The Ancient Past is All Around You
by mrclay2000
Nowhere else in Europe is the past millenium more fully on display than in Rome. While some of the relics in the Roman Forum are little better than shells, and the statuary about the city often defaced with the march of time, many other monuments and relics are in a fair state of preservation. Some of those can be visited like an ordinary church, while others must be viewed from behind a gate. Temples that stood when Christ preached his message can still be found today.
Football (Calcio)
by Marpessa
This stadium was used for the Olympic Games in 1960 (The XXVII Olympiad, with 83 countries from around the world participating) - thus its name. In the grounds (yes, literally in the ground) around the stadium there are mosaics depicting different events in the Olympics (discus, hurdling, running, etc.), there are also statues in similar stances as well in area just to the right of the stadium.
Since then the stadium has been used for quiet a few big sports events. It has also been used for the 1987 World Athletics Championship and the 1990 World Cup (football).
Today however the stadium is home to two football teams: Roma (founded in 1927) and Lazio (founded in 1900). I have heard that getting tickets for games here can be expensive, and sometimes the crowd is not so friendly (hooliganism), but soccer is a huge part of Italian culture and you should try to see a game when you are here (I myself did not get to see a game here, wrong time)
Woolly Clay Sheep
by nicolettart about Gaudenzi
This shop specializes in many religious articles, including figures for a Nativity scene. I purchased about a half dozen Fontanini figures, less than 10 Euro apiece. They also had these wonderfully realistic clay sheep, which were more expensive, but gave me a great idea to make some when I got back home!! Religiious articles, statues, and souvenirs.
Best waiter and food in town
by mazzzino about La Cisterna
We (me+ three friends) didn't even have to enter the restaurant before we knew we had come to the right place. An American couple, who had just been in, strongly told us to enter.
As we did we got the welcoming of a lifetime. Our waiter, a 70 year old man with the name of an angel, served champagne and told us what to eat.
We saw menues, but never even had to pick them up. The whole experience was all about trust, and we really trusted Angelo.
The restaurant itself is one of the city's oldest still running (since 1632), and Angelo had been there for most of his and the restaurants lives.
We where served an incredible melon and ham antipasto accompanied by white wine. The dishes danced together in perfect harmony as the second dish and the main course were served very shortly after.
Two bottles of red wine later we were served the dessert, a choice of fruit or chocolate cake - we all had both!
Eventhough the restaurants own brochure said the place was almost always packed and have had plenty of celebrities throughout the years, I'm sad to say we were the only customers there that night. And by that I mean good for us - sad for everyone else who ate somewhere else in Rome that night!
Afterwards we were given a short tout by Angelo one floor below in the basement where we were told a great story (mainly in Italian) about the first Christians in the eternal city who hid underground because of their religious beliefs.
To sum up everything I have to say the service was outstanding, the food top notch and the whole experience extremely enjoyable.
An extra plus was that one of my friends paid the whole bill - about 300 Euros. Bare in mind that for that price we had one antipasto, one pasta, one meat dish, one dessert each. We also drank two bottles of red wine, one bottle of white wine, a glass each of champagne, bottled water and a small drink. The antipasto. I can still remember the taste, the watery sensation in my mouth and the perfect blend. I will never eat another melon like that again - until I return.
Home to roost
by Paisleypaul about Osteria del Gallo
Excellently airy little ristorante with both doors wide to the extra tables on the quiet, cobbled, little back street outside. A real home cooking feel to the place. We had very good antipasti of prosciutto bressaola salami and two cheeses, tagliatelle with pesto based sauce and a clam and lambs lettuce leave clam gnocchi, white wine and water and deserts.
Everything was that little bit different !
Sign in with Facebook
Rome Christmas Market
The grounds of the hotel
Once temples, now churches
Via dei Fori Imperiali at 1am on January 1st, 2008
