Rome - La Nostra Settimana Romana Day 3 to 6

Mallaury
11 août 2017
4 min de lecture

- Day 3 -

Having a pizza for brunch, crossing the Colosseo and the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II, taking pics on the Piazza Navona and enjoying the sunset from the Gianicolo's hill

With an hangover from our last night we wake up quite late and miss the hotel breakfast. Around noon we leave our room hoping to find something to eat in the next minutes while walking in direction of Piazza Navona. We stop at the first Trattoria we cross and order a pizza margherita and a quattro fromaggi.

On the road again, heading to Piazza Navona, we finally pass by the famous Colosseo and then the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II. The sun is - as the previous days - violently mistreating us.

We arrive at the Piazza Navona where we enjoy the sight of the imposant dome and the beautiful Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Four Rivers Fountain) which stretches to the sky via its obelisk.

We give ourselves a nice break at Casa & Bottega (Via dei Coronari, 183, 00186 Roma) with a very refreshing homemade lemonade and a strawberry milkshake.

Feeling better it's time for us to reach Trastevere and "climb" the Gianicolo's Hill to gaze at the Roman sunset over the city.

If you travel to Rome, DO NOT FORGET TO DEDICATE AN EVENING FOR CHILLING WITH SOME BEERS (or whatever you need) FACING THE SUNSET COLORS OF ROME !

Here you can see the wonderful view offered by the Gianicolo's hill :

Afterwards we go back to our room with take away food, our eyes still filled with the deep orange sunlight and our bodies tired by the heat and the many steps we did over the day.

- Day 4 -

A Sunday off the beaten track : going through some street art and a gourmet food shop (EATALY) in Ostiense, shortly visiting the EUR (Esposizione Universale di Roma) district of Rome and dining in Trastevere

OSTIENSE

Ostiense is everything but a touristic area. The streets are kinda empty, there is only few cafés-restaurants, but graffiti are quite everywhere and bring some colors through left-wing political and often feminist slogans.

- Via del porto fluviale, 10, 00154, Roma -

And now let's have some food in the worldwide gourmet food mall : Eataly.

If you especially like food, here is your paradise : full shelves of hundred kinds of pasta, tomato sauces, grissini, olive oils, spices for italian dishes...

- Piazzale 12 Ottobre 1492, 2710, 00154 Roma -

Supplì is a very-roman snack - for me, as I don't eat meat anymore, is an excellent substitute for croquetas de jamon (yes sometimes I miss it) - inside is most commonly risotto. You're going to love it !

EUR

As Ostiense, EUR isn't a touristic neighborhood either. EUR stands for Esposizione Universale di Roma, event which was supposed to take place in 1942, but was cancelled because of WW2. The area was buildt in the aim to celebrate 20 years of fascism in Italy, brought by Mussolini.

Nowadays, if some monuments stay impressive and remarkable as the architecture differs so much from the others parts of Rome, it's not really agreable to hang out there as nothing is done to make it nice. It's, I guess, anyway not the purpose of it.

On the evening, far away from fascism and kinda dead neighborhood, we pick a restaurant in Trastevere. To be honest, I really wanted to eat cannelloni ricotta e spinaci, because I freaking love it, so I did my little caprice of the day when it appeared impossible to get it anywhere, as apparently (according to a waiter) it's more like a winter dish. BUT we finally find a menu where they propose : ravioli ricotta e spinaci... so, OKAY.

- Day 5 -

Taking a glimpse at the St. Peters Basilica (Vatican), having a delicious lunch in Campo de Fiori, searching and cuddling the cats of Largo di Torre Argentina and crossing the Forum

This morning it's harder than the previous ones... but let's get motivated ! We're heading to the Vatican. Not that I especially enjoy religious bullshit, I think the St. Peter's Basilica is still worth it.

After hundreds of prayers for a cool wind to break through this hell's temperature [I guess God didn't listen to me because of wearing a short], we find refuge on a nice terrace : shadow, fan and atomizer (the stuff which send fresh minuscule water drops to you mostly in restaurants). In the same time we are deeply enjoying the loss of few degrees, we joyfully order :

- bruschetta,

- melon,

- gnocchi al pesto Genovese,

- fettuccine ai funghi procini.

Oh YEAH !

On the way to the hotel we cross Largo di Torre Argentina, where the famous cat sanctuary of Rome is. Indeed, at these ruins (protected archaeological area), an authorised organisation settled to take care of street cats. The cats are free within the ruins, as well as they are free to leave anytime they want, what obviously they don't do as they are fed and cured and cuddled.