Trip Report: Rome at Christmas, with kids
Jan 7th, 2006, 11:56 PM
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Trip Report: Rome at Christmas, with kids
After all the knowledge I gained off this website I decided to stay up and write my trip report. This is based on a journal I wrote on our laptop that I am transferring onto the website.
Before we take off, I should explain the parameters of this trip. My husband and I took our three children to Rome for Christmas. (Hence my name on this board, 5alive, we joked that we wanted to make it home with all 5 alive.) But it was not just any Christmas. On Christmas Eve, my brother was ordained a priest. And, while we were there, my brother, the new priest, gave my daughter First Communion at a special Mass just for her. Add to this wonderful set of events, 11 other relatives who also traveled to Rome to be there for the ordination.
So it was a wonderful experience, but my husband and I, and my parents knew going in that it was potential for a lot of stress. A lot of plannng would be necessary. I really appreciated the advice on this board -- not just to me directly, but many of the old posts on the site were very helpful, including some of the cranky ones for their honesty. I would encourage others new here to spend some time with the clunky search engine. I�ll save any other travel advice I come up with for the end. On to the report.
Monday, Dec. 19
For our first day the big excitement was getting from the airport to our various lodgings. Uncle A, dressed in about six layers for the entire flight overheated and dehydrated, determined he couldn�t walk and ended up in a wheelchair throughout his time at Fuimicino Airport. Everyone was panicked as to what this meant for the rest of the trip but it proved to be a false alarm.
My brother was in silent retreat for the days up to his ordination, but he had asked a couple of the other brothers to help us acclimate to Rome. They drove some of us and negotiated a van-cab for the rest. Chaotic, but nothing fazed the brothers.
Br G was clearly used to kids. Over the next two weeks he christened my 10 year old son Spark (or Sparkplug) for his quick comebacks, my 7-year-old daughter Locomotion (for the dancing around she did when excited) and my 5-year-old son, simply Short. Which somehow Br G got away with; we sure can�t call him that!
We had rented an apartment along Via Aurelia, near my brother. The landlord was nice, but concerned about his pocketbook. Don�t run the brand new electric heaters at night. Just leave them off all night to be �safe.� Hmm� it was below freezing more than one day we were there.
After a short nap we hunted down the grocery store. It was called GS, which we decided stood for Grocery Store. Shopping was fun, and I did well with my Italian. Over the two weeks, we enjoyed little discoveries shopping in a foreign store. The blood-orange juice was popular, the sausages and Clementines excellent, even the can of green beans tasted better. Some of the produce was a little wilted; I suspect the Italians go to a separate green-grocer.
I ordered the apartment through a friend of my brother�s and he had left an Italian cell phone for me. But it didn�t work. The oven did not work, and when we called, the landlord did not think it was part of the deal. (Note: Do NOT mention plans for a gathering of 14 during one�s stay, as my husband innocently did.)
My dad wanted everyone together on their first day of touring. Some of the relatives came over from a convent where they were staying. We voted to go to Ostia Antica because later in the week the forecast called for rain. I knew it would be a long day. I let them know there would be a lot of walking, but I am not sure they were quite ready.
Before we take off, I should explain the parameters of this trip. My husband and I took our three children to Rome for Christmas. (Hence my name on this board, 5alive, we joked that we wanted to make it home with all 5 alive.) But it was not just any Christmas. On Christmas Eve, my brother was ordained a priest. And, while we were there, my brother, the new priest, gave my daughter First Communion at a special Mass just for her. Add to this wonderful set of events, 11 other relatives who also traveled to Rome to be there for the ordination.
So it was a wonderful experience, but my husband and I, and my parents knew going in that it was potential for a lot of stress. A lot of plannng would be necessary. I really appreciated the advice on this board -- not just to me directly, but many of the old posts on the site were very helpful, including some of the cranky ones for their honesty. I would encourage others new here to spend some time with the clunky search engine. I�ll save any other travel advice I come up with for the end. On to the report.
Monday, Dec. 19
For our first day the big excitement was getting from the airport to our various lodgings. Uncle A, dressed in about six layers for the entire flight overheated and dehydrated, determined he couldn�t walk and ended up in a wheelchair throughout his time at Fuimicino Airport. Everyone was panicked as to what this meant for the rest of the trip but it proved to be a false alarm.
My brother was in silent retreat for the days up to his ordination, but he had asked a couple of the other brothers to help us acclimate to Rome. They drove some of us and negotiated a van-cab for the rest. Chaotic, but nothing fazed the brothers.
Br G was clearly used to kids. Over the next two weeks he christened my 10 year old son Spark (or Sparkplug) for his quick comebacks, my 7-year-old daughter Locomotion (for the dancing around she did when excited) and my 5-year-old son, simply Short. Which somehow Br G got away with; we sure can�t call him that!
We had rented an apartment along Via Aurelia, near my brother. The landlord was nice, but concerned about his pocketbook. Don�t run the brand new electric heaters at night. Just leave them off all night to be �safe.� Hmm� it was below freezing more than one day we were there.
After a short nap we hunted down the grocery store. It was called GS, which we decided stood for Grocery Store. Shopping was fun, and I did well with my Italian. Over the two weeks, we enjoyed little discoveries shopping in a foreign store. The blood-orange juice was popular, the sausages and Clementines excellent, even the can of green beans tasted better. Some of the produce was a little wilted; I suspect the Italians go to a separate green-grocer.
I ordered the apartment through a friend of my brother�s and he had left an Italian cell phone for me. But it didn�t work. The oven did not work, and when we called, the landlord did not think it was part of the deal. (Note: Do NOT mention plans for a gathering of 14 during one�s stay, as my husband innocently did.)
My dad wanted everyone together on their first day of touring. Some of the relatives came over from a convent where they were staying. We voted to go to Ostia Antica because later in the week the forecast called for rain. I knew it would be a long day. I let them know there would be a lot of walking, but I am not sure they were quite ready.
Jan 8th, 2006, 10:45 PM
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Tuesday, Dec 20
We got off to a rousing start with our first bus ride to the Metro. While debating if this was our stop, Uncle A presumed it WAS our stop and got off the bus. I will never forget the panic in his face as the bus took off, and he ran alongside beating on the door while we all yelled for the bus to stop. (It did.)
Between the three trains and Aunt H lightly respraining her ankle on the cobblestones, Ostia was a really long day. I was proud of my relatives because they really didn’t complain all day -- not about the standing on the trains, not about the graffiti that was just everywhere on the last train out to Ostia, not about the light rain for part of the day contrary to the forecast.
Although I had been to Ostia, I saw some fabulous new things. Rick Steves (I am mixed on his restaurant reviews) was a huge help. I had read over his chapter on Ostia the night before and was able to pass on at least some of the information to the rest while on our tour. I had not understood the Hall of the Guilds before at all, and reading his chapter ahead of time caused me to understand the map we bought on site much better. My husband, who is a runner, insisted we head on to the end, and we saw some fabulous mosaics far out near the wall at the baths, the chariot house and the octagonal/circular house, which I believe was a Mithraeum (there were bulls in the mosaics). We really enjoyed it and Spark seemed to like it even at his tiredest. The younger two were definitely burnt out by the end.
We ate lunch at the cafeteria, which was decent if not exciting. There was a potato and hot dog dish the kids mostly liked, a lasagne-type dish, and a penne pasta with tomato sauce. Salads were quite large. The building itself was a very new, modern building. There are not other restaurants near Ostia or the metro stop.
On the way home on a very crowded train, Uncle A was nearly pickpocketed. The thief was reaching for his pocket and happened to look over his shoulder at me. I stared him down, he moved his hand away from the pocket, my uncle noticed and said something to him quietly but forcefully. The guy got off at the next stop.
In the evening, Br. G and the others came by with my phone, which now had its instructions in English! I still needed to pay to put credits on the phone so I could use it, though.
We got off to a rousing start with our first bus ride to the Metro. While debating if this was our stop, Uncle A presumed it WAS our stop and got off the bus. I will never forget the panic in his face as the bus took off, and he ran alongside beating on the door while we all yelled for the bus to stop. (It did.)
Between the three trains and Aunt H lightly respraining her ankle on the cobblestones, Ostia was a really long day. I was proud of my relatives because they really didn’t complain all day -- not about the standing on the trains, not about the graffiti that was just everywhere on the last train out to Ostia, not about the light rain for part of the day contrary to the forecast.
Although I had been to Ostia, I saw some fabulous new things. Rick Steves (I am mixed on his restaurant reviews) was a huge help. I had read over his chapter on Ostia the night before and was able to pass on at least some of the information to the rest while on our tour. I had not understood the Hall of the Guilds before at all, and reading his chapter ahead of time caused me to understand the map we bought on site much better. My husband, who is a runner, insisted we head on to the end, and we saw some fabulous mosaics far out near the wall at the baths, the chariot house and the octagonal/circular house, which I believe was a Mithraeum (there were bulls in the mosaics). We really enjoyed it and Spark seemed to like it even at his tiredest. The younger two were definitely burnt out by the end.
We ate lunch at the cafeteria, which was decent if not exciting. There was a potato and hot dog dish the kids mostly liked, a lasagne-type dish, and a penne pasta with tomato sauce. Salads were quite large. The building itself was a very new, modern building. There are not other restaurants near Ostia or the metro stop.
On the way home on a very crowded train, Uncle A was nearly pickpocketed. The thief was reaching for his pocket and happened to look over his shoulder at me. I stared him down, he moved his hand away from the pocket, my uncle noticed and said something to him quietly but forcefully. The guy got off at the next stop.
In the evening, Br. G and the others came by with my phone, which now had its instructions in English! I still needed to pay to put credits on the phone so I could use it, though.
Jan 10th, 2006, 10:45 PM
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I am so pleased anyone is interested....
One never knows.
Wednesday Dec. 21
This morning was scheduled for our tour of the Colosseum with Daniella Hunt. This was one of those occasions in life where spending more money was a good value. We did a two-hour tour that stretched to 2.5, definitely all the kids could handle. I learned new things about the Colosseum I never knew from the staff tour I did before. The kids got to ask questions, and they had read the Eyewitness Guide to Ancient Rome, so they were ready.
We headed to the Forum for the remainder of our tour, and I learned quite a lot for only an hour here. I was struck by the Arch of Titus, physical proof of the fall of Jerusalem and the Diaspora. Moving to see the menorah etched in stone. My other favorite (and my children’s) was the Basilica of Julius Ceasar where we heard about the court of law, and the various games played on its steps. Although I had read Walter’s report, it would have taken me some time to find them all, Daniella knew the spots and showed the kids where and how they were played. The Forum ranked right below gelato on their favorites.
After an exciting trek across Piazza Venezia (translate; freeway traffic crammed into a small circle), we took our first amusement park ride: a taxi from Piazza Venezia to the Pantheon. This was perhaps my only mistake of the day, not selecting a restaurant and then directing us to the address. However, I had thought we would be coming out near the Colosseum entrance and that we would eat at a place I read about up near St. Peter Vincoli (and then see the church before heading to the Pantheon).
We ended up at a fairly touristy restaurant that I only found the name for in Rick Steves, and I had not brought my Fodor’s book. It was right in the Piazza della Rotunda and I had the same hesitation before a similar venture years ago in Florence. But people were starving, and well, the name at least made it onto Rick’s list. I had bucatini alla amatriciana, which they had written as spaghetti (not that I minded that). I am not a gourmet, but it seemed more salty than spicy. Not great, but decent and hot, and the waiter adored Short, bringing him a pillow. Other people, including my parents and Spark felt the food was great; they had lasagne. My husband, who has a total head for numbers, had his first painful encounter with the infamous “coperto.” I mentioned it briefly before the trip, but it wasn’t until it was a line item that he fully comprehended.
Since our trip, I looked in our book, I believe it was Ristorante da Fortunato, and I saw the entry. Apparently Bill Clinton and Tariq Aziz ate here. I didn't know they read Rick Steves too! Even so, my food was still too salty.
We all loved the Pantheon but we did not stay super long. Although I enjoyed it, I am not sure why my grandmother was quite so angry when we missed it on our last trip.
We then went to St. Maria sopra Minerva, which the kids really seemed to like. The Gothic mysteriousness appealed to them, also chasing pigeons in the square. My parents went back at that point. The five of us wrapped it up with Piazza Navona and gelato at Tre Scalini in front of Bernini’s masterpiece of a fountain. My daughter and I agree it was the best chocolate ever. Spark went for Limone and Short for caramel.
Followed by a carousel ride we were good for one more church: St. Luigi della Francesca. My husband became a Caravaggio fan. The kids loved the gold baroque ceiling. My daughter lit a candle for her great-grandfather, a Protestant Scot who would have been very surprised to be so honored.
My Italian came in handy again; a policeman told me what street had all the buses. I did find an American ex-pat who helped me figure out a bus to Lepanto Metro stop.
One never knows.
Wednesday Dec. 21
This morning was scheduled for our tour of the Colosseum with Daniella Hunt. This was one of those occasions in life where spending more money was a good value. We did a two-hour tour that stretched to 2.5, definitely all the kids could handle. I learned new things about the Colosseum I never knew from the staff tour I did before. The kids got to ask questions, and they had read the Eyewitness Guide to Ancient Rome, so they were ready.
We headed to the Forum for the remainder of our tour, and I learned quite a lot for only an hour here. I was struck by the Arch of Titus, physical proof of the fall of Jerusalem and the Diaspora. Moving to see the menorah etched in stone. My other favorite (and my children’s) was the Basilica of Julius Ceasar where we heard about the court of law, and the various games played on its steps. Although I had read Walter’s report, it would have taken me some time to find them all, Daniella knew the spots and showed the kids where and how they were played. The Forum ranked right below gelato on their favorites.
After an exciting trek across Piazza Venezia (translate; freeway traffic crammed into a small circle), we took our first amusement park ride: a taxi from Piazza Venezia to the Pantheon. This was perhaps my only mistake of the day, not selecting a restaurant and then directing us to the address. However, I had thought we would be coming out near the Colosseum entrance and that we would eat at a place I read about up near St. Peter Vincoli (and then see the church before heading to the Pantheon).
We ended up at a fairly touristy restaurant that I only found the name for in Rick Steves, and I had not brought my Fodor’s book. It was right in the Piazza della Rotunda and I had the same hesitation before a similar venture years ago in Florence. But people were starving, and well, the name at least made it onto Rick’s list. I had bucatini alla amatriciana, which they had written as spaghetti (not that I minded that). I am not a gourmet, but it seemed more salty than spicy. Not great, but decent and hot, and the waiter adored Short, bringing him a pillow. Other people, including my parents and Spark felt the food was great; they had lasagne. My husband, who has a total head for numbers, had his first painful encounter with the infamous “coperto.” I mentioned it briefly before the trip, but it wasn’t until it was a line item that he fully comprehended.
Since our trip, I looked in our book, I believe it was Ristorante da Fortunato, and I saw the entry. Apparently Bill Clinton and Tariq Aziz ate here. I didn't know they read Rick Steves too! Even so, my food was still too salty.
We all loved the Pantheon but we did not stay super long. Although I enjoyed it, I am not sure why my grandmother was quite so angry when we missed it on our last trip.
We then went to St. Maria sopra Minerva, which the kids really seemed to like. The Gothic mysteriousness appealed to them, also chasing pigeons in the square. My parents went back at that point. The five of us wrapped it up with Piazza Navona and gelato at Tre Scalini in front of Bernini’s masterpiece of a fountain. My daughter and I agree it was the best chocolate ever. Spark went for Limone and Short for caramel.
Followed by a carousel ride we were good for one more church: St. Luigi della Francesca. My husband became a Caravaggio fan. The kids loved the gold baroque ceiling. My daughter lit a candle for her great-grandfather, a Protestant Scot who would have been very surprised to be so honored.
My Italian came in handy again; a policeman told me what street had all the buses. I did find an American ex-pat who helped me figure out a bus to Lepanto Metro stop.
Jan 13th, 2006, 09:41 PM
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Thursday, Dec. 22
Today we went to the Vatican Museum. I knew my brother had been a lot and didn’t want to go again, so it was crucial we go. Today was the best weather of our trip – sunny and a little warmer than prior days.
For my second trip to the Vatican, I was more interested in not overwhelming the children, but it was hard not to do that. We started with the Pinacoteca, and I found that the Ascension was a little less moving this time but the Caravaggio more so. I would have loved to re-experience my Raphael moment, but I believe it fell flat because two large tours were going through with us, and that wasn’t nearly so intimate a feeling as my prior visit.
After months of working his way through Ross King’s book “Michelangelo’s Ceiling,” my husband was ready to see the focus of his attention. Dave bought the tape and took longer going through, spending particular time with the Sistene chapel and the Raphael rooms.
If I regret not shopping more on this trip, the Vatican Museum was one place; one odd thing about their shops is that not all of them carry the same merchandise. So if you see something you like, buy it then. It may not be in the bookstore at the end.
The kids loved parts of the Vatican, such as the outside statues, but were tired by parts. For the younger ones, the animal art in the ancient Egypt rooms was probably their favorite. For Spark the battle scene near the Rafael rooms was probably a favorite, although the statue of Julius Ceasar really caught his attention, probably because he had just seen the basilica of Julius Ceasar the day before. I am not sure they really “got” the Sistene Chapel.
Unfortunately my father never really “got” the meeting place -- the cafeteria. (Parents reading this, the pizza is 2.50E a slice and decent.) Dad left the actual museum. I ended up not changing money (and the Vatican is a good place to) because I spent my time searching for him; the guards wouldn’t re-admit him since it was noon and they closed at 1:30. Meanwhile, the kids, my mom and husband and cousin’s family were all eating.
This was the first of two days where a second cell phone would have alleviated a lot of family stress. However we all reunited at the front doors and all of the extended relatives made their various plans.
After a gelato stop eaten on the Museum steps and a brief time chasing pigeons, we broke off from the group and went to Castel Sant’Angelo for a sunny beautiful afternoon. It was fun to tour this castle but we all balked at the B-rated artwork, except for the nice surprise of unicorns in the upstairs.
The armory was unfortunately closed, but the views and the spooky walk up the interior were all worth the price (adults only pay here). Quite memorable, but it has the feeling of a site that doesn’t value itself much. I loved seeing the scene where Tosca tumbled, and got a card for my opera-loving aunt back home to share the moment with her.
We again successfully took the bus home through a new neighborhood, all navigated in Italian. On the first bus I learned it would not go far out enough for us and got great advice from three or four older men on the bus who after great consulting decided where we would get off and what we should transfer to.
It was a moment where my husband and I felt like we were really a part of Italy. We appeared to be the only tourists on the bus among Romans on their way home from work. Perhaps we were just a little too cocky after this experience, and were humbled by the events of ....
Today we went to the Vatican Museum. I knew my brother had been a lot and didn’t want to go again, so it was crucial we go. Today was the best weather of our trip – sunny and a little warmer than prior days.
For my second trip to the Vatican, I was more interested in not overwhelming the children, but it was hard not to do that. We started with the Pinacoteca, and I found that the Ascension was a little less moving this time but the Caravaggio more so. I would have loved to re-experience my Raphael moment, but I believe it fell flat because two large tours were going through with us, and that wasn’t nearly so intimate a feeling as my prior visit.
After months of working his way through Ross King’s book “Michelangelo’s Ceiling,” my husband was ready to see the focus of his attention. Dave bought the tape and took longer going through, spending particular time with the Sistene chapel and the Raphael rooms.
If I regret not shopping more on this trip, the Vatican Museum was one place; one odd thing about their shops is that not all of them carry the same merchandise. So if you see something you like, buy it then. It may not be in the bookstore at the end.
The kids loved parts of the Vatican, such as the outside statues, but were tired by parts. For the younger ones, the animal art in the ancient Egypt rooms was probably their favorite. For Spark the battle scene near the Rafael rooms was probably a favorite, although the statue of Julius Ceasar really caught his attention, probably because he had just seen the basilica of Julius Ceasar the day before. I am not sure they really “got” the Sistene Chapel.
Unfortunately my father never really “got” the meeting place -- the cafeteria. (Parents reading this, the pizza is 2.50E a slice and decent.) Dad left the actual museum. I ended up not changing money (and the Vatican is a good place to) because I spent my time searching for him; the guards wouldn’t re-admit him since it was noon and they closed at 1:30. Meanwhile, the kids, my mom and husband and cousin’s family were all eating.
This was the first of two days where a second cell phone would have alleviated a lot of family stress. However we all reunited at the front doors and all of the extended relatives made their various plans.
After a gelato stop eaten on the Museum steps and a brief time chasing pigeons, we broke off from the group and went to Castel Sant’Angelo for a sunny beautiful afternoon. It was fun to tour this castle but we all balked at the B-rated artwork, except for the nice surprise of unicorns in the upstairs.
The armory was unfortunately closed, but the views and the spooky walk up the interior were all worth the price (adults only pay here). Quite memorable, but it has the feeling of a site that doesn’t value itself much. I loved seeing the scene where Tosca tumbled, and got a card for my opera-loving aunt back home to share the moment with her.
We again successfully took the bus home through a new neighborhood, all navigated in Italian. On the first bus I learned it would not go far out enough for us and got great advice from three or four older men on the bus who after great consulting decided where we would get off and what we should transfer to.
It was a moment where my husband and I felt like we were really a part of Italy. We appeared to be the only tourists on the bus among Romans on their way home from work. Perhaps we were just a little too cocky after this experience, and were humbled by the events of ....
Jan 14th, 2006, 10:18 AM
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Friday Dec 23
We had a good start to our visit to St. Peter’s. Short loved the place and my parents and I enjoyed seeing it without scaffolding. The Nativity scene was still veiled; I was expecting to see it wth an empty crib. I told the kids if anybody ever got separated we should meet at that big Christmas tree. Unfortunately I didn’t tell the adults that.
As we had done six years ago, my mom and uncle opted to take the elevator up to the roof, but not take the stairs up the dome. Leaving my coat with my mom (it’s warm and stuffy up those little stairs), we took the climb to the top, which the kids enjoyed. After that we descended from a great time literally into chaos. Mom and Uncle were not on the roof where we’d left them, and we could not find them ANYWHERE.
At one point during the search, the Swiss Guard detained me and other tourists to secure the area for the British Ambassador to walk by. So for 40 minutes my husband didn’t know where I was either. My mom finally called me on a phone the Swiss Guard lent her. (She hadn’t had my phone number either, she found my cousin’s on a scrap of paper in my pocket.)
It turned out that we came back down onto a DIFFERENT roof than where we had ascended from. They looked similar. Six years ago we had reunited successfully on the roof. All the stress and worry and hungry kids and cold me (no coat, remember) -- If there was a bad day on our trip, this was it.
We came back and I baked the pumpkin pies at the Sisters’ residence, my cathartic moment of the day.
I then went shopping with my mom for Christmas dinner. It was fun and odd shopping for a big meal together; we had not done this in years. We brought Spark with us to help carry.
One impulse purchase we both made were a couple of the tall cakes that seem to be everywhere at Christmas. I bought lemon (Spark’s favorite -- gotta get something for the delivery boy), and my mom got a chocolate hazelnut. (These proved to be really good.) We got back pleased that the aunts had brought the rest of the dinner. Things were shaping up.
Shopping was followed by a family dinner at one of the two poor restaurants on Via Aurelia. My dad and uncle were coming from an event nearby and we needed someplace close. My gnocchi was awful, I mostly ate the sauce, my salad and parts of my kids’ meals. Fortunately, other people stuck with the spaghetti and lasagne and had better luck.
We had a good start to our visit to St. Peter’s. Short loved the place and my parents and I enjoyed seeing it without scaffolding. The Nativity scene was still veiled; I was expecting to see it wth an empty crib. I told the kids if anybody ever got separated we should meet at that big Christmas tree. Unfortunately I didn’t tell the adults that.
As we had done six years ago, my mom and uncle opted to take the elevator up to the roof, but not take the stairs up the dome. Leaving my coat with my mom (it’s warm and stuffy up those little stairs), we took the climb to the top, which the kids enjoyed. After that we descended from a great time literally into chaos. Mom and Uncle were not on the roof where we’d left them, and we could not find them ANYWHERE.
At one point during the search, the Swiss Guard detained me and other tourists to secure the area for the British Ambassador to walk by. So for 40 minutes my husband didn’t know where I was either. My mom finally called me on a phone the Swiss Guard lent her. (She hadn’t had my phone number either, she found my cousin’s on a scrap of paper in my pocket.)
It turned out that we came back down onto a DIFFERENT roof than where we had ascended from. They looked similar. Six years ago we had reunited successfully on the roof. All the stress and worry and hungry kids and cold me (no coat, remember) -- If there was a bad day on our trip, this was it.
We came back and I baked the pumpkin pies at the Sisters’ residence, my cathartic moment of the day.
I then went shopping with my mom for Christmas dinner. It was fun and odd shopping for a big meal together; we had not done this in years. We brought Spark with us to help carry.
One impulse purchase we both made were a couple of the tall cakes that seem to be everywhere at Christmas. I bought lemon (Spark’s favorite -- gotta get something for the delivery boy), and my mom got a chocolate hazelnut. (These proved to be really good.) We got back pleased that the aunts had brought the rest of the dinner. Things were shaping up.
Shopping was followed by a family dinner at one of the two poor restaurants on Via Aurelia. My dad and uncle were coming from an event nearby and we needed someplace close. My gnocchi was awful, I mostly ate the sauce, my salad and parts of my kids’ meals. Fortunately, other people stuck with the spaghetti and lasagne and had better luck.
Jan 16th, 2006, 11:18 AM
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Saturday Dec. 24 -- The Big Day
We were among the first families to arrive for the ordination, and most of my relatives (I am proud to say) had beaten us there. There were different sections for parents, siblings and for all other relatives. They were at the front of their section.
Mass did finally start and we enjoyed it, although it was long. Short practiced the entire alphabet, both upper and lower case letters with his little workbook.
For me there was a sense of anticipation and waiting. Over the years, part of me never really thought he would go through with it. As it became clear that he would, I felt more relaxed. There were several moving moments in the Mass. The laying of hands, the Eucharistic prayer, the giving of communion to the families by the newly ordained priests.
The Mass ended on a touching note. The cardinal officiating knelt before them and asked for a blessing from the new priests. They seemed surprised but raised their hands and complied. Then the cardinal walked among them and kissed their hands.
We had a large lunch at a special event for the families nearby, and my brother joined us. It was nice to see my brother, especially once we were back at our place.
Preparation for Christmas Dinner continued. Putting everything away so we could host 17 people in a one-bedroom apartment was difficult. I worked on the spaghetti sauce. We wrapped our few presents, using disposable placemats to wrap them with!
We were among the first families to arrive for the ordination, and most of my relatives (I am proud to say) had beaten us there. There were different sections for parents, siblings and for all other relatives. They were at the front of their section.
Mass did finally start and we enjoyed it, although it was long. Short practiced the entire alphabet, both upper and lower case letters with his little workbook.
For me there was a sense of anticipation and waiting. Over the years, part of me never really thought he would go through with it. As it became clear that he would, I felt more relaxed. There were several moving moments in the Mass. The laying of hands, the Eucharistic prayer, the giving of communion to the families by the newly ordained priests.
The Mass ended on a touching note. The cardinal officiating knelt before them and asked for a blessing from the new priests. They seemed surprised but raised their hands and complied. Then the cardinal walked among them and kissed their hands.
We had a large lunch at a special event for the families nearby, and my brother joined us. It was nice to see my brother, especially once we were back at our place.
Preparation for Christmas Dinner continued. Putting everything away so we could host 17 people in a one-bedroom apartment was difficult. I worked on the spaghetti sauce. We wrapped our few presents, using disposable placemats to wrap them with!
Jan 16th, 2006, 12:11 PM
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And then....
How did you make dinner for 17 with no oven? Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Just an FYI for the cell phone - we brought ours to Greece this past summer (we would need them at the airport when we returned) and we found they worked in Greece. Charged a lot when we used them, but really glad that we had them in case of getting seperated.
How did you make dinner for 17 with no oven? Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Just an FYI for the cell phone - we brought ours to Greece this past summer (we would need them at the airport when we returned) and we found they worked in Greece. Charged a lot when we used them, but really glad that we had them in case of getting seperated.
Jan 18th, 2006, 10:08 AM
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Thank you Liz on the cell phone. I did check into that, but neither Mom's nor mine work overseas; they are not the right technology. I received one with my apartment rental but she did not. I had tried to get her to upgrade or to rent one, which she did not get around to doing.... to her defense my grandma was in the hospital the month before we left so trip planning got a little crazy. If I had realized just how important it would turn out to be I would have ordered one myself and given it to her to use.
Sunday, December 25
The children opened their gifts, which were very minimal, two each a book and a game cartridge. We went to St. Peter’s for the noon blessing for the pope. (No tickets are required for this event.) It was raining but we were in good spirits. We took the public bus and Metro and this proved to be a wise choice for travel over the holidays because of issues with taxis (although we didn’t know it then). At noon the Holy Father came out the main window over the door of St. Peter's. In Italian, he bestowed his blessings and gave a short talk about the birth of Jesus in light of our times, followed by a blessing in many languages including English. The whole thing took less than half an hour.
On the way home we had a nearly troublesome brush with the Gypsies. We took the Metro, and as we were getting on, people turned out to still be getting off, so I was stuck in the door, my child in one hand Looking to make sure both other children made it on the train, I noticed a Gypsy looking lady brush by with a baby.
I knew I was vulnerable but I could do little about it but try to push onward, and I couldn’t hold my purse zipper shut as I usually did. I sat down and saw my purse was half open. My wallet was still at the bottom; it only had 20E but it did have one Visa. I would have been annoyed to have to cancel that! We hadn’t brought more money because we weren’t sightseeing. My husband didn’t even have a Visa or ID with him just 10E in his wallet, which was half out of his pocket. He felt it happening and grabbed his wallet and shoved it back in.
I later realized that they had gotten both of my maps of Rome, my tissue and a paper that contained my phone number. I always kept these at the top of my purse for easy access.
My husband later commented that there were actually four Gypsies together; I hadn’t seen the others. This is one example of how taking care of kids in a busy city makes it really hard to be 100 percent safe at certain moments; the kids have to come before money.
We came back to the apartment for lunch. We got ready for Mass, and I did my daughter’s hair up because today was her First Communion.
We walked to church. Our relatives all arrived -- except my cousins. They apparently spent two hours trying to get a cab.
Several of the brothers joined us. It was a special Mass in a small chapel. We sang Christmas songs. My oldest son and I did the readings. My husband sang the Alleluia. My brother gave a short homily (sermon) just for my daughter; I think she will always be close to him after this day.
After Mass, we went back to the apartment for Christmas dinner. The aunts pitched in with my mom and me.
We did it all on a stovetop with three burners, no microwave and no oven. Spaghetti and sauce, bread heated in a pan on the stove. There was also salad, the pies I had made at my aunt’s lodgings (see Dec 23), and the cakes were storebought.
The cousins finally made it. We made a second round of spaghetti and sauce, and even still there was some left. One aunt said what I was thinking: “I can’t believe we pulled it off, feeding this many people in this little space.”
Sunday, December 25
The children opened their gifts, which were very minimal, two each a book and a game cartridge. We went to St. Peter’s for the noon blessing for the pope. (No tickets are required for this event.) It was raining but we were in good spirits. We took the public bus and Metro and this proved to be a wise choice for travel over the holidays because of issues with taxis (although we didn’t know it then). At noon the Holy Father came out the main window over the door of St. Peter's. In Italian, he bestowed his blessings and gave a short talk about the birth of Jesus in light of our times, followed by a blessing in many languages including English. The whole thing took less than half an hour.
On the way home we had a nearly troublesome brush with the Gypsies. We took the Metro, and as we were getting on, people turned out to still be getting off, so I was stuck in the door, my child in one hand Looking to make sure both other children made it on the train, I noticed a Gypsy looking lady brush by with a baby.
I knew I was vulnerable but I could do little about it but try to push onward, and I couldn’t hold my purse zipper shut as I usually did. I sat down and saw my purse was half open. My wallet was still at the bottom; it only had 20E but it did have one Visa. I would have been annoyed to have to cancel that! We hadn’t brought more money because we weren’t sightseeing. My husband didn’t even have a Visa or ID with him just 10E in his wallet, which was half out of his pocket. He felt it happening and grabbed his wallet and shoved it back in.
I later realized that they had gotten both of my maps of Rome, my tissue and a paper that contained my phone number. I always kept these at the top of my purse for easy access.
My husband later commented that there were actually four Gypsies together; I hadn’t seen the others. This is one example of how taking care of kids in a busy city makes it really hard to be 100 percent safe at certain moments; the kids have to come before money.
We came back to the apartment for lunch. We got ready for Mass, and I did my daughter’s hair up because today was her First Communion.
We walked to church. Our relatives all arrived -- except my cousins. They apparently spent two hours trying to get a cab.
Several of the brothers joined us. It was a special Mass in a small chapel. We sang Christmas songs. My oldest son and I did the readings. My husband sang the Alleluia. My brother gave a short homily (sermon) just for my daughter; I think she will always be close to him after this day.
After Mass, we went back to the apartment for Christmas dinner. The aunts pitched in with my mom and me.
We did it all on a stovetop with three burners, no microwave and no oven. Spaghetti and sauce, bread heated in a pan on the stove. There was also salad, the pies I had made at my aunt’s lodgings (see Dec 23), and the cakes were storebought.
The cousins finally made it. We made a second round of spaghetti and sauce, and even still there was some left. One aunt said what I was thinking: “I can’t believe we pulled it off, feeding this many people in this little space.”
Jan 19th, 2006, 09:35 PM
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Monday Dec 26
Dad and I caught a ride with my brother and another priest to St. Peter’s to hear my brother say Mass. It was still dark when we pulled up for the drop off, and walked across the square in quiet, enjoying St. Peter’s all aglow.
We went in to the side altar where our Mass would be. Other Masses were going on; I could hear one or two elsewhere on occasion, bits of song or responses. It made the place feel alive.
At our Mass we had a large contingent of Korean nuns as well as friends of my brother. We all stood as there were no seats. It was very simple and yet very moving. "What Child is This?" never seemed more haunting in the dusky light of that huge church in winter.
Afterward we went down to view the grave of John Paul II. The crypts were quiet and empty. It was a simple marble slab, his name etched into it.
We spent the day at the apartment, looking at the cards and gifts, talked and relaxed for the day. This was in some ways the day I felt like I lived there and not a visitor.
We went to a gathering with my brother that ran much later than we had expected. We'd planned to go to dinner over by my uncle’s hotel where there was a restaurant open. (The ones by us were closed due to the national holiday.) But at 9 pm with a 5-year-old that plan wasn’t going to work. So...McDonald’s was open. It was quick, and it was close enough to walk home.
Dad and I caught a ride with my brother and another priest to St. Peter’s to hear my brother say Mass. It was still dark when we pulled up for the drop off, and walked across the square in quiet, enjoying St. Peter’s all aglow.
We went in to the side altar where our Mass would be. Other Masses were going on; I could hear one or two elsewhere on occasion, bits of song or responses. It made the place feel alive.
At our Mass we had a large contingent of Korean nuns as well as friends of my brother. We all stood as there were no seats. It was very simple and yet very moving. "What Child is This?" never seemed more haunting in the dusky light of that huge church in winter.
Afterward we went down to view the grave of John Paul II. The crypts were quiet and empty. It was a simple marble slab, his name etched into it.
We spent the day at the apartment, looking at the cards and gifts, talked and relaxed for the day. This was in some ways the day I felt like I lived there and not a visitor.
We went to a gathering with my brother that ran much later than we had expected. We'd planned to go to dinner over by my uncle’s hotel where there was a restaurant open. (The ones by us were closed due to the national holiday.) But at 9 pm with a 5-year-old that plan wasn’t going to work. So...McDonald’s was open. It was quick, and it was close enough to walk home.
Sep 16th, 2006, 11:22 PM
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Tuesday, Dec. 27
This is the day some Fodorites asked me to post on because this town doesn’t have much written about it. I’ll do my best: Bracciano. Lake Bracciano is about an hour north of Rome and is known for its 14th century castle. There is also a way down to the lake from the town (up on the hill),where you can take a ferry to other towns, but the weather and the time did not permit us to do that.
Lake Bracciano is reached by one of the suburban lines of Metro/train. We caught the train at the St. Peter’s Station stop, but I believe you can also catch it at Piramide. Trains came every half-hour, but some are listed differently than others on the board. You may need to ask. For all seven of us roundtrip it was only 27E.
The train is fabulous, plush seats, very clean, maybe a 40 minutes. We see an aquaduct on the way, and my husband is ecstatic.
We get to Bracciano and almost immediately we come upon a lovely view of the lake. There is a mist starting to settle over it but that only adds to the ambience. We opt to go and find the castle (we have almost two hours until our tour at 3 pm). We enjoy walking past the moat and through a long passageway to the parking lot.
We wander off through the town and discover the churches are closed. It turns out that most of the town is closed. The town is so charming that only the rain deters us from walking the entire two hours. We find a café with gelato and warm up among an odd mix of locals and tourists (although none were Americans).
The castle is truly a castle whereas the Castel Sant’Angelo felt like a hybrid. The armor room was hands-down the highlight of the trip for the children. Seeing it all live (instead of on the computer) really was thrilling for them. My favorite was probably the trick closet that Isabella Medici used to get rid of her lovers. I appreciated seeing the kitchens and their large ovens.
Coming out from the castle, we saw the Christmas lights hung over the streets, all the way down the hill. It was beautiful.
We went back to Rome for dinner. On the train back, we went to the upstairs seats, with nearly the entire train car to ourselves. A beggar came upstairs, but he didn’t want the food my brother offered, just money. He started touching my daughter’s shoulder and we had to be very firm to get him to leave.
I persuaded the rest to walk up to St. Peter’s to see it lit up at night. It was really beautiful, including the Nativity, which was almost prettier at night than the daytime.
We were all hungry and headed toward the Piazza Risorgimento. Despite please for the Tavola Calda with Pizza and Coffee emblazoned in English, I begged everyone to give me just two more blocks. We settled for a tiny place just called Hostaria/Pizza and it was good food. The width of the restaurant was two tables and an aisle in the middle. I greatly enjoyed my gnocchi, and the pizza the kids had was excellent. My dad’s veal was perhaps the only disappointing choice.
One final thought on Bracciano – we chose this town because my kids love castles and this was the only one I found in my research. There is also one at Sermoneta, but it is closed for two weeks at Christmas. I do think this town, getting an earlier start and stopping also at Anguillara, make a nice daytrip for anyone, but the amount of armor pales compared to some places I’ve been in Northern Europe. Not a bad display for sure but I don’t want to mislead anyone.
Wednesday, Dec. 28
We took the kids on our own this morning to St. Maria Maggiore; St. Prassede, for its mosaics; and St. Peter Vincoli, for Moses and the chains themselves. The oldness this basilica struck me, but after St. Peter’s the kids were not sufficiently impressed. We went on to St. Prassede, about two blocks away, and loved the ancient mosaics. They were wonderful, a throw-back to a more Roman view of Jesus.
We got off track by following from Via Cavour enough that we asked for help. The Italians had us detour through some great ruins on a catwalk, seeing the Temple of Minerva on our way up to St. Peter Vincoli.
The Scavi Tour – everyone met as planned in front of the Nativity Scene (we can learn from our mistakes!) and we all proceeded to the entry area. My husband and the kids were allowed to go to the entrance with the rest of us, and the person confirming our reservation had a short chat with my brother confirming that Spark could go. So my husband and the younger kids left us, and we headed out with the guide. As we went into the crypts, the guide looked at Spark and said “I think maybe he’s too young.” My mom said firmly “He’s old enough” and my brother added that he had talked with the front desk and that he would be fine.
Spark was, indeed, fine. I am not sure he totally understood all of the history but I am not sure all of the adults did either. The guide had an accent, talked somewhat quickly and there was a lot to absorb. But Spark understood about St. Peter’s tomb and that was the main reason I took him.
I found the Scavi Tour to be well worth the effort for St. Peter’s Tomb. The site of that wall with the “ancient graffiti,” the altars upon altars over time….
Afterward, we went over to Via Cola di Rienzo to look for a purse and other souvenirs. This street is not as expensive as the more famous boulevards but is decent quality.
We found the stores I liked from my first trip to Rome, Franchi and Castroni, both located next to each other at about 200 Via Cola di Rienzo. Franchi’s is a deli and we bought things to take back for my husband’s office. Here was where we could have used more food words in my vocabulary; they are friendly but don’t know a lot of English. There were almost too many choices of cheeses, meats and accompaniments. They will vacuum pack things for the plane ride home, if you ask. Castroni’s has a nice selection of packaged Italian foods, including huge slabs of Perugina dark chocolate.
We took the Metro home from Ottaviano, and caught the bus home. My parents, who didn’t stay to shop, had only beat us home by half an hour because they waited so long at a taxi stand.
This highlights a problem we were to have the rest of our trip: Taxis. We heard the same thing repeatedly: After Christmas, half of the cab drivers are on vacation. Each year the cab companies trade off who is covering between Dec. 25 and Jan. 6. There are lots and lots of tourists, but half the cabs. But we were slow learners.
The Dinner Adventure
We decided to take the bus to Piazza Inerio for our dinner reservation at Restaurante ai due Papai. The bus kept not coming, so we called for taxis. We got no response. My brother and my husband hiked to a big hotel nearby since sometimes cabs wait there. The rest of us waited on Via Aurelia, and watched for another cab. We flagged one down. He couldn’t take us all. I said that’s all right and the kids and I got in.
We drove down the hill to find my husband and brother. They were standing there talking to a second cabbie when we drove up. The look of stunned surprise on their face was just priceless. They said what about Mom and Dad? I said, they’re at the top of the hill waiting for you. So… we all drove to our restaurant quickly – but it was not there. So we made an annoying loop around to the spot again, and my brother got out and ran into a Japanese restaurant called Nagoya to ask for directions. When we made our reservation, the owner had not answered the phone with their shop name, but we now found out our favorite restaurant had turned into a Japanese place. The meters were running and we had other dinner choices around the piazza so we all got out and paid. There was an Italian seafood place across the street, but the kids weren’t thrilled. It was 8:30. The waiter agreed to make spaghetti with tomato sauce for the kids.
I had a really good spaghetti with crab sauce. My husband had an excellent risotto with prawns; my brother tasted the risotto and said it was one the best he’d ever had. My dad was so-so on his plate of prawns. and my mom liked her mixed shellfish pasta. Spark loved the spaghetti but the younger ones weren’t keen on it– they ate a lot of the crunchy flat bread. My mom had wanted to know what the seasonal vegetables were but my brother wouldn’t ask. Just order them, he said.
He had ordered a side of fried potatoes for himself; I had ordered an insalata mista. When our pasta came we asked if we could have our other plates with the pasta. And five sides of potatoes came! No salad and no seasonal vegetables. Or maybe the potatoes were the seasonal vegetable? Well, my brother was firm that we weren’t sending back the four potato plates, so we all made a menu adjustment and had potatoes with our pasta. It was Big Night all over again.
The best part of this restaurant for the kids was that there was a live tank of shellfish and the staff regularly went over and pulled them out to go cook them. This was an endless source of fascination. A couple of the Italian families eating there (we were late enough to run into Italians!) had children too and the kids tried to communicate back and forth. Or at least point at the lobsters together.
We had the waiter order the taxis while we got the bill – and the taxis came really fast. Not sure what magic number the restaurant used!
Thursday, Dec. 29
Taxis again were a challenge the next morning for our visit to the Catacombs of Priscilla, which is north of the Borghese. We arrived so late that we had to do the tour first and my brother said Mass afterward. In a way, this was better, because then we had the sense of the history of the place on our minds as we started the Mass.
This set of Catacombs is smaller than those south of Rome, but are still significant with the earliest known image of the Virgin Mary, possibly the oldest image of the Wise Men, and more. The guide spoke slower than at the Scavi and she presented her information better.
My brother had found out the location of the closest taxi stand while en route to the Catacombs, and although it was cold and rainy, quickly steered us to the Piazza Vescovio.
We looked for a restaurant figuring it would be cheaper and better than the places by Trevi Fountain -- the one “must see” we hadn’t gotten around to. We spotted a small corner café called Caffe Fiorenza. We went in, and they had many panini of various kinds. The kids absolutely loved this meal, everything tasted fresh, well made and although we were crammed into little café tables it was really fun. I also got my husband and my dad to try the fried rice balls (I don’t recall the Italian name) – one with peas and one with tomato. They were very good too. My husband said this was the best meal of the trip.
We took the taxi to Trevi Fountain, which my kids surprisingly really enjoyed. The throwing coins was a definite hit.
Then my husband and I headed off and took the kids to the other really touristy thing we hadn’t done yet: the Time Elevator. Yes, we went on this schmaltzy thing and they LOVED it. The simulation ride tied together all of the history they’d seen in the last two weeks at a level the older two could understand. I did warn them that Julius Ceasar would be murdered during it, and with that warning, they were not bothered. I would strongly recommend people with kids and teens do the Time Elevator as a late afternoon activity when they’ve had enough of churches or tours or intense thinking. It took about 40 minutes.
After that we took a mini-electric bus (116?), and as we headed toward the Spanish Steps we took a quick vote – steps or Nativity scenes, and everyone cheered for the Nativity scenes. So for the second trip to Rome, my view of the Spanish Steps was about 60 seconds from a moving vehicle. Lovely, but cold and wet, so I think ours was the better choice.
The obelisk was covered for restoration at St. Maria del Popolo. Everyone enjoyed the Presepe – Nativity scenes – from around the world. It was a great mix, with ones from around the world, scenes built by Italian school children, but the best were the very Italian towns with all of town life going on.
One presepe remains in my memory, however: Beautiful cream, almost peach looking copies of all the great buildings of Rome toward up several feet, one above the other. At first the viewer is caught up in the loveliness of the Roman buildings and how they stack up in almost a pyramid. One almost forgets about the Nativity theme of the exhibit. Then, extending out from the bottom buildings was one of Rome’s old bridges. Underneath the bridge were the only human figures anywhere in this presepe. A very simple Mary, Joseph and the baby were on the shore of the Tiber. One feels the coolness and hugeness of those great buildings and the smallness, the loneliness of those figures.
The ticket taker told me this was the third annual show of presepe, and each year there are different entries. We stopped into the church itself only to see the Caravaggio, which we enjoyed but not as much as the Calling of Matthew.
December 30
Our trip on Delta left late for no evident reason. When we arrived in the USA we had to wait for 20 minutes for a gate to pull up to. This put us about 45 minutes behind. The flight attendant wouldn’t call our connecting flight, saying that the connecting flights knew we were on our way. So we did the routine you all know – customs, then collect checked bags and then customs again, then resubmit your bags, then go through security, then take a tram to domestic flights. Then run like heck to your gate, kids crying and moaning all the way.
At our gate, the Delta agent saw my husband, who was a little ahead of the rest of us. My husband called out that we had confirmed tickets and Delta agent looked at him, made eye contact and hurried to shut the door to the aircraft. Of course my husband objected, they were rude, he let me deal with them, and I begged, brown-nosed, pointed out the children’s young ages. (It helped that the younger two were crying, one of them just sobbing she was so tired between the long flight already and running and carrying her backpack.) Delta staff said they would see what they could do.
They ended up boarding the plane, bringing people off with (I was told later) huge incentives. While we waited for this to happen, another agent admitted they had known we were all coming and that they had known our plane was sitting on the tarmac. But she said the flight was overbooked, so they had planned to go on without us. Another one told us they wouldn’t have gotten us on the plane if we didn’t have kids.
So the five of us and my mom made it. My cousin and her family of four didn’t.
My cousin and her family similarly had a story to tell about the trip home. They apparently also were too far behind us because their bags didn’t come. When it appeared their bags weren’t coming, the family left the customs enclosure to find a Delta ticket agent to book for the next flight and to ask about the bags. With revised tickets in hand they walked back to the customs area and could see that their bags had finally turned up after all. The customs agent got mad at them for leaving their bags. My cousin’s husband is very mellow, artistic type, and he just said, “Sir, how could I leave them if they weren’t here?”
Ahh, the excitement of traveling over the holidays. But it was worth every frustration. And many of the frustrations were so much easier because I’d read about them already on this board. So, thank you all for your many posts. It really made all the difference.
This is the day some Fodorites asked me to post on because this town doesn’t have much written about it. I’ll do my best: Bracciano. Lake Bracciano is about an hour north of Rome and is known for its 14th century castle. There is also a way down to the lake from the town (up on the hill),where you can take a ferry to other towns, but the weather and the time did not permit us to do that.
Lake Bracciano is reached by one of the suburban lines of Metro/train. We caught the train at the St. Peter’s Station stop, but I believe you can also catch it at Piramide. Trains came every half-hour, but some are listed differently than others on the board. You may need to ask. For all seven of us roundtrip it was only 27E.
The train is fabulous, plush seats, very clean, maybe a 40 minutes. We see an aquaduct on the way, and my husband is ecstatic.
We get to Bracciano and almost immediately we come upon a lovely view of the lake. There is a mist starting to settle over it but that only adds to the ambience. We opt to go and find the castle (we have almost two hours until our tour at 3 pm). We enjoy walking past the moat and through a long passageway to the parking lot.
We wander off through the town and discover the churches are closed. It turns out that most of the town is closed. The town is so charming that only the rain deters us from walking the entire two hours. We find a café with gelato and warm up among an odd mix of locals and tourists (although none were Americans).
The castle is truly a castle whereas the Castel Sant’Angelo felt like a hybrid. The armor room was hands-down the highlight of the trip for the children. Seeing it all live (instead of on the computer) really was thrilling for them. My favorite was probably the trick closet that Isabella Medici used to get rid of her lovers. I appreciated seeing the kitchens and their large ovens.
Coming out from the castle, we saw the Christmas lights hung over the streets, all the way down the hill. It was beautiful.
We went back to Rome for dinner. On the train back, we went to the upstairs seats, with nearly the entire train car to ourselves. A beggar came upstairs, but he didn’t want the food my brother offered, just money. He started touching my daughter’s shoulder and we had to be very firm to get him to leave.
I persuaded the rest to walk up to St. Peter’s to see it lit up at night. It was really beautiful, including the Nativity, which was almost prettier at night than the daytime.
We were all hungry and headed toward the Piazza Risorgimento. Despite please for the Tavola Calda with Pizza and Coffee emblazoned in English, I begged everyone to give me just two more blocks. We settled for a tiny place just called Hostaria/Pizza and it was good food. The width of the restaurant was two tables and an aisle in the middle. I greatly enjoyed my gnocchi, and the pizza the kids had was excellent. My dad’s veal was perhaps the only disappointing choice.
One final thought on Bracciano – we chose this town because my kids love castles and this was the only one I found in my research. There is also one at Sermoneta, but it is closed for two weeks at Christmas. I do think this town, getting an earlier start and stopping also at Anguillara, make a nice daytrip for anyone, but the amount of armor pales compared to some places I’ve been in Northern Europe. Not a bad display for sure but I don’t want to mislead anyone.
Wednesday, Dec. 28
We took the kids on our own this morning to St. Maria Maggiore; St. Prassede, for its mosaics; and St. Peter Vincoli, for Moses and the chains themselves. The oldness this basilica struck me, but after St. Peter’s the kids were not sufficiently impressed. We went on to St. Prassede, about two blocks away, and loved the ancient mosaics. They were wonderful, a throw-back to a more Roman view of Jesus.
We got off track by following from Via Cavour enough that we asked for help. The Italians had us detour through some great ruins on a catwalk, seeing the Temple of Minerva on our way up to St. Peter Vincoli.
The Scavi Tour – everyone met as planned in front of the Nativity Scene (we can learn from our mistakes!) and we all proceeded to the entry area. My husband and the kids were allowed to go to the entrance with the rest of us, and the person confirming our reservation had a short chat with my brother confirming that Spark could go. So my husband and the younger kids left us, and we headed out with the guide. As we went into the crypts, the guide looked at Spark and said “I think maybe he’s too young.” My mom said firmly “He’s old enough” and my brother added that he had talked with the front desk and that he would be fine.
Spark was, indeed, fine. I am not sure he totally understood all of the history but I am not sure all of the adults did either. The guide had an accent, talked somewhat quickly and there was a lot to absorb. But Spark understood about St. Peter’s tomb and that was the main reason I took him.
I found the Scavi Tour to be well worth the effort for St. Peter’s Tomb. The site of that wall with the “ancient graffiti,” the altars upon altars over time….
Afterward, we went over to Via Cola di Rienzo to look for a purse and other souvenirs. This street is not as expensive as the more famous boulevards but is decent quality.
We found the stores I liked from my first trip to Rome, Franchi and Castroni, both located next to each other at about 200 Via Cola di Rienzo. Franchi’s is a deli and we bought things to take back for my husband’s office. Here was where we could have used more food words in my vocabulary; they are friendly but don’t know a lot of English. There were almost too many choices of cheeses, meats and accompaniments. They will vacuum pack things for the plane ride home, if you ask. Castroni’s has a nice selection of packaged Italian foods, including huge slabs of Perugina dark chocolate.
We took the Metro home from Ottaviano, and caught the bus home. My parents, who didn’t stay to shop, had only beat us home by half an hour because they waited so long at a taxi stand.
This highlights a problem we were to have the rest of our trip: Taxis. We heard the same thing repeatedly: After Christmas, half of the cab drivers are on vacation. Each year the cab companies trade off who is covering between Dec. 25 and Jan. 6. There are lots and lots of tourists, but half the cabs. But we were slow learners.
The Dinner Adventure
We decided to take the bus to Piazza Inerio for our dinner reservation at Restaurante ai due Papai. The bus kept not coming, so we called for taxis. We got no response. My brother and my husband hiked to a big hotel nearby since sometimes cabs wait there. The rest of us waited on Via Aurelia, and watched for another cab. We flagged one down. He couldn’t take us all. I said that’s all right and the kids and I got in.
We drove down the hill to find my husband and brother. They were standing there talking to a second cabbie when we drove up. The look of stunned surprise on their face was just priceless. They said what about Mom and Dad? I said, they’re at the top of the hill waiting for you. So… we all drove to our restaurant quickly – but it was not there. So we made an annoying loop around to the spot again, and my brother got out and ran into a Japanese restaurant called Nagoya to ask for directions. When we made our reservation, the owner had not answered the phone with their shop name, but we now found out our favorite restaurant had turned into a Japanese place. The meters were running and we had other dinner choices around the piazza so we all got out and paid. There was an Italian seafood place across the street, but the kids weren’t thrilled. It was 8:30. The waiter agreed to make spaghetti with tomato sauce for the kids.
I had a really good spaghetti with crab sauce. My husband had an excellent risotto with prawns; my brother tasted the risotto and said it was one the best he’d ever had. My dad was so-so on his plate of prawns. and my mom liked her mixed shellfish pasta. Spark loved the spaghetti but the younger ones weren’t keen on it– they ate a lot of the crunchy flat bread. My mom had wanted to know what the seasonal vegetables were but my brother wouldn’t ask. Just order them, he said.
He had ordered a side of fried potatoes for himself; I had ordered an insalata mista. When our pasta came we asked if we could have our other plates with the pasta. And five sides of potatoes came! No salad and no seasonal vegetables. Or maybe the potatoes were the seasonal vegetable? Well, my brother was firm that we weren’t sending back the four potato plates, so we all made a menu adjustment and had potatoes with our pasta. It was Big Night all over again.
The best part of this restaurant for the kids was that there was a live tank of shellfish and the staff regularly went over and pulled them out to go cook them. This was an endless source of fascination. A couple of the Italian families eating there (we were late enough to run into Italians!) had children too and the kids tried to communicate back and forth. Or at least point at the lobsters together.
We had the waiter order the taxis while we got the bill – and the taxis came really fast. Not sure what magic number the restaurant used!
Thursday, Dec. 29
Taxis again were a challenge the next morning for our visit to the Catacombs of Priscilla, which is north of the Borghese. We arrived so late that we had to do the tour first and my brother said Mass afterward. In a way, this was better, because then we had the sense of the history of the place on our minds as we started the Mass.
This set of Catacombs is smaller than those south of Rome, but are still significant with the earliest known image of the Virgin Mary, possibly the oldest image of the Wise Men, and more. The guide spoke slower than at the Scavi and she presented her information better.
My brother had found out the location of the closest taxi stand while en route to the Catacombs, and although it was cold and rainy, quickly steered us to the Piazza Vescovio.
We looked for a restaurant figuring it would be cheaper and better than the places by Trevi Fountain -- the one “must see” we hadn’t gotten around to. We spotted a small corner café called Caffe Fiorenza. We went in, and they had many panini of various kinds. The kids absolutely loved this meal, everything tasted fresh, well made and although we were crammed into little café tables it was really fun. I also got my husband and my dad to try the fried rice balls (I don’t recall the Italian name) – one with peas and one with tomato. They were very good too. My husband said this was the best meal of the trip.
We took the taxi to Trevi Fountain, which my kids surprisingly really enjoyed. The throwing coins was a definite hit.
Then my husband and I headed off and took the kids to the other really touristy thing we hadn’t done yet: the Time Elevator. Yes, we went on this schmaltzy thing and they LOVED it. The simulation ride tied together all of the history they’d seen in the last two weeks at a level the older two could understand. I did warn them that Julius Ceasar would be murdered during it, and with that warning, they were not bothered. I would strongly recommend people with kids and teens do the Time Elevator as a late afternoon activity when they’ve had enough of churches or tours or intense thinking. It took about 40 minutes.
After that we took a mini-electric bus (116?), and as we headed toward the Spanish Steps we took a quick vote – steps or Nativity scenes, and everyone cheered for the Nativity scenes. So for the second trip to Rome, my view of the Spanish Steps was about 60 seconds from a moving vehicle. Lovely, but cold and wet, so I think ours was the better choice.
The obelisk was covered for restoration at St. Maria del Popolo. Everyone enjoyed the Presepe – Nativity scenes – from around the world. It was a great mix, with ones from around the world, scenes built by Italian school children, but the best were the very Italian towns with all of town life going on.
One presepe remains in my memory, however: Beautiful cream, almost peach looking copies of all the great buildings of Rome toward up several feet, one above the other. At first the viewer is caught up in the loveliness of the Roman buildings and how they stack up in almost a pyramid. One almost forgets about the Nativity theme of the exhibit. Then, extending out from the bottom buildings was one of Rome’s old bridges. Underneath the bridge were the only human figures anywhere in this presepe. A very simple Mary, Joseph and the baby were on the shore of the Tiber. One feels the coolness and hugeness of those great buildings and the smallness, the loneliness of those figures.
The ticket taker told me this was the third annual show of presepe, and each year there are different entries. We stopped into the church itself only to see the Caravaggio, which we enjoyed but not as much as the Calling of Matthew.
December 30
Our trip on Delta left late for no evident reason. When we arrived in the USA we had to wait for 20 minutes for a gate to pull up to. This put us about 45 minutes behind. The flight attendant wouldn’t call our connecting flight, saying that the connecting flights knew we were on our way. So we did the routine you all know – customs, then collect checked bags and then customs again, then resubmit your bags, then go through security, then take a tram to domestic flights. Then run like heck to your gate, kids crying and moaning all the way.
At our gate, the Delta agent saw my husband, who was a little ahead of the rest of us. My husband called out that we had confirmed tickets and Delta agent looked at him, made eye contact and hurried to shut the door to the aircraft. Of course my husband objected, they were rude, he let me deal with them, and I begged, brown-nosed, pointed out the children’s young ages. (It helped that the younger two were crying, one of them just sobbing she was so tired between the long flight already and running and carrying her backpack.) Delta staff said they would see what they could do.
They ended up boarding the plane, bringing people off with (I was told later) huge incentives. While we waited for this to happen, another agent admitted they had known we were all coming and that they had known our plane was sitting on the tarmac. But she said the flight was overbooked, so they had planned to go on without us. Another one told us they wouldn’t have gotten us on the plane if we didn’t have kids.
So the five of us and my mom made it. My cousin and her family of four didn’t.
My cousin and her family similarly had a story to tell about the trip home. They apparently also were too far behind us because their bags didn’t come. When it appeared their bags weren’t coming, the family left the customs enclosure to find a Delta ticket agent to book for the next flight and to ask about the bags. With revised tickets in hand they walked back to the customs area and could see that their bags had finally turned up after all. The customs agent got mad at them for leaving their bags. My cousin’s husband is very mellow, artistic type, and he just said, “Sir, how could I leave them if they weren’t here?”
Ahh, the excitement of traveling over the holidays. But it was worth every frustration. And many of the frustrations were so much easier because I’d read about them already on this board. So, thank you all for your many posts. It really made all the difference.
Sep 17th, 2006, 05:06 AM
#14
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Thank you for finishing this trip report - I've enjoyed reading it. I didn't come across the early part in January, but I am glad to read it all now.
It sounds like you all had a Christmas to remember - one of those that will go down in family legend and be remembered for many years to come!
I was interested to read the last installment about Lake Bracciano as I am looking for ideas for day trips from Rome.
Thank you again.
It sounds like you all had a Christmas to remember - one of those that will go down in family legend and be remembered for many years to come!
I was interested to read the last installment about Lake Bracciano as I am looking for ideas for day trips from Rome.
Thank you again.
Sep 17th, 2006, 08:13 AM
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I'm so glad you finished the report. I think I'm going to Rome over Christmas, so it was very helpful to hear about your experiences. How wonderful that so many of your family were able to be there for your brother's ordination.
Sep 18th, 2006, 11:40 AM
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What a great trip report that one spends Christmas with family! I enjoyed reading it and wish I could go back to Rome again. Thanks for sharing a special time with your brother and the rest of your family. You certainly made it work well for all of you
Sep 18th, 2006, 01:11 PM
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So happy to read the end of your report. Sounds like you weren't terribly uncomfortable in December. I have friends who keep trying to discourage me from traveling during certain times...but with kids, you go when you can go!
Sep 18th, 2006, 10:23 PM
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Thank you all for your kind thoughts. Olive Oil, I did think several times to myself during the two weeks that this might be the only time I ever go overseas with my parents and that I should savor it. Sometimes I went over and hung out with them in their apartment after the kids were in bed.
Julia T, you may want the castle website, which is http://www.odescalchi.it/halls.htm
Bracciano's website is
http://www.lakebracciano.com/default_en.html
MissyPie -- I would travel when and where you can find the money and the vacation days. Sure, there are some compromises you make for bad weather. An example: We decided that between not knowing the weather ahead of time and plus the good deal we got on the Rome apartment we wouldn't go up to Venice. Together, it didn't add up to the right choice. But really, spending two weeks around Rome was hardly a consolation prize!
The only trip I've ever regretted was the one we didn't take.
Julia T, you may want the castle website, which is http://www.odescalchi.it/halls.htm
Bracciano's website is
http://www.lakebracciano.com/default_en.html
MissyPie -- I would travel when and where you can find the money and the vacation days. Sure, there are some compromises you make for bad weather. An example: We decided that between not knowing the weather ahead of time and plus the good deal we got on the Rome apartment we wouldn't go up to Venice. Together, it didn't add up to the right choice. But really, spending two weeks around Rome was hardly a consolation prize!
The only trip I've ever regretted was the one we didn't take.
