International Destination: Rome, Italy

This Thanksgiving, we were feeling homesick, missing friends and family from the States.  The day is just a normal Thursday in November here in Switzerland, so we made plans to celebrate in true European fashion with a Roman holiday!

Pre-Trip Thanksgiving Dinner

Before heading to Rome, the Swiss Ms. made a resourceful Thanksgiving meal for two.  No turkey, but we had the next best thing, a Heisse Chicken (Roast Chicken).

Stuffing, sauteed green beans and roasted root vegetables.  She even made gravy from the chicken drippings.  What a stellar chef.

Day 1:  Coliseum, Trevi Fountain,  La Cicala e la Formica

To get the most out of our trip to Rome, we booked a 7:20AM flight out of Zurich, which meant we had to get up in the middle of the night to catch the tram (seemed like such a good idea when we booked the tickets).

The streets were completely deserted at 5:22AM.

Zurich Airport was festively decorated for the Christmas season.

The Swiss Alps at the break of dawn.  Breath taking.

For breakfast, Swiss gives chocolate croissants and coffee.  Of course, we got our chocolate at the end of the flight, too.

We were surprised that we did not have to show our passports when we arrived in Italy.  We later found out that most of Europe is part of an area called "Schengen," a collection of 26 European countries that have abolished passport and immigration controls at their common borders.  While Switzerland is not part of the EU, it is part of Schengen, as is Italy.  This makes going between different European countries as easy as travelling to different states in the US.  (Downside: no extra passport stamps.)

Once we arrived in Rome's Fiumicino airport , we took the Leonardo Express train from the airport to the city center.

We immediately went to see our host in Rome (found on Airbnb), who allowed us to check in early, drop off our luggage, and gave us fantastic advice on local eateries and attractions.  She also supplied us with a vital map of the city.  

This sundried tomato and roasted eggplant pasta was so good at Ristorante Pizzeria Il Cuore di Napoli.

As was the Vesuvio pizza (pomodoro/tomato, mozzarella, pachino/cherry tomatoes, salame napoli, ricotta).  There's a "volcano" of ricotta in the center.

This is our first time having an Italian espresso and it was a delight.  

Fully fed, we began our journey around Rome, the eternal city.

The Coliseum was absolutely magnificent at sunset.

Are you not entertained?  The Coliseum was built to house between 50,000 to 80,000 spectators.

Completed in 80 AD, the building stands strong as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and iconic symbol of Imperial Rome.

Below the arena was an elaborate two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages, called hypogeum (meaning underground).

She would give the Coliseum a "Thumbs Up" (Roman Emperor style).

Just next to the Coliseum is the Roman Forum, a plaza of several important government buildings from ancient Rome.  We were able to walk around the outside, but hope to see it up close the next time we're in town.

We made our way to Trevi Fountain.  The fountain lies at the intersection of three roads (tre vie), and is one of the endpoints of the Acqua Vergine, one of the aqueducts supplying Rome with clean drinking water.  

Even in late November, this fountain is packed.  Legend has it that if you toss a coin into the fountain over your right shoulder, you are guaranteed a trip back to Rome.  The hawkers all over the city aggressively selling cheap junk certainly hope you will return. 

The Spanish Steps is the widest staircase in Europe.  It's also a great place to relax and people watch.

Piazza del Popolo (The People's Square), with plenty of street performers, cafes and restaurants.

Of course, the day wouldn't be complete without a detailed play-by-play of dinner!  We ate at La Cicala e la Formica.

Terrina di Verdure con Provola Affumicata (vegetable terrine with smoked Provolone).

Polpettine di Pesce con Verdure in Pastilla (fried fish cakes and battered vegetables).

Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, Peperoncino e Bottarga (pasta with garlic, oil, chili pepper and caviar).

Orecchiette con Broccoli, Salsiccia e Pinoli (pasta with broccoli, sausage and pine nuts)

Polenta con Salsiccia (polenta with stewed sausage and tomato sauce)

Day 2:  Homemade Italian Coffee, Vatican Museum. Pantheon, Ditirambo

Our B&B in Rome had little individual Italian espresso makers (Ieft).  You pack very fine coffee grinds into the filter and fill the bottom half with water.  Then, you heat the entire pot on the stove top, the water evaporates and starts bubbling into the top part of the pot, brewing a deliciously strong coffee.

Our breakfast.

We then made our way to Vatican City, (technically an independent sovereign city-state located in Rome) to visit the Vatican Museum.

Filled with an incredible number of classical sculptures.

The museum is part inside and part outside.

If you look closely (you may need to zoom in) you can see an animal inside the pot!

The Gallery of Maps.

Raphael's famous "School of Athens,"with the main subjects Plato and Aristotle at the center of the fresco.

We were also able to visit the inside of the Sistine Chapel and see the beautiful ceiling painted by Michelangelo, and most prominently, the "The Creation of Adam."  (We attached a link to the painting since we were not allowed to take pictures inside).

After our visit, we ended up at the Vatican Post Office and prepared cards for family.  Note:  Vatican stamps are accepted in Italy, but Italian stamps are not accepted at the Vatican.

According to Rick Steves, the Vatican Post is more reliable than the Italian Post. 

We tried to make our way to St. Peter's Basilica, but the lines were so incredibly long that we would have had to wait hours to get in.  Pope Francis draws a crowd!

Saint Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro).

The line to get into the Basilica!  (Not pictured: Swarms of pigeons.)

Back over the border in Italy: the Pantheon, a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome

Like many of the Roman buildings, it is incredibly well preserved.

The interior of the Pantheon.  There was a free concert that night.

Sculpture of St. Agnes and the Agnus Dei "Lamb of God") by Vincenzo Felici.

Our host made a reservation for us at one of her favorite restaurants in Rome, Ditirambo.  Since Saturday nights are so popular to go out to eat, we were grateful for her help.

An incredible tray of vegetable appetizers.

Pasta with prawns in a spicy tomato/basil broth.

Tagliatelle with rabbit and pecorino romano cheese.

The dish of the night:  braised beef cheeks with anise, a sweet pumpkin puree and perfectly crispy roast potatoes.

Pepper pistachio gelato (left) and the best tiramisu we've had (right).

Day 3:  Borghese Gallery, National Museum of Rome, Gelato, Salami Sandwich

Before we left Rome, we reserved tickets online for entrance to the Borghese Gallery.  The ticket is only valid for a two hour visit, so we got there early.  Pictures are not allowed.

The Galleria Borghese includes twenty rooms across two floors.  Some of my favorite works were the sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini ("Apollo and Daphne" and "Rape of Proserpina (Persephone)").

The gardens of the Borghese were also wonderful to walk around.

Pretending to be Bernini's "David," readying my stone to take down Goliath.

Next we headed to the National Museum of Rome.

Il Sarcofago di Portonaccio (The Portonaccio Sarcophagus).

Lush painted fresco from the Villa of Livia Drusilla, the wife of Augustus (dated at 30 - 20 BCE)

Can you believe we haven't had any gelato in Italy yet?  That needed to be fixed, immediately.

At Gelateria La Romana.  Simply amazing.  Note: there are three fountains in the back, where dark, milk and white chocolate are freely flowing.  Cones are filled with your choice of chocolate before the gelato is scooped in. 

A huge variety of flavors.  They also top off your gelato with a choice of four different kinds of whipped cream!  The unbelievable price for this treat: only €2.50 for a "small" cone.

A "small" cone of:  Crema di Castagna Piemonte 100% (Cream of Chestnut), Ricotta e fichi caramellati (ricotta and caramelized figs), topped with zabaione whipped cream (Italian custard made with egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine) in a delicious cone filled with dark chocolate.

Mascarpone al caffè espresso e cioccolato belga (marscarpone espresso and belgian chocolate), Limone di Sicilia con fruttosio (Silician lemons with fruit), topped with zabaione whipped cream in a cone filled with dark chocolate. 

We checked out of our B&B and took the Leonardo Express back to Fiumicino Airport to board our Swiss flight back to Zurich.

The Merry Swiss Ms. LOVED this Salami Sandwich.  Really.

Back in Zurich, with all the pretty Christmas lights on Bahnhofstrasse.

Thanks for reading!

-Herr Cervelat