We got up at 6am and headed straight to Trevi Fountain (a 6 minute walk from our hotel). Instead of hundreds of people packed like sardines, there were maybe a dozen or so early birds (including an annoying “influencer” and her partner who must have taken over 100 photos and acted as if they owned the place—I may or may not have wandered into their shot a few times). After the fountain, we headed back to the hotel for a shower and breakfast. (The breakfast buffet at Hotel Pace Helvezia was solid—not the best we’ve had, but far from the worst. It did the job nicely.)
Aventine Keyhole
We spent the morning exploring, starting with a trek up Aventine Hill to the peek through the Aventine Keyhole, through which you can see a perfectly framed dome of St. Peter’s. The doorway containing the keyhole leads to the Priory of the Knights of Malta, the legendary crusader knights and religious order. The site has extraterritorial status, so is not technically part of Italy. This makes the view through the keyhole quite unique, as you can see the trees in the garden of the Priory, the dome of St. Peter’s (which is in the Vatican City State—technically its own country), as well as surrounding buildings that are in Italy proper.
Circus Maximus and a Pyramid
After getting our peep on, we walked to Circus Maximus and explored the ruins. On the way there, we passed by the Pyramid of Caius Cestius (an Egyptian-style pyramid with a frescoed interior, built as a tomb for a rich Roman magistrate) and the Porta San Paolo city gate (a well preserved 3rd-century city gate, part of the Aurelian wall, home to the Museum of the Ostian Way.)
Circus Maximus was the largest entertainment venue in ancient Rome, many times larger than the Colosseum. At its peak in the 4th century AD, it could accommodate up to 250,000 spectators for chariot races, other assorted sporting events, and religious festivals. It measured approximately 621 meters in length (2037 feet, or just under 7 football fields), and 118 meters in width (387 feet), making it one of the largest entertainment venues every built. Today it’s mostly a public park.
You can clearly see the outline of the ancient oval track, although most of the surrounding grandstands are long gone.
In the southeast corner there’s an archeological site (Archeologica del Circo Massimo) you can explore for a small fee (5 Euro) or upgrade to the Circo Maximo Experience—a VR enhanced experience showing you what the complex once looked like. We enjoyed the ruins, but didn’t do the VR experience.
A Bernini Sculpture in Piazza della Minerva
Later in the afternoon we headed to Piazza della Minerva to see the Elephant and Obelisk, a statue of an elephant carrying an obelisk, designed by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini and unveiled in 1667. The red granite obelisk was originally erected by Pharaoh Apries of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt, about 580 BC, in his capital Sais. The obelisk was rediscovered in 1665 during excavations near the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. It had probably been brought to Rome in the first century AD for the temple to the Egyptian goddess Isis that was located there. The obelisk is 5.47 meters tall and is the smallest of the 13 ancient obelisks present in Rome.
The Pantheon
Just past Piazza della Minerva (visible from the northwest corner) is the back of the Pantheon. While the rear of the Pantheon had only a few people, the front side (in Piazza della Rotunda) was a sea of people. This was the largest and most dense crowd we’d yet experienced in Rome. We didn’t even attempt to go inside the Pantheon (we couldn’t even discern where the line was, as it was just wall-to-wall people). Instead, we headed for Piazza Navona, which is supposed to have the largest Christmas Market in Rome. It turned out to be a very underwhelming Market (but at least it had a carousel). Luckily, there were some other things to see in the piazza: Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune’s Fountain)—a 16th century marble fountain depicting cherubs and Neptune fighting an octopus; Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi—a 17th century fountain that’s an homage to 4 rivers, featuring an obelisk topped by a dove; and Fontana del Moro (Fountain of the Moor)—a 16th century fountain featuring dolphin & Triton sculptures,
Emma Pizzeria con Cucina
We had a fantastic lunch at Emma Pizzeria con Cucina. We had a fantastic Roman style pizza. It’s thin crust, but not because they’re bad at making Neapolitan style and it ended up that way – it’s deliberate, and delicious. The outer crust has a nice crunch, while the inner crust has a bit of chew.
The ingredients are fresh and sourced from local producers, which are listed on the menu. If you sit outside, be sure to check out the interior. It’s like a mini art museum with pieces by Lichtenstein, Haring, and others.
We also had the fried zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella, which were delicious. Nice beer selection as well, include a gluten free beer that Teresa enjoyed. Service was excellent. We would later learn, from a local, that this is a favorite local spot and not often visited by tourists. That tracks with our experience, as the overwhelming language we heard spoken in the packed restaurant was Italian. It looked to be a popular post-church lunch spot, as there were quite a few families. 5 out of 5 stars.
Much Better Gelato
For dessert we went to Fatamorgana, a gelateria with multiple locations throughout Rome. We went to the Fatamorgana Chiavari location, since it was very close to Emma. It was the best gelato on the trip. They had a huge selection of flavors, from traditional to adventurous. I tried one with ricotta and pear (delicious!) and Teresa tried white almond (also delicious!) Neither was overly sweet, which we liked. I already know what I’m going to try next time: one scoop of carrot cake, one scoop of cognac & nutmeg creme pat. There was a walking tour there when we arrived, which is a good sign. 5 out of 5 stars.
Dinner at Piccolo Arancio
After walking back to the hotel for a short nap (passing the Colosseum, which we’ll explore further on another day), followed by some shopping (including a return trip to Rinascente), it was time for dinner, which we enjoyed at Piccolo Arancio.
The Pasta alla Gricia was very al-dente (perhaps a bit too al-dente—it could have used another minute or two of cooking) but delicious. The gnocchi were like soft pillows. A solid 3.5 stars (out of 5).
Photo Dumps
Circus Maximus
Food Photos
Everything Else
Great memories 😀
Molto bene!