectacular. I made a fun time-lapse reel of the hike set to Mozart’s Rondo alla Turca, which you can watch here. Tuesday, we walked about half an hour to the Monti district to see the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which we mistakenly thought was the home of Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Teresa statue. We enjoyed looking at magnificent art and decor. We also had the most incredible charcuterie plate ever (pics below), which cost us about 50 euros for two and we had a lot of leftovers. If our Monday and Tuesdays culinary and touristic adventures were exceptional, then Wednesday was the day it karmically balanced. I was beginning to feel unwell and less up for the hours upon hours of walking we had planned, so we ubered to the Trevi fountain to get some pre-crowd photos and a light breakfast. Unfortunately, it was there that we fell into the dumbest tourist trap of a restaurant: think iHop, but with $11 coffees and $12 sides of bacon. We should’ve checked the prices before we assumed it would be like every other inexpensive sidewalk osteria we had wandered into. We dropped a whopping 63 euros for the most mediocre of meals, and the waiter had the audacity to ask for a tip (tipping isn’t a thing in Italy). After that, we went to the correct church for the Bernini statue, Santa Maria della Vittoria. It had closed two days prior for four weeks of renovations. Strike 2. Because I’m a fan of threes, I’m assuming strike 3 was me getting a full-blown cold and having to skip out on our Thursday plans, which was to see another palace full of renaissance art (Doria Pamphili). Alas! Alack. I had recovered enough by Friday to get back to work, but we didn’t do anything fun that day except get gelato from this spot I’m now obsessed with called Old Bridge. It’s great. If you’re ever in Rome, they have several locations. I recommend the lemon and coconut flavors. Oh, and I saw the new Dune movie. It’s awesome. I’ll save Venice for the next blast. Sorry again for this one coming in late! Ciao ~
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