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Tags: Rome Field Trip / Travel Tips / Vespas / Italy Travel / → All Tags
Rome Field Trip Audit: Less Water, More Vespas
Is there really no place like Rome? This week Ellen Wernecke chronicles her first visit to the Eternal City.
Into every trip a little rain must fall, and while I only found myself in one literal cloudburst, I came away with a few ideas for a return trip -- as well as notes on things I would have done just the same.
I would consider doing again: Flying Delta. Looking for a ticket I was shopping on price alone, but aside from the horrendous movie choices ("Inkheart"? "Bride Wars"? Really?) I found the flight, an Alitalia codeshare to boot, to be just fine. The meal was the same going both ways, but at least there was a meal. They also gave me a very funny leaflet on arrival about what to know in an H1N1-infected country which will be a treasured souvenir of these heady days.
Tags: Rome Field Trip / Wine Travel / Wine-Tasting / → All Tags
Drinking With Nobles In The Seven Hills
Is there really no place like Rome? This week Ellen Wernecke chronicles her first visit to the Eternal City.
For high tea with the Queen of England, gloves are a good idea and so are pearls. But I drank wine in sneakers with a title -- or at least, at the historic family farm of one -- and no one called me out on it. Did it improve my tasting? Possibly.
The hills outside of Rome are not as well known for their wine as other regions in Italy -- in fact, you'll probably be told at some point to avoid the fruity white Frascati that is its regional trademark. (I didn't mind it, personally.) The first surprise in store for me at on my visit to the Principe Pallavicini vineyard in Colonna was that they didn't just grow for white wine -- nor were they even wine-specific. Before I'd attempted to guess the "nose" of a single grape-based beverage, I enjoyed the subtle but flavorful house olive oil, which ought to put your bulk bottle of EVOO to shame.
The Pallavicinis can trace their roots back to the 12th century, have been making wine for about 500 years, and it all started on an estate you can visit today. (The family, though, has moved into Rome's city center, a 21st century method of displaying their massive wealth.) On display are wine presses from even earlier, and the wine is still stored in an underground cavern for natural refrigeration as it ages first in barrels and then bottles.
The tasting area and store, about a 3-minute drive away, is the ultimate low-pressure sales environment -- I got the feeling that hours had gone by in which I was just hanging out and drinking wine, and not the tasting portions either. I walked away with a bottle of the Poggio Verde -- a bargain at 5.80.
I organized my tour through Dark Rome, but anyone with a rental car, an Italian land line and a little money could line one up for himself. Don't forget to bring someone to drive you back to the city that night, unless you're planning to crash at the B&Bs that dot the hillside -- next trip!
Related Stories:
· Wine Travel [Jaunted]
· Soaking in Vino in Japan [Jaunted]
· Rome coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Rome Field Trip / Vatican City / Convents / → All Tags
Shacking Up in a Convent in Vatican City
Is there really no place like Rome? This week Ellen Wernecke chronicles her first visit to the Eternal City.
I mentioned yesterday that I spent one night away from the hostel-packed neighborhood of Termini, a move that led me to the cheapest and nicest accommodations of the trip, even though I had to abide by a curfew to take them. Plus, it was my first time ever staying on an international boundary line! If only that boundary wasn't so depressingly porous -- no one even bothered to check my passport.
Tags: Rome Field Trip / Colosseum / Vatican City / → All Tags
When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do: Avoid Tourists
Is there really no place like Rome? This week Ellen Wernecke chronicles her first visit to the Eternal City.
First, the bad news: Despite everything you've heard and read about the downturn, you won't be able to tell from the tourism traffic in and around Rome. Those dreaming of empty museums and quiet time alone with the ruins would be best to look elsewhere, possibly in an alternate universe. At the same time, I never ran afoul of a large, obnoxious group of my countrymen, and while numerous, Italian school groups didn't bother me as much.
Visiting Rome is a balancing act between the impersonal but unmissable major sites and a more personal experience. Here's when to keep to the beaten path and when to wander away:
Tags: Rome Field Trip / Coffee / Starbucks Alternatives / Gelato / → All Tags
In Rome, Bars Are For Coffee
Is there really no place like Rome? This week Ellen Wernecke chronicles her first visit to the Eternal City.
My first morning in Rome, a well-meaning hostel manager gently shoved me out the door with a cheery "Now it's time to go sightseeing!" Dazed, I stumbled to the nearest hole-in-the-wall cafe and sidled up to the bar, grateful that "cappuccino" was in the local language.
Seconds later, an old man entered, exchanging what I can only hope were gruff pleasantries with the workers. He ordered a coffee (which on that side of the pond means a freshly pulled shot of espresso) and, after being handed a bottle, filled the rest of the glass with Sambuca. Dare you to try that at Starbucks.
