Italian Trip Diary - Day #1, Brussels to Rome

Wednesday, June 13, 2001, Brussels to Rome:

We flew from Brussels to Rome after a lovely stay in Oostend with George's cousin, Freddy, and his partners, Jan and Ken, and their (and our) good friend, Arthur.  That time in Belgium was very relaxing and low pressure and allowed us to adjust to the new time zone, enjoy visits with family and friends, and drinks and meals on the promenade along the North Sea.

Our hotel in Rome was the Jolly Via Veneto -- now the NH Vittorio Veneto (a).  It is just past the arched gates in the old city walls at the top of the Via Veneto.  Our room (#705) – actually a small suite – was on the top floor and had a terrace that looked out over the Borghese Gardens.  

View of the Borghese Gardens from our room at the Jolly Via Veneto, photo by Blomme/McClure

 Our first evening in Rome we decided to eat at a cafe recommended by two Belgian friends -- it turned out to be just on the other side of the old city wall from our hotel.  For dinner at Il Pomodorino (b) we had pizza and dessert (profiteroles for me).  We were served by Emanuela, an energetic and personable young waitress who tried to teach us to pronounce the menu in Italian.  She was also bantering with a cute waiter who was working in the next area (probably about our inability to keep our eyes off of him). 

After dinner, we decided that we had enough energy to walk down the Via Veneto to the Piazza Barbarini, then to the top of the Spanish Steps and back along the city walls and the Borghese Gardens to our hotel.  The Steps were packed with young people just hanging out in groups enjoying the balmy evening.

Triton Fountain by Bernini in Piazza Barbarini at the bottom of the Via Veneto,
photo by Blomme/McClure

Rome is just as we remembered it from previous trips, though even more crowded and with many more areas reserved just for pedestrians.  The wonderful layering of buildings from succeeding civilizations combines with the energy and joviality of the people in a dynamic mixture of cultures – different languages, styles, ages, eras -- all seemingly coexisting happily in a great urban stew of a place.


(a) NH Vittorio Veneto, Corso d'Italia, 1, 00198 Rome, Italy;  http://nhvittorioveneto.hotelinroma.com/
(b) Il Pomodorino, Via Campania 45/e, 00187 Rome, Italy; 
             http://www.ilpomodorino.org/en/home.php