Buenasera, Roma!

Our eventual departure from Athens went pretty smoothly. We couldn’t take the subway to the airport as planned, due to the Metro workers’ strike, but the strike was only for the train and tram staff, which left the buses running as usual (very considerate of them!). So we grabbed the airport bus from Syntagma Square to the airport. After the usual check-in and security process, we chilled in the Aegean Airlines lounge for a couple of hours before boarding our flight. Buenasera, Roma!

But after landing in Rome and exiting Fiumicino Airport, our first experience was one of mild bewilderment. We had no fewer than four choices at the train station for buying tickets: two kinds of ticket machines, a ticket window, and a little convenience shop (a tabacchi). After a few moments of trying to understand why on earth you would want to have four different vendors of the same tickets at a train station, we gave up and just bought our tickets. Soon enough we were on our way to Rome, and a short subway transfer and brief walk later, we arrived at our chosen hotel, La Piccola Maison (note, turn your volume down/off before you click on the link, unless you don't mind sharing some light house/electronica with your officemates/family/fellow coffeeshop patrons).

Our host Giorgio, who ran La Piccola Maison, was extremely friendly. He gave us an upgrade to a larger room (a whole apartment, really), spent time showing us where things were located, and took the time to answer our questions about Rome, in particular, where we could get dinner.

The bedroom of our little apartment at La Piccola Maison.

And the main living room, dining room, and kitchenette.
The sofabed was used as a luggage rack.

At Giorgio's suggestion, we decided to try Sora Lucia, a little trattoria that was a 10 minute walk. We found it without too much trouble, on via del Panetteria, close to the Trevi Fountain (we didn’t realize how close until after dinner). When we walked in, we were the only patrons, and we were in fact the only ones in there the whole time (in fact, when we were leaving, they were already packing up for the night).

Sora Lucia is a family-run restaurant, with the father and (presumed) son out front taking orders and pouring drinks, and the mother whipping up dishes in the kitchen. Although they didn’t speak much English, between our stilted Italian, some borrowed Spanish, a garnish of hand gestures, and plenty of smiles and laughter, we managed to order two pastas, some wine, and two desserts just fine. We weren’t expecting much, especially since we had done no research on Sora Lucia and the place was deserted the entire time we were there. But dinner that night was like going over to your friend’s place for dinner, if your friend’s mother happens to be old school Italian and a first-rate cook. 

The presentation and ambience wasn’t fancy, but the food was beyond reproach: simple, home-cooked, and delicious (and sadly, we were so hungry we finished eating everything before we remembered to take photos, or rather, remembered that we forgot to take photos). Sora Lucia was a good reminder that an excellent restaurant experience isn’t just about the food, but also about the hospitality you receive and how much you’re made to feel welcome. After all, a meal isn’t just for nourishment; it's an opportunity for fellowship, for relating to the people you eat with and the people who make your meal possible. Perhaps that’s one of the oft overlooked problems with fast food, and with a lot of modern-day restaurant dining – our interactions with the people who serve us are so limited, scripted, and confined. After she was done cooking, the mother came out of the kitchen to see if we liked dinner. She didn’t speak English, but she beamed when she saw us digging into our food with gusto and the big smiles on our faces. It was clear that she took a lot of pride in her cooking, and we could attest that it was worth being proud of.

After dinner, we decided to keep walking around a little to get our bearings and stumbled on the Trevi Fountain. Well, it was hard to miss, not just because of its size, but also because of the number of tourists there, even at almost 11pm at night. That’s when we knew that while we weren’t in the throes of tourist season, some places just attract lots of tourists all the time, and Rome is one of them!

The Trevi Fountain. A little over the top, but that's quite Roman too
(also, I have no idea how Holly managed to snap this shot with so few
people in it. I swear there were at least 3 or 4x as many people as you
can see here.)

After taking a few photos, we headed back to our hotel. We had to be up early the next day, for a guided tour of Vatican City and the Vatican Museum!