By Lesley Frederikson
Arriving in Rome with only a few days to visit, my husband and I realized we could only scratch the surface of what was to be seen, and although we had scheduled guides to take us through the Vatican, Colosseum and Forum, after a nine-hour flight, we just wanted to wander. His only request had been that we make unscheduled time to savor, and that made for some of our best memories.
That first afternoon we used a map to explore around our quaint Hotel Ponte Sisto. Just a few blocks away our narrow cobblestone street spilled into a colorful fresh market selling flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruits in one of Rome's smaller piazzas. Samples were available for oils and spices, but I was lured by a man demonstrating a small tool for making zucchini noodles. Sold! I walked away with my first Italian souvenir. And while I had been captivated in the vegetable stall, my husband surprised me with a bouquet of fresh sunflowers and roses. This square was called, after all, Campo de'Fiore, which means "field of flowers," a nod to the flower meadow that grew here during the Middle Ages.
In the center of Campo de'Fiore stands the hooded statue of Giordano Bruno, who faces the Vatican on the very spot where he was burned in 1600 for heresy, his philosophical interest in freedom of thought his downfall. Now the stalls bustle by day and visitors dine at night. Several Italian cafes line the perimeter of the piazza, and we returned twice to enjoy Roman artichokes, pasta and risotto while we watched children play in the dark near Bruno's statue while their watchful parents dined.
Just a few blocks beyond Campo de'Fiore is the significantly larger Piazza Navona. This vast open space that boasts fountains by Bernini and Della Porta, a student of Michelangelo, was built in A.D. 86 as a stadium for athletic events with stands that held up to 20,000 people. Houses were eventually erected where the stands once were, and now gelato shops, restaurants and the Museo di Roma surround the piazza. From 1652 to 1865, however, the fountains would often be turned off to create a cooling lake in the once-concave space during hot August weekends. We sat in a cafe with our Aperol Spritzes to listen to wandering musicians and watch the world stroll past.
Our second day in Rome took us beyond the half-mile we had seen the day before. Still armed with our map, we ventured to the Pantheon just two blocks away from Piazza Navona. We had booked an audio guide for the 2,000-year-old structure that was conveniently available at any time of day. Explanations of the building's architecture and the astronomical significance of its famed oculus made the audio guide worthwhile, and it also pointed out the chapels, altars and graves within the structure. I was moved to learn that I stood at the artist Raphael's grave on our shared birthday — the day he also died.
Another half-mile away we stumbled into a heaving mass of visitors who stood around the biggest fountain I had ever seen. Like everyone else in the crowd, I had my coin ready to toss into the Trevi Fountain — a guarantee of my return to the romantic city. Soon after our arrival near the bright turquoise pool a cheer echoed as we transcended language barriers to celebrate a kneeling man's proposal to his blushing love.
With a scoop of amarena gelato in hand we moved on toward the Spanish Steps, just over a mile from our hotel. Guards protect the steps now from visitors like me who want to sit and nibble gelato or steal a kiss, and I was waved off by a woman in uniform who admonished me to keep moving. Fortunately, Barcaccia Fountain at the foot of the steps had a few seats available from which we watched children splash and romantics ascend the famous stairs. Bernini and his father created this fountain in 1627. Legend says it is reminiscent of a boat that was stranded there after a particularly bad flood of the Tiber River in 1598.
With our planned routes complete, we pocketed the map and turned back toward our hotel. Not far away we came upon a towering column with intricately carved battle scenes near a large palace. I made a note of the location and found out later that we had been at the foot of the Column of Marcus Aurelius in front of Montecitorio Palace, the Italian parliament building. The column depicts the emperor's battles between A.D. 172 and A.D. 175 to defend the Roman Empire and is thought to have been erected by his son.
Further roaming led us past a wide excavation site that looked important. I took a photo of this, too, and learned that we had been at Largo di Torre Argentina, the site of Julius Caesar's death on March 15, 44 B.C. Its surrounding temples and theater date back as far as 200 B.C. Like the column and parliament building, this historically rich square hadn't been on our carefully planned lists.
We were grateful to have seen some of the most famous and historic sites in the world, but that day also reminded us of the Italian phrase, "dolce far niente," the sweetness of doing nothing. Our wander through Rome was as sweet and memorable as the parts we had planned.
WHEN YOU GO
Where to stay: www.hotelpontesisto.it/en
What to see: www.romesite.com
Pantheon Audio Guide: www.pantheonroma.com/audio-guides-pantheon
Hire a guide: Paola Puecher is available at [email protected].
Lesley Frederikson is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
Rome's Piazza Navona was regularly flooded in summer months to create a splashy diversion for overheated Romans in the 1700s. Photo courtesy of Lesley Frederikson.
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