Oasis Holidays: Rome

Rome

Showing posts with label Rome. Show all posts

Rome was not built overnight, but you can definitely try to discover its historic centre on foot in less than 8 hours with only 5 steps. It’s not a stroll in the park, more like a brisk-walking, amazing race adventure around the eternal city’s grand monuments and beautiful ruins. Trust me. My sister and I achieved such feat in a couple of hours literally.

Now, here’s the thing. As a traveller, I would obviously recommend and prefer taking time in getting to know a place and its people. I think you’d generally agree with me if we start a tour by waking up not so early and enjoy a local breakfast leisurely. But, in our case, my sister had an evening flight to catch and was in Rome for the very first time. So, a quick survey of the ancient city was in the itinerary.

You may start anywhere, actually. Our version of the “Rome by foot in a Day” challenge started at the Roma Termini train station. Now, we invite you to retrace our very same steps. Let me walk you through it. First, make sure you have comfortable footwear on (one time, an Austrian friend walked around Rome barefoot, but it’s another story). Then, you may leave your baggage by the train station for a fee. And off we go.

1. 1. Begin with a wish: From Roma Termini, we walk north towards the Piazza della Repubblica and say hi to the nymphs by the fountain representing different bodies of water, and pay tribute to the famous Roman waterworks. We head west and take our first real stop by the Fontana di Trevi. There, we take out a coin, close our eyes, make a wish, and as traditions may vary, throw the coin into the fountain in any way you like. You may wish for stronger legs, at least for the day.

2. Shopping or Art? After wishing, we have to back it up with concrete action, and big decisions should be made. We can go uphill towards Piazza di Spagna, the roads to which are paved with great intention to splurge with the flagship stores of my sister’s best friends lined up along the way: Valentino, Hermès, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, Versace, Bulgari, Chanel, Armani, Dolce e Gabbana, Prada, etc. Or we could go further west towards the Pantheon, and then, off to the open air art market by the Piazza Navona. Here, you can mingle with both artists and art enthusiasts and check out paintings from masterpieces to on-the-spot portraits.

3. 3. Another Country? In any way, don’t splurge too much neither on brands nor art as we have yet the Tiber river to cross and another “country” to visit. Across the Tiber, there’s the Castel Sant’Angelo, our gateway to the city-state of the Vatican. There might be a queue, depending on the day and timings, to enter St. Peter’s Basilica, a very important, if not the most important holy site for some. While waiting and/or after a visit inside the Basilica, you may take some time to enjoy one of Italy’s greatest delights: il gelato! There’s quite a list of favorite shops, but for any newbie traveller, any kind of gelato is definitely a very different gastronomic experience from the regular ice cream we find in the rest of the world.

4. 4. A Meal Beyond the River: This one could be a little case of only my own personal indulgence. But you might as well try it. From the Vatican, we can breeze walk along the river Tiber to reach Trastevere, which literarily means “beyond Tevere”. It’s my most favorite cozy neighborhood in Rome, with the lovely small restaurants, and here we go, the best secondhand bookshops. We can indulge in great local and international food there both for the stomach and the soul. Here, I tried walking barefoot as the small neighborhood atmosphere inspired me to.

5. 5. Rising from the Ruins: Following a Roman lunch, it’s time to rebuild ancient Rome, at least in our imaginations, by marveling at its ruins. But first we hit Rome’s main hub, Piazza Venezia, where we can find the imposing monument to Italy’s first king, Vittorio Emanuele II. Behind it are the remains of old Rome, a trail of historic breadcrumbs that will lead us to the Colosseum, the crown of central Rome. It is a great icon of what Rome is all about: colossal, imperial, spectacular, a city that stands tall, and rises above its ruins. Much of Rome’s glory may have remained in the past, but seeing the city today, it remains a great testament of a people made on the foundations of strong governance and world ambitions.

From the Colosseum, now you can run back towards Roma Termini to catch a train to the Leonardo da Vinci international airport. If that is not your case, you might stay for the evening and have a quiet dinner over your own ruminations by the ruins of old Rome. // Unshod Rover for Oasis Holidays

Photo Credits:

Jace Grandinetti (Source) Ivan Bertona (Source) Alex Blajan (Source)

Alex Blajan (Source) Delfi de la Rua (Source)

For a day-to-day travel diary of Rome, you may want to check out this series: The Waters Of Rome: 4 Days In The Eternal City.

For guided tours as well as other tour and pilgrimage packages in Rome and other cities in Italy and Europe, you may contact our subsidiary Volando Tours.

For Tour and Travels India as well as International packages from India, please contact us at Oasis Holidays.

Unshod Rover is a worldwide-eyed wanderer currently based in Bangalore, India. You may follow his musings and journeys on this blog. "All Rover the World" chronicles his continuing travels wandering about the world and stumbling upon strangers.

(Part 4 of “The Waters of Rome: 4Days in the Eternal City”)

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13–14).

Our four-day vacation in Rome has been all about water. It reminds me of the passage in the Gospel of John where Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman about water as a simple element yet most desired, which resonates with my reflections in these days. Our first day in the Eternal City was about the lake, me begging my heart to be like one. That is to try and contain, gather, re-collect everything that matters, and to hold on to things we needed to hold on to.

Day Two was about the Roman fountains and how they operate through gravity, and that their capacity to shoot water is directly proportional to the elevation and distance from the source. It made me muse on our opportunity to become a fountain, a source of joy to others, and that with the love of God as our main Source, well, we are very well capable of shooting water. On our third day, we followed the river (Tevere, that is). They say, “follow the river and it will lead you to the sea.” This river, I thought, is the Other. And by loving the Other, it will bring us to the sea, that is the great and vast ocean of God's Love. And indeed, on Day Four, we found ourselves before the sea.

Again, the sea is an invitation, a constant call to letting go, to complete abandon, another free fall, an opening, a giving in, a sort of giving back. Everything tends towards the arms – loving, maternal, all-embracing – of the sea. These days of escape and rest and containment and moving forward towards a certain sun, some sort of arrival point, a kind of destination, have led us to the sea.

A lot of people go to Rome to be able to walk into ancient times of gods and gladiators. Some visit the city on a spiritual journey that culminates at St. Peter’s Basilica. Others do as the Romans would when it comes to dining and other aspects of its rich culture, including the Romans and the romance. No matter the purpose, the city remains as grand and great as it was in its glory days as an empire. Rightfully twinned with the city of Paris, this Italian city continues to be a source of wonder and wander, quenching every tourist thirst for history and for holidays, every pilgrim penchant for the spiritual and the uplifting.

While they say that all roads lead to Rome, everything that I've experienced even before these four days in this city has led me to the Sea, realizing how immense God's love is. And no matter how much a part of me would like to close up and let my heart be a lake, the call of this Sea is far too strong. One Christian mystic once said: “We’ve understood: to avoid suffering thirst, we must give to others the living water within ourselves that we draw from Him.”

And so here I am, on a rainy Sunday, opening up my lake, following the river towards the Sea. I know it's not going to be easy being a “source” to others, opening yourself up. It will also make you vulnerable again to pain and frustration. But as long as we embrace the vastness of God's love, as long as we are secure where our joy flows from, we will never thirst again. // Unshod Rover for Oasis Holidays

Photo Credit: Il Monte Circeo e Villa Volpi (Circeo - Sabaudia - Latina - Italia) by Aldo Ardetti, April 2014

For tour and pilgrimage packages in Rome and other cities in Italy and Europe, you may contact our subsidiary Volando Tours.

For Tour and Travels India as well as International packages from India, please contact us at Oasis Holidays.

(Part 3 of “The Waters of Rome: 4Days in the Eternal City”)

Let Rome in Tiber melt. - Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra

I've always been fascinated by the love affairs between rivers and cities in Europe: the Seine and Paris, Florence and the Arno, the Rhone and Lyon, Budapest / Vienna / Bratislava and the Danube. And it's always a welcome thought to just walk along the riverbank, following the flow of water. Among those who are lost, there's a saying that goes “follow the river and it will lead you to the sea.”

On our third day in Rome, while I did prepare some big bookhunting plans at least for Saturday morning, a sudden change of itinerary with my Vietnamese companions made me resolve to just follow the flow and look forward to be drifted towards a certain sea.

Before taking the train, we went up the center of Castelgandolfo to buy extra tickets and pass by an old friend of mine who owns a shop selling religious articles. It was a pleasant surprise that she was still able to recognize me after all these years, and that we greeted each other with the same warmth as if time and distance had never interfered.

While, of course, she didn't remember my name, it made me believe that some great things do really remain. And that some things do wheel on in this great cycle towards a certain oneness despite the many walls and boundaries that our differences and the difficulties of overcoming them also continue to build around us. And if only we take time to recognize these great things, even the smallest acts of kindness and humanity, the most trivial of acquaintances, the simplest gestures, they accumulate in us and without much effort, we radiate them through our everyday dealings with the Other.

To stumble upon a bunch of Germans, Japanese and Thais while we wait for our train was no longer big news to us. The great announcement came when they told us of the Pope delivering the Angelus on Sunday at Castelgandolfo to the delight of my Vietnamese friend who hasn't met the Pope yet. It was quite a nice start to a morning which saw us having to get off the train and transfer to a bus that would lead us to Rome, and going through the labyrinth that is the Roman underground metro only to come out on the other side of the station to take the autobus as the metro was not working that day.

With the rest of the world trying to fit inside the autobus, we could not move a finger, all the more it was impossible for us to get off our desired destination, and so again, we ended up at the Vatican, quite far from the first bookhunting stop on my list. From there, we decided to follow the river Tevere and hoped it could get us somewhere. We docked at Trastevere, which literally means beyond the Tevere, one of Rome's most charming and well-preserved quarters, which housed two bookshops on my list. With one being closed for the summer holidays and the other selling books as if they're gold, our feet bare against Trastevere's cobbled streets led us to a Tibetan shop by the end of an alley.

The colors and designs of the products displayed there would have been enough eye candy for all of us. But one of the owners offered to explain to us in English some meditation techniques using Tibetan singing bowls. Made of alloy of seven different metals connected to the seven principal planets, the bowls are used for meditation and relaxation. By encircling along its rim with a wooden stick, it creates sounds and vibrations that would help us harmonize with the universe. Adding water creates vibrations reminiscent of small fountains.

And our small trip into a Tibetan shop turned out to be not only an afternoon of meditation but more so of a dialogue with the Buddhist owner, with whom we shared stories of us coming from different parts of the globe to follow a lifestyle of unity. We agreed that one thing we have in common despite the many differences is our desire to be one among us and with the universe.

We could have stayed there longer, if not for a call from the rest of our companions already waiting for us at the Colosseo. And so we crossed to the other side of the river through the Isola Tiberina, passed by Piazza Venezia and Campidoglio towards the Colosseo. (Standing by the ruins of old Rome deserves another narration.) And after an eat-all-you-can apericena, again we walked along the Tevere, this time by night. It was a different sight altogether with lights flooding both sides of the river and the night markets and restaurants lined up.

Capping the night with a hike up the Gianicolo hill, the second tallest in Rome, we were treated to a panoramic view of Rome's churches and bell towers and this “old world’s” version of skyscrapers. Catching my breath, I let my tired legs hang over the edge of the cliff dipping in the eternal city melting into a sea of serenity. As dawn awaited the sunrise that will paint Rome again with tourists and the typical modern city life, I just let every thing, my worries and my joys, flow towards that big Sea waiting for me. // Unshod Rover for Oasis Holidays

For tour and pilgrimage packages in Rome and other cities in Italy and Europe, you may contact our subsidiary Volando Tours.

For Tour and Travels India as well as International packages from India, please contact us at Oasis Holidays.

(Part 2 of "The Waters of Rome: 4 Days in theEternal City")

The fountains of Rome all operated purely by gravity- the source of water had to be higher than the fountain itself, and the difference in elevation and distance between the source and the fountain determined how high the fountain could shoot water. - Katherine Wentworth Rinne, The Fall and Rise of the Waters of Rome

Woke up to a window of million flowers and a lake already soaking up the Roman summer sun. Still, in my pajamas, and perhaps walking through the remnants of last night's reveries, on our second day in Rome, I found myself again sitting on top of the wall looking over lake Albano. I knew it was not in my nature to skip pee, gargling and a glass of water before going about the rest of the day's itinerary, but then, again, it felt like it was the most natural thing to do. We are all, somehow, always drawn to water.

While at it, I felt calmer and more collected. I was asking myself where is this tranquility coming from? Where is this constant bliss flowing from? What is my source? How elevated is it, how far am I from it? I knew I should be agitated as we had to prepare early, get some quick breakfast, pack up some quick lunch and catch the early train. But I still took some time checking out the vegetable garden and continue on thinking, thinking. Thinking is bliss, I told myself, smiling. Where is my rhythm coming from? How am I able to contain everything? What makes me tick?

We were able to catch the train, but not without failing to buy tickets for there was no vending machine in sight. And so, in another twist of luck, the train man asked us either to pay quadruple the price of the regular ticket or get off the train by the next stop. The “poverini stranieri” (poor strangers) that we were, we got off at Pantanella, an unknown corner in the periphery of Rome, and from there we walked around four kilometers to get to the next train station. It made no sense, but we were in vacation, and we had time. And so we went with the flow.

We arrived at the Vatican just in time for the mezzogiorno mass, and we were consoled by the fact that there was no long queue outside San Pietro. The mass was in French with some Polish prayers in between, and our group composed of various people coming from all the continents could only chuckle. How did these “disgraziati” (disgraced) coming from all corners of the globe find themselves in the heart of the Vatican, the seat of the Catholic world, in the middle of the Roman summer? A certain thirst, I thought, hoping by now you are able to catch my drift.

Rome was not at its chaotic best. The weather was relatively friendly. Not so many tourists, just the usual buzz of a living city. And by the shadow of Castel Sant'Angelo and in the company of an orchestra of cicadas, Rome was refuge as we had our lunch and the almost obligatory siesta there. And there, again, I caught myself thinking and felt compelled to write. Running out of water, we started looking for a fountain. It was a good thing Rome was full of them.

From the Pantheon to the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (the Fountain of the Four Rivers) at Piazza Navona, up to the Fontana di Trevi and the water-spitting lions at the Piazza del Popolo, there is an abundance of fresh cold water for the thirsty tourists and travellers in the capital of a country where most of the time wine is more affordable than bottled water.

Going home from the train station at Castelgandolfo, I walked barefoot with a Vietnamese friend as we listened to Abel Korzeniowski's music [which titles range from Stillness of the Mind to Drowning, Going Somewhere, up to Swimming], sharing earphones like two separate umbilical cords reunited as they draw nearer to the source. Of music, that is. He asked me if he could go with me in my bookhunting trip back to the city center the morning after. I knew it would not be the bookhunt as I've carefully programmed it to be, but I was really happy to take him along with the two other Vietnamese friends.

And as we continued tiptoeing along lake Albano, I realized that I, too, could be a fountain to others, a source of refuge. And by then, already secured of how high my Source was up there, while I remained in this great gravitational pull towards the Other, I was more than ready and happy to shoot water. (To be continued...) //Unshod Rover for Oasis Holidays

For Part 1 of this Rome series, check out this article.

Photo Credit: Peter J StB Green, February 2002

For tour and pilgrimage packages in Rome and other cities in Italy and Europe, you may contact our subsidiary Volando Tours.

For Tour and Travels India as well as International packages from India, please contact us at Oasis Holidays.

(Part 1.1 of the “All Rover the World” series)

Disorder, noise, chaotic traffic, daze, huge monuments... The tourist who arrives in Rome for the first time usually feels a sense of being lost. Formed at the center of a mountainous group of volcanic origin, the city seems to have gathered in itself the fire and the burning lava of its volcanoes. – from “Roma in quattro giorni” (1975)

Rome, Day 1: Heart, be a lake

It was past dinner on a Thursday when we entered the Eternal City. That explains perhaps why it was not quite the Rome as some would have warned us to stumble into. Not much noise, nor heavy traffic, not the expected chaotic welcome of a bustling city, not even a certain sense of being lost. It was as if we were really supposed to be in this place at exactly the right time.

No longer a stranger to this part of the world, I did not come to Rome in search of some sort of fire of city life that any capital could offer. This was not to take away the fact that it was once “Caput Mundi” and still is, in one way or the other, very much alive and full of marvel and surprises through the years, or centuries. It is ever evolving, eternal, to mention the obvious. I came to Rome to be with new friends, looking forward to seeing the glow in their eyes and their jaws dropping when they experience one monument after the other for the first time.

For four days or so, we stayed at a palazzo built on the ruins of what used to be one of Emperor Domiziano's residences, as hearsay would have it. It enjoys a view of the lake Albano, the same as that of the Pope's as he, too, was in “vacation” at Castelgandolfo for the summer. And so, at almost midnight, on our first day in Rome, I found myself sitting on top of a wall, watching over the lake like it was the most natural thing to do. It was calm and collected, mirroring the half-dark of both the city with its sleepy lights and the sky bedazzled only by a few serene stars.

We actually started our journey with a sidetrip down by the lake Bolsena, where a church was witness to a Eucharistic miracle. We arrived early enough to have caught both the sun and the moon watching us over like two eager eyes anticipating each of our careful step as we try to befriend the lake. The water was not that hot, not that cold, either. And it was not clear as to who conquered who, but after a short while, I was already freestyling comfortably, oblivious to the absence of salt and waves. It was an easy, necessary introduction.

A lake. How much sky, how many suns and moons and stars can it contain in its mysterious, almost haunting tranquility? How much of my worries and dreams and thoughts can it mirror? I wasn't sure if the Pope was staring at lake Albano at that same ungodly hour, nor was I entertaining the idea that he could also be fishing for answers to the very same questions as mine.

A lake. Right until that day, I have never been fond of lakes, being the island freak, archipelagic that I am. It's too dark, menacing in its secrecy and silence, self-possession. I have always been a child of the sea, out there, exploring, reaching out to shores and pulling back when it gets too familiar, always changing wave after wave.

But a lake is also about gathering, keeping. It's about containment. It's not about possession nor self-centeredness. It's about recognizing the things that we need to hold in and hold onto, before we offer ourselves back in total abandon and sheer vulnerability to the call of the sea. These were the very thoughts I was telling myself those days as I carried in one hand a map and in the other, my heart. And I would have had loved for those thoughts to linger like keeping water in the mouth for as long as it takes. At least, for the next few days that we had there in the Eternal City. (To be continued...) //Unshod Rover for Oasis Holidays

For tour and pilgrimage packages in Rome and other cities in Italy and Europe, you may contact our subsidiary Volando Tours.

For Tour and Travels India as well as International packages from India, please contact us at Oasis Holidays.

If you want your love to bloom amid the rich historical heritage and surreal cultural icons, then Rome is the place you must visit. There are incredibly romantic places in Rome for each type of couple. If you wish to celebrate your honeymoon in Italy and planning to explore its beautiful city called Rome, then this little guide will take you to places where your love can blossom and grow.

1. Trevi Fountain- Let the love blooms amid the Baroque art

Trevi Fountain, located at the end of Aqua Virgo is designed like a monumental triumphal arch. This is the largest baroque fountain in Rome, standing 25.9m tall and 19.8m wide. The marble statue of Neptune—the God of Sea, bordered by two Tritons, the spectacular artwork and its serene Baroque art allure tourists and especially couples making it one of the romantic places to visit in Rome. You can see couples strolling through the square sipping on their cocktails at cafes around.

Romantic things to do: Throw coins in the fountains wishing happiness for both of you and enjoy the stunning light and shadow effects. The best time to visit this fountain is early evening when the azure evening light blends with the fountain and the bright street lights creating a romantic scene.

2. Pincio- Forget the world in the blissfully peaceful garden

If serenity and bliss is on your mind, then spend some cozy moments with your beloved at Pincio Garden. The site overlooks Piazza del Popolo giving you some stunning vistas over Saint Peter’s Basilica as well as the Gianicolo Hill.

The lush green manicured garden, spectacular view of Rome, peaceful walkways linked to Villa Borghese via a pedestrian bridge, water clock, and obelisk are some of the delightful charms of this place. This is truly one of the immensely romantic places in Rome to propose eternal love.

Romantic things to do: Take your partner on a romantic date there in a peaceful cafe, ride a bicycle together, enjoy a beautiful sunset from the garden terrace

3. Rooftop Bar at Raphael Hotel- Enjoy a romantic date with stunning views

The Rooftop Bar at Raphael Hotel is one of the romantic places to eat in Rome with your darling. One can enjoy the surreal view of the cityscape and stunning vistas of monuments and during sunset the sight looks supremely panoramic.

Romantic things to do: Relish a glass of sparkling wine and soak in love. This is an experience of lifetime.

4. Gianicolo Hill- Witness the jaw-dropping panorama

Gianicolo Hill is one of the most romantic places in Rome, with unmatched panoramic view of the city that will leave you awestruck. Nothing is more romantic and refreshing than visiting this place with your darling and enjoying the heavenly view in absolute tranquility.

Romantic things to do: A freshly brewed coffee at any of the cafes there will amplify your love quotient manifold.

5. Ponte Sant Angelo- Kiss them on the bridge to express your love

Ponte Sant’Angelo or ‘Bridge of Angels’ is a spectacular travertine marble made bridge that boasts of its sculpture, architecture and grandeur. With figurine of Peter and Paul at entrance, the bridge over River Tiber offers striking vista of Castel Sant’Angelo. This is one of the secret romantic places in Rome known as a popular kissing destination of the city.

Romantic things to do: Take a romantic stroll over the bridge hand in hand, and see how the shades of dusk sparkles in water

6. Spanish Steps- A site for perfect post-sunset romance

One of the most romantic places in Rome, Spanish Steps is also one of the most popular tourist places in Italy. It was initially built to link Bourbon Spanish embassy with the French church, Trinità dei Monti. The popular romantic comedy Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck was shot here. This is a famous tourist destination of Rome and becomes an abode of intense romance after sunset.

Romantic things to do: Spend some intimate time sitting there and visiting Piazza di Spagna and Fontana della Barcaccia together

7. Piazza Navona - Witness the most popular & arguable the most beautiful square in Rome

Piazza Navona is one of the most happening and popular romantic places to visit in Rome. With sparkling fountains, baroque castles and multi-coloured cast of street artists, this is one of the most popular hangout places for couples during evening when the sun turns mellow and sky goes orange.

Romantic things to do: Chill out in open air cafes and explore the kiosks set painters, caricaturists, fortune-teller and buskers with your partner

8. Ponte Sisto- A surreal bridge for a romantic evening

Ponte Sisto is one of the most picturesque bridges in Rome over River Tiber, bridging Via dei Pettinari in the Rione of Regola to Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere. The surreal and serene surrounding looks amazing and the picture perfect vintage bridge opens its arms to welcome couples wishing to spend some lovely time together. Undoubtedly, this is one of the wonderful and romantic places in Rome to propose.

Romantic things to do: Go for a romantic stroll and relish the incredible beauty of the surrounding