Andiamo Adventurer's: A 2014 Viva Italia Trip Report - Complete!

[tracyv]

Love all your pictures and your entire report! I am so excited for our trip in October!

 

[mare1203]

I'm just loving your trip report! So much detail and great pictures! It's getting me even more excited for our adventure in September.

Laurie

I'm glad you're enjoying it! The TR is a fun way to keep the trip alive (and help me remember what all we saw!). You are going to have an amazing time in September

Loving all the pictures and info! can't wait to see more. I can just feel all that history there through your pictures.

Thanks so much!

Love all your pictures and your entire report! I am so excited for our trip in October!

You'll have a great time; it's a fantastic trip!

Loving reading this.....and would enjoy hearing about the people watching too!

Michele

Thanks for reading! Don't worry, we've got plenty more people watching and ABD antics coming up!

Great report Mare1203. Brings back alot of fun memories of Rome for us.

Thanks for reading!

 

[sayhello]

Thanks so much for such a fun, detailed Trip Report! Please be sure, at some point, to put a link to your Report in the Trip Reports sticky at the top of this Forum!

Sayhello

 

[mare1203]

Family! Are you paying attention?? Haha, we heard this a lot from our guide Cristina. It's time to head to the Roman Forum, so without further ado...

We did not spend a ton of time in the Forum, which I think the vast majority of our group appreciated because; by this time we had been going nearly non-stop since 8:00 a.m. Most of us were tired, so Cristina took it easy on us. I will also note that the guides and Cristina were great at finding shaded areas or shaded walkways to help keep us cool. We were also not lacking for water, so I commend them for that.

This is how we spent much of our time in the Forum. I will also say that the Forum was where I heard the most people comment on Disney. All around you could hear people saying, look it’s Disney or what’s Disney doing here, etc. Some were even like, hey, we should go to Disney, lol! Our popsicle along with Cristina giving out boatloads of information made for some curious tourists.


Between the Coliseum and the Forum (just a walk across the street) is the Arch of Constantine. It will remind those of you who have been to Paris of the Arc de Triomphe or Londoners of the Marble Arch as they were inspired by the Arch of Constantine. It is a triumphal arch to commemorate a victory of Constantine (over what I do not remember).


Just inside the Forum is the Arch of Titus, which is of similar form to the Arch of Constantine but differs in that it is an honorial arch...honoring the Emperor Titus (it’s weird how that works, right?) rather than his victory over something specific.

​

The Roman Forum served as the governmental center and general meeting place of many Romans during the dynasty. Today, it is 1 of the 3 most important archaeological centers in the world. Inside we discussed the Vestal Virgins and the story of Romulus and Remus along with how the forum functioned during its use.

I thought it was incredible to be walking on these stones and through an area that has been used by humans for more than 2,500 years.


I can imagine that the kids had a great time in the area because though it is an archaeological center, it’s also a bit of a playground with lots of old stones and areas to run and play.


I love this picture of a Forum excavation site with the Coliseum in the background​

With everyones heads swimming in history and feet weary from walking all day it was mercifully time to return to the bus! That evening was on our own in Rome and also happened to be the 2nd World Cup game for Italy.

 

[mare1203]

Hello again, adventurers! Are you getting hungry, because by this time we certainly were! Andiamo!

​

After the Forum we were dropped off at the hotel for an evening on our own. I will say that this day was so jam packed with sightseeing we did not have a chance to really get to know any adventurers. I think most families just went out on their own.

Cristina told us that no Romans would be out and if we were thinking about dinner that we should not be surprised by slow to nonexistent service until after the game. Not a problem for us since we had planned on going to watch the game somewhere and eat late. I also want to commend Cristina because she was not afraid to be real with us. A family said they were planning on going to a particular restaurant for dinner and she shot them down. She said that she had heard of it and tried it for herself...twice. Her rule of thumb is that the first time could be a fluke, but the second is a pattern...so, she gave them a different dinner recommendation and they were happy to not be heading to a mediocre spot. Another reason our guides are the best!

Once we got back to the hotel we decided to find a place to watch the game near the Campo de Fiori. Unfortunately, by the time we got back to the hotel the game had already started, so staking out a place was out of the question.

We got to the Campo at halftime and found a bar full of people to watch. Italy did not win this game, nor did they score while we were watching. I was really hoping to be a part of an Italian goal, just to see the elation around me. Oh well. The game ended and we began a search for food since it had been a while since we last ate, we were feeling hungry, and there was no telling how long it would take for us to pick a place to eat.

Before we left my Dad had purchased a small data plan to ensure we could at least do a bit of texting or other while in Italy. I am a Yelper and although it is not nearly as big in Europe as it is here in the States, it did not let me down.

​

We decided to eat at a place with good reviews called Da Tonino. It turned out to be just down the street from our Pizza place a couple days earlier. Phew, no getting lost, we know where that is!

We came upon the nondescript building and found it to be busy, but not packed. They seated us right away. Our waiter came by to take our order. In addition to a carafe of wine, we each ordered a pasta dish and a second course meat dish.


I order the pasta arrabiata, or angry pasta. It was a basic pasta with a spicy tomato sauce. I thought there were nice flavors, though I did not find it overly spicy.


My dad went with the pasta carbonara and thought it was very good (He got more than this, we were just too hungry to remember to take pictures when it arrived). He enjoyed this dish.


I am sorry I can’t find the name of the pasta dish Kathy ordered. It is a penne with a light tomato and basil sauce. She thought it was very good.


For our second dish we all ordered the same thing: la polpetta, or the meatballs. Holy meatballs, these were soooo yummy and delicious! They had a nice flavor and stayed together nicely, but crumbled easily when cut with a fork. Each of us got 2 giant meatballs. Although we could have shared two plates I think we’re all glad we didn’t.​

We did not get dessert here because we had something else in mind...gelato! Across the street from Pizzeria Baffeto and just down the road from Da Tonino was a place called the Fridgidarium.

​

This was hands down THE BEST gelato I had during the trip. The was an artisanal gelato spot, with lots of options. Artisanal gelato shops use natural ingredients and make the gelato by hand without whipping it to fluff it up, which adds air and takes away from the flavors of a true gelato.

​

This shop is small, just a store front, but the workers are passionate and they have many homemade flavors that you will not find elsewhere. You get 2 scoops for 2 Euro and can have it topped with a dark or white chocolate topper (similar to the topping on a Dairy Queen dipped cone) for no extra charge. Some people want to keep the gelato ‘pure’ and don’t get the topper. I myself recommend it. We each got a double scoop. I do not remember what all we got because the flavors weren’t obvious like at many gelato spots. My sister got a flavor called Frigidarium; I couldn't place the flavors other than knowing it was a scoop of deliciousness.

After filling our bellies we headed back to the hotel for a good nights sleep. It was going to be another early morning, for we were headed to the Vatican!

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

Love it!!! I especially appreciate your descriptions of the meals you had on your own and how you found those places! That's really helpful.

Laurie

 

[kanadar]

I can't remember what my dish was called but it was like a bolognese sauce and was amazing! I knew eating it if the meatballs used the same meat that was in the pasta sauce then they would be delicious, and they were! Probably my second favorite pasta of the entire trip (#1 Mary hasn't gotten to yet so stay tuned!)

 

[Cousin Orville]

Rome is such a great city. Great photos. I look forward to hearing how he Vatican went.

 

[mare1203]

Happy Sunday Adventurers! Thanks for all the kind comments! Next we are headed to the heart of the Catholic Church and the world's smallest country: Vatican City!

Andiamo!​

We woke up pretty early in the morning and headed down to breakfast. From there we made our way to the lobby to meet up with our group. The guides were there to make sure everyone was dressed appropriately and of course Cristina was there looking as cute as ever. Vatican City was a day I was very much looking forward to. There is such a history with the Catholic Church.

Before we left for the day the guides gave each group a postcard and told us to write to someone (or ourselves) and they would send them from Vatican City. That way we would get a stamp from a different country! We wrote our postcard to ourselves, but I’ll have to ask my dad if he’s received his yet. Once our group was all there it was time to andiamo!​

The Gran Melia is actually very close to Vatican City and we were able to walk. Disney takes a rope drop mentality to its day at the Vatican and tries to get there early.

When we arrived at Piazza San Pietro it was still pretty much deserted. This gave us the opportunity to take some wonderful pictures without anyone in the background. The square is huge and I can’t imagine what it looks like when the Pope is giving mass, a blessing, or there is a celebration.


I actually got this gorgeous pic from Wikipedia.
Here is the source: "St Peter's Square, Vatican City - April 2007" by Diliff - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...Peter's_Square,_Vatican_City_-_April_2007.jpg
​

St. Peters Square was designed by none other than Bernini to allow for the greatest number of guests. Bernini defined the area by placing giant colonnades all around the piazza with the giant obelisk in the middle. The obelisk was there before Bernini.




This is the papal balcony that Pope Francis used when he addressed the giant crowd & millions of viewers for the first time after being elected Pope in 2013. She told us that he lives a very simple life choosing to live in the guest house rather than the papal apartments. These apartments were also used to house the Cardinals in the conclave (but not for the conclave itself, more about that later) after the death of Pope John Paul II and the resignation of Pope Benedict.


The Vatican is secured by the Pontifical Swiss Guards who also protect the Pope. To serve, the guards must be Catholic, single males with Swiss citizenship. They must also be between 19 and 30 and have completed at least high school. They wear a very colorful uniform!


Here is Cristina giving us an overview of the layout of St. Peter’s. I will be honest in saying I don’t remember anything about what she said here.

We then made our way up to the security entrances of the Basilica San Pietro. There were 2 times we passed by security and both times went without incident. Tour guides are not able to begin their tours until 9:20, so we got about 20 minutes to explore St. Peters on our own before Cristina took over. It was nice to wander the entirety of this church. I will leave you here with some general pictures of St. Peters. In my next post I will go into more detail about some of the more iconic relics. Enjoy!















​

 

[mare1203]

After taking some time for ourselves to look around we met back up with Cristina for the guided portion.



We started out with Michaelangelo’s Pieta. The Pieta depicts Jesus Christ draped over Mary after the Crucifixion and is the only piece Michaelangelo ever signed. Also notable about this sculpture is that Mary looks very young, nearly the same age as the depiction of Jesus Christ, which was unusual for the time in Italy. In the body of Jesus there is no sign of The Passion because Michaelangelo wanted to show him as beautiful as possible. Cristina had a book of the Pieta she used to show us the incredible detail of this sculpture and the emotion in the faces. I thought this was a beautiful sculpture and found it hard to believe it was sculpted out of marble. Oh, it should also be noted that the Pieta is behind bullet proof glass because a crazed man came in and attacked the sculpture. It has since been restored, but steps have been taken to ensure it does not happen again.


Directly next to Michaelangelo’s Pieta is the Holy Door. This door is only opened during Jubilee years. I believe Jubilee’s currently happen every 25 years, but I’m not sure on that.


In the middle aisle, St. Peters has marked off where the largest churches in the world end in comparison to St. Peter’s.


A great many popes have also been buried, or interred, at St. Peters, including Pope John Paul II.


Near the middle of the church you will find the altar with the baldacchino. There is good historical evidence that St. Peter is buried directly underneath the Basilica. The site is marked by this altar. The baldacchino was designed by, who else but Bernini. In the back you can see the Chair of St. Peter (also a Bernini). It’s one giant and ornate throne!


The last piece we discussed at some length was the tomb of Alexander VII. I found this one highly interesting and thought provoking because of the red marble drape. I have no idea how Bernini makes that marble seem so delicate! The statue is actually located over a door. The picture isn’t great, sorry!


The vast majority of art in St. Peters is mosaic tile. This is why photos are welcome and encouraged while inside the Basilica; there is no deterioration caused by flash and elements to mosaic. The Vatican houses one of the largest and best schools of mosaic in the world. The students both work to restore old works and create new ones. Cristina said she couldn’t imagine doing that kind of work and I must agree. I love jigsaw puzzles, but those tiny mosaics would drive me crazy and the time it takes just to finish a square foot is something like a month!


Troy with some lovely ladies!


A few of our junior adventurers with Cristina

This marked the end of our tour of St. Peter’s Basilica. Cristina, Troy, and Marco informed us that we would be going to one of the official Vatican gift shops for a little shopping and the opportunity to use the restroom. Walking out of the Basilica we saw the line that had been non-existent when we arrived had ballooned to nearly an hour and a half. If we had done Rome on our own there is no doubt that we would have been standing in the line, so we were appreciative of the Disney advantage.​

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

St. Peter's looks even more incredible than I imagine! Were there small alcoves where you could step off to pray and light a candle if so inclined?

Laurie

 

[sayhello]

St. Peter's looks even more incredible than I imagine! Were there small alcoves where you could step off to pray and light a candle if so inclined?

Laurie

Oh, Laurie, you're going to *LOVE* St. Peter's! Of course, I spent most of the time staring at and taking pictures of the Pieta (we didn't have a guided portion) but it's an amazing place!

Sayhello

 

[kristilew]

Thank you so much for this detailed report! It's not only getting me totally excited for our trip in December, but helping me make a list of some educational points to help DD get the most out of this. She will be taking an art history course starting next month, so I'm hoping that will be a big help!

Glad you had fun and keep the details coming!

 

[Cousin Orville]

If we had done Rome on our own there is no doubt that we would have been standing in the line, so we were appreciative of the Disney advantage.​

Yep. I've stood in that line. It's not cool. Great trip report!

 

[mare1203]

St. Peter's looks even more incredible than I imagine! Were there small alcoves where you could step off to pray and light a candle if so inclined?

Laurie

Oh yes, you'll LOVE St. Peter's!

There were some side alcoves. There was one in particular that Cristina pointed out to us, but they were having mass, so we were not able to pray. However, there were a couple of places inside to pray. The candles, not so much. One of the things we noticed of church's in general in Rome were that they had switched to the fake candles (it just doesn't have the same feel when you're just flicking an on/off versus the lighting of the fire)

 

[mare1203]

Hello again, adventurer's. Let's continue our journey in Vatican City, shall we?


After a break we were headed to the Castel Sant’Angelo. This is the one thing on the tour of Rome/Vatican City I did not much enjoy. It was kind of interesting, but not nearly as thought provoking as the other things we had seen (in my opinion, I’m sure others really enjoyed it).


We saw this on the way in. It's not my kind of thing, but we took a picture nonetheless.




One story to note during our tour of the Castel Sant’Angelo was that this is one of the first places to use an elevator. The elevator was put in because there was a Pope who was so fat he couldn’t walk. So, they created an elevator system to raise and lower him in. The building began as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian, then as a fortress and jail, and finally as a museum. In the past, this has also been used to house the Pope as it is connected by tunnel to the Vatican.




There is a legend that the archangel Michael appeared at the top of the structure wielding a sword. Here is a picture of Cristina imitating the statue. Today, a bronze sculpture depicting that event stands at the top.






While on our way up to the top our Disney advantage was the opportunity to go in and explore the jail cells.






A few pictures of the inside artwork








We walked through the museum all the way up to the top where we had the chance to take some pictures. It was a beautiful view. You could really take in St. Peter’s and the different bridges from this vantage point.


During our time on the rooftop it hit high Noon in Rome and they fired off the canons. That puff of smoke in the picture is from the canon. This marked the end of our time and we headed down the stairs to the exit. After the Castel Sant’Angelo we had the afternoon to ourselves.

Alright, I'm ending this post here and will finish off with a secondary post about our afternoon before I go into the Vatican Museum experience.
​

 

[mare1203]

As I mentioned before, we had the afternoon to ourselves in Rome. But first, a random story I remembered that made me laugh, so let's get started!

One of the things Cristina pointed out and asked if us ladies had noticed was the hot priests of Rome calendar. As she said, ‘America has hot firemen, we have priests!’ Oh Cristina, always there for a sassy comment; we’re gonna miss you!

By the time we left Vatican City I was craving some serious shopping time. We had not done much shopping, or even much window shopping so I wanted to devote some time to that. But first, we needed to get some food. Since we had such luck in the Piazza Navona area we headed back that way to see if there was anywhere that stood out. We ended up a few blocks off the Piazza Navona, probably a 5 minute walk, at a place called Il Corallo. For anyone interested, it was around the corner from a place called the Bar del Fico. There were always men playing chess outside and it had a casual, local atmosphere to it. We never had a chance to stop in, but it looked like a nice place to spend some time. Il Corallo was located on a side street with about 5 tables of outdoor seating.


In the shade it wasn’t too hot, so we happily took a seat outside to dine al fresco (or whatever the Italian term is called). It was here I made the only menu reading mistake of the trip. I had heard fried artichokes were very good, an Italian tradition, and worth trying, so I thought I ordered those. Turns out, my sister had read the menu more closely and she was pretty sure it was fried anchovies I ordered.


Yep! She was totally right. They were filled with cheese, and, as I mentioned, fried, so how bad could they be? Not my favorite thing ever and I would have preferred them to be artichokes...oh well! When in Rome, right? For our entrees we all ordered pizza.


I got a prosciutto with mushroom, while Kathy went with prosciutto, and my dad got a Margharita. These were Roman style pizzas, similar to the ones at Pizzeria Baffeto. I thought it was great pizza with a nice ratio of crust to sauce to cheese, plus, you can’t go wrong with prosciutto. I thought this was a nice place to stop for lunch, but it didn't stand out. I still think you would have to search to find a bad place, rather than the other way around.

We had planned on doing some shopping and exploring after lunch, but Kathy’s ankle had been bothering her and she was nearly in tears. I think it was all the walking the past two days, and the cobblestones weren’t making it any easier. She decided she wanted to hobble back to the hotel, which wasn’t too far. Kathy insisted we not follow her and go on and explore. My dad and I did a little walking up and down the streets around the Piazza Navona. It being Saturday afternoon this is the first time I really noticed the crowds. We popped into a few stores, but didn’t find anything we couldn’t live without. Since we hadn’t looked at the market the day before we went to look around the market at the Campo de Fiori.




There were lots of little booths selling all sorts of things. Everything from your typical t-shirts and hats to olive oils, limoncello, and pasta. We didn’t end up shopping for that long because it just wasn’t the same without Kathy. Before heading back to the hotel for a little rest my dad and I decided to make a little stop...at our favorite gelato stop.






Back to the Frigidarium we go! It was busy when we stopped by (I think this gem is always busy). This time I got the Frigidarium flavor as well as another one that I couldn’t quite place (I think it was called Spagnola), but tasted like vanilla with cherry. With the chocolate shell it tasted like a chocolate covered cherry...yum. While we were there we heard 2 priests talking with their families and they both said it was the best gelato place they had found in Rome. Well, if 2 priests say so, it must be true!


When we got back to the hotel I found Kathy like this. Of course, being the good sister I am, I woke her up.


My dad spent a little time doing some work

We decided to spend some time by the great pool. The water was a little chilly, even in the heat (or it could be that the water typically needs to be close to 87 before it feels warm to this Phoenix girl). It was nice to just take some time to relax.

Coming up next time, we visit the Vatican Museum!​

 

[mare1203]

Hello again adventurers! We all know what's next, so there's no reason to waste any more time getting to it. Andiamo!

We met up at 6:00 and boarded the coach for the Vatican Museum. This is a huge perk for Adventures by Disney travelers. Only about 150 people per week are granted the permission to enter the Vatican Museum after hours. With the number of Italy tours ABD is running they must take nearly all those 150 spots.


We had to wait outside for someone important to let us all in. You can't really tell, but this is the door we entered.

We made a number of stops in the Vatican Museum. There is so much to see there was no way we could make it all the way through. I thought the museum was spectacular. I found one of the most interesting things about the museum to be that they had the windows all open letting the air through. It’s not every day you experience a museum alone, feeling a breeze from the beautiful summer evening. I also want to note that as I was walking through I didn't feel the pictures would do the Vatican Museum justice. Kathy took my camera and got some pictures, but I don't have a lot.


We started by making our way toward the Octagonal Court, also known as the courtyard of statues. Cristina allowed us to look all around at the statues in the courtyard, but spent some time discussing a couple of them.


The is The Laocoon. It is a depiction of the priest and his two sons being attacked by sea serpents during the Trojan War. It's a large statue with amazing detail in the depiction of agony and suffering.






These are pictures from the Round Hall. The feature in the center is a large basin.


This is the bronze statue of Heracles. We didn't discuss it, but got a picture of it nonetheless.

Tapestries
Although tapestries are found in many parts of the world, the one’s at the Vatican are somewhat unique. The reason they are unique to the Vatican is that Italy is located in the Mediterranean so there was little to no need for tapestries since it never got too cold in the area and thus were not used for heat. You will rarely find tapestries elsewhere in the area. We did not get any pictures of these.

Raphael’s Rooms;







Although everyone loves the Sistine Chapel and it is probably the undisputed favorite, I found Raphael’s rooms to be awe inspiring in their own right. As I mentioned previously, Cristina was a big fan of Raphael, so we spent quite a bit of time in these rooms. The information she was able to give about each of the paintings was incredible and quite detailed. I really enjoyed the frescoes of Raphael and the style in which he painted. Some of these rooms were actually completed by his students, after Raphael had died. Throughout the rooms you can see the change in style, yet it remains distinctly Raphael.

We spent the vast majority of our time in The Room of the Signatura. The colors in this room were bright and drew the eye in. This room reflected the contents of the Pope’s library and depicted themes of philosophy, jurisprudence, theology, and the poetic arts. One of my favorites was the fresco based on philosophy: The School of Athens.




Many of the great philosphers of the time and of the past are depicted in this fresco, including Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. One of the most interesting things about this fresco is that the man at the front, in the contemplative stance, is actually Michaelangelo. Michaelangelo was originally a sculptor, but famously became a painter when he was asked to do the Sistine Chapel. Raphael, like many others, was skeptical of his being chosen and were also put off by his secretism. Unlike Raphael, Michaelangelo worked alone and did not do much tutoring of young artists. Legend has it that Raphael snuck in to see the progress of Michaelangelo and was immediately impressed and in awe of the artists talent. So, he decided to paint him into the picture. Raphael himself is also in this fresco.

Disputation of the Holy Sacrament:


This fresco depicts the Church, with Heaven up top and Earth at the bottom. Apparently we only got a picture of the Heaven part.

Gallery of Maps:
One of the last rooms we spent some time in was the gallery of maps. It houses a number of painted maps depicting Italy. There is a map of Italy itself, but also a number of other works focusing on different regions and the prominent cities. Cristina showed us the region where her family is from and Marco also pointed out his familial roots.


The only map that has not changed since the time these were painted is Venice, due to its being an island.




They are in the middle of restoring these maps, so Cristina also pointed out the difference between the ones that have been cleaned and the ones which have not. You can definitely tell the difference!


The ceiling was intricately decorated as well. Everything in the Vatican museum has some significance and there is so much to see!

Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel was truly moving. It is really something one has to see for themselves. to only have to share this space with 41 others made it seem even more grand. You could really feel the expanse of the space. They are currently allowing guests to take pictures without flash. Ours came out pretty blurry.

A number of years ago the Sistine Chapel was restored allowing the colors to really come to life. During that time the archivists did some scientific work on the chapel to determine how the ceilings were painted. As it turns out, tests show Michaelangelo did nearly 80% of the ceiling freehand making the feat that much more impressive.

Cristina let us look around for a few minutes and take in the scene before giving us more information about the ceiling. She then went into some detail about the Nine scenes from the Book of Genesis. It was nice to listen, but I remember very little of the details.











The Sistine Chapel is used for the papal conclaves, when the Cardinals are choosing a new Pope. The chimney is only used for conclaves, and is rebuilt each time. Originally, the choosing of a new Pope did not require seclusion, but after a particularly long deadlock authorities became frustrated and it was decided the College of Cardinals would be locked in until they chose a new Pope. The custom has continued ever since.

We spent probably 20 minutes in the Sistine Chapel. There are benches around the outside covered in plastic, so you could sit and admire the ceiling and room. There is also an altar at the front where you can stop to say a prayer if you like. It really was an incredible experience. This perk alone nearly makes the trip worth it.

Once we were done in the Sistine Chapel we slowly made our way to the exit. There was one person working the register for anyone who wanted to make a purchase. The actual exit to the museum is downstairs, so those of us not making purchases made our way down and we waited for the rest to finish up. This is also where we said our final goodbye's to Cristina and received our pins for the day.​

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

Absolutely incredible! Can't wait to see this in person!!

Laurie

 

[Cousin Orville]

Incredible! That must have been an amazing experience to have the Sistine Chapel and Raphael Rooms practically to yourself.