O Solo Roma - Day 3 - Oddities and Favorite Tourist Sites

 Day three was an interesting day.  It was the first day I actually ventured away from the immediate area where I was staying.  My main goal for the day was to see The Spanish Steps, Throw a coin the Trevi Fountain and buy a Hard Rock Café Tee shirt.   I more or less achieved all of these goals.   Returning to my room the previous evening I spent some time with my guide book plotting out the locations I wanted to see my third day.   I rarely use maps when I travel.  I am not good with maps and hate to struggle with deciphering them.  I usually let who ever I am traveling with deal with maps and I just follow them hoping they have figured out where we are going.   I can use maps.  I am not helpless.  I just don't enjoy the process and try to avoid the task.   But traveling alone I had no choice.  It was either work with the maps or just walk around and get lost, which is not always the worst thing to happen.  

Piazza del Popolo

Santa Maria del Popolo

I started out from what was to become my central point in Rome Piazza del Popolo.  I took a photo of Santa Maria del Popolo Church which is used for the opening scene in Rome in the movie Angels and Demons.  The church was beautiful inside.  But because it was Sunday and I walked into the church during mass I was unable to take any photos.  I had planned to return because there was an angle by Bernini that I wanted to see but for one reason or another I never had to the chance to venture back inside.  And it was a big mistake on my part as I was in Piazza del Popolo almost every day of my vacation and exploring the works of Bernini was one of my big goals of the holiday.  

Odd shoes in a store window

I walked down Via del Babuino towards the Spanish steps.  This is a major shopping street for tourists.   Before finind the steps I saw two things that I found interesting and a bit odd in my opinion.   I saw some very unusual shoes in one of the store windows.   Then just past the store with the shoes I saw a second thing I found odd.  It was  a clothing  store named Roy Rogers.   When I think of Roy Rogers that last thing I think of is fashion.

To me Roy Rogers is a famous American movie star who made western movies and TV shows when I was a child.  And then years later he opened up a roast beef sandwich chain.    I never connected the name with a clothing store.  Funny though, as I was writing this blog I tried to research the store brand to find some information about it and I found the store I had seen is now closed permanently.    I guess this store rode off into the sunset along with the old cowboy hero.  

I ventured  on to find the Spanish Steps.  I have recently learned that Rome has passed laws to prevent people from sitting on the steps.  They have had issues with too many tourists and are trying to protect the steps.  But for years tourists have looked forward to seeing the steps and taking photos sitting on them.    So my first goal of the day was to locate the steps and ask a friendly stranger to take my photo.   But to my surprise the steps were closed!   The square was still full of people but all they got see was a set of empty white steps. No beautiful flowers. No tourists sitting on the steps. But the crowd was still large and many were sitting around Fontana della Barcaccia at the bottom of the steps.

1.       I then continued to walk down Via del Babuino.  I cut across Via Barberini down to Via Del Corso.  From there I approached Piazza Trevi.  I could hear the crowds before I walked around the corner to find the Trevi Fountain.

Walking towards Trevi Fountain

The crowds were insane. It was all but impossible to get close enough to the fountain to try to throw in a coin and take a photo. Being alone I had no one to take a photo and it was too crowded to take out my selfie stick without decapitating someone. So I decided to just step back and watch the crowds and take some photos from a distance.

I walked across the Piazza to the church Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi. There was a large group of people setting on the steps. I joined them. From there I was able to get a few selfie stick photos of myself with the fountain in the background. Fortunately no one was decapitated.

I did finally find a friendly stranger to take my photo at the Trevi fountain also.

One oddity at the Trevi Fountain.  I caught a man making a funny face at his wife who was trying to take his photo.  I could not resist taking one of him also.

   I left Piazza Trevi and walked up Via Lavatorie to Via del Traforo. From there I walked up too Via del Tritone so I could walk to Piazza Barberini where I wanted to see a fountain by Bernini. I read about the fountain in my guide book the previous evening. This would be my first major Bernini sculpture to see.

I really liked this fountain a lot.  It was a Bernini design which was important to me.  And there were no crowds.  It was no where near the size of the Trevi fountain.  But it was very near so I did not understand why no one was visiting the fountain. 









There was no one near to take my photo so I had to use the selfie stick.  

Leaving the Tritone Fountain I headed towards the Hard Rock Cafe.   Before arriving at the cafe though I did see another oddity.  I saw a very interesting lady on the side walk smoking a cigar.  I don't see a lot of ladies smoking cigars so I had to get a photo.

I know it's touristy but when I travel I really enjoy visiting Hard Rock Cafe's.   I have a huge colletction of Hard Rock Cafe tee shirts.    The HRC in Rome is a smaller café than some others I have visited. But I did have a beer at the bar before purchasing my tee shirt. I had a Peroni Nastro Azzurro. It was a good choice and the first beer I had in Rome. It's difficult to pass up all of the good Italian wines for a beer.   

And I got to hear James Brown singing "I Feel Good" while at the cafe.  And after the heat of the day I did feel good after having that cold beer.  This left me time for one more selfie stick photo.  I was really enjoying the selfie on this trip.

Food?  I had a lot of good food opportunities on my third day.  It's Rome of course.  And my food adventures were excellent. 

I had a delicious Pasta Bolognese at Piazza Mignanelli for lunch.  And it's not a meal without a glass of wine when in Rome.   I also really like the pasta plate a lot and would have loved to have found some to buy for home.

Later in the day I had dinner at Restaurante Rosati I beautiful restaurant with side walk dining in Piazza del Popolo.  I read on the menu that the restaurant originally opened in 1922 which is the year my father was born.  I know he was in Rome in World War II and I know he had no time for restaurants.  But it was a nice feeling to make the connection to him while  dining here.

I had Penne Arrabbiata, white wine and a glass of limoncello after my dinner.  Once again the pasta bowl was beautiful.

I then walked back down Via Cola di Rienzo to return to my hotel. I stopped by Portofina Café for a huge gelato dessert. It was called a Volcano. There was liquid nitrogen in the bottom of the glass making it smoke like a Volcano.  It was a fun dessert and the perfect ending to my day.

There were several more odd things I noticed during my day.  When you are traveling alone there is a lot of time to notice things you might overlook if you are with someone else.  You might be busy talking.  Or making plans.  Or looking at each others photos while eating.   But being alone it's easier to pick up on things that might go unnoticed.  Some of these were just odd.  One was kind of funny.  And one was down right creepy.

One thing I saw would not go unnoticed alone or with someone else.  Although it was a very nice restaurant the toilet at Restaurante Rosati was a bit disturbing.  There was no toilet seat!

Also while having my dinner I noticed a young couple at the table next to me.  The young girl was very attentive to the young man which was fine.  But then for no reason I understood she took off her shoe and pushed her foot up underneath of his.  And that is how they finished their meal.   Maybe he liked it.  Maybe not.   But had I been with Mark I might have missed this.

At the end of my evening while having my gelato I noticed a man dressed in clown make up holding balloons in his hand.  He was greeting children who entered the restaurant and also talking to their parents.  And he was staring at me! And I was alone! I could just imagine the headlines the next day...lonely tourist murdered by crazed clown with creepy smile on Via Cola di Rienzo in Rome.

When I was back in my hotel as I relaxed I texted Mark on my laptop.  We laughed about the weird clown.  I sent him a copy of the photo.  We also had a laugh about the girl with her foot underneath her boyfriend while having dinner.  And then just like the two previous nights Mark asked me if I had gone to Trastevere.  And once more I had not gotten there yet.   

O Solo A Roma - Alone in Rome

Just my cap on the bed.  Alone at Hotel Relais dei Papi in Rome

I don't mind traveling alone.  I've done it on many occasions.   Mark and I had planned a trip to Rome.  We were very excited about it.  We have talked about it for years.  I had never been to Rome.  Mark had been in Rome when he was eighteen and traveled there with his sister when he graduated from high school.   We really wanted to go together so he could show me all of the places he visited with his sister.   His sister died very young in her forties.  So there was a lot of nostalgia for him going back to Rome.  Mark is Italian and he speaks Italian fluently.  So I was also looking forward to watching him talk to the waiters and bartenders in Italian.  We really had planned a very special and romantic vacation to Rome.   But things don't always go as planned.  Mark's parents were both elderly and  having major health issues.  Just a couple of weeks before our planned trip his father took very ill with pneumonia and was hospitalized.  With only one child still living his parents needed him home so there is no way we could do the holiday together.  Do to some complications with our travel insurance we were unable to cancel without losing a lot the money we had paid in advance.  So we decided I would go alone to Rome and not lose the entire investment in the trip.  I hated going without him and although not thrilled with losing the money on his part of the trip he was very supportive of me going.   That brings me to this holiday in Rome I called The O Solo A Roma Trip.

Rome had never been on one of my must see lists.  I had not really thought much about Rome at all.  I had lots of thoughts about Rome but they did not include visiting it.   I had read many times online  and in guide books that Rome is well know for petty theft and pick pockets.  I had one friend who was in Rome for an extended period tell me how her husband was pick pocketed within an hour after arriving in Rome.  She told me if you've never been pick pocketed then you've never been to Rome.   I had also read it's always very crowded with tourists.  There are lines for everything.  So Rome was always on the back burner for me, someplace I would see someday but not today.

I was very conscious of being alone.  With my history of bizarre accidents when I travel I was somewhat concerned what might happen to me if I had any problems and no one there with me.  Suppose I tripped and injured myself, which I have done in the past.  Suppose I do get pick pocketed and lose my credit cards?   I would be alone with no one else near with money.  So I was extremely cautious when I first arrived.   Then I took a walk my first afternoon in Rome.  Just a few blocks from my hotel I found Piazza del Popolo.

And with that Rome had captured me.  I forgot all about my concerns and doubts.  Rome was beckoning me.  And then there was this restaurant in the Piazza and they had this excellent wine and pizza.

I returned to my room happy and full.   I was ready to conquer Rome.   And then I realized I had lost my credit card.   My first day.  The art, the piazza, the pizza, the wine.  It all distracted me. I let down my guard.  It all worked out though.  It was my error not Romes.   I immediately called my credit card company and notified them and then went on to my back up credit card the rest of the trip.

My second day in Rome I walked to St. Peters Square.  It was only a few blocks from my hotel which was convenient for me.   I was expecting  massive crowds.  I went early and it was not crowded at all.  I had plenty of time and space for photos and selfies.   You never quite get over that first glimpse of St. Peters Basilica.

Every where I looked there were sculptures.  There were nuns.  There were Swiss guards in colorful uniforms.   It truly was awe inspiring. 

Leaving St. Peter's Square it was time for some lunch. I found a small restaurant just across the river from Vatican City called Mela Stregata, Mela stranslates to apple and the pizzeria was decorated with a Disney Snow White Theme dealing with the evil queen and the apple. Not what I was expecting in Rome near the Vatican but interesting to say the least.

So here I sat surrounded by Snow White's woods

Drinking wine and eating lasagna.

The lasagna was very good. So I guess Snow White must have a little Italian in her ancestry. Leaving the restaurant I had a car stop next to curb and the driver called out to me. He asked for help locating something on his map. I had just been approached by my first scam artist in Rome. He offered me a leather coat from his store in Paris if I would be kind enough to help him locate a near by location on his map. Luckily for me this was the only scam artist I would see in Rome.


Castel Sant'Angelo was also nearby so this was my next stop. The views from the top of the castle were amazing.

Castel Sant'Angelo

Flemish sculptor Pieter Van Verschaffelt's bronze angel on top of Castel Sant'Angelo

View of the River Tiber from Castel Sant'Angelo

Viewing Vittoriano from the top of Castel Saint'Angelo

There was a small cafe inside the Castel Sant'Angelo. And yes they did have wine.

I did see some unusual things my second day in Rome. Nothing too shocking but still interesting.


I saw a bear begging for money.

I saw a man napping with a rubber duck on his stomach

And I saw a blonde Jesus in a gift shop.

Because I was alone I made sure to take my selfie stick with me to make sure I could get photos of myself during the day I had a great deal of fun with it. I know they drive people crazy when you are in crowded tourist areas trying to use a selfie stick. But I am a tourist. And i was alone. So I ignored everyone who was offended. My first tries with the selfie stick came out a little awkward. Yes I know you are not supposed to see the stick in the photo. But I was just getting the hang of using it. I got better as the week progressed.

I was still a little jet lagged from the time change so I had an early dinner before returning to my room for an early sleep. I had supper at Pizzeria San Marco. This was located very near my hotel. I had a delicious pasta with cheese and bacon and some wine of course. For dessert I had an excellent panacota with another shot of grappa. A pattern is forming here. Good food, good wine, and a shot of grappa to end my day.

I ended my day back in my room. I took so time to text with Mark and tell him all about my day and what I had seen. He had lots of questions and was very excited for all I had seen. He did ask me did you go to Trastevere. I had not. He insisted that I make sure to go there. We had this same conversation every evening when we chatted. After talking to Mark I reviewed my thoughts on the day and I was glad to find that I had not lost any credit cards. I had avoided getting ripped off by the con artist with the leather coats. And then I looked at my camera bag and there was no selfie stick attached. I had lost it. My first full day in Rome and my selfie stick was gone.