I rented a vacation rental for Rome & Florence. I’ll admit in hindsight that that was probably not the best idea, as it is nerve-racking, from thinking it is a scam, to arranging pick-up and meeting times, learning all the apartment kinks (how to unlock the door… 4 turns to the right! Can you believe that???)… and being disappointed that the rental doesn’t look as nice as in the pictures. Not only that, but our rental is on the top of a hill… *sniff sniff* if anything, I hate climbing mountains and steps! But we did have a great need for a laundry machine, and if anything, this was why I booked the rental in the first place. The apartment itself is quite cute, but the bathroom is incredibly tiny! If I was 80 pounds heavier, there’s no way I’d fit into that cramped shower!
But the apartment is in an awesome location. The Trevi Fountain is a 5 minute walk away (if that, at all!). As with France, we always thought that the most famous sites would be large and imposing. In reality, they are a lot smaller than we imagined (I guess this is what happens when you go to Vegas every year). I mean, Bellagio in Vegas is already gorgeous and jaw-dropping! So really, there’s no need to visit Rome at all! Many Italian sites are not kept clean, which ruins the effect when you see litter and graffiti all along the streets. Nevertheless, I am still amazed at what they were able to build back in 200A.D. It’s miraculous that without the aid of technology and machinery, they had the engineering skills and capability to build sites that withstood the test of time.
The Trevi is beautiful, and standing there eating gelato really adds to the atmosphere, but I was underwhelmed by the gelato. Angel says you can find better gelato in Berkeley! Indeed, online reviewers also complained Rome’s pizza is mediocre and one reviewer actually wrote that Berkeley has better pizzas as well! Mom said the mango gelato paled in comparison to our home-made mango ice cream! We went back to the Fountain at night and it is absolutely gorgeous, with lights lighting up the fountain, and with tourists sitting around licking gelato from cones.
On the map, Rome looks huge and not doable in 3 days. But we were just rambling about, taking our time, and we managed to hit the most popular sites all in one day! The Colosseum is smaller than I imagined, yet again, but still amazing~ inspiring images of gladiators fighting.
Their Arc de Triomphe (enclosed within a gated area):
The Roman Forum is pretty cool too, but I do think you need an audioguide to know which ruin corresponds to what building and the significance of the ruin.
The Quirinal Palace is the President’s Palace.
Dad likes the guards:
Tritone’s Fourtain;
DO NOT go to restaurants located on the boulevards of major tourist attractions. We were starving and we made this mistake. Not only is the food overpriced and tasteless, but the service is awful as well. We were outside the restaurant Caffe Accademia looking at their picture menu (probably another sign of “tourist trap”!) when a waiter came by, all nice and welcoming, so much so that we said, “yeah, we’ll eat here!” But after he asked what kind of drink we’d like and we said “tap water,” you should’ve seen his face! He was smiling one second, and a millisecond later, he was scowling at us! My dad decided to get a cappuccino, and was charged 8 EUROS for it! CRAZY! It wasn’t even good roasted coffee!
Since the food was waaaay overpriced, we dumped the whole (free) Parmesan canister on our food. Then, when we declined dessert and asked for the bill, the waiter never came back to our table! We tried to draw other waiters’ attention, then I went to the front desk to try to pay there, and the hostess said only the waiter serving us could give us the bill. What??? I have NEVER heard of such crap before! So I go back and sit down… when our waiter is outside chatting with someone for 10 minutes! I finally get up to get him, just when he decides to come back inside. I give him 60 euros for a 58.35 euro bill (of which they already charged 15% service, included!!!!), and I stand there waiting for my change. It did look like for half a minute that he wasn’t going to give me change. He scowled at me, and finally gave me 1 euro back in change. What an ASSHOLE! So yes, lesson learned, try not to fall for tourist traps! The first sign we should’ve seen was the restaurant was mostly empty, and the customers inside were NOT Italian.
I used to hate Italian food because I don’t like tomatoes, pasta, pizza crust, olives… basically everything you associate with Italian food, I do not like eating. However, recent trips to Napa have gotten me over the hatred and now I appreciate the cuisine a lot more. I was hoping that Italy would knock me out of my socks with their food, but based on the food we tasted today, I can positively conclude that we make better pizzas and pastas than any one of them! I’m always seeking places that will blow me out of my socks and I can bow humbly to their superior skills. Maybe because we were at touristy sites that we didn’t get authentic food, but our homemade pasta cooked al dente, paired with intensely flavorful sauce, is incomparable. Most the food I ate today were bland and doughy. I was hoping they’d prove me wrong about the gelato too because I dislike that as well. Given a choice between ice cream and gelato? Ice cream! Sorbet and gelato? Sorbet! Fro yo and gelato? Fro yo! We basically stopped at every gelateria we saw to buy some gelato (believe me, it gets very expensive! 2 euros for a small cup… which is the equivalent of a tiny child’s portion at home!), but I haven’t been impressed by anything of the gelato I’ve eaten so far. Angel LOVES gelato, but she’s been disappointed as well. It’s more about the atmosphere, of eating gelato in Rome… when in Rome, do as the Romans do!
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