A true Italian Dinner for Ciara Gold and family (Ristorante Su E Giù)

Our last night in Rome, my mom, son and I ventured out to find a small restaurant recommended to us by the hotel. We walked a few blocks but found it and entered the small, homey establishment. We had no idea what to expect. First of all, most of the locals work on a different time clock. They eat late and most restaurants don't even open until 7:00 PM or so. So, when we arrived, there was only one other customer. The place was full, though, by the time we left.

We were greeted by a very animated, young Italian man who made the experience so much more than just eating. His name was Daniel. The restaurant was Ristorante Su E Giù. From what we could gather, his father did the cooking and all I can say is "wow."

We giggled as we tried to make sense of the menu but we didn't need the menu. Daniel gave us an oral recitation with descriptions. We wanted to try it all by the time he finished. Italians serve a three or four course meal. You start with the appetizers and Daniel offered to bring us a sampler. The place consisted of a rice ball with tomato sauce wrapped around cheese and deep fried (my personal favorite), calamari (they fried the whole squid), fried sardines (which I actually liked), fried zucchini and some sort of sausage.

For the main meal, we all got something different so we could taste-test each others' food. I don't remember now what I ordered but it was divine. We also ordered the house wine. My mom loves wine so she actually bought two bottles to take with us. Since it was their house wine, though, they didn't have bottles so Daniel filled to empty water bottles with the wine. Every time we drank a bit of that wine when we settled into each hotel room for the night, we laughed. I think it took us three days to finish those two bottles.

For desert, we enjoyed Tiramisu. By the time we left, we were quite full but the moment was probably one of the best memories we'll have of our vacation. For one, it was a moment we shared between just the three of us and not the rest of the group. It was a special time to enjoy.

Castel Sant'Angel

Our last day in Rome, the leader of our group was to give an organ recital at one of the local churches. Previously, we had time to tour Rome on our own and my son and I became quite interested in the Castel Sant'Angel. When my mom said the recital was too late for her and she was tired of walking, my son and I decided to bow out as well. Though I really wanted to hear Benjamin play, I also really wanted to see the castle. The castle won.

So, just my son and I walked to the entrance of the castle and bought tickets. I think it was one of my favorite parts of our trip. For one, I got to spend special time with my son and two, I got to see the castle. (I love castles.)

Originally commissioned as a mausoleum for the Roman Empera Hadrian and his family around 139AD, it wasn't used as a castle until 401AD. You can see where the Romans added onto the cylindrical structure. We investigated every nook and cranny we could and walked all the way to the top for a spectacular view of Rome.

Since the castle is now a museum, they had a lot of interesting exhibits tucked away, especially items dealing with warfare. This second picture is of Rome from the palisades of the castle.

Visiting the Vatican Museum and City

Our second day in Rome was probably the most important day for our group in terms of visiting important works of art. This was the day for our scheduled trip to the Vatacan.

We woke up early and enjoyed breakfast at the Hotel Cicerone. That morning we were on our own to tour Rome at our leisure. My mom, son and I joined a few others from our group and braved the subway system. Our destination was the Church of St. Peter in Chains. We were all quite anxious to view Michelangelo's Moses.

The church itself was breathtaking and one of many such structures we would see on this trip. Photographs don't do justice to the high ceilings that tower at least 3 stories above our heads or the ornate decoration and details adorning every facet of the building.

After lunch, we met the entire group (there were 20 of us in all) and took the bus to the Vatican City. We actually caught a glimpse of the pope but in all the excitement, I didn't get my camera out fast enough.

The museum was fabulous but crowded. We were allowed photos in the museum portion and St. Peter's Basilica but not the Sistine Chapel. As awe inspiring as the Sistine Chapel was, I would have enjoyed it more if the room hadn't been full to capacity with other tourists wanting to ogle Michelangelo's work. I highly suggest going when it's not the peak season for tourists. We also saw his Pieta but it was behind glass.

Getting ready for our trip abroad - Rome!

Getting ready for this trip was quite nerve wracking just because I had so much going on at work. As mentioned in the previous post, I had a lot of packing to accomplish before leaving school. And, I had to figure out what to do with my students since I was going to miss the last week of school. Can we say hectic? But I'm happy to report I managed to pack all that I needed for the trip.

On Sunday afternoon, May 27, my son, my mom and I set out for Grapevine where we spent the night. The next morning, we visited my uncle who suffers from Alzheimers. He was in great spirits and glad to see us though I'm not sure if he really knew who we were. At 4:00 PM we boarded Lufthansa Flight 439. We had to take a connecting flight from Frankfurt to Rome. Needless to say, we were on the one plane for eleven hours and the other for almost two hours. Had the worst meal ever on that last flight. Iggg.





We arrived in Rome at 2:00 PM  on May 29.  Keep in mind the time difference.

Our first excursion was a sightseeing tour of Rome via bus followed by a stop at the colosseum. What a fabulous way to start the tour. You can't imagine just how large this place is. The photos just don't do it justice.

Our guide was very informative. The area where the colosseum was built was originally a lake. Instead of digging a hole for the structure, the Romans drained the lake. To manage the huge rocks, iron stakes were driven into the stones thus allowing an easier grip. Imagine building this around 70 AD without our modern technology. Much later these iron stakes were removed so they could be recycled. Unfortunately, removing them made the structure less sound when the earthquake of 1349 came which is what ruined the massive building. After that, the Medieval folks used the marble to build some of their churches and other important buildings. Talk about recycling.

She talked about the people and those that came to the colloseum. She pointed at this arch and said that information was written on the walls to show the crowds where to go during intermission so they could take care of needs, perhaps eat a bite, etc. This wall supposedly shows an arrow that points to the "red light" district where a man could occupy his time with a woman but though I snapped the picture, I still don't see the markings she alluded to. Maybe you can see it.

Afterwards, we traveled to our hotel where we enjoyed a three-course meal and much needed sleep.