What to Expect: Rome

Before dedicating this Friday topic to our usual restaurant tips, we thought we’d offer up the titillating truth about Rome first, so you’re not surprised. After all, if ever a gal was to have a dangerous love-hate relationship with a city, it would be with Roma.

The traffic in Rome literally stinks with overpopulated, exhaust -intensive buses and vespas zipping through winding rows of jam-packed cars, regardless of traffic violations or pedestrians. And heaven forbid you get sick at 1:00 PM, because the farmacia does not re-open until 3:00 PM. You can also forget about processing paperwork, be it your Visa, passport, plane ticket, or perhaps even a receipt from McDonald’s (yes, we already know Americans shamelessly love to visit McDonald’s during their ten tiny days abroad).

“Working just enough so someone notices you working at all” should be the motto, not "When in Rome," as the polizia proudly directs traffic with their right hand and smokes a cigarette with their left.

Additionally, in various parts of Italy, and especially in Rome, you mostly get Italian food, so don’t expect to find burger joints, the Outback Steakhouse or Vietnamese restaurants on every corner. Fortunately, today there's more “stranieri” restaurants popping up, so we'd like to recommend a few. If you’re in the mood for Asian, we like, Ci Lin (Ponte dell’olio 6, around the corner from Santa Maria in Trastevere). For Mexican, head to Cantina Mexicana (La Charreada, Piazza dei Quiriti 4), for Indian, try Surya Mahal (Via di Ponte Sisto 67). And, while you can go just about anywhere to find excellent Italian cuisine, for dinner, we love Taverna Trilussa in Piazza Trilussa (Via del Politeama 23; try the ravioli mimosa).

Keep in mind that like the farmacia, and chaotic traffic, finding food in Italy is difficult during certain times of the day (dinner typically begins at 8:30 PM or 9:00 PM). But, if you can get over the inconveniences of the chaotic city, then I promise you’ll find yourself having the most fabulous affair with Roma.

Rome on Foot

The Italians call it, piedi a piedi, literally meaning foot-by-foot. To begin your piedi a piedi, consider romancing the city where the Tiber River meets the Vatican. First, head to the Vatican Museums, Raphael Room, and Geographical Maps Gallery, finishing your tour with a bang at the Sistine Chapel. Next, stroll over to St. Peter’s Basilica, where you’ll find Michelangelo’s Pieta. Your stroll through the basilica will take you to Bernini’s Baldecchino della Confessione –where Peter’s bones supposedly rest below. And, for spectacular views of the city you can take the 300-some stairs to the top of St. Peter’s Basilica, known as Michelangelo’s dome (don’t worry, there’s also an elevator for grandma).

Next, you can choose to check out Castel Sant’Angelo or head south into the neighborhood of Trastevere, where Santa Maria in Trastevere lies, enjoying lunch at Il Vicolo or Toni’s on Vicolo Del Cinque afterward. Snobby locals tend to regard Trastevere as the real neighborhood of the Romans, so expect to use your Italian phrasebook a bit more in this area. Afterward, cross the Tiber River at the Ponte Sisto, into Campo de’ Fiori. Note: every weekday morning until 1:00 PM there’s a great outdoor market here, with fresh fish, vegetables, as well as household goods, clothing, purses, etc…

From Campo de’Fiori, you can cross Vittorio Emanuele, and head into Piazza Navona for views of Bernini’s famous baroque fountains. Expect street performers! From here, you can head east onto Via del Corso, where Piazza Venezia, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum lie (Capitoline Hill), or head west to check out the Pantheon. Either way, Via del Corso runs in between both routes, so afterward, head north on Via del Corso to hit the Trevi Fountain, Piazza de Spagna, and Via dei Condotti.

See you on Friday for more tips for your Roman holiday!

City of the Week: Rome, Italy

Since our very own Araceli Cardenas-Bon scooped the Angels and Demons Premiere in Rome earlier this month, we thought it appropriate to make Rome our next city of the week. For those of you entranced with the Dan Brown movie, or planning a vacation to the eternal city, you’ll need a generic history lesson first.

The capital of Italy and home to the smallest country in the world (the Vatican), Rome holds one of the most unique historic centers, making the city an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s over 2000 years old, with Greek, Etruscan, and Gaul origins, and once governed the Middle East and Northern Africa during its’ “Empire” status. Rome also lived through “paganism,” which was brutally killed off in the Middle Ages, only to be seized by Christianity and eventually an aristocratic papacy—leaving behind the beautiful Pantheon. Additionally, due to its’ southern location in Europe and the Mediterranean, its art, architecture and culture survived World War II (and a fascist Mussolini). Therefore, cobblestoned streets still unfold to brilliant piazzas holding extravagant churches constructed during the Renaissance period, as well as Baroque masterpieces crafted by geniuses such as Bernini, Caravaggio and Michelangelo.

Modernly, tourists head to the capital to re-live Rome’s history; however, the city’s selling points are art, architecture and by far, cuisine. Of course, if you can afford high-fashion retailers like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada, then you can head to Via del Corso or Piazza de Spagna for shopping too.

Join us on Wednesday, for a step-by-step guide to touring the historic center!

Hotel on the Rails

What if you could forget about hotel-hopping on your next trip and your accommodations followed you instead? The El Transcantabrico of Spain’s state-owned railway line, FEVE, proposes just this. The train (which runs along the historic La Robla Railway), allows you to spend your days conquering several regions of Northern Spain, while returning to the comfort of a luxury hotel in the evenings. Private cabins feature bathrooms with hydro sauna, turbo massage and steam bath, and include a pub carriage featuring a bar, music and dance floor. If you're not exhausted from an evening under the strobe light (I'm not kidding, our pub carriage included a strobe light), you'll want to head to the dining car in the morning where Spanish buffet breakfast and coffee awaits, along with the daily newspaper en Espanol or Ingles.

El Transcantabrico refers to the journey as a, “Cruise on the rails,” since passengers dock at various sites, perhaps pursuing the enchanting Picos de Europa one day, or the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Santiago de Compostela the next. And, you'll also have the option to dine at Michelin-starred restaurants in the white-washed town of Luarca like I did, or even trying your luck at the casinos of sunny Santander’s posh beach community.

During a week-long trek, the train travels through Green Spain, snaking in and out of pre-romanesque and medieval towns and villages of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and Castilla y Leon. My favorite sites included the capital of Asturias, Oviedo, where the quaint Old Town holds a magnificent Gothic cathedral,
San Salvador. Other areas of interest included the Paleolithic cave paintings of Altamira in Santillana del Mar as well as its stone houses dating back to the 15th and 16th century, and of course, the Basque Country’s Bilbao, where the famous Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim features funky permanent collections and traveling exhibitions.

If departing from Santiago de Compostela, we recommend flying into Madrid, and connecting with a flight to A Coruna, Galicia, or Leon, Castilla Y Leon.

For further 2010 and 2011 travel dates and itinerary, log on to the official website. Click on English and cruise away!