Italy
Janiculum

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    • Day 13

      Just Rome-ing Around…

      July 2, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F

      We made it to Rome, in the Lazio Region! And, once again, we did not take the easy route.

      We left our little Assisi albergo early enough to make sure that we could catch a bus to the Assisi train station. We planned on taking the veloce train, which means we’d be on a fast train without any changes (it’s the getting off one train and getting onto another, different, train that seems to be a tough task for us) all the way to Rome. While waiting at the bus stop, an older gentleman came up and asked if we were waiting to go to the train station on the 10:15 bus. We were. And, in very basic Italian, we explained to him that we were heading by train to Rome.

      We got on the bus with this man, another older gentleman and a young couple. We shared with the couple that we were heading to Rome directly by train. “E così sei tu? (and so are you?)” we asked. “Si! Si!” they affirmatively shouted.

      Phew.

      This should be easy! We were all on the same bus, on time, heading to the same train station, and then all boarding the same train to Rome.

      “What could possibly go wrong?” we dared to wonder. You would think we would have learned our lesson about that question a few wrong turns ago.

      Nope.

      The bus pulled up to a building and one of the men kept saying over and over again a word we were sure meant “church “ in Italian. He seemed to be saying it more towards the couple. Which, was confusing, since the couple had just told us by saying, “Si! Si!” that they, too, were heading to Rome.

      The bus driver then parked and turned off the bus in front of the building. The two old men motioned frantically to all of us to get off the bus and follow them. So, everyone got off the bus and ran to another bus with an engine already running. The same driver of our first bus jumped on board and whisked us away to our next destination. We could hardly believe our luck with how helpful these men had been! How would we have known to change buses so quickly?

      As the bus pulled away from where it had stopped and left the first bus, we looked a little more closely at the building fading into the distance; it had tracks and rail cars and, well frankly, train-y stuff.

      About six minutes later our second bus stopped and the 2 men were gesturing at us again, but this time to get OFF the bus. The couple jumped out. We followed. And the bus, with the driver and our 2 helpers, took off.

      As the bus pulled away, much like a curtain opening, we looked up and saw the most magnificent Chiesa Santa Croce of Assisi (there’s that word we heard!). Here we were, in 95 degree heat, not standing in front of a train station and definitely not in the mood to tour another church. The couple happily waved at us, while speaking in a language that was definitely not Italian, as they walked away merrily taking pictures.

      We now had only 20 minutes to make it to our train departing for Rome…

      So, we ran nearly a mile (okay, maybe it was less than that, but still…) back to the place where we’d been uomo-splained (yes, even in Italy, men man-splain, apparently). Sweaty and tired (sorry, but you needed that mental visual), we arrived in time for our train to Rome.

      And, then with 5 minutes before our train’s arrival, the screen started blinking, “cancelled.” One of us let out a cuss word a bit louder than expected. A young man nearby repeated the word and we all had a laugh (it beats crying at this point). We then walked together to the ticket machine, because there was no train employee around to explain what we should do next. We found another woman at the ticket machine in the same predicament.

      That young (26!) man’s name is Vincent.
      He is a 1/2 Italian and 1/2 Croatian German seminary student (to become a Dominican priest) studying in Rome. Vince shared with us that he was on his way to being a professional basketball player in Italy, until an injury changed the course of his life. Side note: he’s also a huge Damian Lillard fan.

      Rita is an incredibly kind Italian woman still living in Switzerland after the death of her husband. After figuring out the train situation, which would now include a transfer to get to Rome, we joked about being “Team Roma” (although it wasn’t a joke to us as we were now in trauma-bond mode with these 2 humans). We made sure to all sit together on the 2 trains to Rome, and spent the entire 3+ hours talking and asking questions about our families and our lives. Vince was the translator, tour guide, and absolute joyful and calming presence for all of us.

      We made it to Rome, exchanged contact information with our new friends, and set off to see the final stop on our abbreviated itinerary. And why not finish with pizza in the Vatican Piazza?

      Although this trip is shorter than we’d originally planned, we have had months of experiences in these past 2 weeks. Every situation that seemed unfixable or impossible became fixed for the better, leaving us with a reminder that there is a lot more good in the world than the news or social media, or even our own negative thinking, would have us believe. How lucky are we to get this mid-life lesson - and in Italy, too?!

      It’s worth repeating… La vita e’ bella!

      Thanks for coming along on this little adventure with us. It’s been fun to share these moments with you.

      💚🤍❤️

      Ciao!
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    • Day 2

      Trastevere

      October 31, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      Immer schon wollte ich einmal in diesem Stadtteil Roms wohnen - und nun ist es soweit!
      Trastevere (von lateinisch trans Tiberim „jenseits des Tiber“) ist der XIII. Rione (Stadtteil) von Rom. Er erstreckt sich vom südlichen Tiberknie bis zum Hügel Gianicolo auf dem rechten, westlichen Ufer des Tibers und gilt als das ursprünglichste und authentischste Viertel der Stadt.
      Trastevere war eines der Arbeiterviertel im alten Rom. Es war das Viertel der Ausländer und Randgruppen. Zunächst lebten dort viele Juden, was sich darin äußerte, dass es hier einst zehn Synagogen gab. Auch die ersten Christen Roms siedelten hier.
      Und hier werde ich mich dem Dolce far niente, dem süßen Nichtstun, widmen (Sightseeing natürlich ausgenommen!).

      Mein Appartement hält was es versprochen hat!
      Innenarchitektur vom Feinsten (dank der Besitzerin die mich auch empfängt). Hier werde ich mich sehr wohl fühlen😊
      Leider merke ich beim frühabendlichen Spaziergang dass ich doch ziemlich müde bin …… werde wohl heute bald schlafen gehen🥱
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    • Day 5

      Rome--Trasveres Friends B&B

      April 24, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

      I arrived on time at Termini. I thought about having lunch at the station, but i still wasn't hungry I did take a taxi, as I didn't want to drag my bags on the bus.

      It took about 20 minutes to get here. This is a rough looking neighborhood, but close to a lot of things. The B&B is on the 4th floor of a low-rise building. The host is an older gentleman and I'm guessing, his wife. My room is next to the kitchen and has a shared balcony. There's a twin size bed, wardrobe, desk, and the bathroom is large.

      I unpacked and am charging my phone. I will head out and get some food and wine. I think I will stay in tonight--especially if it's raining!
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    • Day 2

      Trastevere!

      May 14, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

      Stayed here for my trip in Rome!! Ate some of the best food!
      The place of the “last real Romans” and you must cross the river everyday to enter and exit this area!! Trastevere =across the river!
      This area features Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere which is one of the older churches and the first devoted to Mary in Rome!
      My favorite gelato shop ever was here!
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    • Day 13

      Trastevere Viertel

      September 26, 2019 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

      Wenn man an Italien denkt, dann haben die meisten folgendes Bild vor Augen: Man sitzt auf der Terrasse eines Restaurants, mit einer knusprigen Pizza, leckerer Eiscreme oder einem schönen Glas Wein und lauscht der Musik die aus den umliegenden Gassen schallt. Der perfekte Ort dafür ist das Viertel Trastevere. Mit seinem holprigen Kopfsteinpflaster, den kleinen alten Häusern und den schmalen Gassen herrscht hier ein fast dörflicher Charme.Read more

    • Day 2

      Dinner and music

      August 25, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      Dinner at Gianicolo Terrace, the home of Barbara and ?
      Bruschetta, vegetable lasagna with pesto, saltimbocca Romana (typical Sunday meal in Rome) and tiramisu with lemoncello that was so strong!
      Karaoke: they made us all sing That's Amore before dessert and Arrivederci Roma at the end of the night
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    • Day 1

      Első nap

      July 16, 2016 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

      Már a bevált rutinnal mintha hazamennék olyan könnyen behúzok a Trasteverére; süt a nap, meleg van, álmos szombat délután.Behúzok a házi supermercatoba egy kis pecorino-sonka-olajbogyó-aperol kombóért és rövid feltöltés után irány a city!Először persze a piac nélküli Campo de'Fiori, Mackó temploma is zárva.Lecsekkolom az üzleteinket, nagy árleszállítás, de csak kicsit csábulok....Aztán Navona, majd a Corso (itt nyüzsög egész Róma) espresso a bárpultnál a Popolon.Vissza az írógépig, de kedvenc Campidogliom ezúttal kimarad.Spagna lépcsőkön még mindig nem ülnek, úgyhogy szkippelem, helyette Trevi és másik kedvencem, a Pantheon. Isteni utcai zenék, nagy hangulat, sok turista, de rendőri készültség is érezhető.Read more

    • Day 8

      Jour 2 (mise à jour)

      August 6, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

      On revient de souper. Un jolie petit restaurant biologique donc la majorité des produits proviennent de leur ferme; fromage buffalo, prosciutto, huile d'olive, légumes, pâtes et goji. Le goji est une baie qui a été importé d'Asie et qui pousse maintenant sur leur terre en Calabrese. Les Italiens sont très accueillants et encore plus heureux de vous faire connaître leur culture si vous y êtes intéressé. Ça se solde généralement par une petite attention, comme une glace spéciale, des fruits à goûter ou un limoncello (un alcool à base de citron très frais).

      Maintenant, Stéphane est tombé en amour avec une Italienne (de son âge) un peu négligée
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    • Day 8

      Rome -Trastevere

      August 6, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

      Jour 1 et 2
      Hier, nous sommes enfin arrivés à Rome avec trois heures de retard, merci à Dame Nature. Nous avons eu notre première expérience de conduite italienne avec notre chauffeur de taxi. Ça va vite une Audi familiale! Après s'être remis de nos émotions (surtout Stéphane), nous avons exploré les alentours et surtout mangé notre première gelato. Stéphane d'ailleurs, y a reçu sa première leçon d'italien. Avant d'arriver en Italie, les gens nous parlaient tous de la chaleur. Ils ont tous oublié le mot EXTRÊME avant chaleur! Fait chaud en titi! À trois heures de l'après-midi les rues sont vides, c'est l'heure parfaite pour écrire sur mon blog!

      Aujourd'hui, nous avons fait le tour de Trastevere notre quartier. C'est un quartier pittoresque avec de petites ruelles et des terrasses de bar et de resto partout. Une colline surplombe la ville, le Janicule. Elle fut le théâtre de violents combats lors de l'unification italienne (c'est écrit dans le guide). Nous avons pu admirer le dôme de la Basilique St-Pierre (que nous irons visiter demain). Donc demain le Vatican!
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Gianicolo, Janiculum, ጃኒኮሎ, Яникул, Janícul, Janículo, Janicule, גאניקולו, 자니콜로, Mons Ianiculus, Janikulum, Янікул, 贾尼科洛山

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