Lost Luggage In Rome

My parents decided to visit my wife and I in Rome for a wonderfully long stay: 9 days. We knew in that amount of time, any visitor would not only be able to see the major sites of the Eternal City but could also easily get to those lesser sought. 

Because there was so much time available, we planned a weekend away halfway through their vacation.  Goodbye Eternal City, hello other city with some clever moniker! Where did we go? The first night was in Siena, Italy.  The second: Florence, Italy.  Both were excellent choices for the quick weekend away. And it was made all the better because Trenitalia offered first class train tickets from Florence to Rome for prices less than second class.  So we HAD to do this trip, naturally. 

My parents worked it out with their hotel when they first made reservations.  They would leave their big luggage there while we were gone, then they would come back to it and have another room for the remaining few days of the trip.

All would expect this to be a simple procedure. You store my luggage.  When I get back, you give it to me. But sometimes in Italy, or any other non English-speaking first language country for that matter, things aren’t that simple.

We arrived back in Rome later in the evening on a Sunday night, around 10:00pm.  My wife and I saw my parents off from the train station then we headed under to hop on the metro and get back to our apartment.  Thirty minutes later, we receive a phone call.

“Hey, can you talk to this front desk guy for me? He can’t speak a word of English and he has no idea where our bags are.”

Sure, I’ll take a crack at it.  The man comes on the phone and I tell him in fractured Italian, “Good evening. I don’t speak Italian well, but the bags… my parents need their bags.”

The tidal wave of Italian words crushed my ears. Brain partially melted, I had no idea what he just said. This is a job for VASGO’S EXPERT!

“Dear, would you take care of this?”

 Her reluctance didn’t stem from not wanting to help.  It’s just that speaking and hearing Italian over the phone is MUCH more difficult than in person. “Ok,” she says. “Hand it over.”

And the battle in Italian begins. Throughout the 15 minute ordeal, this was the gist of it:

“My in-laws need their bags.”

“They already have their bags.”

“No, those are their other bags. They have two other bags which they left at the hotel.”

“Only Alessandro knows about that.  He’s not here right now so we will wait until tomorrow morning to find them.”

“No, that’s not ok. They need their bags tonight.”

“Well I don’t know where they are. We already looked in the luggage locker down here.”

“They were told to leave the bags in their room and they would be available for pick up when they got back here.”

“Well I don’t know what room that was in.”

“It was 303.”

“There are people already in that room.”

“Forget it.  I will have my friend call you to explain this better. She speaks better Italian than I do.”

We got in touch with our friend and before she could call, my parents called us back letting us know the man decided to go to the rooms to double check. Of course their bags were already waiting in a different room. All he had to do was look a little harder.

This wouldn’t have been quite as bad if my parents had sought out this hotel on their own. Perhaps they would have justified this experience from this hotel if was their own findings. But they trusted this Rick Steve’s recommended location out of his Rome book. And not only did the gentleman speak zero English, he also wasn’t near the front desk to hear my parents buzzing the building entrance to be let in.  Sadly for them, they waited nearly 15 minutes in a dark and empty Roman street. They even tried calling the front desk during that time since I gave them my phone during their stay. Still it did not help them. Finally, after buzzing random tenants of the building and begging to be let in, one unknown hero saved that part of the day. 

They thing to learn from their experience is make sure you know exactly where your luggage is stored.  If your hotel tells you to leave it in the room, tell them this story so it is truly ready for you when you return.  Not everyone has a friend to call abroad.

The Best Illusion In Rome

Remember the haunted mansion at Disney’s theme parks? In the late 80’s, I thought it was one of the greatest things while sitting in their high-backed chairs rotating every which way to delightfully frighten me passed floating candles, roaming ghosts and talking paintings. My favorite part was the illusion where the chairs arranged themselves side by side, the back of that chair in front of you no longer visible. You notice a set of 3 or 5 mirrors fixed on the wall as you steadily approach them.  Once there, you look directly in the mirror to see yourself and sitting right next to you is your new friend with his evil grin, a ghastly translucent ghoul.

In Rome, illusions like that are harder to come by.  There’s a newly opened theme park called Magicland.  Indeed, it sounds magical but unfortunately I have not made it out there to review it. Haunted houses didn’t seem to be easily found during Halloween the way they are rather abundant in the United States, so that option is out too.  What are you left with?

The miracle of natural illusions.

Nothing is more fascinating than a natural illusion.  It’s stupefying. It’s thought-inducing. It’s hard to imagine that something so real is actually real!

And I have found it for you.  Best of all, it’s one of Rome’s Free Things To Do and it answers this age-old riddle!

What gets larger as you walk away from it, and gets smaller as you walk closer to it?

When in Rome, go to the Aventine Hill to find it.  Right in between Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus) and the Tiber River, this ancient hill is populated with churches, residences, business offices and embassies. It’s a gorgeous area just to walk through for picture reasons. There’s a fantastic location I might post about which allows you to see through three different countries at the same time without special ocular equipment. And then there is the Best Illusion in Rome.

Connected to the church of S. Sabina (Santa Sabina) is a plot of land transformed into the most romantic of parks.  Orange trees dot the majority of the green space, their lines quite clear where orange pickers couldn’t reach any higher. A large white-pebble walkway covers the majority of the area with benches placed strategically for people-watching. The skyscraping umbrella pines shade most of the area, an occasional ray of sunlight bursts through making the pebble blindingly white. 

And then you get to the platform where you look over the wall’s edge.  You are high above the Tiber River. This is a unique view of the city. Directly in your vision is St. Peter’s Basilica.  It is far away, very far.  The mass of buildings and trees in between you and the famous Vatican City location make it appear tiny.  And that’s expected considering how far you are from it.

Then you leave.  You walk down the steps, walking straight down that white pebble path to the wall separating the park and the street. Before you leave, you turn around to catch one last glimpse and there it is.

St. Peter’s Basilica is the only thing you can see now, and it seems as if it magically doubled in size.

How the brain perceives images is beyond my VASGOness but I know when something is special and when it’s not.  This, my friends, is something worth seeing for yourself. The camera alone does not do it justice.

Visit the park connected to the church called S. Sabina (Santa Sabina) on the Aventine Hill for the best natural illusion Rome has to offer! 

The Woes of Public Transportation

Beware, my friends! Public transportation is not for the faint of heart.

Living in Italy without a car has changed me as a human being. For the last 7 months, I have relied on train, tram, bus, mini-bus, subway, escalator and elevator to get me where I need to go when my feet just can't cut it. The benefits are clear if you too enjoy the fruits of shared vehicles.

• You will likely get more exercise because you are walking to the stops.
• You will avoid (most times) sitting in traffic on major roads.
• You will have plenty of people watching opportunities.
• You will increase your level of inner patience. Waiting forces you to realize you are not in control anymore.
• You will help the environment by reducing the amount of emissions going into the atmosphere.

And there's plenty more "good" to be had. But where there's a protagonist, the antagonist must make his evil claims known!

The other day, I took the tram home. It was 10:30pm on a Tuesday night. The tram stops in front of me, the door opens and what do I see, none other than a large, leaf-patterned bag sitting in front of the entrance filled to the brim, its contents practically falling out.

This is odd, I think to myself. Bags are never placed right in front of the doorway. 


Now it's NOT uncommon to find bags full of trinkets, widgets and whammies on public transportation.  Plenty of people bring them on. But they always keep the bag right in front of them.  After all, it's likely to hold product they are trying to sell and there's about 1% chance they will let it out of their sight.

But this bag was a special bag. All alone, its green and blue leafy pattern stared me down when the doors opened. "Step over me," it greeted.

And so I did.

I stepped up the slide-out stairs of the tram, worked my way over the bag making sure to avoid any contact with it, looked right to find the only other inhabitant on the tram and found a seat in the second and last car of the tram. What a spectacle. There, the lady sat with her unkempt hair and several layers of dirty clothing. Why she left her bag in front of the door is beyond me. It was bad enough that she had a second bag lying in the center of the walking path. The tram door closed and off we went heading for our next surprised victim. Unluckily for me, she decided to light up a cigarette. This, by the way, is not allowed on public transportation. Luckily for me, most windows were still open. So it was a little cold, but at least I wasn't stuck in a hot box of cigarette smoke. I get enough second hand as is just by waiting for public transportation. But who was I to ask her to stop? Her mumbling to herself was part scary, part concerning. Then to add to it, her companion came out of hiding and started barking. At me. At the chairs. At the open windows.

Bark.

Bark.

Bark.

Excuse me, miss.  I'm pretty sure your dog is kindly requesting you to put out your cigarette since it's not allowed on the tram. Would you kindly oblige?

Bark.

Bark.

Bark.

Maybe I could revise what I'm wishing I could say. Excuse me, miss. Please put out your cigarette. And please put out your dog. They are both becoming rather annoying.

Bark.

Bark.

Bark.

The more stops we went to, the more people came on board.  And not a single person made a move to ask her to control her dog, or her smoke.

Nightmares like this happen from time to time in Rome.

• The train or tram stops for reasons unknown to you and won't move for 15 minutes. 
• You are trapped at the window seat next to the insanely smelly person, Italy's finest blend of musky body odor.
• Your late night mini-bus ride is shared with only one person who sits directly across from you. You swear you've witnessed 7 completely different personalities exhibited during the 15 minute ride. The demonic groans were the most alarming. The little girl laughter and dance movements were most pleasant.
• You get the bus driver who decides to reenact the cartoon Speed Racer. It doesn't go well on the bumpy cobblestone, for you, and the bus
• The drunk guy is on the same bus as you and he throws up on it.

Just be aware, things can go wrong.  But at least you are reducing the world's carbon footprint.

Pimpin' Ain't Easy, Especially in Rome

On a lovely fall night in a neighborhood bordering central Rome, my wife and I waited after our choir rehearsal for the tram to pick us up and bring us back to Termini Station. The air was brisk but not too cold. The stars were shining bright, not a cloud in the sky. Love was truly in the air.

Romantic Rome at its finest.

Completely across the tram tracks and on the far side of the busy 3-lane street next to it, we saw a young lady likely to be in her 20's dancing on the corner for drivers to notice. Why was she dancing? That caught my attention first. Next, I noticed that this wasn't the right weather to be wearing a skirt and a surprisingly low-cut top. Wasn't she cold? What also made no sense is that if she is waiting for the bus, she's awfully far away from it. The bus stop closest to her was a good 30 feet away.

And then it all made sense.

A car almost drove passed her location on the busy street and in the middle of the dance, she grabbed the base of her short skirt and with a flick of the wrists, purposely showed more. My wife and I happily saw nothing due to our distance and angle, but I think it's worth noting her technique of drawing people in. Was she dancing to stay warm or was there something else to it?

Alas, I did not interview her to officially find out.

Though the street-side show was not only entertaining but rather informative about the legalities of prostitution, I went to my collection of English-speaking native Italians to find out the truth behind the age-old profession in Rome.

I was surprised that the first person I asked told me prostitution is legal here.  However, the management of said-prostitute, is illegal. That means, as the bold (and easily distasteful for most listeners out there) 1989 lyrics go from Big Daddy Kane, "Pimpin' Ain't Easy". And apparently it's not easy in Rome.

Upon asking my other friends, one was trying to explain what she thought about the intricacies of the law. She led me to believe there's jargon stated in the law that virtually eliminates prostitution as a legal action. Perhaps she's right.  But then again, it's not at all what the first person I asked told me. It's hard to tell what is actually the final legal limitation on the subject, but all I know is I have seen those ladies on the sidewalks and occasionally a car stops.  Think the driver is just asking for directions?

The professionals I'm speaking of aren't everywhere so those concerned about this knowledge visiting with children won't need to shield any immature eyes. The times I've seen them, it's at least 10:00pm.  And they aren't so scantily clad that it makes you feel like you are walking through Amsterdam's Red Light District, where little is left to the imagination. They are on heavily traveled streets OUTSIDE of touristy Rome, making it a hard-pressed activity for a tourist to see one.

So no worries. Just thought you'd like to know. It's a part of Italian culture and it's what makes the country's identity unique.

Rome's Bulk Wine Vendors

Another good reason to come to Italy is for the wine.

Whether or not the ancient inhabitants were first in the world to make it, Italy has been making excellent quality wine for centuries. Its volcanic soil, combined with regional mountainous slopes or rolling hills and surprising abundance of daily sunlight, work wonders for the growing grape vines.

One of the wonderful things I learned while living in Rome is that the cheap wine here is like the average price wine in the United States. Early on, I started purchasing the various bottles of red wine that cost 1 Euro.  Typically, they were wines from the region closest to Rome. And they were just alright. It reminded me of the cheap box-wine back in the States.  Drinkable to the unknowing palate. The experienced wine taster, however, pushes themselves through it.

After realizing that all the 1 Euro options were pretty much unappealing to me, for example, too sharp, too bright, whatever the reason, I moved up to the 2 Euro bottles. The cheapest Italian wine was all too similar to buying those $3 or $4 bottles at the bottom of the shelves. Not good.

2 Euro wine is slightly better than 1 Euro wine, but not good enough for me. It still seemed like the quality was that of a $6 to $8 bottle. Some bordered on decent but most didn't.

On to the 3 Euro bottles. Now that took a leap in quality! Much better.  Much more palatable to the highly discerning tongue. Smoother, more flavor, and thankfully, more options! Many of the 3 Euro bottles taste closer to a $10 bottle purchased in the States.  Most times while I lived in the U.S., I would try to find a bottle between $9-$12 for any red wine whether it be from Spain, Argentina, the U.S., Italy, etc. I'd happily drink better wines but the budget usually wins over my desires.

And that's where Italy has an outstanding solution to my budget friendly/good quality wine desires.

The answer: SFUSO.
In English, you would call that draft wine.

My sfuso vendor at Testaccio's covered market.

After visiting this vendor once a week for the last, say 12 weeks in a row, this man's coworker who I assume is his wife finally said to me in Italian, "I see you all the time.  Why are you here? To study?"

"No, signora.  La mia moglie studia storia del arte. Sono una casalingo."

And then she breaks out in laughter. Why? Because I said, "No, ma'am. My wife studies art history. I am a house wife." And it's even more funny to Italians because ending the word, casalinga, with an -o- suggests that I am a male house wife. And that word doesn't exist in the Italian dictionary. So it's funny to them. Everyone loves a good play on words, right?

The laughter tells me we are now friends, and hopefully she will continue to remember me in the future as a good customer.  Because as you continue to get to know your vendors, randomly, you start getting more product for the usual amount spent. It pays to be friendly.

For 3.20 Euro, I get a 1.5 Liter plastic bottle filled with rather good Montepulciano red wine. Many restaurants you go to in Italy offer this same type of good enough but still inexpensive "house wine", vino rosso della casa.

The best news is that the vendors offer a number of different varietals. A couple reds, a couple whites, some dry, some sweet, some cheaper than others. Sfuso vendors typically are located at the major outdoor Italian Markets. I have occasionally found the set-up in random neighborhood supermarkets as well. You just have to look for them.

And make sure to ask what kinds they have. Samples are quite common.  After all, its not like they have to open a bottle for you!

As for the bottles in the Italian supermarkets, I'd say the average wine consumer will be quite pleased with any bottle 4 Euro and higher.  Almost every one I have tried reminds me of the quality of a $12-$15 bottle.

How to Get to Rome from Fiumicino Airport (FCO)

How to Get to Rome from Fiumicino Airport (FCO)

Getting to Rome can feel like the most complicated thing if you aren't a frequent world traveler. Signs are not well placed, directions don't seem to be translated well enough to make sense and every time you stop to ask for help, either you can't understand the person well enough, or they talk you into using a company because their friend owns it and will give you a great price.

Yeah right.

Number One: Know your end destination. 

Too often, the visitors coming to Rome who I know tell me Termini Station is near their hotel, or the hotel tells them that's where they have to get on the metro to get to the stop closest to their hotel. Termini is likely to be your destination (at least from the airport's point of view) if you are the average tourist without a contact out here.

Other people many times go to the other two choices: Trastevere Station or Ostiense Station.

Getting off at Trastevere Station is great for those whose final destination is in such neighborhoods as Monte Verde, Trastevere, Prati (the Vatican City area) and others on the west side of the Tiber River.

Getting off at the Ostiense Station crosses the Tiber and is great for those whose final destination is in such neighborhoods as Testaccio, Garbatella, the Aventine Hill, and honestly those who want to save euros on travel to get to the center of the city.

Number Two: Decide how much you want to spend against how fast you want to get into Rome.

• 4 Euro bus ride through a private company to Termini Station is the best I've seen (currently offered here), 1 Euro subway/tram/bus ticket to your next destination if applicable. I've seen many bus companies offering 6 Euro per way.
• Longest potential wait time before departure. Duration of travel dependent on traffic, around 55 minutes, could be more than an hour easily.
• 8 Euro for a train to Trastevere Station, 1 Euro tram/bus ticket to your next destination if applicable.  
• Duration: 26 minutes. Departs every 15 minutes typically.
• 8 Euro for the same train, just goes to the next stop, Ostiense Station, 1 Euro subway/bus ticket to your next destination if applicable.  
• Duration: 32 minutes. Departs every 15 minutes typically.
• 14 Euro for a train to Termini Station,  1 Euro subway/tram/bus ticket to your next destination if applicable. 
• Duration: 32 minutes. Departs every 30 minutes typically.
• 25-50 Euro for a Taxi. Shared taxi travel is cheaper, haggling is highly recommended for better prices. 
• Shortest potential wait time before departure.  Duration of travel dependent on traffic, could be 45 minutes to more than an hour easily.

Number Three: Find your departure location at the airport.

Finding a taxi is simple. Walk straight outside after you pick up your bags. It's hard to miss the longs queues for a taxi or the random taxi driver ready to haggle with you for a "good price". 

Talk with your bus trip provider to find out where they pick up from.  For example Terravision buses pick you up outside Terminal 3, bus parking number 3. Simple!

IMPORTANT NOTE #1: If you choose a taxi and attempt to haggle for it, make sure you have the address of your final destination in Italian. The last time I took a taxi, he didn't have GPS and so he traveled all over one particular nieghborhood trying to find the correct street. His street map just didn't get the job done.  Eventually, we made it there.  And yes, he expected a tip.

IMPORTANT NOTE #2: Taking the bus? Give a tip if you are feeling extra generous. It shouldn't be expected though.

The rest of the instructions apply to those traveling via train.



Number Four: Go to the Train area

1. Once you get your bags, exit the baggage area and go to the "customs" line.
1. Which is mostly nothing in Italy... look for a double doorway where there is usually no one there to check your bags. If there is, they certainly don't ask you questions.  In fact, it's almost guaranteed that you won't have your passport stamped.
2. Once through the doorway, walk into an open hall where people congregate to greet their arriving friends. 
3. Most cases I have found that you will turn right and head down the long hallway. 
4. Follow the signs for the train. In most cases, after a surprisingly long walk down the hall, you turn left to take an escalator down, continue straight, take escalators back up, and it forces you into a dead end where you take a right turn. 
5. Pass through the small corridor, please note the large format paper with train times/final destination cities in a glass panel located on the wall in that small corridor.  You may have to walk back over there to see when the next train time is.
6. You are now in the Train area.

Number Five: Buy your train ticket(s)

1. Walk across the train station hallway and then look for the windows down on the far right.  It should say TRENITALIA. 
2. Get in line for the windows that have the Trenitalia screens over them, not the tourist ticket places. 
3. Tell the ticket agent at the window "Un biglietto per Roma Ostiense (or Roma Trastevere, or Roma Termini)," One ticket for Rome Ostiense. They take credit cards, or you can pay in cash. 
1. SIDE NOTE: Using your credit card at the do-it-yourself ticket machines typically does not work.  U.S. credit cards do not have the same PIN technology that European credit cards have in them and therefore do not allow the transactions to occur.
4. The agent will hand you the ticket(s) you just bought.

Number Six: Validate your ticket(s) before going on the train and then find your train and get on board.

1. Every ticket you buy needs to be stamped at the yellow, box-like validating machines.
1. They are located on each side of each platform just before you get to the train itself.They are not huge and relatively easy to pass if you are not paying attention.
2. Look at the screen above each platform. Choose the train you board based on its destination.
1. If you need to exit the train at Trastevere or Ostiense, go on the train that says on its screen Ostiense ... or Orte ... or Fara Sabina. They all go through these two stations. 
1. This is a regional train with multiple stops from the airport.  It's wise to pay attention to the stops.
2. This is the one you get on if you bought that 8 Euro ticket!
2. If you need to exit the train at Termini, go on the train called the Leonardo Express.  The digital sign before the train will say TERMINI.  
1. This should be a direct, non-stop train from the airport to Termini Station.
2. This is the one you get on if you bought that 14 Euro ticket!
3. Board the correct train!
4. Check your watch from the time you leave. Once 25 mins pass, make sure to look at each station's name. 

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT TRAIN TRAVEL IN ROME

Trenitalia does a sub-par job on telling you which station you are arriving at next. Sometimes their digital signs work, sometimes the audio messages work, but most times they don't!  So be ready to exit the train with a moment's notice.  Each station will be clearly labeled when you stop there so pay attention. The trains don't give you a lot of time to exit at the stations so make sure you are ready to exit when you the train comes to a halt.  Be at those doors ready to step off the train, not just out of your seat.

Heed these instructions. Here's what happens to you if you don't pay attention to what stop you get off at. 

You don't want to be waiting for that next train, bored like him, do you?

Italy's Free Museum Week

If I could rank the many Free Things To Do In Rome, this would likely be the #1 thing to do.

Each year, Italy's Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities works with nearly EVERY STATE-RUN MUSEUM in Italy to open its doors to the public and for one week, one wonderful, enlightening, inspiring, delightful treasure of a week, the entrance fees are complimentary.  That's a much lengthier synonym for one of my favorite smaller words, FREE.

It's official name: Settimana Della Cultura
Translation: Week of Culture
VASGO's Translation: Italy's Free Museum Week

Want to go to the Colosseum and see what the gladiators had to fight in?  Yep, that's free.

Want to go to the Roman Forum and see (just a few) pieces of column laying around? Yep, that's also free.

What about the Baths of Caracalla with their outstanding collection of mosaics from ancient times? Again, free.

What about the museum that perfectly combines industrial space with classic art, the Centrale Montemartini? I bet you that's free too!

In 2012, the Settimana Della Cultura starts Saturday, April 14 and ends Sunday, April 22.

This is the 14th year of the nine-day event created to promote and enhance Italian culture and heritage country-wide. It is said that not just museums are offering free admission. Villas, monuments, archaeological sites, archives and state libraries will also be welcoming visitors with open arms. Hugs, however, are said to be more expensive than usual.

Get it?  Open arms... hugs...

Awful.

The website for Italy's Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities even states that the experience will be even more special due to the many exhibitions, conferences, special openings, workshops, tours and concerts that will be available.

If you are going to spend your hard-earned money to come to Italy, you may as well save a buck or two on all the admission fees. Come during the Settimana Della Cultura.  Just be ready for the longer entrance queues!

For more information go to the ministry's website, available only in Italian, here: http://www.beniculturali.it
Specific information (again, only in Italian) about Rome's and its nearby cities in the Lazio state's offerings can be found here: At this .pdf

The Pilgrimage

Fearful of floating in nothingness for too long once you die? Anxious about your after-death sentence to heaven or hell? Do yourself and your loved ones a favor - reduce your time spent in Purgatory by going on a pilgrimage to the four Papal Basilicas all in one day like the people of old did (and possibly still do today).

That's how I would advertise pilgrimages if I worked for the Vatican. Luckily for them, I'm not in advertising.  However, I am into writing about fascinating things to do while in Rome, and this historical, religious journey was foreign to me until recently.

My Roman history expert shed light on the subject, about the many journeys from around the world to visit the four Papal Basilicas of Rome, which are:

• Saint Paul Outside the Walls (San Paolo Fuori le Mura)
• Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore)
• Saint John Lateran (San Giovanni in Laterano) 
• Saint Peter's Basilica (San Pietro in Vaticano)  Easily the most popular one being in the Vatican City, so start or end your day there to avoid this long queue.

For those not participating in a pilgrimage for strictly religious reasons, I think it is worth attempting for a number of reasons.

1. The Basilicas are huge! We are talking awe-inspiring grandiose structures folks. You  somehow  feel ... different when you stand inside, looking up and around, taking it all in.
2. See what makes each one different! No Basilica is the same. Each has it's own unique flavor of design, both interior and exterior and are well worth viewing.
3. Compare their Papal Altars. In each one, a special altar resides for only the Pope to conduct his own Mass. 
4. Consider each location's relic. These ancient religious objects may be a part of the body of a saint or may have been an object that a saint touched or used at one point in history. Each Basilica's relic has it's own fascinating story.
5. The artwork and sculptures! There are some extremely popular items in the Basilicas you would not want to miss viewing in person. For example, Michelangelo's The Pieta sculpture is in St. Peter's. Simply amazing work.
6. It's one of the many Free Things To Do In Rome! Enough said.

I have taken many a photo of the insides of each Basilica and I almost posted them for you. But I abstain. This is something you should see without my influence.  It's sooooo much greater in person.

Here are the Basilicas and their closest metro stops for your convenience.

• Saint Paul Outside the Wall (San Paolo Fuori le Mura) - Metro B line, stop name: Basilica S. Paolo
• Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore) - Metro A/B line, stop name: Termini
• Saint John Lateran (San Giovanni in Laterano)  - Metro A line, stop name: San Giovanni
• Saint Peter's Basilica (San Pietro in Vaticano) - Metro A line, stop name: Ottaviano - S. Pietro

Happy Pilgrimage, whatever the reason!

Restaurant Review: Pastificio

For those who are familiar with the Spanish Steps, you very likely know already that the area is easily one of the most expensive parts of Rome. Adjacent to the steps is a tea room where it costs 10 Euro for tea ($13.00!). Going there for high tea to get the extra sandwiches, fruit salad and pastries that come with your afternoon tea? That will knock you back 31 Euro. Some of the biggest names in the clothing industry have their own stores located right next to this touristy Spanish square known as Piazza di Spagna. Prada, Bulgari, Gucci. They are just a few examples setting expectations of real estate value and consumer price points.

Thankfully, a couple streets down towards Piazza del Popolo (the one with the huge obelisk north of the Spanish square), people looking for a high quality lunch at extremely affordable rates need look no further.

Pastificio is a fresh pasta maker. It's actually the generic name for a pasta shop, the same way forno is the generic name for a bread bakery. How you know they make pasta is because their neon sign above the serving counter says Pasta Fresca,  Fresh Pasta. Can't miss it. From what I know, every week day starting at 1:00pm, they offer the area's best budget eats for lunch.

4 Euro for a plate of their fresh made pasta and a plastic cup for Chianti wine and/or water at the counters.

Pastificio lines their small establishment with bottles of cold water. The wine bottle is up near the register where you purchase the lunch. If you are lucky enough to find a seat, cram yourself in, make friends with your neighbor and don't bother stopping yourself from raving about how good the fresh pasta is.  It's likely your new friend will gladly agree with you.

Or take it to go and eat it on the Spanish Steps. But guard yourself well! Those other tourists hanging out in the Roman sun will spot your doughy treasure and likely trick you into looking the other way as they sneak a hand into your dish as if it were the classic french fry steal.

It's worth mentioning that I had already eaten at least half of my portion before I took the picture... Indeed the quantity/price/quality ratios are through the roof at Pastificio!

It seems each week day they offer this lunch special. So far, I have found that they make two varieties of pasta that day. For example, I went yesterday which was a Thursday. In Italy, Thursdays are traditionally gnocchi days so you would find many restaurants offering that product that day. The same holds for Monday through Wednesday, each having a traditional pasta made that particular day.

Pastificio offered the traditional Thursday Roman pasta, gnocchi in tomato sauce with a meatball, and then they offered their version of Gricia using their fresh slightly-thicker-than-spaghetti pasta combined with olive oil, pepper, and pecorino romano cheese. Simple but delicious.

Pastificio is located in the first block of Via della Croce, a bordering street of Piazza di Spagna. Lunch only is served at 13:00/1:00pm. If you want to buy their fresh pasta, they are also open Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.

Pastificio
Via della Croce, number 8
Roma, Italia, 00187
Near the Spanish Steps, take the metro A line to the stop: Spagna