Rome, Capri and Amalfi
April 2009
Day 10, Rome:
Following our tour of the Vatican Museums we taxied to the Coliseum. Constructed on the former site of Nero's palace, the Coliseum was completed in 80 AD. Its 80 arched entrances allowed easy access to 55,000 spectators, who were seated according to rank. Gladiators were usually slaves, prisoners of war or condemned criminals. There was plenty of blood and guts back in the day, but I'm not going to go into detail about that here.
The Coliseum was free thanks to Culture Week, althought they still required people to line up for tickets. When we arrived we were approached by someone asking if we would like to join the English-speaking tour departing in a few minutes and avoid the ticket line. We said yes. I think the cost of the tour was 12 euros and included a tour of the Forum. Due to time constraints we skipped the Forum (something else to look forward to next time). Keeping in mind what the guide said at Pompeii about just looking at a pile of rocks, I think a guided tour of the Coliseum was an excellent idea and our tour guide did a good job of bringing the arena to life.
We then taxied to the Synagogue where we were meeting our guide for a private, four-hour walking tour of the Ghetto and Trastevere. We did not check to see if our taxi driver was using a meter or ask for an approximate price. I believe this was the only time we got ripped off by a taxi driver as he charged us 18 euros when it should have been more like ten. It was a short distance and there was little traffic. He settled for 17 euros.
Our guide was Sergio Bartolini with Rome Insight. www.romeinsight.com info@romeinsight.com. Sergio was flexible to what we were interested in seeing and gave us insight into the origins of the Ghetto and the area of Trastevere. The cost of the tour was 165 euros for the four of us. We wound up stopping after three hours due to exhaustion. If in Rome again, I will be sure to reserve time with Sergio.
We ended the tour near the Campo dei Fiori where we dined at a restaurant Sergio recommended, Ristorante der Pallaro (Largo del Pallaro, 15) www.trattoriaderpallaro.com. It was on my list of suggested restaurants. There is no menu -- you eat what they are serving that evening. The food was simple, the wine just okay. We were the first to arrive; in fact, Sergio requested they seat us before opening time. The place filled up within an hour of our start. When I went to the restroom (one WC for all) I saw a newspaper article (in English) posted to the corridor wall with a restaurant review by Rick Steves.
In 1555, Pope Paul IV decreed that all Jews must be segregated, and they lived within the confines of a ghetto between the 16th and 19th Centuries. Marked by poverty, humiliation and persecution, the Jewish Ghetto was overcrowded and a harsh way of life for everyone who was forced to live there. Walls surrounded the area and gates to the Ghetto were locked every night. The Via del Portico d'Ottavia with Renaissance and Medieval architecture remains the center of Jewish life and is one of the oldest surviving Jewish communities in Europe. You can read more about life in the Ghetto at www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Rome.html
Diane, Sergio, Maritza, Mommie and Marian
Maritza with the Owner/Chef, Ristorante der Pallaro
Bullet holes are still visible in the building
