16/12/2025
SUNDAY IN ROME: It was my last day in Rome, and I made the most of it. So, after another fabulous breakfast at my extraordinary guesthouse, Residenza Maritti, I set a course for adventure. The air was crisp and breezy, the sun was out and the sky was blue – a perfect backdrop for walking wherever my feet took me. And boy, did I cover a lot of ground: 13,949 steps, to be exact.
Turning right outside the Residenza’s front door, it was all uphill on cobblestone streets to the first stop: the presidential palace at Piazza del Quirinale. I could see the massive dome of St. Peter’s Basilica gleaming high above the surrounding buildings in the morning sun.
Next was the legendary Trevi Fountain. As I rounded the corner into Trevi Square – three streets, “tre vie,” meet there, thus the name – I was thrilled to finally see the exquisite work of art. It features Oceanus surrounded by mermaids, sea shells and sea beasts. Frommer’s describes it as an “aquatic marvel” and I agree. The square was absolutely packed with tourists and locals, but they were friendly and polite. Everyone was taking pictures (including several young lovers) and tossing coins into the gurgling water.
Legend has it that If you face away from the fountain and throw a coin over your shoulder into the founter, you’ll return to Rome. If you throw two, you’ll return and fall in love. If three, you’ll return, fall in love and marry. I tossed in two, but I found out afterward that I did them the wrong way. Your supposed to hold the coin in your right hand and toss it over your left shoulder. I tossed one straight back and then, for good measure, kissed another coin and tossed it facing forward. Oh, well. Maybe it’ll work anyway. I’d dearly hope to return to Rome again soon. I don’t expect to find love, but wouldn’t that be something? Throughout the experience, the theme song of the classic 1950s film, “Three Coins in the Fountain,” kept running through my head. I whistled it and sang it to myself for the rest of the day.
After Trevi, my feet took me to the world-famous Spanish Steps in Piazza di Spagna. The locals call the 135-step staircase “La Scalinata.” Built in 1723, it is across from the Spanish embassy to the Vatican and next door to the Keats-Shelley House. At the very top of the steps is the stunning Trinita dei Monti a 16th century church with a rare double tower façade. It also features an obelisk dating to the early Roman Empire. Mass was being conducted inside, but visitors were allowed to enter a small area just inside the door to say a prayer and light candles of remembrance. I lit two for Mom and Dad and then went on my way.
By now it was noonish. After some outrageously delicious gelato in the piazza – which I discovered later had dripped on my chin and upper lip - I walked through winding streets, taking pictures of whatever struck my fancy, and finally arrived at the entrance to the Roman Forum, which is immediately across the street from Residenza Maritti. I spent about two and a half hours there, marveling at the buildings and sculptures and climbing stairs and ramps all the way to the top of the Palatine. The view was devastatingly beautiful in the mid-afternoon sun, which cast a golden hue on everything. I noticed that my phone battery was nearly kaput, so I walked back across the street to Residenza Maritti and charged it up while enjoying an espresso with Pierfrancesco Maritti, one of the owners.
After I had a sufficient charge, I took a taxi to the Pantheon. By then it was around 6 p.m. and dark. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to see much as a result, but it is well illuminated and looks incredible by night. It’s a behemoth! Dating to the A.D. 125, this Roman marvel boasts a concrete dome measuring 141 feet across. Frommer’s calls it “the dome of domes” and says It is larger than the dome of St. Peter’s. Hauntingly beautiful inside, the Pantheon is an enormous tomb housing the remains of many legendary people, including past kings and leaders. There was low lighting inside, but I managed to capture a few good images.
By now I was starving and I went to one of the city’s best-loved pizzerias just off of Piazza Navona and recommended to me by one of my dearest college chums, Jane Tierney: Pizzeria Baffetta. Mama mia! So thin! So crispy. So utterly deliziosa! I ordered The Pizza Baffetta, which has artichoke hearts, sausage, cheese and all kinds of tasty toppings. The smallest pizza you can order is a medium, so that’s what I did, figuring I wouldn’t be able to eat it all. I was wrong. Served on a plate too small to hold it and washed down with a small pitcher of red wine, I gobbled up the entire thing.
Pierfrancesco had told me about the Christmas Market at Piazza Navona, near the Pantheon and near Pizza Baffetta, so fortified with food and wine, I walked over to see the excitement was about. Wow! So many lights, a carousel, and booths with a million fabulous things to buy, from sweets and pastries to Christmas ornaments and jewelry. I bought three hand-blown glass ornaments for my tree.
What a day! What a WALK! I couldn’t be happier. No tour guide could have created this experience. I did it my way – and I will never forget it. Arrivederci, Roma!
