Roman Goodbye

Wednesday, April 15, 2009. Hotel Stromboli has a nice breakfast room and a pretty good breakfast, which is included in the 130 Euro/night charge. Our booking this room at the last minute undoubtedly raised the price; Figlia had stayed here one night on one of her visits to Rome and paid only 85 Euro. The weather continues to be wonderful as we walk to Termini, then take the B line of the Metro to the Cavour stop, then a short walk to where we will sleep our last night in Italy, the Nicolas Inn.

The Nicolas Inn is a small, 3 room affair run by an American-Italian couple, and our room proves to be wonderful – especially at only 100 Euro for the night. Melissa, the American half of the couple, is from Chicago. She gets us nicely settled in and even makes dinner reservations at a near by place she can recommend. Jake wants to buy a good Italian wallet and Melissa suggests the store Furla, which is by the Spanish Steps. This works out nicely since today’s main event is a 5 pm visit to Galleria Borghese which is also near Spagna, the Spanish Steps Metro stop.

We feel no need to walk up the Spanish Steps, especially in the midst of today’s large crowd, so head off to do our wallet shopping. We soon realize that we are in the Trident section of Rome, one of the most exclusive shopping areas in the world. All the outrageously expensive names are here – Bulgari, Tod’s, Hermes, Prada, Gucci, etc. At Tod’s there is a nice wallet for 180 Euro (about $250), so the one we get at Furla at only 100 Euro seems a bargain.

We try to get away from the crowds for lunch, and find a nice looking al fresco place off on a side street. We share an order of salad, pasta, and some red wine, and enjoy watching Romans go their way on the little side street of Via del Leoncino. We had thought the place would be busy with tourists but the clientele seems very native and very upscale. One table of three young, “fabulous” Italians looked the type who could actually afford Tod’s or Hermes. It was only after we got the bill that we realized we were at Ciampini 2, which turns out to be the quieter sibling of the famous Ciampini up the hill above the Spanish Steps.

Melissa had also told us that there was an underground walkway from the Spagna Metro stop to Villa Borghese, the 148 acre park which houses the world famous Galleria Borghese where we have our 5 pm art appointment. We find the underground walkway without trouble but exit at what seems the wrong spot, apparently on an edge of this giant Roman park. But we soldier on, and after walking a little ways find our bearings (Jake has brought along a Google map, which actually helps this time).

It is a beautiful day to be in the park with its trees and dappled sunshine, and since we have several hours before show time we set about walking and exploring these massive grounds. We found a giant, perhaps 40 foot statue of Umberto I, who was a mystery at the time, but we have found out subsequently that he was the first and only King of Italy to be assassinated (on the third attempt!). There was a movement afoot around the turn of the century to name the park after him (hence the rather ostentatious statue) but it never could overturn the Borghese name. We also discover the Fountain of Seahorses, where the seahorses are not the cute little things one sees in an aquarium, but a mythological combination of a hoofed horse and a very large fish. Next, we happen upon a small butterfly/flower exhibit housed in the old Borghese aviary building next to what was once Cardinal Borghese’s “secret garden” (currently being refurbished, as it were) where Stone enjoys a fine cup of cultured tea among the fluttering beauties.

At around 4:30 we join the queue at the museum’s front door waiting for the 5 PM admission and the doors open on the dot. We bought the headsets for the self-guided tour, and though the tour is limited in its audio offerings, we were glad we did. Once inside it is easy to see why the Galleria Borghese is world famous and why admission has to be reserved sometimes weeks in advance. What the Trident section of Rome is to retail, the Galleria Borghese is to Italian art.

Here are all the big names: Raphael, Titian, Correggio, and of course, Bernini. Maybe the best thing about this museum is that one can get right up next to the art – no glass, no velvet ropes, just you and the genius. One can inspect the toenails in Bernini’s battle ready “David”; walk around Bernini’s dynamic “Rape of Proserpina” and see clearly Pluto’s fingers pressing in on Proserpina's fleshy thigh (in marble!); or get so close to Caravaggio’s show piece “Boy with Basket of Fruit,” that the boy’s eyelashes can be counted. The art is so extravagant that we both have to be reminded by our headphone tour to notice the individual rooms as well – works of decorating art that are simply spectacular. To spend two hours in the two storied treasure trove of art is quite a thrill.

If Casa Bleve, where we ate last night, was representative of what might be called high Roman cuisine, then where we eat tonight might very well represent the other end of the Roman spectrum – a neighborhood mom and pop place with simply good food and wine. La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali proves to be a perfect place for our last Italian dinner: friendly, busy, dominated by locals who often kiss the waitress as they come in, and “comfort food” that comforts not only the body but also the soul.

The Nicolas Inn is but a block or two from the Coliseum, so after dinner, on our way back, we say goodbye to Rome and Italy by viewing the Coliseum’s ancient grandeur. At night it seems even more majestic, more romantic, more Italian. After some time just looking, and a final appreciation of the perfect Roman night, Jake and Stone walk away, hand in hand (more majestic, more romantic, more Italian), wondering what they ever did to deserve these last two weeks.