​OK, I love buses, and yes, I admit it, it is strange to love public transportation, especially in a city where the buses are on strike once a month (most of the time on Friday), but nobody is perfect.

So for my birthday with some friends, I took bus number 118. Yeah, I also know the choice to visit ruins on my birthday sounds strange.
Line number 118 reaches the Appian Way, the most important and best preserved consular road built by our grand-grand grandparents. We will never thank them enough for that. Grazie nonni!

So we reached the end of the line and visited the large Villa dei Quintili built in the II century AD by two brothers that the emperor Commodus accused of conspiracy to get hold of their estate. Since then for centuries, the villa remained imperial property. In Middle Ages, the archaeological site was so large that the Romans considered it a separate town and called it the 'Roma Vecchia'.

To fully appreciate the Appian Way, I would recommend starting from the Aurelian Walls with the visit of the Museum of the Ancient Walls, to end up at Villa dei Quintili. You will need a full day to enjoy this part of Rome by bicycle or foot. 

On the Appian Way, many monuments can be visited: the Circus of Maxentius, the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella, and the oldest Christian Catacombs in Rome.
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Useful tips: you can reach the Appian way and Villa dei Quintili with bus number 118 or 664. I would recommend bus 118, which has a long route but covers many sites, also passing in front of the Colosseum. Download one of the many free transport apps to control when buses are passing near your position.
Take a break for lunch at the small cafè near the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella or the local restaurants (osteria) along the way. Along the Appian way, there is also a Gladiators school in case you travel with children.
Villa dei Quintili can be visited with a ticket that only costs 6 euros and includes entry to the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella and the Caracalla's Baths for seven days.
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If you need any further information, contact me at  [email protected]

Are you tired of baroque? You will appreciate the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, which offers the only example of Gothic in Rome, a step from the Pantheon, in the heart of the city. With its severe and unfinished façade, this church passes unnoticed by most people, but you can easily find it because an elephant welcomes and invites rushed visitors to take a look in.
The animal is so small that it was nicknamed the chick of Minerva and the artist Gianlorenzo Bernini positioned the disrespectful back of the animal towards the court of Inquisition once run by the Dominican priests.
The court forced the Italian physicist Galileo Galileo to recant, and he lived the rest of his life house arrested and burnt in the nearby Campo de' Fiori square, the philosopher Giordano Bruno belonged to the same Dominican order.

The last word must be said about the tomb of Beato Angelico, which lies on the floor not far from Michelangelo's statue. He was a Dominican and a very talented and devoted artist who worked in the 1400s as a painter for the Popes in the Vatican and the Dominicans in Florence. He was made a saint by Pope John Paul II in 1982 and is now a patron of artists.

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Four years ago, I made up my mind: I had enough of the car. Finding a parking space in the city center to reach my clients was impossible. So now I'm a big supporter of public transportation in Rome.

So here is how you can easily reach one of my favorite places just 12 miles from Rome: Ancient Ostia.
Ancient Ostia is the most undervalued archaeological site in Italy. In my opinion and for those who work with tourism, it is a hidden gem. It can be compared with the most known Pompei and is also easier to reach. It has beautiful mosaics, an outstanding theatre, and a gorgeous setting under the old pines away from the mass.

If you'd like to reach this extraordinary ancient city, you must take the metro (subway) line B to Pyramid. As you arrive, follow the signs to the Ostia train line, which is within the same building as the subway. As you leave the subway train platform, take the escalator and turn left, and it is just next to the ordinary subway line. The trains leave every 10 minutes so that is the maximum you will need to wait for the next train.

After 26 minutes and seven stops, get off at Ostia Antica. As you arrive at the station, the train will leave you on the platform on the opposite side of the station, so you will only need to take the underground passage to get to the exit. Don't try to use the bathroom because it is out of order from prehistoric times.

As you exit the small train station, you will see a bridge in front of you. Take the stairs, cross the bridge over Ostiense street, then walk straight in front of you for 5 minutes. You will find a gate, go through it, turn left and find the kiosk of the ticket area of the archaeological site. The bathrooms are next to the ticket area. They are working again after a coach hit them, injuring a poor tourist who was inside.
You will find a self-service and another toilet in the middle of the archaeological site, near the Museum and the bookstore.

If you need any further information, don't hesitate to contact me at [email protected]

Then it touches the Coppedè district, with its odd and eclectic sensibility, named after its principal architect Gino Coppedè, a proponent of the fanciful design of the Liberty Period of architecture popularized during the late 19th and early 20th century. 

You will also catch a glimpse of Villa Torlonia, once the residence of the extravagant Prince Torlonia, the inhabitant of the Casina delle Civette (House of Owls), and later the fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. 

Further along the line, the tram will be filling up with students as it passes in front of the first University of Rome, "La Sapienza," in the San Lorenzo district, finally arriving at Porta Maggiore, where eight of the eleven ancient Roman aqueducts meet over the big, old gate.

Tips:
Don't miss a snack or an ice cream at the Café of the GNAM and a stroll through Borghese Park.
You can have a pizza at 'Limonaia,' the lemon garden of Villa Torlonia, if you get hungry along the way.
If you are a fan of chocolate, visit Said in San Lorenzo.

If you need any further information, contact me at [email protected]

Useful Tips: The entrance to this archaeological area is not so visible. It is a block away from the medieval tower of Papito in Largo Argentina, following the tram rails, in via delle Botteghe Oscure. 
The area is full of nice restaurants close to the Jewish ghetto and the Pantheon.
Don't miss the map of the Balbi Crypt on the window facing via Caetani, which gives you an idea of the position of ancient buildings in relation to the new ones. 
Along the via delle Botteghe Oscure you will also find two columns from the temple of the Nymphs, which was once in the center of the Porticus Minucia. Also, those columns had to be re-erected as they were found on the ground fallen during an earthquake hidden by the new constructions.
I would recommend visiting this site on Saturday and Sunday when the most exciting part, the Exedra, is open to the public, at 10.45, 11.45, 12.45; 14.45, 15.45, 16.45. Always check the openings time as they can change.

If you need any further information, contact me through [email protected]

​I love exploring Rome by bus, and yes, I admit it, it is strange to love public transportation in a city where the buses are on strike once a month (most of the time on Friday). Still, nobody is perfect, and if you want to escape city life and take a stroll in the greenery, explore the Appian Way with bus number 118. The last time I did it was in January, I was lucky because it was nice and warm, but I recommend spring or fall.

Take the bus near piazza Venezia, next to the theater of Marcellus, and get off just before Gate St. Sebastian to visit the Museum of the Ancient Roman Walls. From the top of these ancient walls, the view of the Roman countryside is a balm for the soul. The beginning of the Appian Way runs in a Regional Park of 8400 acres where sometimes you can still meet shepherds with their herd.

The Villa was built by two brothers in the II century AD, then passed into the Emperor's hands. The Emperor enlarged the property so much that it is still imposing today with the remains of baths, colonnades, fountains, mosaics, etc..
Exit from the other side of the Villa dei Quintili, after exploring the tiny museum, cross the modern New Appian way and catch the bus 118 to return to the city center.

If you don't wish to visit the Villa dei Quintili, go back to the A line (Arco di Travertino), taking bus 660 near the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella and Capo di Bove. It rarely passes, so sit down and enjoy the sun. 
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The Museum of Aurelian Walls closes at 14; Capo di Bove closes at 16:00, Catacombs and Villa de Quintili around 17. Always check the opening times of sites because the timetables change in summer with longer openings.
The ticket to the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella is a bargain. It allows the visit to two other sites: the Caracalla's Baths and the Villa Dei Quintili, a little further up on the Appian Way.
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If you've saved some energy, you can reach the Park of the Aqueducts from the A line stops of Lucio Sestio, Publio Agricola, or Subaugusta and enjoy the seven aqueducts which pass here. 

​If you need any further information, contact me through [email protected]

At the end of a Vatican tour, if you find too challenging to climb the 553 steps of St. Peter's Dome, I would suggest reaching Castle St. Angel and enjoying the more accessible view of Rome from its top. 

Today, the castle is a National Museum belonging to the Italian State and is used as a museum for ancient weapons and temporary art exhibitions. In summer, the famous gallery connecting the castle to the Vatican Palaces, the Passetto, is opened to the public.

Tips: The castle is a great place to visit also with children.
It is part of the Angels and Demons tour, following the plot of the famous book by Dan Brown.
In summer, the dungeons and the Passetto are opened to the public, and concerts are held in the castle at night.
The castle is a stone's throw from the Vatican, and one of the few places open until 7, even in winter.
A cafè and tables with a view are at the top of the castle.
If you need any further information, contact me through [email protected]

​So here are my favourite Roman dishes. I would live eating the carciofi alla giudia (Jewish artichokes), deep fried and crispy. I know anything fried can be good, but the 'antipasto' (starter) is my favorite part of the meal: Fiori di zucca, fried zucchini flowers stuffed with anchovies and mozzarella, olive ascolane, fried olives stuffed with meat, mozzarelline fritte, fried mozzarella, misto fritto vegetale, fried slices of vegetables, baccalà fritto, fried cod, supplì, fried meat rice with mozzarella. Heaven!

​My fave pasta is gnocchi. They are handmade with smashed potatoes, reminding me of my nonna (grandmother). She used to add pieces of mozzarella so that when she put the hot gnocchi on the mozzarella, it started to melt, creating a stringy effect.
My other cherished dish is cacio e pepe, pasta with goat cheese and pepper. It looks simple, but it is not. Each chef has a secret to cook a perfect cacio e pepe so that the flavour is not too strong on the cheese or aggressive on the pepper.

Well, I have to admit that I only recently converted to tripe, but it will pass some more time before I have the courage to eat pajata (the last part of the intestines)...
So my suggestion for meat? Saltimbocca alla romana, veal with ham and a leave of sage.
Tips: Try the fried artichokes in the Jewish Ghetto.

Visit the blog of my talented friend Jo. She can teach you step by step all the secrets to cook a perfect Carbonara! Go on https://frascaticookingthatsamore.wordpress.com/

If you need any further information, contact me at [email protected]

​So, if you find yourself in my friend's unfortunate position, here are some suggestions for clean and pleasant relief.

Imagine you've just visited the area of Piazza Navona and had a fabulous Chocolate Tartufo ice cream at the café Tre Scalini. After leaving the restaurant, you begin to think that maybe you shouldn't have drunk that big cappuccino, after all, delicious as it may have been. You might not know it, but relief is right around the corner. Right around the corner of Piazza Navona, that is, and just off the square. There you will find an outstanding, hidden collection of ancient statues awaiting you.  And guess what! The museum housing that collection has a beautiful bathroom: The National Museum of Palazzo Altemps. A bonus? You can also purchase your Colosseum tickets here, skipping all the lines.

Now, after visiting the Colosseum and Forum, you are beginning to think that maybe you shouldn't have drunk all that Coke, thirsty as you were.  I would suggest you head in the direction of the Vittoriano (the Victor Emmanuel II Monument), that vast building honoring Italy's first king, Victor Emmanuel II. Its critics have variously nicknamed the building "The Wedding Cake," "The Typewriter," or, not so attractively, "The False Teeth".  It contains a great display of the history of the Risorgimento (the unification of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861) and provides a beautiful vista of Rome. Climb to the top, passing from the back, and you will be astonished by the view over the Forum. In the building's interior, on the side where they hold modern art exhibitions, you will also find a nice, clean bathroom and a water dispenser.  But don't drink too much!  It may be a while before you find another bathroom.

Now let's say you've ignored my advice about the water before heading to the Vatican.  You now find yourself in front of St. Peter's Basilica, and you see a long line of ladies on the left side of the colonnade.  You understand, with horror, that THAT is the line for the ladies' room.  Well, you should have used the bathroom in the Vatican Museums, but it's too late to think about that now.  You'd love to ask to jump the line, but you're too shy.  Besides, the looks on the faces of the other ladies aren't very promising.  Don't despair.  On the opposite side of the square, hidden under Bernini's huge columns, you will find another clean and less crowded one.

Tips:

Consider that bathrooms are free in most places in Italy.

Public places such as cafés and restaurants are required to let you go. It is polite, however, to buy a coffee or something.

Some museums have bathrooms before the ticket counter, so admission is not required to use the facilities.

The smallest and least crowded museums are, in my opinion, the nicest in Italy. And they have the cleanest bathrooms.

Tourists always ask me if these are the famous Spanish steps.
Well, no, they are not. This is the stairway leading to a beautiful church and is worth visiting.

Here on the Capitoline hill, there used to be the temple of Juno and the geese sacred to the Goddess, which gave the alarm to the city during the attack of the Gauls, 'monere' in Latin means to warn someone. The Goddess was patronizing the money issue, called 'moneta,' thanks to the warning Juno.

Therefore I would recommend accessing the church from its back, climbing the nearby Michelangelo Cordonata stairway, reaching the back side of the church, around the corner of the Capitoline Museums, and climbing the stairs you see in the photo on the right.

​Once Benedictine, the church was assigned to the Franciscans.

Inside the church, look at the Bufalini Chapel on the first Chapel to the right aisle. The Chapel honors the Franciscan saint San Bernardino from Siena, famous for his qualities as a preacher. He gave a famous sermon also in Rome at the foot of the stairs in a market once held in this area. He said vibrant words against gambling and cheating with card games.

In the painting below, the painter Pinturicchio represents Bernardino in the middle. On his right, you find St Anthony, and on the left, St. Augustine. In the book that Bernardino holds in his hands, you can find a Latin sentence, 'Father, you showed your name to everybody,' which refers to the abbreviation of Christ 'IHS' that Bernardino invented for which he was accused of heresy. This abbreviation later became the symbol of the Jesuit order.

​On the left side of the chapel, you can find the funerals of St. Bernardino, set in a beautiful renaissance urban prospective. On the left is the man who paid for the paintings, an employer of the Papal court, Riccomanno Bufalini, holding a glove in his hand and wearing a rich mantel with fur. All around the main image, you can see the different miracles of the saint. In the center, the Franciscan with the head covered is probably the prior of the church at the time of the paintings, and he appears again on the right wall of the chapel, through a window, with his brothers in faith.

Two years ago, I had the pleasure to guide in Rome an Italian group from San Giustino, Città di Castello, from where Riccomanno Bufalini came from. The group was one of the nicest I had that year, and they requested to see their famous ancient citizen in this chapel.
After visiting the church, we took a coffee at the café just outside the church on the Victor Emmanuel II monument. We took the elevator in this monument to appreciate the view over Rome.
The group invited me then to San Giustino, where the Bufalini castle can be visited. They brought me some brochures of the castle and, I promise, sometimes I will certainly go to see it and enjoy the warmth of the San Giustino people.

ther information contact me at infoIn the Church, you can also find a column with a hole through it (near the façade on the left aisle). The legend says that it comes from the house of Octavian Augustus, and a light going through the column woke him when he had the vision of the Virgin Mary.
Secondly, suppose you reach the counter façade of the Church. In that case, the tomb of Giovanni Crivelli is on the floor. It is now repositioned vertically on the wall, created by Donatello, the famous Florentine sculpture, and signed by the artist.
Moreover, there used to be a small statue of Jesus in a small transept chapel, beloved by the Romans, which was stolen a few years ago and now replaced by a copy. For centuries, when a baby was born in Rome, people used to say he was as beautiful as the Jesus of the Aracoeli.

Tips:
-Access the Victor Emanuel Monument II and the Church from the back, Piazza del Campidoglio.

-The elevator of the Victor Emmanuel Monument costs 7 euros, but the view is also amazing from the lower levels, which are free. Go all around the outer parts of the building.

-Leaving the Church, on the via di Aracoeli 14, there is a good bakery which makes lovely sandwiches, Mozzarellamania, no seats available inside though. Good ice cream shop next door, Vacanze Romane, on the same street. If you need to sit down and rest in a restaurant, reach the nearby Jewish district short cutting from the Theatre of Marcellus. On via del Portico d'Ottavia, you have plenty of good restaurants offering Jewish-Roman cuisine.

-If you are going to Umbria during your trip, visit the San Giustino castle: http://www.castellobufalini.beniculturali.it/index.php?lang=eng

If you need further information contact me at [email protected]