A Roman walk

The best way to feel the pulse of the city is to go for a walk. And that is exactly what we did in Rome. We went on a walking tour of Rome. It was amazing. It was a free walk and we could tip the guide at the end of the tour if we were happy.

The tour started in the evening at the 'The Spanish Steps' between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top. The Scalinata is the widest staircase in Europe!

In the Piazza di Spagna at the base is the Early Baroque fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia ("Fountain of the ugly Boat"), built in 1627-29. According to a legend, Pope Urban VIII had the fountain installed after he had been impressed by a boat brought here by a flood of the Tiber River. Here we were informed that we could safely drink water from any of the numerous fountains in Rome!

In the piazza there is the house where English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821; it is now a museum dedicated to his memory.

As we walk down a few steps we come across The Column of the Immaculate Conception, a nineteenth-century monument in central Rome, located in what is called Piazza Mignanelli. The column was dedicated on December 8, 1857. Atop the column is a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary, sculpted by Giuseppe Obici.

Further down the road we were shown the street where the local Romans did their classy shopping.

And then again another water fountain which was not only meant for humans but also animals!

We were taken aback when we were introduced to Galleria Alberto Sordi, a shopping arcade named after the actor Alberto Sordi. What a marvellous structure! It was built in 1914 on the site of Palazzo Piombino.

And on we marched to The Column of Marcus Aurelius, a Roman victory column in Piazza Colonna. It is a Doric column featuring a spiral relief: it was built in honour of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and modelled on Trajan's Column. The spiral picture relief tells the story of Marcus Aurelius’ Danubian or Marcomannic wars, waged by him from 166 to his death. The carvings are amazing!

Then it was The Palazzo Chigi that is the official residence of the Prime Minister of the Italian Republic.

The Temple of Hadrian is a temple to the deified Hadrian on the Campus Martius in Rome, Italy, built by his adoptive son and successor Antoninus Pius in 145 and now incorporated into a later building in the Piazza di Pietra (Piazza of Stone - derived from use of the temple's stones to build the piazza).

Now it was time for some excellent Italian coffee! It was aromatic and delicious. Now I know why Italians

love their coffee!

The Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola at Campus is a Roman Catholic titular church dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order. This is absolutely amazing. This is a must see church.

The art inside is spellbinding!

The Pantheon was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome, and rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian about 126 AD.

The building is circular with a portico of large granite Corinthian columns. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered concrete dome, with a central opening to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. It is one of the best-preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, and since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs" but informally known as "Santa Maria della Rotonda." The square in front of the Pantheon is called Piazza della Rotonda.

Our last stop was The Trevi Fountain. Standing 26.3 metres high and 49.15 metres wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world. It is believed that if one tosses a coin over ones shoulder in the fountain one’s wish will be realised or at least you will come back to visit Rome yet again!

Our Free walking tour of Rome operator was New Rome Do check them out if you visit Rome. We loved it!

When in Rome...

Rome, one of the oldest cities in Europe and regarded as the birthplace of Western civilisation is an amazing city. It is the only city in the world that is the capital of two states, Italy and the Vatican! Since the 1st century AD, Rome has been considered the seat of the Papacy and in the 8th century it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870. In 1871 Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1946 that of the Italian Republic.

  

When in Rome you must take a guided tour of the Coliseum to soak into the history behind that magnificent

 structure. Visit it at least twice. Once in daylight and once at night when it is beautifully lit up. It is listed as a

world heritage since 1980 by UNESCO.

It is the largest amphitheatre in the world and been in existence since 70-72AD. It was called Amphitheatrum Flavium as it was constructed by the Emperors of the Flavian dynasty. The name Coliseum is believed to have been derived from the colossal statue of Nero that was built just outside the amphitheatre. Now only the base of the statue exists.

Adjacent to the Coliseum is the Roman Forum. In Latin, Forum means plaza or square. This forum is

surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings and the ruins of the Roman kingdom's earliest shrines and temples.

In the next post we will take a walking tour of Rome.

Open Bus tour of Rome

Our Colosseum tour ended on the topmost existing level from where we could get some beautiful views of the lovely ancient city of Rome. As I looked below at the streets I saw an 

open roofed bus full of tourists going around the city. It kindled in me a desire to charter one of these buses, sit on the roofless top and go around the historic city of Rome with my 

favourite glass of Black Dog Centenary Scotch and celebrate the astonishing history of Rome with the finest scotch. I did precisely that in my fantasy.

As the bus took me around Rome, I sipped on the Black Dog Centenary scotch which has a pronounced rich malt and oak and sherry sweetness that spreads warmly in the mouth like silent waves. The aroma of matured wood and toasted malt that emerges everytime the glass is raised for a sip was incredible in the warm sunny weather of Rome as we passed the Colosseum and the Forum. We also noticed fountains in every Piazza (square) and corner. Apparently the water from any of these fountains is drinkable! I did the next best thing. 

Poured some of the pure water from the fountain into my glass of the finest scotch, the Black Dog Centenary and celebrated the historic city with a historic drink.

Live in Style guys!

Cheers!

Drink responsibly.

Colosseum

Yesterday we visited the amazing Colosseum in Rome with an official guide who took us around and explained to us in great detail how the Colosseum got its name and also how it was used by Royalty. It was originally called the Amphitheatrum Flavium, as it was constructed by the emperors of the Flavian dynasty between 70-72AD. Nearby there was a colossal statue of Nero and people used to call the amphitheatre as the place near the Colossal statue which over the years came to be called the Colosseum.

The amphitheatre was used by the Emperors as a place for entertainment where various gladiators and animals fought each other. The Royalty and the VIPs had a special seating area from where they would watch the proceedings in the arena. There were separate seating areas for different classes of the people and it was free entry. Apparently all the fights did not end in the killing of gladiator and the Emperor would decide whether the loser would be killed or saved by signalling with a thumbs up for ‘Let him Live’.

Last night I dreamt I was seated in the Royalty Box of the Colosseum sharing my Black Dog with the 

Emperor. He was mighty impressed with the aroma and the taste of the 21 year old Black Dog. The aroma was a harmony of delight orchestrated by a multitude of seductive aromas of Soft peaches and ripe citrus fruits coupled with pear, marzipan and bergamot.

The taste was Bold and magnificent, perfectly suited for the action in the arena. The intense flavors of Seville oranges, ripe sweet mangoes and ginger spice rewarded the palate, and then whispers of bitter chocolate, liquorices and crushed almonds drift lovingly on.

And then the fight ended and the Emperor asked me to decide the fate of the loser. I gave a thumbs up sign as anyone who drinks Black Dog, the finest scotch ever, would!

Live in Style.

Cheers!

Drink responsibly.

Romans, Friends, and Countrymen

Last night I flew to Rome on Easyjet which is a low cost carrier from London's Gatwick Airport. I was fortunate to get the seats at the Exit, else the seats are so close to each other that it gets very cramped. However, the flight left early and landed early too at Fiumicino Airport in Rome.
Though they say 'In Rome do as the Romans do' I decided to be different and carried my Black Dog with me to enjoy with the pizzas and pastas and cannelloni.

My first Italian dish that I had with my Black Dog was Spaghetti al Tonno (Spaghetti with Tuna). The

delicate flavours were a perfect combination for the malty, mellow woody taste of the Black Dog. The pairing was a hit even with a few die hard wine lovers from Italy!

So next time you want to have Italian food, dont worry about pairing it with wine. Pick up a Black Dog, a very fine scotch to go with it. You will not regret it. It is Living in Style!

Cheers!

Drink responsibly.