Turkish A359 Business Class to Italy: Rome, Amalfi Coast and a Glimpse of Istanbul

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

We woke up the next morning to bright sunshine and blue skies over the city of Rome. We headed for breakfast on the outdoor terrace of our hotel, the Salotto Monti.



What a perfect start to our vacation!

The Salotto Monti was a boutique 3-star hotel located within an old apartment building in the historic Monti neighbourhood. The hotel shared the building with other residences, businesses and rental/short-term stay apartments.



The previous day, we had landed in Rome just before midnight, and then caught a taxi from the airport to our hotel.

The reception was only manned during daytime hours, so we actually checked in at another nearby hotel, along Via Serpenti, before walking 100m up to the Salotto Monti and letting ourselves into the apartment building.



Through the gigantic carved wooden door, we entered a large stairwell, with an antique elevator right in the centre of the stairwell. We were not expecting to see an elevator like this. What an amazing contraption. This type of elevator was apparently still quite common in older apartment buildings in Rome, and also across many other cities in Europe.



We did like the fact that there was a wide staircase in the atrium, which gave the interior of the building a nice airy feel.



This was how buildings were designed in the days before elevators and air-conditioning. Even the elevator was a later retrofit to the original building. In the old days residents would get to their apartment via stairs. In those days, everyone must have been very fit.

[yflyer]

The Salotto Monti was a small but very thoughtfully designed hotel, with each room uniquely decorated in a different style. How many rooms were there? wasn't sure, but as the rooms were lettered and not numbered, I guessed less than 26.

Our room was a junior suite, room R...



Our room was spacious, with a high ceiling...



The walls were lined with red and white striped wallpaper. The bed was comfortable, with soft, high quality bedding.



There were many quirky design elements, like gilded mirrors...



...and antique suitcases...



...stacked by the door...



Minibar, coffee/tea making facilities and safe...



Spacious bathroom...



...with large shower stall.

[yflyer]

The Salotto Monti was in a great location in the heart of Rome.

We were close to the Colosseum, and a 10-15 minute walk to many of the main attractions in Rome, including the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.

Our room had windows facing Via Nazionale...



...right across from the headquarters of Banca d' Italia, the Central Bank of Italy.



There were many restaurants and shops along Via Nazionale. Via Serpenti, a narrow street lined with eateries, was just across the street.

[yflyer]

Our room rate included a daily breakfast. This was a simple but satisfying continental breakfast buffet comprising pastries, bakery items, cheese, salad and cold cuts. There were also a few hot items like bacon and scrambled eggs.



We ate breakfast mostly outside, on the outdoor terrace.



There was a small dining room inside as well, in case the weather was wet or too cold, which only happened on our last morning in Rome.

[yflyer]

We headed out to explore Rome. It was early in the tourist season, with the peak yet to come, but the city was already quite busy with visitors.



We headed to the Colosseum...



...which was as stunning as we remembered it from a previous visit.

We didn't head inside this time round...



...but I would definitely recommend heading inside for a look around this awe-inspiring structure.



We headed to the Spanish Steps...



,..taking in the view from both the top and bottom of the steps...



...and wandered down the narrow shopping streets, lined with boutiques...



...to the Trevi Fountain, which was jam packed with toursts, as usual.



It took a bit of jostling to get close to the fountain itself for the obligatory photo and wefie...

[yflyer]

We headed to the Pantheon, first built in 27 BC...



What skilled architects and builders the Romans must have been...



...to build such a large unsupported concrete dome 2000 years ago, with an oculus on top to let natural light in...



Not just light, but rain too apparently. Wonder what the ancient Romans in 27 BC used in place of the yellow sign when it got wet...

[yflyer]

History could be found everywhere in Rome. As Singaporeans, we think of something 50 years old as history, and we look back fondly at buildings like the old National Theatre or National Library which have been demolished.

In historical terms, 50 years would be a blink of an eye in Rome. The buildings here had layer upon layer of history built on top of them. Excavations were and are continuing to this day.

Inside one of the shopping malls was an ancient aquaduct. You headed into the basement of La Rinascente department store...



..and behind the displays and exhibitions, there was an ancient aquaduct, built in 19 BC, preserved and protected, for all to see.

[yflyer]

We visited the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where Pope Francis was buried, and also the location of one of the Holy Doors open in the Jubilee Year.



This was a popular Basilica to visit, with many coming to pay their respects at the tomb of Pope Francis, within the Basilica.

The Basilica was also known for a unique gelato dessert, named "Snowfall"...



This delicious treat was created to commemorate a miracle of summer snow in the year 358 AD.

[yflyer]

We headed to St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.



While it was possible to visit St Peter's all year round, the Basilica's Holy Door was only opened in the Jubilee Year. As there were many who wished to enter through it, there were special queues and lines for the faithful to go through the Holy Door. They did this in groups, led by a volunteer holding a large wooden cross.



Each group assembled and walked a few hundred meters through St Peter's square until they reached the Basilica...



...and entered through the Holy Door.



The interior of St Peter's Basilica was stunningly beautiful, with magnificent sculptures...



..., paintings and art...



...that were of a scale and magnificence rarely encountered.



As we left, we saw row upon row of seats being set up in St Peter's square for the Papal General Audience the next day...



There was some excitement in the air, as tomorrow's General Audience would be the first the newly elected Pope.

[yflyer]

We were up bright and early on Wednesday, 21 May, and headed to St Peter's in the early morning, to join the queue to enter St Peter's Square for the Papal General Audience.

The day before, we had queued to collect the invitation cards to the event, which Mrs yflyer had written in to apply for many months earlier.



When we had planned the trip to Rome a year ago, it was Pope Francis who headed the Catholic Church. However Pope Francis passed away earlier this year, and Pope Leo XIV was elected through the Papal Conclave on 8 May, and this was the first General Audience of Pope Leo's pontificate.

The General Audience was due to start at 9am, however, even at 6.45am, when we arrived at St Peters, there was a long queue to enter the square.



There were people from many countries and nationalities in line to attend. While there were some individual travellers like ourselves, many others had come as groups representing their church or community.

Finally entrances opened, and after security checks, we were allowed into the square.



It was free seating, however as we were fairly close to the front of the queue (which stretched hundreds of meters), we managed to get seats quite close to the front section of the seating area.



The crowds were large and enthusiastic, but there was no pushing and shoving. There was good crowd control, not to mention security by the Swiss Guard, in their distinctive traditional uniforms in orange and dark blue.

There was a large contingent from the USA in the audience, although many nationalities were represented, with many waving flags that they had brought along.



At long last, the Pope arrived in his open-top car, dubbed the Popemobile, to a rapturous welcome.



The Popemobile took a long drive around the passageways around and criss-crossing the seating area, so even if you were seated far from the front, you had the opportunity for a close encounter with His Holiness. As he drove around, he blessed babies who were presented to him.



Arriving at the dais in front, Pope Leo addressed attendees in both Italian and English. While a Papal General Audience was not a full Catholic Mass, there was a scripture reading, followed by a homily from the Pope.



There were translations of the homily into 8 languages, including Mandarin. Earlier on, at the start, announcers also read out and acknowledge the different groups of pilgrims in attendance, who in turn responded with loud cheers and applause when their group was called out.



All in attendance received a Apostolic Blessing. The audience that morning ran into the tens of thousands, filling the whole of St Peter's Square.



What a special day for all the pilgrims and the faithful in attendance!

[yflyer]

Later that day, we headed to Checchino dal 1887 for lunch. This was a much loved institution in Rome, having served traditional Roman cuisine for 6 generations, since 1887.



A unique feature of this restaurant was their wine cellar, located in the basement of the restaurant, dug out of a large hill built ouf of discarded shards of amphora, or vases, from Imperial Rome. The whole restaurant was built next to the hill, Mount Testaccio, made entirely out of these stacked pieces of broken amphorae, which were used by traders and merchants to transport food, then discarded by being broken into shards and stacked until it formed a large hill. The minute gaps in the amphora allowed air to circulate, keeping the cellar at an ideal temperature for storing wines. How amazing.



The wine cellar was not open to the public, but if you dined there and asked to have a look, the staff might take you down there for a peek.

The dining room itself was intimate and traditional...



Drinks to start...



The cuisine here was excellent.

We began with soup, “Stracciatella", "Little Rags", which was an "egg drop" soup made of beef
broth and Parmigiano cheese.



Superb Roman pasta, done the traditional way...



A special platter of mixed roasted entrails, comprising sweetbreads, liver, small
intestine and testicle (!)...



...and delicious lamb chops...



...all washed down with the house wine.



We had just enough space after all that to share a Tiramisu for dessert.



What a unique restaurant, with a long history, delicious cuisine, and warm, welcoming staff.

Definitely worth the short car or bus ride to the Testaccio neighbourhood to dine there.

[yflyer]

Earlier in the week, we had lunch at La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali, which as the name implied, was close to the Imperial Fora, and also the Colosseum.



This was a popular place and reservations were recommended. We did not have a reservation, so arrived just before they opened for lunch and hoped for the best. Thankfully a table for two was available...



Apparently quite a few famous people had dined here. The wall was covered with photos of famous actors and celebrities, including the likes of Al Pacino, Robert de Niro...



...and Patrick Stewart...



We drank many Aperol Spritzes on this trip.



We began with a combo starter of meat dumplings and beef tartar...



A speciality was Roman artichoke...



I was keen to try an authentic Cacia e Pepe...



Mrs yflyer opted for the ravioli with bottarga and fish roe...



Coffee to end...



This was a very nice lunch, and the staff were friendly and welcoming too.

[yflyer]

Another of our lunches was at Trattoria Settimio...



The menu...





Portions here were fairly large, so we each could not manage a Primi Piatti (First course) as well as a Secondi Piatti (Second course). We usually ordered a selection of dishes to share.

Prosecco by the glass to start...



We ordered a taster of 2 different olive oils to sample with bread...



Beef carpaccio...



Mrs yflyer had one of the daily pasta specials, spaghetti with artichokes and other vegetables...



...while I couldn't resist ordering another Cacia e Pepe, just to calibrate my tastebuds as to what an authentic Italian/Roman Cacia e Pepe tasted like...



After the pastas, we shared grilled meatballs...



...washed down with the house red wine...



A satisfying, and very filling meal.

[yflyer]

There was a lively cocktail scene in Rome too.

The first cocktail bar we headed to was Drink Kong...



...which had a cutting edge cocktail menu which looked almost like something out of a chemistry lab...



The drinks here were all top notch...



We expected the drinks to be superb...



...but we didn't expect the snack and food menu to be so outstanding as well...



There were many small bites here that were simply delicious.

[yflyer]

Our favourite bar in Rome was the Gerry Thomas Bar Room, an offshoot of the legendary Gerry Thomas Speakeasy.

The Gerry Thomas Bar Room was in the colourful Travestere neighbourhood of Rome, just across the west bank of the River Tiber.



This was a tiny place -- reservations were essential.



Inside, a cosy room decorated to look like the Orient Express.



There was no bar counter, but everyone was seated close enough to see the wonderful team at work...



Champagne featured heavily on the menu...



...along with both classics and twists on classics...



The drinks here were world class...



Elegant and balanced...



The Bloody Mary was shockingly good...best I had ever tasted...with a depth and richness I had never ever encountered.



I would definitely head back to Gerry Thomas Bar Room if I were ever in Rome again.