This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we might make a small commission off any purchases at no additional cost to you.
2
0
- Quick stats about this trip:
- ✈️: 5,783 miles
- 🚘: 45 miles
- 🚂: 60 miles
- 🚶🏻♀️: 30 miles
This trip was a last-minute spontaneous adventure. Norwegian Air had been offering cheap flights from EWR to Rome and from Rome to Tel Aviv all winter, so my mother and I decided to spend a few days touring Rome, and then I would continue on to Eretz Yisroel for a few days.
The flights from EWR to FCO were just $160 per person, and since it was off season in Rome, we paid just $125/night for the Fourtyseven Hotel, a quaint boutique hotel that is less than a 5-minute walk from the Ghetto. The only issue with the hotel was that on Shabbos, each time we opened our room door, the hallway lights would switch on.
We flew out of EWR on Thursday night and landed in Rome Friday afternoon. After a short nap, it was time to get ready for Shabbos. We had pre-booked meals with Chabad for Friday night, and since they were an hour walk from the Ghetto area, we took a taxi before the zman and lit candles there. The meal was a beautiful experience, with over 100 guests from all walks of life. After the meal we walked back to our hotel, and while we were unsure if we were going in the right direction several times, the locals were friendly and helped us find our way. For Shabbos lunch we had reserved meals at Su Ghetto, and the meals were hosted at BaGhetto Carne- we had not confirmed in advance if the meat was glatt or not, so we refrained from eating any meat dishes. The food was mostly bland and not to our taste. Thankfully the kosher Ghetto restaurants were open on Motzei Shabbos, and since we had not stuffed ourselves over Shabbos, some carbs were more than welcome. We headed over to Yotvata, my favorite restaurant in Rome, for delicious cheesy pasta, gnocchi, and their famed “chocolate pizza”.
Some notes on the kosher food scene in Rome:
- Most meat restaurants in Rome serve non-glatt meat, so we refrained from eating fleishigs during our trip.
- Many eateries in the Ghetto sport signs in Hebrew but are not necessarily kosher, so we double-checked each place for a teudah when entering.
- Italians don’t do breakfast, so we made do with pastries from Boccione Bakery, located in the Ghetto, until noon, when the restaurants opened.
- Bar Toto in the Ghetto is a non-kosher café that carried kosher CY milk, so we were able to get coffee there regularly.
The next morning, being a Sunday, we started our day rather late, and headed to BaGhetto Milky for brunch.
Our first stop of the day was at the Villa Borghese, which is a mansion with an extensive and beautiful property.
After that we visited the Doria Pamphili Gallery, which is a beautiful villa with lots of art.
We headed to BaGhetto Milky for dinner, and while I hold Yotvata in slightly higher esteem, their pizza and pasta were delicious as well, although we did find the desserts to be rather plain.
The next morning, we started with Rick Steve’s fascinating audio walking tour of Rome. There are so many stops covered on this tour, such as the Campo di Fiori market where the Talmud was burned in 1553,
Piazza Navona with the Fontana del Moro,
the Pantheon (we did not go inside, as the Roman’s built it as a Temple for their gods),
the always-crowded Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps,
along with various statues, embassies, and fountains.
Because of various scheduling conflicts on other tours, Monday was our only available day for a trip outside Rome. We had originally hoped to take the train to Florence, but the Uffizi, the main draw of us going there, was closed on Mondays. We had considered several other options, such as Pisa or Pompeii, but for various reasons they did not work out. We eventually settled on visiting the Villa De’Este in Tivoli, which is under an hour by the Trenitalia train from Rome. Train tickets were cheap, at just €2.60 per person. The Villa De’Este is a villa surrounded by beautiful gardens and fountains, some of which are singing fountains that play music as the water passes through the various pipes and holes.
After returning to Rome, we once again headed to BaGhetto Milky for dinner.
The next morning we started our day bright and early with David Walden from Jewish Rome Tours for a Ghetto tour. David’s knowledge of the Ghetto’s history and Jewish life in Rome is extensive, and I highly recommend booking a tour with him! I would have used him for all my tours in Rome had I been able to afford it😊. A chunk of the tour was spent inside the Tempoi Maggiore di Roma/ Rome’s Great Synagogue, which was built in 1904, is a beautiful work of art, and is still in use for services to this day.
After a fascinating tour, we went by Alice Pizza for lunch, but I wasn’t too impressed with their pizza. We also stopped by Cremeria Romana, for some delicious gelato.
At this point my mom headed to the airport for her flight home to New York, while I stayed for another day to explore Rome. After lunch I headed to Castel Sant’Angelo, which is an old castle that was inhabited by various Popes. While the history of the place didn’t speak to me, the views from up top were magnificent.
I then headed to Yotvata for an early dinner,
and continued my day by doing Rick Steve’s audio walking tour of the Ghetto. I had enjoyed David Walden’s tour immensely, but I was hoping to augment that with Rick Steve’s tour. He did not compare to David Walden in any way, and I did not gain much additional knowledge by listening to it.
The next morning, my last in Rome, I toured the Colosseum, the Arch of Titus, and the Roman Forum. I highly recommend purchasing tickets in advance, as the lines can be long here. I visited in off-season, and before proceeding to the ticketholder lane I had a quick glance at the ticket lines, which were already atrocious even though it was still early morning. I utilized Rick Steve’s audio tour here as well, and while I really enjoyed it, I definitely would have liked a live tour guide who I could pose my historical questions to.
Visiting the Coliseum was an eye-opening experience which made me realize just how absorbed the Romans were with entertainment, and how they used their prisoners/slaves, including Jews, for their enjoyment.
I felt particularly emotional at the Arch of Titus, and its sad connection to the Second Churban Beish Hamikdash. David Walden had mentioned in his tour that the Jews of Rome had a minhag not to pass under the Arch, but rather to walk around it.
The Roman Forum was the “downtown” section of Ancient Rome and includes many important ancient government buildings and ruins.
I then headed back to BaGhetto Milky for a quick lunch, before hopping onto a train to the airport for my flight from FCO to the holy land.
Some final thoughts on visiting Rome:
Rome was one of my favorite Europe trips. I loved seeing the old and the new side by side, and the weather was constantly beautiful, even in the so-called off-season.
I loved that ancient ruins could pop out randomly on the most blasé of streetcorners.
We did not visit the Vatican, as we were unsure if it is halachically acceptable, and did not have a chance to ask a LOR.
There are several sightseeing passes, such as the Roma Pass, Rome City Pass, and GoCity Pass which can help save on attraction entry fees, tours, and public transportation.
Of the attractions we visited, I recommend the following as must-dos in Rome:
- Rome City Tour (Plazas and Fountains)
- Rome Ghetto Tour (including interior of the Great Synagogue)
- Ancient Rome Tour (Colosseum and Forum)
I hope you enjoyed this Trip Report!
Did you enjoy this article?
2
0
