Rome, Italy - Dream Vacations Circle of Excellence Trip, April 11, 2023

 We took the train from the airport to central Rome.  The process was easy – we purchased a one-way ticket at a kiosk in the airport then proceeded to the appropriate platform.  The train was clean with adequate seating for everyone. 

The Rome Central Train Terminal is quite large with trains coming from all over Italy.  We had selected a hotel near the Train Terminal because we would be using the train coming from the Airport then on to Venice at the end of the week.  The hotel and train terminal were within walking distance even with our luggage.

 Thank goodness that our room was ready when arriving at the hotel, Mecenate Palace Hotel.  The location overlooked the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore.  The room was small but quite comfortable.  There was a rooftop bar and restaurant.  We went to the restaurant for breakfast each morning.  There was a breakfast buffet.  The buffet was sufficient – enough to fill us up, however the selections were very European. 

Another bonus of the location of the hotel was the distance to one of the stops for the hop-on hop-off bus stops.  We decided to start our day by riding the bus around to get a feel for where things were located in the City.  The line for the bus was exceptionally long due to being two days after Easter and spring break for many families.  We had to wait an hour before being able to get on a bus.  Even then, we were on the bottom floor.  When seats became available on the top floor of the bus, we moved up there for a better view of the City.  The wind was cool, but we survived. 

We had arranged for a Food Tour in the Trastevere section of Rome that evening.  We knew that we would have to eat so having someone arrange for a variety would be nice.  There were 12 on the tour – 1 local guide (Aria), the two of us, five friends from California and four family members from Pittsburgh, PA.  Jerry was the only male in the group.  The ladies from California (Monique, Beatrice, Anne, Angela, and Elsa) had been touring Italy for a few weeks.  They had been staying at monasteries which have converted to “hotels” as a revenue stream.  They said that the facilities were typically 3-star with breakfast included.  The nuns were all helpful with local tourist information.  The family from Pittsburgh was a mother (Stacy), 2 daughters (Elizabeth and Sarah) and an aunt (Angela).  The girls were on spring break from high school. 

First stop was a cheese and meat store, La Norcineria di Iacozzilli.  Aria, the guide, told us how the different cheeses and meats were made.  She specifically spoke about Parmesan cheese.  Only if it was made in a specific region could it be called Parmigiano otherwise it was called Parmesan.  We then had a sample glass of wine from the Ciu Ciu winery.    

From there, we went to a pizzeria, Alice Pizza al Taglio.  Pizza is sold by the weight in Rome.   Besides pizza, we also had Suppli.  Suppli is a breaded, fried delight which could have most anything inside – meat, tomato sauce, cheese, rice, risotto.  Ours had risotto, cheese, and tomato sauce.  Suppli means surprise which is why there could be anything inside.

 Next stop was a restaurant for our main course, pasta, and wine, Ristorante Spirito DiVino.  Aria explained that good, tasty dishes have a minimal amount of ingredients – pasta, olive oil, herbs, and another ingredient.  Keeping it simple, makes it taste better.  The restaurant had a wine cellar which was fun to explore with the group.  There were cases of the house wine being stored.  There were also bottles of wine on the shelf with heavy dust and cobwebs.  Who knows the age or the quality of that wine? 

Last stop – gelato!  Italians pride themselves on their gelato, and there are many, many gelato shops.  We went to Gelateria Fior di Luna.  They are also generous with their scoops of gelato.  Two scoops are more than enough to enjoy the bountiful flavors daily.