Cindybelle's Bella Notte TR COMPLETE!! - UPDATED 10/19 With Prices! About This Page:

[cindybelle]

For those planning trips to Rome, I thought I'd share a bit about our hotel. It was recommended by Rick Steves, plus we read good reports on Trip Advisor. We got the "Rick Steves cash discount" price of 109 Euros a night, which is about 150 U.S. dollars. The rooms are small but clean; we had a small refrigerator; the price included breakfast -- prosciutto, watermelon and grapes (all the fruit in Italy was sweeter and juicier than we get in the U.S.), cheese, fresh pastries, hot chocolate or coffee, juice, and yogurt.

The hotel is owned and run by brothers Umberto and Antonio. Umberto's wife, Nella, serves breakfast and heads up the housekeeping staff. Umberto speaks enough English to be helpful, and both of them are so eager to assist you. Anytime we needed a cab, they would call and the car would be waiting outside within 5 minutes. They provided all the maps of Rome we could ever need. (My Rick highlighted all the streets we walked -- and all I can say is, no wonder we slept so well!)

The showers were tiny, which we had expected, but it was all part of the charm. The location was excellent. We stayed three nights and all slept well. Who could ask for more?

The air conditioning wasn't as cold as Rick and I like it, but I had brought a tiny fan ($7 at Target) and lugged a heavy converter just for the fan. Well, I had that fan blowing on my face the 3 nights we were in Rome, and was glad I'd brought it. They provided hair dryers in the bathrooms, and I never needed to use the converter again once we left Rome.





This is Paul & Robbie's bed. They slept downstairs, so their room was cooler than ours. Rick & I had requested twin beds that we separated with a nightstand -- I put my "white noisemaker" on the nightstand to the sound of rain falling, stuffed earplugs in my ears, and Rick sawed logs but didn't bother me the whole trip.




Small bathrooms, but they were all our own.


Rick and I stayed upstairs, and could either squeeze into the tiny elevator or take the stairs -- which we usually took going DOWN, but stopped taking UP once we began doing the heavy-duty walking all over the city. It was a pretty little marble staircase, though.



Next to the small lobby was a small lounge/bar area where we were served breakfast each morning, and had the opportunity to purchase a glass of wine in the evenings. Here we are at breakfast.

[DouglasE]

Good for you picking a hotel that is a unique boutique spot in the heart of the city! It sounds like you got great attention from the owners and staff.

How great is that location to be right next to the Forum!

Sweet picture of you and Rick at the Forum.

Keep it comin'!

[lauriep]

Wonderful beginning, Cindy! That hotel looks terrific. Full of charm and great service and real immersion in the local scene. Can't beat the price, either.

[chezp]

What a great start Cindy! It looks like you got a superb hotel there - what an awesome location.

You're bringing back great memories of Rome for me - we loved the Colosseum.... and Larry, now you know why I was so surprised about how many Roman ruins there were in Athens. I was doing double takes at your photos, thinking that they looked like Rome!

[Colexis Mom]

More great pictures and updates! What a great time!

[cindybelle]

After the Colosseum, we rested in the shade a bit -- it was a hot day with full sun, after all. Robbie and I decided now was the perfect time to have our first taste of real, Italian gelato (which we were determined to feast on every day of the vacation). We found a shady spot and enjoyed. Robbie had lemon and I had strawberry sorbet. Refreshing. Ah, Roma!





Refreshed, we headed down some side streets. Paul had expressed an interest in seeing the Saint-Peter-in-Chains Basilica, so we strolled to that. We were allowed to take photos inside, and we are so glad of that. Spectacular.



"Michelangelo died having failed to complete his greatest work, the tomb of Pope Julius II. Today, you can visit the powerful remains of that unfinished masterpiece, including the famous statue of Moses, housed in a historic church that also contains Peter's chains." (Rick Steves, Rome 2009)

Here is Michelangelo's Moses, in the lower middle. "Like other Michelangelo statues, Moses is both at rest (seated) and in motion (his tensed leg, turning head, and nervous fingers). Michelangelo always felt he was releasing people from stone when he sculpted. Frustrated with this statue, he reportedly threw his chisel at it (some say causing a scar on Moses' right knee), yelling, "Speak, damn it, speak!" (Rick Steves)



Rick Steves continues, "The horns are the crowning touch. In medieval times, the Hebrew word for 'rays of light' (halo) was mistranslated as 'horns.' Michelangelo knew better but wanted to give the statue an air of terribilita, a kind of scary charisma possessed by Moses, Pope Julius II. . . and Michelangelo. This Moses radiates the smoldering terribilita of a borderline-abusive father."


Now, to the church itself. Founded in 440, it's one of Rome's oldest, built to house two different sets of chains believed to have been used on Peter: one when he and Paul were in the Mamertine Prison in Rome (near the Forum), and the other from when Herod jailed Peter in Jerusalem (Acts 12). The Bible mentions Peter sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains. An angel struck Peter on the side and woke him, and the chains fell off his hands. Peter thought he was dreaming as the angel led him out of the prison to safety.




Our photos of the altar don't do it justice. If you ever visit Rome, I highly recommend this beautiful church.



.

[chezp]

Oh wow, that is beautiful. We never found that place on our visit.

[Wendyismyname]

I'm so glad it was everything you hoped it would be Cindy!! More please!

[cindybelle]

After leaving Saint Peter-in-Chains Basilica, we walked several more blocks until we came upon a "churcha-churcha" that completely blew me away. This was one of those delightful surprises that Italy springs on you. Absolutely exquisite.

This church is considered the most ancient and greatest among basilicas dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It's believed to have been built around 352 under Pope Liberium after a dream appeared to the Pope himself and to a wealthy citizen. Through the years, various enlargements have been added -- but all look to be quite old.

First, we see an incredible marble Corinthian column in the piazza in front of the church. It was brought here by Paul V in 1615 from another basilica near the Colosseum.




Then, the exterior of the church overwhelms us as we enter the basilica.



Above the altar is an array of angels that seem to glow, surrounded by incredible art showing various biblical scenes.








It's so difficult to limit myself to five photos of this incredible building -- every square inch is covered in beautiful artwork.



Again, my advice to anyone planning a trip to Rome is to see St. Peter-in-Chains and Sta. Maria Maggiore Basilicas.

Rick and I were raised Lutheran, and yet these churches affected us deeply. We can only imagine the thrill these structures brought to our dear Catholic friends, Paul and Robbie.

Keep in mind this is still the day we arrived in Rome! Our brains were slowly awakening as we were surrounded by all this beauty. And despite our exhausted backs and sore feet, we trudged on in search of more delights.

.

[pamcarey]

Great start to the TR! Those churches are both absolutely beautiful!

[Laurie Malinowski]

As an art lover I found your pics beautiful.And I am baptist.I envy you going to Italy.
Have fun.
Laurie M

[cindybelle]

Laurie, I love your sexy signature pic. Very nice!

[chezp]

Now this church I do remember and it's a beauty.

[cindybelle]

We're still on Day 1, remember, so picture four weary travelers who feel like it should be at least 10:00 p.m. by this point -- and yet it was only 18:00 (6:00 p.m.) in Italy. Restaurants don't open for dinner until 19:00 or later, and there was NO WAY we were going to be able to keep our eyes open or our faces out of our food. So, after leaving Sta. Maria Maggiore, I pulled out my trusty Rick Steves Rome 2009 book (honest, I'm not getting a percentage of his sales ) and he came through for us once again.

I'm flipping through the "Eating" section of the book while the guys are looking at their maps of Rome. "Where are we? What are we near?" Turns out we were near Termini Train Station. So here's what Mr. Steves says, "Flann O'Brien Irish Pub is an entertaining place for a light meal. . . served early and late, when other places are closed." Bingo! It turned out to be quite close to the basilica we had just left.




The food was quite good, served by Italians -- and yes, we ordered pasta! No wine for anybody that night -- soft drinks and water did it for us. Then we trudged back to Hotel Nerva where we took comically teeny-tiny showers. I did the same ritual I do at Disney World -- washed my hair and went to bed with it wet. (I never do that at home, but when I'm feeling really grungy before bed, it is SO refreshing.) We all slept great.

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[Colexis Mom]

Another great day! Love the pictures!!