A Long Weekend in Rome.

[artnbarb]

We'll be going to Rome to see U2 and are spending a little extra time there. I need some ideas for how to fill our days!

We'll take the train to Rome on a Friday morning, staying at the Beehive, near Termini. I'm not sure what we'll do on Friday afternoon/evening, and I welcome your suggestions.

On Saturday we have tickets to the Borghese at 11, and the concert is that evening - I read 6:30, but that doesn't sound right to me, so I'm going to double check. In any event, I'm thinking after the Borghese a nice long lunch, then perhaps a nap before the concert. We'll need to arrive at the venue - Olympic Stadium - early to collect our tickets.

Sunday will probably get off to a slow start, and it will be the middle of July, so I'm thinking a return visit to the Capitoline Museum might be a great way to spend the day. Or...?

We'll take a late afternoon train back to Umbria, but would love to see or do something else on Monday morning. Any suggestions?

 

[RomeFromHome]

What a lovely long weekend you have to look forward to! This is what we would do - Start off with gelato from Punto Gelato at Via dei Pettinari 43 then stroll fom Ponte Sisto to Ponte Mazzini to view Triumphs & Laments along the river bank. This contemporary artwork by William Kentridge will fade back to its natural state over time so catch it while you can. Walk over the bridge and walk back along the other side to see the huge stencilled figures up close. Walking under Ponte Sisto will bring you to Lungo Il Tevere where various bars and restaurants set up for the summer. A favourite spot of ours is Isola Tiburina where you dine overlooking the weir & Ponte Rotto - magical !
A couple of suggestions for your Saturday lunch - Caffe delle Arti is part of Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna but has its own separate entrance on Via Antonio Gramsci. Lunch on the terrace here is lovely. Alternatively, about a 10 minute walk from the Borghese Gallery, on Via Velletri, is Marzapane. Here the young Spanish chef, Alba Esteve Ruiz, serves up traditional dishes with a modern twist in an informal atmosphere.
If you like the ideas so far I'll follow up with more for Sunday/Monday

 

[artnbarb]

Sounds great! I'd love to hear more!

From their website it looks like Marzipan is only open for dinner on Saturdays. That would have been my first choice for Sat. lunch after the Borghese, since it's very close to the 910 bus line. We might just take the bus back to Termini, have lunch at Meid in Nepols, then take a nap before the concert, which does start earlier than I had expected - our tickets say 7.

Monday will be our biggest challenge, since so many places are closed on Monday.

I'm also looking for somewhere to have Sunday lunch - or should we just eat at the Capitoline museum on their gorgeous terrace?

 

[RomeFromHome]

I think taking the bus back to Termini is a good plan - if you want an alternative to Meid in Nepols you could try Da Nazzareno which is literally 1 minute from The Beehive.
I was going to suggest Palazzo Massimo as an alternative to Capitoline Museums - full of treasures and never crowded. Then you could do Marzapane for Sunday lunch by picking up the 360 bus from Termini - just a thought.
I'm still mulling over Monday

 

[artnbarb]

thanks! Palazzo Massimo is/was an alternative to the Capitoline, but I figured the Capitoline would take up the entire day, whereas the Palazzo Massimo wouldn't require as much time - I guess it depends on how early we get moving on Sunday, and how much we want to do. Just because we're 'just' seeing a museum doesn't mean it's not tiring!

Yes, Mondays are always a problem! I welcome any and all suggestions. I think we'll take the train back around 6 p.m., so we have time for another nice lunch, and some sightseeing.

 

[RomeFromHome]

A couple of Monday suggestions
Take the metro to Cinecitta and do the guided tour of the film studios. The sets include those from the HBO series 'Rome' as well as the studio that Fellini used to produce 'Dolce Vita' amongst many other films. Take the metro back to Termini and check out Mercato Centrale for lunch. You can either pick up whatever you fancy from Rome's best producers (including Bonci's Pizzarium) and eat at one of the central tables or more formally in the Oliver Glowig restaurant upstairs. The surroundings are stunning with a huge marble canopy as a central feature.
If you would prefer to take in more traditional sights you could pick up the Metro to Colosseo and stroll up Via dei Fori Imperiali, Campidoglio to view the Forum then crossing to Piazza Venezia for the 'Secret Garden'. We discovered this on our last trip - it is a wonderful oasis right in the middle of the city. You could lunch at Terre e Domus , with a suberb view of Trajan's Column. This would leave you perfectly placed for the 14.30 tour in English of the Domus Romane at Palazzo Valentini which if you haven't seen is highly recommended. The amazing multi media effects bring the remains of the villa to life.
If you like the idea of aperitivo on Sunday evening you could try the retro surroundings of Gatsby Cafe on Piazza Vittorio. It occupies what once was a milliners shop and there is a hat making exhibition on the second floor. The staff are super lovely.

 

[artnbarb]

I'm a huge movie fan, but had never considered a visit to Cinecittà, so thank you for that idea! Additionally we haven't been to the mercato for many years. Did it used to be on the north side of the station, or am I just confused?

I looked at the site for Domus Romane at Palazzo Valentini, but couldn't find information about tours and times - where did you find that?

 

[Andrew]

I believe this is the Mercato Centrale, at Termini, and it just opened last October.

For the Domus Romane, go to the TicketOne page here (or from the words "On line" from the info page on the main Domus Romane site) to see the tour times for your date of interest.

 

[Mom83]

I just bought our tickets to Domus Romane yesterday for October 11 on the site Andrew gave you. I believe there is one English tour in the morning and then 3 more in the early afternoon. I think our tickets were about 13-14 euros each.
I also bought tickets for Domus Aurea this morning for Sunday, October 8 - this tour is only given on Saturdays and Sundays.
My husband and I have never visited either of these sights before - we are excited to be seeing a few new places this visit.

 

[artnbarb]

I knew about the new mercato in Rome, but thought it was in the same location as the old market - which I thought was on the north side of the station. It's been a long time though, so I might have it all wrong. I do know the location of the new market, in any event.

I found a site for the Domus Romane yesterday, (HERE) but I'm going to check out the link just to make sure it's the same site. Thanks!:

Update: And now I see that the link Andrew provided is for ticket sales. When I was on the Domus Romane site I never clicked thru to ticket sales, which is why I never saw the various tour/language options.