"Rome if you want to". . . and we did.

RandE
8 hours ago
3 min read

Jet lag wasn’t just a minor obstacle complicating our agenda—it was the first thing we had to tackle before diving headfirst into a non-stop whirlwind of ancient wonders and desert adventures! Joining 14 others, we had signed up for the ultimate "if it’s Tuesday, it must be Tutankhamun" tour of Egypt, with a 4-day scramble through Jordan added to top it off, all expertly planned by an adventure travel company named Detours. But first, we had to figure out how to beat the time zone chaos and keep our eyes open long enough to take it all in!

With a stop in Doha listed on every option out of Sydney, we still needed to make a decision on what city could give us the R&R needed before Egypt overload. Except for a fly through in 2011, we hadn’t been to Rome together so it quickly moved to the top of the list - and our niece who studied there said we had to experience the Trastevere neighbourhood (if for the pizza at Dar Poeta alone). This Right Bank trendy hotspot hosts loads of bars, diverse restaurants, plenty of old world charm and both the young and tourist crowds. So we were set: 4 days of walking endlessly to kick start our energy, and enough food to slow it all down at night and re-set body clocks.

Our hotel Horti 14 lived up to the “peaceful oasis” marketing moniker and the booking price landed right in our budget. The included breakfast was extravagant and the “dynamic and modern space created from an old timber depot” was both comfy and cool.

We took no time settling in and started the exploring part of this trip leg. As any tourist knows, Rome is easily walkable on both sides of the Tiber and our wandering and watching took us to all of the must-sees: Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Roman Forum and Coliseum – stumbling through piazzas, parks and shopping plazas along the way. In Piazza Navona we wined and watched, looking out on the first of many obelisks scattered around the city. Some are spoils of war, originally from Egypt adopted or appropriated for Christianity with hieroglyphs that connect these ancient cultures. They gave us a glimpse into what we'd explore more deeply during the rest of our trip.

Over-eating is a given in Rome – it is inescapable. Not only is there THE PASTA, but every corner seemed to have a window-lined forno full of sweets and savouries we couldn’t resist – bring on the holiday kilos! There’s high-end dining of course, but we went down the trattorias and osterias way. Besides Dar Poeta, another shout out goes to Pane e Salome, a luncheon spot with super-fresh charcuterie boards at local’s prices.

During our only planned outing - a Secret Food Tour of Trastevere - our guide Diletta painted a colourful picture of the flavors and history of Rome and its amazing street food.

While winding the back streets of our temporary quartiere, we learned the four types of Roman pasta, discussed wine making in the prosecco region, and sampled maritozzo, and suppli . She even threw a bit of Italian in (the difference between arancino and arancini – if it ends in an i, it’s plural) and taught us our most important lesson, how to pronounce Trastevere: "tras-TEH-ve-ray" - meaning beyond or across the Tiber.