Rome in five days (Part 1)

Seeing Rome in five days is extremely do-able because it is small enough to be explored on foot. Public transport (bus, tram or the metro) is an alternative and most stops are within easy access of the most well-known (and some less known)attractions. The best way to see Rome in five days it to divide it into sections and concentrate on one area at a time.

Below, I have reproduced Part 1 of the itinerary that we kept to  during our five-day stay (for once I actually kept to a sketchy plan that I had made). Since our hotel was located two minutes away from the Pantheon, we walked almost everywhere, except to the Vatican, San Pietro in Vincole and St. John in Lateran, but walking is an option that depends on where you are staying.

Day 1: St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums and Castel Sant’Angelo

Although it was in our plans, we did not make it to the Vatican museums as we arrived after the last admittance (3pm in winter) and I would advise anyone wishing to visit this vast collection to start early – you definitely need a day, not half a day like we had. Be warned that the security line to enter St Peter’s is extremely long - we were waiting for 90 minutes. I read somewhere that anyone that visits the museums can skip the security line but I cannot verify this.

St Peter’s basilica is enormous and purposefully overwhelming. Michelangelo’s spectacular dome and his exquisitely sculpted Pieta’ are, by themselves, worth the 90-minute wait. As you exit the basilica and walk down the stairs to the square, be sure to take a peek at  the colourfully-dressed Swiss guards; we were lucky to be on time to witness the changing of the guard. Also on this side of the square is a Vatican City post office – the smallest independent state in the world. You can pop in to mail some postcards to which you will stick Vatican City stamps and which will bear the Vatican City postmark. It’s pretty neat and we ended up sending one of the postcards to ourselves.

A 30-minute walk down via della Conciliazione brought us to Castel Sant’Angelo. Originally intended as a mausoleum for emperor Hadrian and his family, it was later turned into a fortress and place of refuge for the popes whenever they were in some sort of danger. In fact, a specially constructed underground corridor connects the castle to Vatican city. Castel Sant’Angelo was closed for the day by the time we made it there but we enjoyed the bustling atmosphere on and around Ponte Sant’Angelo and had plenty of time to admire the angels that line this bridge. They were designed by Bernini but work on them was carried out by his pupils and by other sculptors who shared his vision. The angels in the photos below are by (left to right)Antonio Giorgetti, Ercole Ferrata and Domenico Guidi respectively. You may learn more about the angels on Ponte Sant’Angelo in Alberto Manodori Sagredo’s interesting article here.

Day 2: Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo de’ Fiori, Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere

We started our day at Piazza della  Minerva and admired Bernini’s cheeky elephant and then visited the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva – the final resting place of St Catherine of Siena and the only example of Gothic architecture in Rome, although you would never know this by looking at its Renaissance-style façade (currently hidden by scaffolding). Photos are not allowed but I surreptitiously managed to get a few shots of the beautiful stained-glass rose windows that are scattered around the church. Galileo Galilei’s trial took place in the adjacent Dominican convent where he was tried by the Inquisition for stating that the Earth revolves around the sun. He was forced to recant and retire.

Our next stop was at the Pantheon. This  2000 year old building, formerly a temple and later transformed into a Christian church (which probably saved it from destruction), is a marvel of ancient architecture. It has a diameter of 43 metres and is 43 metres high, with a 9 metre opening (called the oculus) in the ceiling. The Pantheon is the burial place of the artist Raphael and of two kings of Italy: Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I.

We walked from the cool interior of the Pantheon into the warm sunlight of Piazza della Rotonda and spent some time listening to the tinkling water of the fountain and watching the pigeons take a bath.

From Piazza della Rotonda we walked towards Piazza Navona, stopping first at the church of San Luigi dei Francesi to admire the three hugs paintings of the life of St Matthew by Caravaggio.

A five minute walk brought us to one of my favourite places in Rome: Piazza Navona. This huge piazza, formerly the Stadium of Domitian, with its three fountains, most notably Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi flanked on one side by the Church of St Agnes, is the type of Baroque extravaganza for which Rome is so famous. Piazza Navona has a very energetic vibe and it attracts a number of portrait painters, street musicians and mime artists.

Just a 10 minute walk away is the equally lively Campo de Fiori. Nowadays, a bustling and noisy market is held every morning under the stern gaze of the statue of Giordano Bruno. Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake in this square in 1600 because he held on to the belief that the earth orbited the sun. It was also in this square that Caravaggio murdered his tennis opponent, ended up on the run and found refuge in Malta. However, art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon believes there was a bit more than a tennis match going on. More about his disclosures here.

The market is a great place to pick up some fresh local produce. Behind the statue of Giordano Bruno, at stall 4P, Marco and Mauro Berardi sell fresh pannini made with porchetta (a savoury, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast that is stuffed with liver and wild fennel, keeping all the fat and skin on, and spitted, and/or roasted, traditionally over wood, for 8+ hours) or with Parma ham and pecorino romano. It’s very simple fare but great for munching something on the go. From another stall, Berardi also sells spices together with special mixes for different pasta sauces like Arrabiata and Puttanesca.

Close by, in Palazzo della Cancelleria, our twelve year old son really enjoyed the Mostra di Leonardo, a permanent exhibition dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci. Sixty-three of Leonardo’s inventions were recreated from his drawings, using only wood, rope and other materials available at the time. Most of the re-created machines are interactive and will provide hours of fun for all children and adults with an inquisitive mind. An explanation accompanies each of Leonardo’s inventions, making it easier for us to appreciate his genius and vision. This exhibition clearly portrays Leonardo as a man who was much ahead of his time.

The walk from Campo de Fiori to the Jewish Ghetto takes about 30 to 40 minutes. On the way, we passed the magnificent Palazzo Farnese, now the French Embassy, and then onwards to the banks of the Tiber where we soon stopped for a gelato at Gelateria del Teatro. Their ice-cream is excellent. The pistachio had a delicate but distinctly nutty taste and the (chocolate) truffle was ultra creamy and very chocolate-y. My son opted for mint and fondente and I have to say that the mint was the most authentic minty flavour that I have ever tasted – light and very refreshing, like eating a mint leaf straight out of the garden.

Soon after, the Great Synagogue of Rome came into sight and we headed towards the narrow maze of streets that comprises the Jewish ghetto. There is a lot to say about the small area that makes up Rome’s Jewish ghetto so I will dedicate a future post to this very interesting and historical neighbourhood, hemmed in between Piazza Venezia and the ruins of the Portico di Ottavia. The latter was once a colossal colonnaded structure that enclosed an area the size of a football field. All that remains is the gateway, together with parts of columns and other building blocks. To the right of the portico, a short path through the ruins runs alongside the Teatro di Marcello, an open-air theatre that could accommodate up to 11 000 spectators.

From the Teatro di Marcello we crossed Ponte Fabricio to the island on the Tiber and walked right across it, over Ponte Cestio, to Trastevere.

By this time, the sun was setting and we did not have much time to explore this rione on the west bank of the Tiber.  Trastevere, a former working-class neighbourhood, is now popular for its restaurants and vibrant nightlife. Strangely enough, we did not run into any crowds and most of the streets were, for the most part, deserted. However, most restaurants appeared to be quite busy and we hastily chose one of the first pizzerias we came across (whose name escapes me) because by this time we were ravenous.

To be continued …

Location: Rome, Italy (March 2018)

All images ©Sincerely, Loree