Stefano drove incessantly for 2400 kilometers, so he definitely deserves an award :D
The first destination was Rome.
We spent two days there to see some friends and start our visa process, which we had to abort as we couldn't provide any exact dates for our stays. But we had a great time indeed with our friends Fabio, Giulia and Miranda, the "queen of Rome"!
I was personally quite disappointed noticing the presence of so-called "sightseeing buses" and "bike/Segway/chariot tours". I personally would not recommend this kind of tourism as they always cost a bunch of money and they end up showing you the same things you can easily find by yourself, walking, renting a bike or boarding a normal bus!
You will save money and enjoy the city even more as you will see everything at your own pace in your own time.
All you need is a good map and walking shoes. Be your own Lonely Planet guide!
We stayed most of our time between the Testaccio and Garbatella quarters.
Every area in Rome has its own story, habits, folklore, and their natives will always tell you that their quarter is the best. I do love every single corner of the city, so I'm afraid I have to agree and disagree with them at the same time.
The first surprise was the famous keyhole in Piazza Cavalieri di Malta.
(yeah, that's St. Peter's Cathedral. This picture sucks but I couldn't do anything better with my iPhone)
Then we had a walk through Piazza Navona, the Bramante cloister, just behind the Santa Maria della Pace church, and the tiny Pasquino square:
Entry of the Bramante Cloister and Pasquino "talking statue"
The story of Pasquino is really interesting: Pasquino was a tailor known for his wits, and also because he was one of the few who could write: common people would rely on him for writing protests in form of sonnets which would then be attached to the Menelaus' statue or other popular monuments during the night so everyone would read them in the early morning.
These sonnets aimed principally to the most important public personalities, shaming them publicly for their greed of power. The Popes and their entourage were really scary at the time, like in House of Cards, but worse!
After a touristy trip, we visited the Garbatella area.
Born in the 20s, originally an industrial area, Mussolini was inspired by the Garden City Movement and it was originally destined to the future workers in the river port.
"By the venerable hand of His Majesty, the King Vittorio Emanuele III, the Autonomous Authority for Maritime and Industrial Development and the Council Housing Insitute of Rome, with the collaboration of working cooperatives to offer a quiet and healthy stay to the creators of the Capital's economic renaissance. This sunny quarter is being founded today. 18th of February, 1920"
This can be found in Piazza Benedetto Brin, on the very walls of the oldest building in the area.
You can find fruit trees and bushes in almost every garden beside these buildings, and when the weather is good, you can just lose yourself between the scents of fruits and flowers.
Street artwork in memory of Piero Bruno, killed by the police in 1975 during a protest.
Garbatella has always been considered as a "red" area, and it hosted for decades the headquarters of the most important left-winged parties and cultural associations.
Their residents often host events and festivals dedicated to foreign countries, street art and emergent artists. There is always something to do!
And if you travel by bicycle, check for the My Bike Inside sign: you can bring your wheels inside the shop and be safe! It's a super clever project which I hope to see in other cities.
Before leaving Rome, we drove through the Castelli Romani hills down to the Albano lakeside: we were, literally, on a volcanic crater rim!
Grazie Giulia for the improvised modeling :)
Before the end of the week we will tell you about the second part of our trip! :)
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