Roma: Gallery 10

Feburary 18, 2012, Saturday

Miles flown:  3452 miles + 898 miles
Flight time:  10h 45min (7h 5min + 3h 40min)
Arrived:  4:20 pm Rome FCO

I had a dreaded 3.5 hour layover at Heathrow.  The kind of layover that is too long, but yet not long enough for a brief escapade.  I considered visiting Hampton Court Palace, but in the end, I decided to read piles of New York Times at the airport.

I arrived at Fiumicino Airport at 4:20 pm and got my hopes up for catching the 4:38 pm train to the city.  I almost made it, but I had no cash on me and went to the wrong ticket counter instead of the real Trenitalia counter, which would have accepted credit cards.  So instead I watched the train pull out and stubbornly waited half an hour for the next train instead of taking a taxi.  Since Gagosian was open until 7 pm, I had enough time, but part of me just really wanted to take a taxi and get it over with.

Yes, I'm in Italy (Via del Corso)

Once I got to the city, I walked everywhere.  A few weeks ago Europe was hit by extreme cold, and now the weather was much more inviting.  After I got my card stamped, I went to the Pantheon, one of my favorite places anywhere.   It's the best preserved structure from antiquity; the technology that went into building the dome was lost for centuries.  Raphael was buried there, as was the first King of Italy following unification, Vittorio Emanuele II.   It inspired the German photographer Thomas Struth to take some memorable photographs.  Nearby was Piazza Navona with Bernini's fountains.  Quite a contrast between Classical and Baroque, but Classical wins for me.

Gagosian Rome

Thomas Struth's photograph of the Pantheon, courtesy of Whitechapel Gallery

Bernini's "Nile," Piazza Navona

A Rome visit calls for gelato and the Trevi Fountain.  While the New York Times swears by San Crispino, I decided to revisit Giolitti, where I hadn't gone in years.  This shop has been making gelato for over 100 years.  The Obama daughters made gelato here, and Hepburn and Peck visited in Roman Holiday.

I had dinner at L'Asino d'Oro, where Jeff Chu (the second person to complete the Challenge) ate as well during his Rome visit.  Jeff wrote about his experience for the Wall Street Journal.  The restaurant has good reviews on the web and what I had definitely tasted better than it looked.

I can't recall what the meat was (getting old, think it was boar?), but the sauce was chocolate and vinegar

Night falls on Ancient Rome

Airfare:  $908.90
Hotel:  $102