Barbara Khan
When you get invited to the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Waterstone Hotels and WTB Hotels, you say yes of course. We started the festivities in Rome at L'Orologio Hotel located near Largo di Torre Argentina and the Campo de'Fiori. The Pantheon is a 10min walk.
Our first morning we walked across the Sant’Angelo Bridge, admiring Bernini’s Statues of Angels as we crossed the Tiber River to Castel Sant Angelo. As many times as I have been to Rome, I had never been there. The towering fortress was built between 123 and 139 AD by Emperor Hadrian as a grand family tomb, it was later converted into a papal fortress, a luxury Renaissance palace, a notorious prison, and is now a prominent museum. You wind your way to the top where there is a delightful outdoor cafe with amazing panoramic views of the Eternal City. On our way down inside the museum I was awed by the Renaissance frescoes, art filled rooms, some are former Papal apartments, and the layers of varying architecture.
We enjoyed lunch at Da Romolo which is located right up against the walls of the castle. We shared several traditional Roman dishes in a small private dining room. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Largo di Torre Argentina. This is an open Roman ruin in the heart of the city. I contains 4 temples and the ruins of Pompey's Theater which is where Julius Caesar was murdered.
After breakfast we toured the Capitoline Museums. It was amazing to see American college students studying architecture practicing drawing outside the museum. The Capitoline Museums are the oldest public museums in the world. One of the main sites there is the bronze She-Wolf statue. There is a wonderful terrace that can be used to host private parties too.
We headed back towards our hotel and enjoyed lunch at Il Pompiere. Artichokes were in season so we enjoyed different styles of artichoke entrees. The restaurant was located near the river in what was one time the Jewish ghetto. It's a haven for food and culture. We walked around the neighborhood where we saw Stolpersteine (stumbling stones), small, brass-capped cobblestones embedded in the pavement outside the former homes of local Jews. These markers honor individual victims taken by the Nazis during World War II.
Dinner was a real treat, practically across the street from our hotel, Hostaria Costanza which is built directly into the ruins of the Theater of Pompey. We enjoyed another traditional Roman meal sitting underneath the vaulted arches dating to 55BC!
Then we took the train to Florence. We split into 2 hotels both located on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella. I was at the L'Orologio and some were at the Hotel Santa Maria Novella. We enjoyed lunch at Bar de L'O. After lunch we toured Palazzo Vecchio, Hall of the 500 and apartments of Cosimo and Eleonora of Toledo. We walked to Hotel Balestri to experience their Cocktailab followed by dinner.
The following morning the church across from our hotel, called the Chiesa Santa Maria Novella. Then we walked a short way to the famous Farmacia Santa Maria Novella. I had always wanted to visit, but had never had the chance. It's widely recognized as the oldest continuously active pharmacy in the world. Founded by Dominican friars in 1221. For dinner we had to work for our supper! We enjoyed a cooking class overlooking the Arno River and Ponte Vecchio.
Then we took the train to Venice. After exiting the rail station we boarded a water taxi to L'Orologio which is in the San Polo sestiere (neighborhood). The famous fish market is a short walk away and you cross the Rialto Bridge and you are in the main part of Venice. It was a very foggy day so, though we went to the top of the San Marco Bell Tower, we could not see much. From there we toured La Fenice, Venice's famous opera house. Dinner was a pizzeria near the hotel.
Our last full day in Venice was a busy one. In the morning we enjoyed a Venetian Mask workshop. It was a truly amazing experience. After the workshop we walked around the Dorsoduro (arts district), and stopped for lunch at Al Vecchio Almangaran a rustic tavern of Venice. Mangaran means carpenter and it was fun and cozy spot. That evening we enjoyed cocktails with our masks on and walked to a residential piazza for dinner at Poste Vecie, a traditional seafood restaurant as our farewell dinner.