Roma, Italia
It has been an early morning. The time adjust hasn’t been made. We went to bed after it has gone 10. I have been up and in the bar downstairs since half past three. Breakfast starts in two and a half hours. I am hoping Mary will get all the sleep she needs.
Having done a little writing in my blog, and making a few adjustments in the wording, I headed back up to the room about half past five. Mary was sitting up and more or less awake. I took my shoes off and laid my head down on the pillow. The next thing I knew it was eight and Mary was finishing up her shower. It is a good thing to take a nap, especially in the early morning like that. It really helps one to adjust to the time difference.
The breakfast room is downstairs in the lobby bar of the hotel. This isn’t a spectular breakfast, just fruit, eggs, toast, croissants, meat and cheese. They did make us cappuccini. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. The croissants were good but not outstanding. However, not having eaten since tea late yesterday afternoon it was filling.
After breakfast we gathered our things and headed out to do shopping for our secret santa gifts. We headed back towards Piazza Barberini and Via del Tritone which has a Rinascente, the Italian version of Macys. There are a number of other shops to visit as well. Near the Spanish Steps yesterday afternoon we saw a shop with beautiful, knitted sweaters in a style we like. So, we walked back towards the Spanish Steps and stopped at Edison di Sassion Raffaello on Via del Due Macelli.
We met a nice man whose family was in Israel at the time of the October 7th attack. They have now all moved, at least temporarily, back to Italy. The sweater we bought is by Montechiaro. It has several shades of blue, white, and gold, and really expresses the the craftsmanship and know-how of made in Italy. Precious workmanship, innovative knit stitches, Jacquard and Inlay play with a wide range of colors and precious yarns simply sing. Not that there is any room for the same in any suitcase. Mary had a audacity to suggest the brown version in my suitcase could perhaps be retired. Really? It is only a couple decades old.
Having scored at least my secret santa gift, we headed back over the hill to the hotel. We have a 2 PM Context Travel Tour with Chiara entitled Rome Holiday Traditions Tour. So an hour and a half rest and cup of tea seemed appropriate. We did manage to get over 6,000 steps in this morning, so it is probable that we will achieve at least the 10,000 daily steps desired.
It is less than 500 meters (a quarter mile) to Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore where we will meet Chiara. We were a bit early, surprise, so we stopped in at the Bar Cotini, our meeting place. Mary got an americano with the pasticcio cannoli. I ordered a double expresso and a croissant filled with apricot jam.
Chiara showed up at the appointed time. She is probably our age. She admitted she didn’t usually do this particular tour and, heaven forbid, wasn’t an historian. Her biography said she is a Roma native. It also focused more on her background as a passionate connoisseur of Rome and its rich cuisine, she is a trained nutritionist and a personal chef.
The tour is described as strolling through the cobblestone streets, wrapped in the enchanting atmosphere of Rome at Christmas. It will take us to the magnificent Santa Maria Maggiore, Saint Cosmos and Damian, and Santa Maria in Aracoeli churches, each brimming with historical significance and adorned with stunning nativity scenes. These intricate displays are not just a feast for the eyes but a heartwarming insight into Italian culture, where the nativity scene is a cherished holiday centerpiece in most homes.
The tour began just outside of Santa Maria Maggiore. The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major has dominated over the city of Rome for 16 centuries as the Marian shrine par excellence and the cradle of artistic civilization. Located at the summit of the Esquiline Hill, it is one of Rome’s four Papal Basilicas. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary indicated and inspired the construction of her abode on the Esquiline Hill. She appeared in a dream to the aristocrat, Giovanni, and to Pope Liberius, asking for the construction of a Church in her honor, in a place that She would miraculously reveal. The Miracle of the Snows is recalled each year with a solemn celebration. During the liturgy, a shower of white petals falls from the ceiling, creating an almost perfect union between the congregation and the Mother of God.
The Basilica houses the most important Marian icon, the Salus Populi Romani. Tradition attributes the image to Saint Luke the Evangelist, the Patron Saint of painters. Pope Francis entrusts his Apostolic Journeys to the protection of the Salus Populi Romani, which he visits before every departure and after every return.
The relic of the Holy Crib, the manger in which Baby Jesus was laid to rest, highlights the importance of Saint Mary Major as the “Bethlehem of the West”. The first Christmas night Mass was celebrated here and Pontiffs have been keeping this tradition alive for centuries.
Among the Basilica’s most important relics are the remains of Saint Matthew and Saint Jerome. Seven Popes are buried in the Basilica. The many treasures housed in the Basilica make Saint Mary Major a place where art and spirituality blend in a perfect pairing, giving visitors the unique emotions that transpire from man’s great works of art, inspired by God.
Unfortunately, Chiara took to reading the history of the church from a paper she had. When asked questions she more often than not had to refer to the paper in her hand. It was nice to have someone to walk you through area but not the usual level of a Context Tour.
We then walked through the Monti neighborhood. Clearly she knew the area and knew the various shops. Unfortunately, we leave the shopping to those who have a need for things. Everything was beautiful just not something we have any use for, or any place to keep it. There were also a number of small local restaurants which apparently she knew about and knew their various specialties. It was interesting because it was a neighborhood we have not been to before.
The walk through the Monti neighborhood ended at the Basilica of Saint Comos and Damian. The basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano is a titular church in Rome, Italy. The basilica is devoted to the two Arabian Christian brother, doctors, martyrs and saints Comas and Damian. The lower portion of the basilica is accessible through the Roman Forum and incorporates original Roman buildings, but the entrance to the upper level is outside the Forum.
The circular building located at the entrance of the Forum, which now houses a small archeological exhibition, was possibly built in the early 4th century as a Roman temple which may have been dedicated to Valerius Romulus, deified son of the emperor Maxentius; it is often referred to as the Temple of Romulus. The main building was perhaps the library of an imperial forum. It became a church in 527 and contains important but much restored early Christian art, especially in its mosaics. Interesting but I think I knew more than she did about the church and its history.
The most interesting part of this church was the nativity scene. Apparently, hundreds of years in the making. Figures added over the years. I am fairly sure I had seen this before. Oh, I gave up asking questions at this point.
Then there was a long uphill walk to Santa Maria in Aracoeli. The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Altar in Heaven is a titular basilica in Rome, located on the highest summit of the Campidoglio. It is still the designated church of the city council of Rome, which uses the ancient title of Senatus Populusque Romanus.
The shrine is known for housing relics belonging to Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, various minor relics from the Holy Sepulchre, both the pontifically crowned images of Nostra Signora di Mano di Oro di Aracoeli (1636) on the high altar and the Santo Bambino of Aracoeli (1897). Here was also a very nice nativity scene. Apparently the baby Jesus was stolen from the scene many years ago and never recovered, but they made a replacement. Nice views of the city, although the setting sun was pretty much in our eyes.
I did talk to her about Saturnalia. She did appear to have some idea of what it was. For those out of the know, going back in time, before Christ, the Romans celebrated Saturnalia. Saturnalia was an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honor of the god Saturn, it was held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, in the Roman Forum, and a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms: gambling was permitted, and masters provided table service for their slaves as it was seen as a time of liberty for both slaves and freedmen alike.
A common custom was the election of a "King of the Saturnalia", who gave orders to people, which were followed and presided over the merrymaking. The gifts exchanged were usually gag gifts or small figurines made of wax or pottery known as sigillaria. The poet Catullus called it "the best of days".
So, let’s see. Need a holiday in the darkest part of winter? You are changing the face of God. Easy, adopt a popular local holiday and make it your own. Need a good visual? Small figurines, maybe a couple of kings, some animals, a baby, maybe set in a manger? Look no further than sigillaria! We have it all. A few thousand years later, commercialize it and add a non-religious character and call him Santa Clause, The king of Christmas. The ultimate in recycling! Oh, and the God you are paying homage too? He got lost somewhere along the way. Happy Birthday, in April, Jesus.
We walked back down the hill to Trajan’s Column. She had said there was a taxi stand near there. When we got there, there was no taxi stand. Not her fault it is the building of the new subway line that messes things up. However, I was able to wave down a taxi to take us back to the hotel. At this point we had about 14,000 steps or approximately 10.5 Km or 6+ miles. Mary was in need of a rest. PS it wouldn’t hurt me either.
We arrived back at the hotel just before it was going to go five. We feel that we had earned a dinner with all the walking today. We looked at a couple different places but settled on Osteria il Riposto just a little was up Via Napoli from the hotel. A reservation was made on Fork for 18:30.
Osteria il Riposto in located in the “basement” of the Hotel Sofia. It quite Italian in appearance and not very big. We ordered crostini (bruschetta) with fresh cherry tomatoes, basil, olives and EVO olive oil. It was extremely good. The tomatoes and basil were fresh and full of flavor. The bread was a thick slice of a good hearty Roman stock. The olive oil may have actually been from this year’s pressing!
Mary wanted Cacio e Pepe pasta. Now this is a dish that originates from Siena not Roma, but it is what she wanted. It was how every very good. It was the spaghetti con vongole (clams) for me. The spaghetti was a little al dante, but very good. The portion size was perfect.
Dolce was a little different. La Sbriciolata looked interesting. It is described at crumbled puff pastry with custard and topped with wild berries. There was a choice of chocolate or berries. The server’s recommendation was berries. They weren’t fresh but it was better than the chocolate. It was excellent, the custard as a lemon curd, but quite tasty. Another new food!
Mary chose the Tarte Tatin. The menu described it as an upside-down apple pie with crème anglaise. It was more of a torta di mele, a nice flaky pastry topped with baked sliced apples with cinnamon. The crème anglaise is simply sugar, egg yolks, milk and usually flavored with vanilla. The crème anglaise was the same as the crema pasticciera in my dish. Both has a lemon flavor which makes them more a lemon curd than crème anglaise. However both were very good.
We had a nice bottle of Sangiovese. Oh, I almost left of the Carciofi alla Romana. This was our vegetable for the night. A Romanesco variety artichoke prepared Roman style, basically the head of the artichoke cleaned of the center choke, the furry stuff in the middle, the outer bracts or leaves and the top cut off to remove any thorns. The inner bracts remain, along with the heart and stem. These are braised with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic, until the liquid mostly has evaporated. It was serviced with a nice think slice of the toasted bread. It was also excellent. I want you to know the entire meal, including the wine was €75,60 or about $83.20. That was with a €20 bottle of wine.
We managed to walk down hill to the hotel. We sat in the bar and played a game of Canasta. Even as “unsteady” as I was, I won! The evening was topped off with a glass of prosecco while playing cards. Before retiring we managed to walk nearly 16,000 steps, 11.25 kilometers or 6.75 miles. A really good exercise day.
On our way back to the room we arranged to have a taxi at 11 to take us to the train station. It is only 850 meters but with the bags it just isn’t doable for too old fogeys like us. Our train is at 11:50 and we should be in Milano by 15:00.
All in all, a good day. A little disappointed with Context Tours. They got a note on that subject. Recommending them always felt good, and despite the cost it has always been worthwhile in the past.
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