July 3, 2023 (Author: J)
When I was planning our trip, I posted in a Facebook travel group seeking recommendations for “uncrowded, low-key things to do in Rome” before our Adventures by Disney tour started. Most of the responses that I got were variations on “book an all-day tour to Pompei/the Amalfi Coast/the Cinque Terre, etc.” We took none of those suggestions. So, with apologies to that Facebook group and others who enjoy fast travel, I present our second pre-day in Rome.
I woke up with a start at 8 am to the sight of my son looming over me. He was ready for breakfast. We poked D awake and got dressed. Then, we headed down to the Gran Melia’s breakfast, which was included in our room rate. The Gran Melia’s breakfast is served buffet style. The buffet has a small selection of American/British style hot items – runny eggs, baked beans, sausage, mushrooms – that does not change from day to day. There is a larger selection of cold items, including an entire conference table full of baked goods that do change. The food was fine. I would not pay the 30 euros per person the hotel charges for it, but I wouldn’t skip breakfast if it were included in my rate.
After breakfast, we headed back to the room. Our plan for the morning was to rest, and P wanted to start by resting indoors. While he and D read, I visited the hotel gym. Though small, the gym has a good selection of free weights and new cardio equipment with pre-programmed workouts. I did a surprisingly challenging 30-minute program on the elliptical followed by some strength exercises. Then I grabbed a chilled towel and headed back to the room quite pleased with myself.
We spent the rest of the morning reading. As lunchtime approached, we decided it was time to venture out. I used Google Maps to locate a nearby sandwich shop. With that as our ultimate destination, we set out on a leisurely walk. This time, we were headed to the main tourist area of Rome.
(photo: Basilica San Giovanni Battista)
We walked downhill from our hotel, crossed the river, and took our first look at the historic center of the city. The Basilica San Giovanni Battista caught D’s eye and he decided to go in. As churches go, this one isn’t particularly special. But they do claim to have Mary Magdalene’s foot on display. We took a few pictures and continued our walk. Because we kept our distance from major attractions, crowds were thinner than they otherwise might have been. That is to say, there were plenty of people, but not so many that we could not move freely.
(photo: a statute in Basilica San Giovanni Battista)
When we got hungry, we doubled back to our destination: La Salumeria. La Salumeria is a sandwich shop that specializes in pork. It may seem like an odd choice for a vegetarian lunch, but keep in mind that almost every restaurant in Rome specializes in pork. Being a pig in the Eternal City is dangerous. (The name La Salumeria means deli in Italian, so you might reasonably wonder if I have the name of the restaurant correct. I assure you that La Salumeria – capital L, capital S – is correct).
I chose La Salumeria for two reasons: it was close to our hotel and it had a selection of vegetarian sandwiches beyond the Caprese available almost everywhere. After reviewing the list of a dozen vegetarian sandwiches, D selected . . . the Caprese. I went with a cheese, pear, and greens sandwich. P had a cheeseboard. As it was now after 12 pm, D also ordered a carafe of the house white wine. (This began a trend that was almost certainly ill-advised given the heat). I am sure that randomly selecting a restaurant using Google Maps has its risks, but we were very pleased with this gamble. Our meal was tasty and inexpensive.
After lunch, we decided it was time for the first gelato of the trip. I once again called upon Google Maps, which informed me that Gelateria Frigidarium wasn’t too far away. We found the shop and each ordered a small cone. A small at most gelaterias in Italy includes two flavors. Frigidarium also adds your choice of chocolate sauce or whipped cream. I had a very boozy Zabaglione and some pistachio topped with cream. As we were standing in the road eating, a British family stopped to chat with us. They had noticed P’s soccer jersey, which had the name of the local club team that P plays on. It turned out that the British family knew the man who had founded the kid’s soccer league in our town. We chatted long enough to establish that we did not have a friend in common, wished the family well, and finished up our treat.
By that time, P was ready for the pool. We made the sweaty 10-minute walk back to the hotel to find our room had not been made up. We surmised that it was because we had not put out the “please makeup room” sign and called down to the front desk to report our mistake. It was a mistake that we did not learn from on this trip, no matter how often we repeated it. Perhaps someone reading this will learn from it instead. In Italy, put out the “please makeup room” sign if you wish to have housekeeping service.
Down at the pool, there were a number of open chairs in the shade – just what we were looking for. We were promptly informed that those chairs were reserved and directed to sit in the blazing sun. (The pool situation at the Gran Melia is strange. Each day, there were a block of chairs reserved. No matter how long we stayed at the pool, we never saw anyone sit in the reserved chairs. Nonetheless, the pool attendants would sooner turn guests away than allow them to sit in those special reserved chairs).
The early afternoon was spent swimming and working on our sunburns. At around 3, we headed back to the now spotless room to get cleaned up for our evening plans. When we were ready, I again used the Taxi Now app to call for a ride. This evening, however, we did not have luck with the app. After several minutes of effort, the app informed us that no drivers were available. Fortunately, we had allowed for this possibility. We had time to make our way to Trastevere on foot.
(Photo: Alina outside our first restaurant)
Although it was nearly 90 degrees, the walk was bearable because it was mostly shaded. We arrived in Piazza Trilussa with a solid 10 minutes to spare before the start of our evening with The Roman Food Tour. D and P took advantage of the extra time to souvenir shop while I waited at the designated meeting place. Within minutes, our guide, Alina, found me and we chatted until D and P returned and the rest of the tour group assembled. In a continuation of the “small world” theme from earlier in the day, most of the other families on the tour were from New England. One family even ran a dental practice less than 2 miles from our house. The group was a lot of fun and my usual social awkwardness quickly evaporated as the tour began.
(photo: a vegetarian appetizer spread at Essenza)
The Roman Food Tour runs a variety of walking food tours in different neighborhoods in Rome. We chose Trastevere at Twilight, a 4-hour tour that progresses from appetizers to desserts over the course of the evening. Alina, who was born in Romania, but is a long-time resident of Rome, was a friendly and knowledgeable guide. She did a wonderful job of making sure that everyone was well-taken care of, including ensuring vegetarian options for us (and several others) and non-alcoholic beverages for P.
(photo: a door in Trastevere)
The restaurant choices for the evening differed somewhat from the ones listed on the tour company website and I did not keep good notes. (Given the amount of wine we were served on this tour, taking any kind of notes at all would have been a challenge). However, I do know that we started at the wine bar Essenza where we sampled some cheeses and bruschetta. Vegetarians received pumpkin and ricotta spreads in place of the hams usually offered. We then moved on to our second happy hour where we enjoyed fried zucchini blossom; fried sage, a surprise hit that tasted like a savory donut; and eggplant. Then we visited Peppo al Cosimato for our main course, our choice of pasta and a selection of pizzas. The pasta and pizza here were some of the best of the trip. Finally, we wrapped up with our second gelato of the day.
(photo: mosaic detail on a church in Trastevere)
This was a fantastic tour. The food was delicious, and the neighborhood was fun to walk around. We ended the evening happy and overfull. Then we made the 20-minute walk back to the Gran Melia for some much-needed sleep before the start of our Adventures by Disney tour the next day.
Travel Monkeys 