Chump-less Checklist to Doing Rome: The Nitty Gritty

And now the Nitty Gritty, continuing from the Generalities:

One of my favorite places in the city is the Jewish Ghetto, which I already wrote a bit about in my post about the synagogue. But this little four block quadrant has a lot of genuine charm. For one, it has restaurants that serve the excellent “carciofi alla guidea” or Jewish style artichokes. There are also small delis to bop into for lunch, and because pork is not so kosher, they have cured beef similar to prosciutto that is amazing. Also, it has a lot of really awesome stenciled street art by c215 (above).

By all means, go see the Trevi Fountain; it’s beautiful. But listen, even in the non-tourist season, seeing it can be uncomfortable because of the mobs that gather around it. If you follow one piece of my advice about seeing Rome, take this one to heart: Go to it late at night. After midnight, there are only a few people around and it is beautifully lit. Throw in your coin over your shoulder and guarantee your eventual return to Rome. More golden nuggets of advice after the jump.

Chump-less Checklist to Doing Rome: Generalities

Personally, I’m sick of travel guides. I love Let’s Go, but their accommodation advice is useless to me and restaurants can be hit or miss sometimes. I have a guide of Rome that seems to have been written in the mid-fifties and that might be my favorite because of its tone. There are so many things that guide books are not going to be able to tell you, and that’s understandable, but as my semester here draws to a close I thought I’d put together my own brief guide for those coming to Rome for a few days. Of course do the touristy stuff, but keep my sentiments in mind (after the jump).

McDonald’s at the Spanish Steps

In Italy, there isn’t a lot of fast food, but McDonald’s is fairly common in Rome. However, one McDonald’s in particular is tied to something much larger. Just about every article about Slow Food mentions that the organization got its start after unsuccessfully campaigning to prevent McDonald’s from moving into Piazza di Spagna, where the Spanish Steps are. Supposedly, founder Carlo Petrini goes into the campaign in great detail in a book of his. Anyways, I couldn’t help but wonder why Petrini and his friends were so embroiled against this single McDonald’s franchise that it inspired them to found what would turn into an international movement with over 80,000 in 122 countries.

So yeah, I did it. I went to McDonald’s. I got a McCrispy or something, and it was gross. I don’t eat McDonald’s at home, mainly because of the way I have come to think about food (which is in term informed by Slow Foods), but I imagine the food was actually similar. The reason I disliked the experience so much was that it was so un-Italian: bad-tasting food, made with bad ingredients, sold in a hostile environment as quickly as possible. And the customers were mostly Italians! One of the defining characteristics of Italian dining is that it is leisurely. I’ve never had an Italian waiter bring me the check without me asking. Here, that would be rudeness on par with throwing a customer out. In that McDonald’s, I felt like I was still out on street, being mobbed by crowds of tourists. And there, that atmosphere is becoming part of Italian culture. I didn’t like, and I can see why Petrini didn’t either.

photo courtesy of flickr user phototram

The Two Colosseums

I went back to the Colosseum this weekend with friends, and the light was magical. I deleted every picture I took the first time. It is surely the most famous building of ancient Rome, possibly the world. Walking around inside, it’s hard to imagine it housing 50,000 people or quickly flooding to accommodate water battles. It has gone through innumerable changes, especially during the 500 or so years it was in use. It’s pretty great.

However, there’s another colosseum in Rome, and I may like it even more. Below is Mussolini’s Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. In Italian, that means the Palace of Italian Civilization, but it is often referred to as the Square Colosseum, for obvious reasons. Italy was supposed to host a World Fair in 1942, and the Fascists began building accordingly in 1935. Because of the war, the Exposition never happened, but the neighborhood built to accommodate it — Esposizione Universale Roma (or EUR) — still stands in all of its Rationalist glory. I know all of things that Italian Fascism means, but that doesn’t prevent me from being extremely compelled and impressed by this architecture.

bottom photo courtesy of flickr user hidden side

Mythology at Centrale Montemartini

Today I took Althea, our friend from school, to the Roman forums and the Colosseum while David was in class. It was cool to finally get there, but nothing to write home (or blog) about especially. But after that, we met up with David and his Mythology class at Centrale Montemartini. Besides having a name that I think translates roughly into “Martini Mountain,” this museum acts as overflow for the popular Capitoline Museum in the Campidoglio above the forum and Piazza Venezia. From the 1890s until the 1930s, the building operated as a electric power station and when it was converted into a museum, a lot of the original industrial equipment was left intact. The result is a perfect example of the juxtaposition between modern and ancient that Rome does so well.

And so David’s professor led the class around the museum, reviewing for the class’ midterm by going to statue after statue and asking the class to the identify the deity. It was interesting to hear the stories in brief, summed and connected together. I definitely learned somethings, and Althea remembered a lot from all the Latin she took in high school. In the class, they (were supposed to have) learned not only the content of the stories but how they were used and what purpose they served in Roman society. It was interesting to sit in and get a guided tour. When it comes down to it, stories are stories, and I can’t get enough of them. Below, the prof. explains how Bacchus, the god of wine, got so wasted he lost both of his arms.

Ostia Antica: The Port City Swallowed By Time

Yesterday I went on a day trip to Ostia Antica. Simply put, this used to be ancient Rome’s port city. Two thousand years later, the water isn’t there any more. Silt deposits have moved the coast farther out. In another two thousand years, any East Coast port city would be lucky to look this good, but none of them will probably get the chance, as water levels now seem to rising.

My favorite part was the spectacular amphitheater, which reminded me of Swarthmore’s which I didn’t realize how much I loved until I went to my school with our terribly shitty concrete version. I think it would be nice to see a play there.

Also, my collective readership, I need advice. From what I’ve been told, Naples sounds like the most METAL city in Italy. One girl said that she saw a girl mauled by a dog on the street in front of her hostel. I hear stories where people get mugged, robbed, the whole deal. Is this legitimate? I know the place has a mob/trash stereotype, but should I actually stay there or just swoop in for a pizza on my way down south?