The Stadium of Domitian was dedicated in AD 86, as part of an Imperial building programme at the Field of Mars. It was Rome’s first permanent venue for competitive athletics – think Olympic Games and other things, including gladiator fights when the Colosseum burned down. It was modelled on Greek buildings and seated as many […]
To the right of the Baroque church on the opposite side of the Trevi Fountain are the ruins of an ancient Roman apartment complex located 9 meters beneath the city’s Trevi district. The archaeological site dates back to the first century, but wasn’t discovered until the late 1990s. The site is called Vicus Caprarius, the City […]
Villa Farnesina was built for a wealthy banker back in the early sixteen century and ‘painted’ by many famous Italian painters including Raphael. It’s been rebuilt and redecorated and altered and reinforced to deal with the vibrations of the traffic to preserve the amazing frescos inside of it.
Trastevere – goes as far back as the days of emperor Augustus. It has been part of the city’s 14 districts, and it was quite popular with important Romans who built villas in this neighbourhood, including Julius Caesar. It is many colourful building and narrow streets. In the old days it was primarily occupied by fisherman […]
This is a small church among some 900 other churches in Rome, and is dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, located in Rome. Built in Baroque style between 1626 and 1650, the church functioned originally as the chapel of the adjacent Roman College, which moved in 1584 to a new larger […]
We have done bits and pieces of the Roman Forum and the Palatine but this time we took our time. I think we spent good 4 or 5 hours meandering through the ancient ruins of a city built upon an older city built upon and older city still, stories below where the current city is. […]
Still walking around Rome looking for new things to explore and new things to see. We took a full 5 minute ride on a LIME scooter that would have taken 3 minutes to walk because of traffic and a minor confusion with a car on the road. After that we promptly park the darn thing […]
Perhaps if Papa Francesco was in we would have gone to the church, aka as St. Peter’s Basilica, but in truth we really just went for the nice walk after dinner to enjoy the night views without the crowds, without the noise and without the vendors. It was a long day. […]
In the gardens of Villa Borghese a chocolate festival, the richness of which you could smell from a mile away. Dangerous time and place to ‘find’ yourself in – just before dinner! […]
This little area in Rome was built around the 1920s and is was famous for its mixture of several different architectural styles, all coming together to create something never seen before. This is the place where you will find the Villino delle fate (the fairy house) and in the centre of the square the Fountain […]
That seems to be the dominant colour palette for Rome. No matter where you are and no matter where you look those are the three primary colours, occasionally punched with a bit of white, mostly churches, and the broccoli trees, the towering pines. […]
Yesterday was rough, but today after a good night’s sleep and plenty of coffee we are visiting the old favourites, away from crowds, and at a very leisurely pace. First stop Campo de’ Fiori. Colourful, fragrant and lively. Nothing changed here since our last visit and that’s a good thing. […]
Like yesterday, first thing in the morning, we went to see a bit of Rome, but this time on the other side of the river. We went to St. Peter’s Basilica fully expecting to see thousands of people lined up trying to get in and see the house of the richest god there ever was. […]
We did get up at 6:30am on our vacation to see what Rome looks like when it is quiet and empty. I did not disappoint, it was quiet and empty and serene – just beautiful.
The idea was great, the plan brilliant, the execution none of the above. We did not find the right hill to see the sunrise, I guess you have to be in the know to be in the right spot at the right time. We will do better next however as we have acquired a map […]
Today is our last day in Rome, tomorrow are going to pack up and head for the Tuscan Hills. Having said that though, there are still a lot of places to explore. This morning we started with Eataly and a lot of food sampling and a huge lunch – naturally. Then we wondered around through […]
Getting around Rome and seeing the sights is not for the faint of heart or bad shoes. Our agenda for today was pack, but it started slowly with a breakfast at the local coffee shop. 6 cappuccinos and an espresso later we set out to conquer Rome. Colosseum, Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Palatine Hill, Borghese […]
We are back in Rome. This is the start of our 12 day mini holiday. We will be here until Sunday and then head out to Sant’ Anna in Camprena. This trip was a long time coming and this time we are joined by Susan and later on by Chris and Tamara in Tuscany. The […]
The only thing on the agenda for today was to take it easy and relax and eat less. Failed on all three accounts. We stopped at Eataly, an old train station that has been converted to a 5 story Italian Shop with 18 or so restaurants. The store has pretty much everything you can imagine […]
Our schedule for today is very relaxed. A nice stroll through the Borghese gardens towards the Spanish Steps and a bit of shopping. The Borgheses were a wool merchant family from Sienna. The head of the family, Marcantonio, moved to Rome in 1541 and this Sienese family rapidly gained access to the upper echelons of Roman […]
After the morning museum trip and an extensive siesta from the unyielding and relentless heat, we set out for a lap around Rome. Last time we were here the Trevi Fountain was being renovated and cleaned, which apparently is done once every 50 years or so. There are over 2000 fountains in Rome but this one […]
MAXXI – National Museum of the 21st Century Arts, is a national museum of contemporary art and architecture in Rome and is about 5 min walk from the gorgeous apartment we are staying in. The museum was built on the old and decommissioned military compound site. This spectacular building was designed by Zaha Hadid who passed away this […]
While in Rome, our busy schedule did not allow us to meet with Papa Francesco! However, not long after the visit to the Vatican we noticed that one of our blog posts was checked out and favoured by – Cardinal Giuseppe, the right hand man of Papa Francesco himself! Turns out Cardinal Giuseppe is quite […]
Updated travel map. We have added a few new wonderful places mainly in Italy and of course Berlin, but there is still a lot more to see – a lot more and we can’t wait to explore it. Google Maps
After a great Brunch we set off for a 4 hour drive to Cinque Terre National Park on the Mediterranean. None of us have been there so we are looking forward to it. It is Sunday so there is almost no traffic as the big trucks are not allowed on the highways unless they carry parishables […]
This is our local about 3 min walk from where we are staying in Rome. We came here for breakfast all three days which varied between €7.00 to €24.00 – we also had dinner snacks here too which came to be about the same. We absolutely love this place and love the food and […]
Since we have discovered the list of World’s 10 Most Beautiful Cafes we though we would give it a try. Our first experience was with Cafe New York in Budapest – and it was nothing short of spectacular. Our second attempt was Cafe Imperial in Prague which truth be bold was more Cafe and less […]
It seems that no matter where you go in Rome, there are old Roman ruins or something that predates the Rome itself. No visit to Rome would be complete without spotting Hare Krishna people making a spectacle of themselves and being happy in their own way. The final stop on our list of things to see was what […]
Glitter glitter on the floor, ceiling and wall who is the richest god of them all? No matter where you go, where you turn you can not walk more than 100 m in Rome without walking past a church – each nicer than the last.
Right next to the Colosseum are the impressive ruins of the Roman Forum. The Forum Romanum was the center of life in Imperial Rome, evidenced by the many remains of triumphal arches, temples and basilicas. Until 509 BC, when Rome became a republic, the city was reigned by an Etruscan dynasty of Tarquin Kings. They […]
The Colosseum is probably the most impressive building of the Roman Empire. Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, it was the largest building of the era. While the Colosseum is largely in ruins it is still an amazing site to see. The elliptical building is immense, measuring 188m by 156m and reaching a height of […]
Anyone visiting Rome will sooner or later end up at Piazza Venezia. This square is located in the heart of Rome, at the end of the Via del Corso. From here it’s only a short walk to some of Rome’s most famous sights like the Capitoline Hill, the Roman Forum and the Pantheon. Many historic […]
After the morning visit to the market we are heading in the general direction of the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Spanish Steps. First thing we see on the way there is Altar of the Nation. Officially known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, the enormous white marble monument, 80 m hight by […]
First thing on our agenda today, after breakfast of course, is the weekend market. This small market is where locals come to get their fruits and vegetables, pastas, oils, spices and just about anything else you might need or want to eat – all fresh. We got some giant sweet peas and cherries the size of plums. […]
Our day out was about 12 hours long. I am not sure how much walking we did but at the end of the day it was nice to sit down and enjoy a nice dinner and a glass of Prosecco. Great day out, and we are certainly happy that we have accomplished so much. Rome […]
After visiting the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica we decided to visit a couple of other churches. These were simply on our way from point A to point B but we though it would be worth the effort to see if these smaller less impressive buildings will still have the same effect as they […]
Trevi Fountain is a fountain in the Trevi district in Rome. It designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Pietro Bracci. Standing 26.3 metres high and 49.15 metres wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world. Each day some €3000,00 are […]
We continue our journey across Rome through the narrow streets and piazzas. The Pantheon was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus and rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian about 126 AD. It is one of the best-preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, […]
The one Basilica to rule them all would be quite an understatement. There is really nothing in this world that can prepare you for the sheer magnificence of this place, or its gigantic proportions or it’s over the top splendour. We have seen our share of wonderful churches and cathedrals but nothing and I mean nothing comes […]
St. Peter’s Square is a massive plaza located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, the papal enclave surrounded by Rome. At the centre of the square is an Egyptian obelisk, erected at the current site in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square almost 100 years later, including the massive […]
The Sistine Chapel is a large and renowned chapel of the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City. Originally known as the Cappella Magna, the chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who restored it between 1477 and 1480. Since that time, the chapel has served as a place […]
Papal Apartments – is where you start seeing the real splendour of the Vatican Museum. If you were a Pope in the olden days you could commission Raphael to paint your apartment. At the age of 25 Raphael was asked to do just that – scrap all the previous work done by some of the […]
If a dizzying array of splendour that adorns the walls with famous paintings or tapestries or the floors done in priceless mosaics or just ordinary marble cut to perfection were not enough then perhaps the rooms and hallways and gardens lined with sculptures by every famous master from the beginning of time will impress and astonish. […]
It appears that whatever is not at the Louvre or at the National Gallery in London is here. There are a lot of priceless sculptures here and a great many of them share the same story. No one knows how some of these 2 or 3 or 5 thousand year old sculptures found their […]
The first thing at the Vatican Museum that you see are the paintings. Each more important and more famous than the last. It appears that over the years the Popes were quite fond of Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and other famous masters. There are some modern works of art here too which the Vatican […]
Our schedule is quite busy for today so we had to decline a visit with Papa Francesco at the Vatican, but we did send our €88 towards the church to get a line up free tickets to see the Vatican Museum. The moment we got off the bus we were happy that we got the […]
If it is true that all roads lead to Rome then this is where we are heading this afternoon. On the way there we are treated to some amazing and spectacular sites along the way. It appears that each mountain top has its own town. Orvieto, Moltepulciano, Fabro, Orte and countless others. Beautiful day […]
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