Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Rome if you want to

Can I tell you about ...my weekend in Rome. Last year the HBO series Rome really reignited my affection for this ancient metropolis. The writing, the cast, the sets and the costumes were brilliant. I hadn't been in a few years so this past March while in Milan, I decided it was now or never. I needed some inspiration and weekends in Milano can be awfully dull. I convinced Steffanie, my partner in crime in all things design related, to join me. I had to twist her arm (not)!I warned her that we would 'do' Rome in a weekend. That meant a lot of walking...and I mean a LOT of walking. I wanted to see as much as I could in 3 days. Fortunately, the city is great for walking around. The Colliseum and the excavated grounds around it are closed off from traffic on weekends so that was perfect. No tourist album is complete without photos with the gladiators so I hammed it up with one of them and took photos of his sandal as well. You never know right?The Vatican was a hop and a skip from our hotel so we got there bright and early. Those ceilings gave my neck a cramp. Incredible works of art and so over the top.Campo de Fiori is a really picturesque part of town. Every weekend food and flower vendors take over the piazza. It reminded us of Union Square market here in New York. The sun was out so all the cafe's were packed. It was great people watching.We also walked around the Ghetto, Rome's equivalent to the East Village. We hit Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, the Pantheon and across the river to Trastevere. We had high tea at Babingtons and pizza at Gusto. Hundreds of photos later and a few pounds lighter (yes, all that walking was bound to benefit us in some way), we managed to see quite a bit of Rome. I even got to make a wish at the Trevi. It's compulsory for all tourists. videoAll we needed was a little Vespa to scoot around in and our weekend would have been the ultimate Roman holiday!

9 comments:

Janice said...

I wish I knew that you were going. There's this small street further down the Piazza Navona that had the most interesting vintage stores. Were you able to check them out?

Key said...

great pics!
I love those sandals, really gladiator!

greetings from Mexico

A Print A Day said...

absolutely lovely rafe!

i can't wait 'til my next inspiration trip too!

pariska said...

shame they discontinued ROME series and thank you, dear, for comforting the fans of that fabulous show with your wonderful picture story )))
love
russian friend
vlad :)

d.t. said...

great photos Rafe. thanks for sharing your experiences and bits and pieces of your life.

Anonymous said...

I love that little clip of you making a wish at the Trevi. I hope your dreams come true! Haven't they already?:-)

Alice Olive said...

Another fabulous post! Sounds like a great weekend - sometimes it's the best when you take in a snapshot (pun intended) weekend - the marketplace looked amazing.

Ming the Merciless said...

I have been wanting to visit Rome for the last couple of years but haven't had the chance yet.

Love the photos of the gladiator (what did he wear underneath that "leather kilt"?), the flowers at Campo de Fiori and the Trevi fountain.

I remember tossing a coin into the Trevi fountain when I was about 10 when my parents took me there. My wish was to visit Rome again but so far, that wish hasn't come true yet.

thwany said...

i love posts about your travels.