Rome is one of the coolest cities ever. I spent 4 nights there, but easily could have seen myself spending another week roaming (haha, I'm so funny.) the city if I hadn't already booked elsewhere.
The first day I was there was spent walking around, exploring rather aimlessly. I had wanted to visit all the touristy sights, but the lines are extruciatingly long everywhere in Rome, and having woken up a little too late to beat them, I decided to take to the streets instead. I met up with a number of people I had met the previous night at my hostel, and we made our way towards the Sunday Market along the Tiber River. The market is one long street that goes on for days. No, seriously. We were there for about 2 hours, and I had to eventually turn back before I got anywhere near the end. They had everything you thought you didn't need in life - from tube socks, to costume jewelery, to fake purses and sunglasses to dress shirts. As it turned out, I actually did need some of that stuff, as I ended up walking away with a long-sleeved collared shirt. Hey, for 5 euros, you would have bought it, too.
As we walked along the river, we decided to stop for gelato. At a tiny little stand, I ordered what turned out to the best gelato I would have in 3 weeks of traveling up and down Italy. I ordered chocolate and cocunut and was rewarded with deliciousness. I love it when the coconut gelatos come with strands of real coconut mixed in. These are things I think about when traveling.
And yes, I went back to the same gelato stand. And yes, I returned later that day. I can't leave you in suspense any longer, so I will tell you that I ordered chocolate and coffee this time around. And yes, it was fantastic.
Next, we ventured towards Campo di Fiori, which is a cooler, but not as famous square as the Spanish Steps. By day, the square hosts a meat and produce market, but by day is a popular hangout for partygoers. The square is lined with bars along three sides of it, which are frequented by both tourists and Italian locals. The other side of the square is marked by restaurants. Not too shabby of a square.
After enjoying some people-watching and some sun for a little bit, we left for the Jewish Quarter. Unfortunately all the stores and restaurants were closed by the time we got there because the city was on a siesta, but we were still able to enjoy the few sights and monuments in its center.
Realizing we could gain admittance to few places at this hour, we decided to check out Tiber Island, which believe it or not, is island located along the Tiber River. The island visit was really fun because it was full of locals laying out in the sun, reading and playing weird Italian slapping games that I failed to comprehend after 40minutes of close inspection.
We had walked all over. The sun was on the precipice of setting. Siesta was about to end. It was time to eat. I know, how about the best pizza in all of Rome? Yeah, let's do that.
Pizzeria San Callisto is located within the Trestevere District, which is known as the cheap, delicious food haven of Rome. The restaurant didn't open until seven, so we we happened to be the first people served. My friend and I ordered two pizzas - a potato and sausage pizza and a vegetarian one with a tomato sauce base. As we waited (me, impatiently) for our food, we debated whether the restaurant knew Let's Go touted them as the best in all of the city. I maintained that there was NO doubt they knew, while others were skeptical. After some discussion (and for me, pondering where the hell my pizza was), we went straight to the source and asked the man who seated us.
He scoffed, and replied, "Yeah, we know about that. We were only open 5 hours last night and sold 325 pizzas."
As annoying as this guy was, I probably would have been just as arrogant if I made pizza the way his restaurant did. The potato and sausage were extremely high quality, and the only thing holding the pizza from being the best in all of Italy (that prize is still held by Restaurant da Michele for its Margherita Doble) was its lack of tomato sauce. The veggie was phenomenal as well. And the pizza was oh so cheap! God, do I love Italian pizza. It's always big. It's always delicious. It's always cheap.
After dinner we decided to walk up a ways to a hill that overlooks the entire city. We barely missed the sunset, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
Feeling unsatisfied, we hiked down to the Colliseum, which I heard is fabulous at night (Thank you, Clint.*). On our way, we picked up a bottle of wine, which made the night stroll that much more pleasant. By the time we arrived, the night sky was in full force and we were able to enjoy the Colliseum in all its glory. I sat for half an hour and took it all in, making me even more excited to enter the following morning.
*Yes, this is Mediterranean Clint.
No comments:
Post a Comment