Ferðir

Roma introduction

Ferðir

History

Rome has seen everything during her history of 2700 years. She has endured attacks and pillage by foreign barbarians, nch kings and native popes. Some of her proudest monuments are in ruins. Powerful locals have been the greatesmad emperors, French kings and native popes. Some of her proudest monuments are in ruins. Powerful locals have been the greatest spoilers.

Visitors come to see the ancient ruins in Forum, Capitolum and Palatinum. They also come to see the St Peter’s (San Pietro) cathedral an baroque churches. And finally the come to relax in cafés and restaurants of the narrow alleys in the Martian Fields (Campo di Marzo) center of the city. According to the law of contrasts, young people are attracted to this medieval part of Rome.

One million people lived here in the golden age of classical Rome. Later the number of inhabitants fell to thirty thousand in the Middle Ages. Now it is up to three million people. Rome is not as big as Paris, London or New York, but she has more memories of the past than the other cities.

Life

Rome is a city of contrasts, of youth and old age. She has for twenty centuries claimed to be the center of the world, first as the seat of emperors and then as the seat of popes. She carries her age well, brimming with life from morning into the night.

The night life of La Dolce Vita never existed though, but all classes of society are dropping into cafés all the time. Rome is not awake in the night but takes days and evenings with gusto.

Car traffic in the city is chaos incarnate. Drivers throng through every alley and fill every square, avoiding collisions with people. They argue loudly as other Romans. In spite of that, tolerance is one of the main traits of the Romans. The city is the Catholic capital of the world but its citizens are mediocre believers. They are primarily seasoned and wise in the ways of the world.

Seven Hills

The seven hills of ancient Rome are: Capitolum, Palatinum, Aventinum, Celium, Esquilinium, Viminal and Quirinal.

Canada

Via G.B. De Rossi 27. Phone: 841 5341.

United Kingdom

Via XX Settembre 80. Phone: 482 5441.

United States

Via Veneto 119-121. Phone: 467 41.

Accident

Phone: 113.

Ambulance

Phone: 113.

Complaints

It is generally useless and a waste of time to complain in Italy. Instead try to look at the bright side.

Dentist

An emergency dentist is available at Ospedale G. Eastman, tel. 490 042.

Fire

Phone: 115.

Hospital

English speaking staff are at Salvator Mundi International Hospital, tel. 586 041.

Medical care

Phone: 475 6741.

This number answers day and night and gives information on the services of medical doctors.

Pharmacy

Hours: 8:30-13, 16-20.

Closed pharmacies have signs on their doors to point out where there is night duty. Internazionale at Piazza Barberini 49, phone 482 5456, is open day and night.

Police

Phone: 113.

The city police, Vigili urbani, wear blue uniforms in winter and white in summer. The state police, La Polizia, wear blue uniforms with white belts and berets. The military police, Carabineri, wear red-striped trousers. You can ask all three types for help.

Precautions

Don’t use a handbag. Keep money in inside pockets. Use cards as much as possible. Don’t keep passports in the same place as money. Don’t leave valuables in a locked car. Beware of gypsy children, especially in groups. Petty crime abounds, but there is very little violent crime in Rome.

Banks

Hours: Weekdays 8:30-13:30, 14:45-15:45.

Change foreign money in banks or at “cambio”-offices, not in hotels. Some banks only change foreign money during the morning hours. A bank is open 24 hours a day at the central railway station but often there is a long queue.

Credit cards

Credit cards are widely accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops. Visa and Eurocard (Access, MasterCard) have the largest circulation.

Electricity

Italian voltage is 220V, same as in Europe. Plugs are continental.

Hotels

Roman hotels are generally clean and well maintained, including plumbing, if they have three or more official stars. But two-starred hotels can also be very good, even if they do not have TV sets in guest rooms. A bathroom is taken for granted nowadays.

We only include such hotels, and in most cases we also demand a direct telephone line, working air-condition, and peace and silence during the night. Only hotels in the city center are included as we want to avoid long journeys between sightseeing and our Mediterranean afternoon naps. The price ranges from L. 80.000 to L. 590.000, excluding breakfast.

We try to avoid breakfast at hotels as in Italian hotels it is as insubstantial as in French hotels. More tasty and economical is the espresso coffee with cornettos on the corner café patronised by the locals. Breakfast is in most cases included in the stated price, as that is the normal price quoted.

We checked all the hotels in this database during the winter of 1995-1996 as everything is fickle in this world. We have also tested some other hotels that are not included as they were not on par with the best in each price category. Some four-star hotels in Rome are in fact worse than our selection of two-star hotels.

Money

The currency in Italy is the lire (L.). Paper money is dominant, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 50000 and 100000 lire (L.), increasing in size with their value. Coins are for 50, 100, 200 and 500 lire.

Prices

Prices have gone up on par with Western Europe.

Shopping

Shops are open 9-13, 15:30-19:30 in summer, 16-20 in winter. Sometimes they close earlier on Saturdays.

Tipping

A service charge is generally included in restaurant bills. Some guests leave a few thousand lire extra. Taxi drivers expect at least 10% from foreigners. Porters expect L. 1000 per bag.

Toilets

There are few public toilets. The toilets in cafés are sometimes not up to standard, but generally they are acceptable in restaurants. Bring the paper if you are not visiting a restaurant.

Tourist office

The National Tourist Board, Ente Provinicale per il Turismo, has its head office at Via Parigi 11, tel. 461 851 and branches at the airport and the central railway station.

Water

Tap water is usually clean and tasty. In restaurants most people drink bottled water.

Accommodation

The tourist office at the central railway station finds hotel rooms for travelers. Ask for a room with “twin bed” as such beds and rooms are often larger that those with “double bed”. Rooms on the outside are often more bright and airy but also more noisy that those on the inside.

Airport

The Leonardo da Vinci airport at Fiumicino is 30 km (18 miles) south-west of Rome, tel. 60 121. A bus takes 60-80 minutes from the airport to the central railway station. The train takes 30 minutes from the airport to the Porta San Paolo station where you connect to the Metro subway system. Taxis take 40-60 minutes to the city center and are expensive, cost L. 50.000 from the airport and L. 60.000 to the airport.

News

International Herald Tribune and other important foreign newspapers are available at many kiosks in central Rome. The main Roman newspapers are La Republica and Il Messagero. There are three TV channels, Uno, Due and Tre, and additionally cable channels in many hotel rooms, including CNN.

Phone

The Italian country code is 39 and the local code for Rome is 06. The foreign code from Italy is 00.

Post

The postal service is inefficient. Either use express post or use the Papal post at the Piazza San Petro in front of the Vatican. Italian post boxes are red and the Vatican ones are blue. A post office is open day and night at the central railway station.

Post

The postal service is inefficient in Italy. The main post office in Venice is beside the Rialto bridge, in Palazzo dei Tedeschi, tel. 529 911

Railways

The Italian railway system is inexpensive and effective.

Taxis

Registered taxis are yellow with an illuminated sign on top and use fare meters. They park at marked stands and can also be hailed on the street even if not strictly allowed. They charge supplements for baggage, night and Sunday journeys, and for journeys to the airport. The meter runs when the taxi is bogged down in traffic. Foreigners are expected to tip 10% or more.

Traffic

Rush hours are 8-9:30 and 17-20. It is often quicker to walk than to take a taxi. Beware of cars crossing at red lights. Don’t drive yourself. The Metro is convenient for getting around in the city.

Coffee

Italians are the first-class nation of coffee culture. They drink all their coffee freshly ground in espresso machines. Most often they drink espresso or caffè = very strong; doppio = double the size of an espresso; cappucino = espresso mixed with air-whipped milk. Bad coffee for tourists is called americano. Italians usually have their coffee standing at the bar.

Cuisine

Foreigners often think that Italian cooking consists mainly of pastas after pastas. In fact this is more complicated. Italians do not talk of Italian cooking, but of Venetian, Tuscanian, Ligurian, Latin and so on. In this database we concentrate on Roman cooking, even if we include restaurants representing other types of Italian cooking.

Descriptions

Carciofi alla giudia: The artichokes are opened and flattened, cut in pieces and deep fried in an oil mixture of secret ingredients. After cooking they are golden and look like flowers. This is the speciality of the Jewish ghetto.

Pesto: A famous, strong sauce from Liguria, generally greenish, made of basil, nuts, garlic and lots of grana cheese. Liguria is the name of the coastal area around Genua.

Polenta: Corn porridge made by boiling maize in water until it becomes thick and chunky. Then it is cooled and cut in slices which are usually fried, baked or grilled. The porridge form in the Vecchia Roma restaurant is rather unusual.

Prosciutto Smoked ham. The best internationally known smoked ham comes from Parma. In Italy the one from San Danieli is considered at least equal to the one from Parma. The ham is always cut in very thin slices. Out of Italy it is most often accompanied with melon, but Italians like figs better.

Ricotta: Soft, unsalted cheese, reminiscent of Greek feta cheese, eaten fresh. Usually it is put into pasta envelopes and in sweet bakery, but it is also served in wet and soft dumplings.

Risotto: A rice dish from the Po valley, generally connected with Milan and Venice. The rice is first fried in oil or butter, often with onions, and then cooked in a small amount of liquid, wine or the juice of the food which then is mixed into the rice when it is served. Often butter and grana cheese are added.

Tartufi: Truffle. The Italian type of tuber, the underground mushrooms dug up with the help of trained dogs and pigs. This type is white and almost as expensive as the French black ones. They have a pungent aroma and are always used uncooked, usually in small amounts with some other food. Tartufi is one of the things essentially Italian.

Trippa: Tripe. Can be soft and tasty when it is correctly cooked. It is a national dish all the way from Rome to Florence.

Pecorino: A hard ewe cheese reminiscent of grana or parmesan.

Tuscany cuisine: Generally considered the top of Italian cooking. The Queens of France were often brought from Florence, bringing with them their chefs, starting what is now called classical French cuisine. The best pasta in Italy comes from Tuscany: ravioli and gnochi. And Tuscany is one of the best wine regions in Italy.

Zuppa di cozze: Mussel soup. Oil, onion and tomatoes are heated in a pan, water is added and finally the mussels are added, opening on the way to the table.

Eating habits

Italians do not eat much in the morning. They may have an espresso and cornetto at the corner café or bakery. Lunch often starts at 13:30 and dinner at 20:30. Both lunch and dinner are hot meals and are equally important. Italians like food and consume it with abandon.

They are on the other hand careful with the wine and some only drink water. Tap water is very good and clean in Rome, coming in ducts from the mountains. In restaurants most people have bottled water though, aqua minerale, often with gas, gassata.

Ingredients

Alla Romana:

• Abbachio alla romana = lamb cooked in egg, lemon and white wine sauce.

• Gnochi alla romana = mashed potato dumplings with tomato sauce and cheese.

• Pizza alla romana = pizza with mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and basil.

• Piselli alla romana = beans fried with onion, ham and butter.

• Pollo alla romana = chicken pieces fried in oil and butter with onion, ham, pepper and tomato.

• Saltimbocca alla romana = thin veal covered in ham.

• Trippa alla romana = tripe in tomato mint sauce, accompanied with pecorino-cheese.

• Zuppa alla romana = shellfish soup.

Cheese:

• Bel paese = mild and soft cheese.

• Gorgonzola = rather soft and strong blue cheese.

• Grana = very hard cooking cheese.

• Mozzarella = rubbery young cheese.

• Parmiggiano = parmesan cheese, a type of grana.

• Pecorino = hard and strong Roman ewe cheese.

• Provolone = strong cheese.

• Ricotta = fresh ewe cheese.

• Taleggio = mild & creamy cheese.

Fish:

• Bonito = tuna.

• Merlano = whiting.

• Merluzzo = cod.

• Rombo = turbot and brill.

• Rospo = monkfish.

• Sogliola = sole.

• Spada = swordfish.

• Spigola = sea bass.

Game:

• Allodole = lark.

• Beccaccia = woodcock.

• Capretto = kid.

• Capriolo = roebuck.

• Cervo = venison.

• Chinghiale = wild boar.

• Lepre = hare.

• Quaglie = quail.

• Starna = partridge.

• Uccelletti = small birds, such as sparrows.

Innards:

• Animelle = sweetbreads.

• Cervella = brains.

• Coratella = lamb lungs.

• Fegato = liver.

• Pagliata = kidneys.

• Rognoni = kidneys.

• Trippa = tripe.

Roman seafood:

• Antipasto di mare = cold seafood platter.

• Fritto misto di mare = deep fried seafood with lemon.

• Insalata di mare = seafood salad.

• Risotto di frutti di mare = fried rice with seafood.

• Zuppa di pesce alla romana = shellfish soup.

Roman specialities:

• Abbacchio = baby lamb.

• Alla romana = (usually) with tomato and sometimes red wine.

• Asparagus.

• Mint.

• Pecorino cheese.

• Ricotta cheese.

• Stracciatella = egg and cheese soup.

• Trippa = veal tripe.

Shellfish:

• Arselle and vongole = small shells.

• Cappe and cappesante = scallops.

• Cozze and muscoli = mussels.

Shrimp:

• Gamberi.

• Scampi.

• Gamberoni (big).

• Mazzancolle (very big).

Soups:

• Brodo = clear soups.

• Minestrone = clear soups with pasta.

• Minestre = thick soups with rice or pasta.

• Egg soups such as zuppa pavese and stracciatella.

Menus

An Italian menu typically has five sections: Antipasti = starters; pasti or asciutti or primi platti = pasta courses; secundi piatti = fish or meat; contorni or verdure = vegetables and salads; dolci and frutti and formaggi = sweets, fruit and cheeses.

There are no rules on the number of courses in a menu. Some have a starter and then two pastas, one after the other. The usual thing is to have three courses. It could be a starter, a pasta and a meat course. Or it could be a pasta, a meat, a side course. Or a pasta, a meat and a dessert.

The price of a starter, pasta or a bottle of the house wine is usually two times the price of a side course or a dessert; and the price of a main course is usually three times the price. The prices in this database are usually calculated on the basis of a starter, a second course and either a side course or a dessert. All prices are for two persons.

Restaurants

Lunch hour is 13:30-15, dinner 20:30-23. In most places the owner or some waiters understand English. Roman restaurants are generally small and clean, sometimes accidentally decorated. They usually have linen tablecloths and linen napkins, most often white.

Nowhere in the world is the service in restaurants better than in Italy. The waiters are generally quick and effective. They hurry with the courses until you arrive at the last course. Then everything slows down. It seems that Italians like to eat in a hurry and then to linger on over the wine glass or coffee. Quick service does not mean that the waiter wants to get rid of you.

Wine

The house wine is usually well chosen and economical, either bianco or rosso, white or red. Connoisseurs can have a look at the list to find something unusual, as no country in the world has as many different labels. Italian wine is generally good, sound and simple, but lacking in great growths. Italians do not take their wine as seriously as the French do. Red wines are generally better than white.

Roman wine is simple and agreeable: Frascati, colli albani, cori, montecompatri, velletri, zagarolo, all with the official quality denomination D.O.C. (denominazione di origine controllata). They are mainly white wines.

Better wines come from the north, mainly Piemonte and Tuscany. The best known Tuscany wine is chianti, especially chianti classico. Even better are brunello di montalcino, vernaccia di san gimignano, tignanello and sassicaia. From Piemonte there are barolo, barbaresco, barbera, dolcetto and grignolino.

The ancient Greeks loved Italian wine and gave Italy the name of Oenotria or the country of wine.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Dublin hotels

Ferðir

Avalon House

55 Aungier Street. Phone: 475 0001. Fax: 475 0303. Price: £45 ($70) with breakfast. All major cards. 38 rooms. (A2).

An inexpensive hotel in a very central location. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Bloom’s

Anglesea Street. Phone: 671 5622. Fax: 671 5997. Price: £71 ($111) with breakfast. All major cards. 86 rooms. (A1).

The reasonable and small hotel, named after the main character in Ulysses by James Joyce, is perfectly located on the slope from Dame Street to Temple Bar, just 100 meters from the latter and 300 meters from Grafton Street.

This is a comfortable and just a little worn hotel in old-fashioned modern style, with good concierges. The lobby is minuscule but the rooms are ample. Room service is for 24 hours, and there are amenities for businessmen and an indoor car park.

Room 506 is high up in the hotel, with triple glass in the windows, efficiently cutting out noise. It is divided into a sleeping and a sitting section on the two sides of a balcony. It has a good writing desk, a trouser press and a hair dryer, a direct phone line, a welcoming bottle of red wine and a newspaper of the day. The quality bathroom is well equipped.

Buswell’s

Molesworth Street. Phone: 676 4013 & 676 4016. Fax: 676 2090. Price: £102 ($159) with breakfast. All major cards. 70 rooms. (B2).

The main hotel of atmosphere is old and worn and small, with parliamentarians as clients, standing opposite the entrance to the Irish Parliament in Leinster House, near most of the important museums in Dublin and 300 meters from Grafton Street. In spite of the location, the street in front is quiet.

The staff is especially friendly and efficient, some of the best staff in town. The rooms are variable in size and comfort.

Room no. 103 is old-fashioned, small and worn. It is well equipped, has a trouser press and a hair dryer. The bathroom is also small, fully tiled and with all amenities, except for a rather weak shower.

Central

1-5 Exchequer Street. Phone: 679 7302. Fax: 679 7303. Price: £100 ($156) with breakfast. All major cards. 70 rooms. (A1).

As centrally located as possible. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Christchurch Inn

Christchurch Place. Phone: 475 0111. Fax: 475 0488. Price: £60 ($94) with breakfast. All major cards. 183 rooms. (A1).

Opposite Christchurch and a few steps from Dublin Castle. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Clarence

6-8 Wellington Quay. Phone: 662 3066. Fax: 662 3077. Price: £200 ($312) with breakfast. All major cards. 50 rooms. (A1).

Refurbished luxury hotel centrally located on the Liffey. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Conrad

Earlsfort Terrace. Phone: 676 5555. Fax: 676 5424. Price: £200 ($312) with breakfast. All major cards. 191 rooms. (B2).

An expensive luxury hotel near St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Davenport

Merrion Square. Phone: 661 6800. Fax: 661 5663. Price: £160 ($250) with breakfast. All major cards. 120 rooms. (B2).

A neo-classical hotel on one of the most charming squares in central Dublin. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Fitzwilliam

41 Upper Fitzwilliam Street. Phone: 660 0448. Fax: 676 7488. Price: £60 ($94) with breakfast. All major cards. 12 rooms. (B2).

An inexpensive, small hotel in a 18th C. city house on the corner of pubby Baggot Street and Fitzwilliam Street, 400 meters from St Stephen’s Green and 800 meters from Grafton Street.

The family-owned hotel has friendly and pleasant staff. Guests are provided with keys when they go out in the night. Breakfast is served in the basement. Many guest rooms are furnished with antiques.

Old-fashioned room no. 32 is rather large, faces the street, furnished with three beds. The bathroom is also old-fashioned but functioning well.

Georgian House

20-21 Lower Baggot Street. Phone: 661 8832. Fax: 661 8834. Price: £81 ($127) with breakfast. All major cards. 33 rooms. (B2).

A romantic and rather inexpensive hotel in four city houses directly on the main street of renowned pubs, 300 meters from St Stephen’s Green and 600 meters from Grafton Street.

The family-owned hotel has a tiny lobby below narrow stairs. The staff are friendly. Breakfast is served in the basement Ante Room restaurant, which is respected for seafood.

Room no. 124 is spacious, with large windows to the street, well equipped with heavy and solid furniture of the dated kind. The bathroom is rather well furnished.

Grafton Plaza

Johnson’s Place. Phone: 475 0888. Fax: 475 0908. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 75 rooms. (A2).

A new hotel near the pedestrian Grafton Street. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Gresham

23 Upper O’Connell Street. Phone: 874 6881. Fax: 878 7175. Price: £120 ($188) with breakfast. All major cards. 200 rooms. (B1).

One of the most traditional hotels of central Dublin. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Grey Door

23 Upper Pembroke Street. Phone: 676 3286. Fax: 676 3287. Price: £95 ($148) with breakfast. All major cards. 7 rooms. (B2).

A very elegant micro-hotel in a residential street of embassies in the center, really a renowned restaurant with some added rooms. It is 300 meters from St Stephen’s Green, 400 meters from Baggot Street and 700 meters from Grafton Street.

There is scarcely a lobby, only some space around a staircase. The sitting room upstairs is stately and spacious. The staff is excellent. The front door is always locked and guests are fitted out with a key. Breakfast is served in the venerable restaurant of the same name.

The elegant room no. 3 is divided by a kind of an arcade into a sleeping part and a sitting part. It has very good furnishings, including two TV sets, a trouser press, a hair drier, a coffee machine, a good writing desk and three easy chairs. The bathroom has elegant, white tiles, golden taps and thick robes.

Harcourt

60 Harcourt Street. Phone: 478 3677. Fax: 475 2013. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 40 rooms. (A2).

A few steps from St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Kelly’s

36 South Great Georges Street. Phone: 677 9277. Fax: 671 3216. Price: £57 ($89) with breakfast. All major cards. 24 rooms. (A2).

A good quality to price ratio is available in this small and cozy, clean and old-fashioned hotel in the center, 200 meters from Dame Street and 400 meters from Grafton Street.

The first floor lobby adjoins a sitting room, a good breakfast room and a nice bar with high windows and leather chairs. Service is good in this family-owned hotel. The front door is locked at night and guests push a bell to be admitted.

The tiny room no. 23 is furnished in taste and has the normal conveniences, including a hair-dryer. A thick carpet covers the creaking floor. The small and tasteful bathroom has also a carpet and is well furnished.

Leeson Court

26-27 Lower Leeson Street. Phone: 676 3380. Fax: 661 8273. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 20 rooms. (B2).

Near St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Longfields

Lower Fitzwilliam Street. Phone: 676 1367. Fax: 676 1542. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 28 rooms. (B2).

A few steps from Merrion Square (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mont Clare

Merrion Square. Phone: 661 6799. Fax: 661 5663. Price: £125 ($195) with breakfast. All major cards. 74 rooms. (B2).

On one of the most charming squares in central Dublin. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Royal Dublin

40 Upper O’Connell Street. Phone: 873 3666. Fax: 873 3120. Price: £95 ($148) with breakfast. All major cards. 117 rooms. (B1).

On the main street north of the Liffey. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Russell Court

21-25 Harcourt Street. Phone: 478 4066. Fax: 478 1576. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 42 rooms. (A2).

A few steps from St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Shelbourne

St Stephen’s Green. Phone: 676 6471. Fax: 661 6006. Price: £170 ($266) with breakfast. All major cards. 150 rooms. (B2).

The most expensive hotel in the city is an historical landmark since 1824 with a St Stephen’s Green address and a location only 300 meters from Grafton Street. The constitution of the Irish Republic was written in this palace of red and white and some episodes in literature are situated there.

It is old and revered, lively though, with creaking and sloping floors under thick carpets. The comfortable public rooms have been restored to their original appearance and the guest rooms are appealing. One of the best known pubs in London, the Horseshoe bar, is on the ground level. Service has come down since the Forte chain acquired it, especially the porterage.

Room no. 222 is enormous, divided in two parts, a bedroom and a sitting room, tastefully and splendidly furnished, with large windows on the green. The bathroom is unusually elegant.

Staunton’s

83 St Stephen’s Green South. Phone: 478 2300. Fax: 478 2263. Price: £88 ($138) with breakfast. All major cards. (B2).

A solid, expensive and rather sound-conductive small hotel alongside the Foreign Ministry, 500 meters from Grafton Street. The front rooms face Stephen’s Green and the back rooms face Iveagh Gardens.

The lobby is tiny, there is no lift and the stairs are steep. The views add space to the smallish rooms. The breakfast room is in the basement.

The very small no. 301 has thin walls and the normal conveniences, including a coffee machine. The tiny bathroom is neither tiled nor stylish but has all the amenities, including a good shower.

Stephen’s Hall

14-17 Lower Leeson Street. Phone: 661 0585. Fax: 661 0606. Price: £150 ($234) with breakfast. All major cards. 37 rooms. (B2).

Near St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Temple Bar

Fleet Street. Phone: 677 3333. Fax: 677 3088. Price: £100 ($156) with breakfast. All major cards. 108 rooms. (A1).

A lively hotel in a very central location, 50 meters from Temple Bar and 400 meters from Grafton Street.

It is new and sparkling, furnished in taste and quality, including the breakfast room behind the small and sometimes crowded lobby, overflowed with groups leaving and coming. The employees are friendly and relaxed but not experienced enough in the breakfast room.

Quality and style mark room no. 115. It has a good writing desk, a trouser press and a coffee machine. The bathroom is handsome but the shower is rather tepid.

Westbury

Grafton Street. Phone: 679 1122. Fax: 679 7078. Price: £149 ($233) with breakfast. All major cards. 195 rooms. (B2).

The best and the best situated hotel, expensive, large and modern, only 30 meters from Grafton Street. The Powerscourt boutique shopping center is just behind the hotel.

No less than three of the best restaurants in Dublin are inside the hotel, Russell, Sandbank and Rajdoot. There is also a shopping arcade in the hotel, so that the hotel becomes a self-contained world in heavy rain. The lobby on two floors is a large and cold marble palace with an impressive staircase.

Room no. 606 is unusually spacious and of unusually good quality, with mahogany furniture and blue colors, good lamps and wide mirrors, impressively stylish. The bathroom is fully tiled, in two parts, with a bath and a toilet in the inner part. The shower was not very efficient.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Madrid hotels

Ferðir

Ambassador

Cuesta de Santo Domingo 5. Phone: 541 6700. Fax: 559 1040. Price: Pts.20800 ($166) without breakfast. All major cards. 163 rooms. (A2).

Near the opera and the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Atlántico

Gran Vía 38. Phone: 522 6480. Fax: 531 0210. Price: Pts.11400 ($91) without breakfast. All major cards. 80 rooms. (B2).

At the main traffic artery in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

California

Gran Vía 38. Phone: 522 4703. Fax: 531 6101. Price: Pts.7900 ($63) without breakfast. All major cards. 26 rooms. (B2).

At the main traffic artery in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Carlos V

Maestro Vitoria 5. Phone: 531 4100. Fax: 531 3761. Price: Pts.12500 ($100) with breakfast. All major cards. 67 rooms. (B2).

A small hotel on a peaceful pedestrian street in the shopping area between Plaza Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía.

The staff is helpful and cheerful.

Room no. 209 has a balcony overlooking the street, where a violinist and a flutist alternated in producing soft and gentle notes for hours on end. It is smallish and comfortable with old furniture and a neat bathroom.

Casón del Tormes

Rio 7. Phone: 541 9746. Fax: 541 1852. Price: Pts.12000 ($96) without breakfast. All major cards. 63 rooms. (A2).

A few steps from Plaza de España and Jardines de Sabatini. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Condes

Los Libreros 7. Phone: 521 5455. Fax: 521 7882. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) without breakfast. All major cards. 68 rooms. (B2).

Near Gran Vía. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cortezo

Dr. Cortezo 3. Phone: 369 0101. Fax: 369 3774. Price: Pts.11300 ($90) without breakfast. All major cards. 88 rooms. (B2).

A few steps from Plaza Benavente and 300 meters from Plaza Major. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Emperador

Gran Via 53. Phone: 547 2800. Fax: 547 2817. Price: Pts.14100 ($113) without breakfast. All major cards. 232 rooms. (A2).

At the main traffic artery in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Europa

Carmen 4. Phone: 521 2900. Fax: 521 4696. Price: Pts.8200 ($66) without breakfast. No cards. (B2).

One of the best buys in town, an inexpensive hotel with friendly staff a few steps from Plaza Puerta del Sol.

Half the rooms have a sideways view to the Puerta del Sol and the others overlook a flowery atrium. Breakfast is not served and there is a breakfast café next door.

Room no. 214 is large and quaint with a sitting area near a balcony that has some view to the square. There is no motor traffic in the street and the windows are double-glazed, ensuring peace. There is no TV set and no air-condition. The large bathroom is fully tiled and functions well.

Francisco I

Arenal 15. Phone: 248 0204. Fax: 542 2899. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) without breakfast. All major cards. (A2).

On the street connecting Plaza Puerta del Sol and Plaza Oriente. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Inglés

Echegaray 8. Phone: 429 6551. Fax: 420 2423. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) without breakfast. All major cards. (B2).

A few steps from Plaza de Canalejas. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Italia

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada 2. Phone: 522 4790. Fax: 521 2891. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) without breakfast. All major cards. 58 rooms. (B2).

A few steps from Gran Vía. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Liabeny

Salud 3. Phone: 532 5306. Fax: 532 7421. Price: Pts.17900 ($143) without breakfast. All major cards. 224 rooms. (B2).

A comfortable hotel on a pedestrian street in the shopping district between Plaza Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía.

The hotel is Mexican owned and has many guests from Latin America. There is no traffic noise around it.

Room no. 201 is of a normal size, unusually well furnished. It has a luxurious bathroom of marble and tiles.

Mayorazgo

Flor Baja 3. Phone: 547 2600. Fax: 541 2485. Price: Pts.16100 ($129) without breakfast. All major cards. 200 rooms. (A2).

Well situated in a quiet location a few steps from Gran Vía, near Plaza de Españja.

The picturesque furnishings emulate a Castilian castle, both in the public areas and in the guest rooms. Prices of rooms are variable.

Room no. 323 is of the more inexpensive type, rather small and well furnished with a parquet and good carpets on the floor and equipped with a trouser press. The marble bathroom functions well.

Mercator

Atocha 123. Phone: 429 0500. Fax: 369 1252. Price: Pts.11400 ($91) without breakfast. All major cards. 89 rooms. (C3).

A few steps from Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and Jadrín Botánico. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Moderno

Arenal 2. Phone: 531 0900. Fax: 531 3550. Price: Pts.10500 ($84) without breakfast. All major cards. 100 rooms. (B2).

A practical hotel a few steps from the main square in central Madrid, Plaza Puerta del Sol.

The clean and faded hotel has parquet floors and polished furniture. Breakfast is not served, but the best breakfast café in town, Mallorquina, is around the corner.

Room no. 412 has an inside location. It has a parquet floor and all the amenities in the bathroom.

Palace

Plaza de las Cortes 7. Phone: 429 7551. Fax: 429 8266. Price: Pts.40000 ($320) without breakfast. All major cards. 436 rooms. (C2).

The two luxury hotels of Madrid face each other at Cánovas del Castillo square. Ritz is higher in class, being the abode of visiting dignitaries. Palace is the parliamentary hotel, handy for the next door parliament on the other side of Carrera de San Jeronimo. Prado Museum is on the other side of Paseo del Prado. Palace is thus in the middle of the action in Madrid.

There are extensive and luxurious saloons on the ground floor, including a circular coffee lounge with a glass roof. On the upper floors there are several lounges in the corridors and near the elevators. The building is from 1912 and has been refurbished according to the latest demands and fashions. Service is very good.

Room no. 106 is old-fashioned, rather large, furnished with inlaid wood, leather chairs and an exclusive carpet, in addition to all the comforts. The large bathroom has lots of tiles and mirrors. There is some noise from the street, but more quiet rooms at the rear are also available.

París

Alcalá 2. Phone: 521 6496. Fax: 531 0188. Price: Pts.11000 ($88) with breakfast. All major cards. 1204 rooms. (B2).

Perfectly situated just on Plaza Puerta del Sol, the center of Madrid, with many rooms overlooking the square.

It is also inexpensive, partly due to the lack of an elevator. It is gleaming with cleanliness and polish. The rooms which do not have a view to the square, overlook a flowery atrium.

Room no. 221 overlooks the square. The balcony is a perfect spot for observing the constant goings-on in the square from 7 in the morning to 5 in the morning. It has no TV set and needs none. The double glazing prevents noises entering the room when the window is closed. The parquet floor is well polished and the fully tiled bathroom functions perfectly.

Prado

Prado 11. Phone: 369 0234. Fax: 429 2829. Price: Pts.16500 ($132) without breakfast. All major cards. 47 rooms. (B2).

Between Plaza Santa Ana og Plaza Canovás del Castillo. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Regina

Alcalá 19. Phone: 521 4725. Fax: 521 4725. Price: Pts.11900 ($95) without breakfast. All major cards. 142 rooms. (B2).

On the main street leading to Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Ritz

Plaza de la Lealtad 5. Phone: 521 2857. Fax: 532 8776. Price: Pts.49500 ($396) without breakfast. All major cards. 127 rooms. (C2).

The two luxury hotels of Madrid face each other at Cánovas del Castillo square. Ritz is higher in class, being the abode of visiting dignitaries. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Santo Domingo

Plaza Santo Domingo 13. Phone: 547 9800. Fax: 547 5995. Price: Pts.17500 ($140) without breakfast. All major cards. 120 rooms. (A2).

Between Gran Vía and the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Suecia

Marqués de Casa Riera 4. Phone: 531 6900. Fax: 521 7141. Price: Pts.20000 ($160) without breakfast. All major cards. 119 rooms. (B2).

Just behind the parliament building, on a quiet square with light traffic, one of he first hotels in Madrid to offer non-smoking guest rooms.

A quaint coffee bar is on a platform inside the foyer. The personal gives a warm welcome.

Room no. 201 is on the small side, with sound-insulated windows out to he square, furnished with potted plants and some mirrors. It is in light, summer blue colors. The bathroom is very good.

Victoria

Plaza de Santa Ana 14. Phone: 531 4500. Fax: 522 0307. Price: Pts.23000 ($184) without breakfast. All major cards. 195 rooms. (B2).

Well situated at the two squares of Santa Ana and Ángel, two noisy centers of the main district of cafés and bars just south of Plaza Puerta del Sol.

This was formerly the lodging of bullfighters and Hemingway. Now it has been modernized inside. The facade though is a protected monument. An immense and luxurious lounge is on the ground floor. Most rooms have bay windows to one of the two squares.

The spacious room no. 306 has a bay window overlooking Plaza del Ángel. The quality furnishings are tasteful and the bathroom is luxurious.

Washington

Gran Vía 72. Phone: 541 7227. Fax: 547 5199. Price: Pts.14000 ($112) without breakfast. All major cards. 120 rooms. (A1).

A few steps from Plaza de España. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Roma hotels

Ferðir

Accademia

Piazza Accademia di San Luca 75. Phone: 6992 2607. Fax: 678 5897. Price: L.210000 ($133) with breakfast. All major cards. 58 rooms. (C2).

Centrally located, af few steps from the Trevi fountain. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Campo de’Fiori

Via del Biscione 6. Phone: 687 4886 & 654 0865. Price: L.150000 ($95) with breakfast. All major cards. 27 rooms. (B3).

Small and cosy hotel in the old center. It is on an alley leading off the market square of Campo de’Fiori, 10 meters from the square.

There is no lift, but a nice roof garden with views to all directions. Breakfast is served in a mirrored room in the cellar, a romantic mock-up of an ancient temple.

Room no. 106 is rather large, with a high ceiling, strangely romantically furnished with exposed brickwork and roofstones over the bathroom and corridor. A brick arch frames the bed. The bathroom is small, nicely tiled and well outfitted, with a shower closet. There is neither a TV set nor a direct phone line to the outside.

Cardinal

Via Giulia 62. Phone: 654 2710. Price: L.240000 ($152) with breakfast. All major cards. 73 rooms. (B3).

Old palace from 1400 built around a court on the well known pedestrian Via Giulia near Tevere river, loaded with antiques. Once it was a city courthouse.

The public rooms are obtrusively wallpapered in mysterious and cardinal red alternating with exposed brick and stone from Forum Romanum, especially behind the original bar.

Room no. 216 had become rather tired, with flaky wallpaper. It is big, with antique and respectable furniture. A private writing room is in front of the bedroom.

Carriage

Via delle Carrozze 36. Phone: 679 4106 & 679 3152. Fax: 678 8279. Price: L.230000 ($145) with breakfast. All major cards. 27 rooms. (C2).

Endearing small hotel, well situated near the beginning of The Spanish Steps in a street running parallel to Via Condotti. It is not easily recognised from the outside, in spite of being only 100 meters from the Steps.

It is a human hotel with lots of antiques. Among them is a hotel bar converted from a 17th Century church altar. The staff was exemplary.

Room no. 102 is well endowed with epoch furniture, including a triangular wardrobe, a beautiful writing cabinet, and an antique telephone. The bathroom is fully tiled and was in good working condition.

Cesàri

Via di Pietra 89a. Phone: 679 2386 & 684 0632. Fax: 679 0882. Price: L.145000 ($92) with breakfast. All major cards. 50 rooms. (C3).

Historic hotel near the parliament and Piazza Colonna, 10 meters from the Corso traffic artery. It has been continuously a hotel for almost three centuries and sports a special licence from the pope, dated in 1787.

Garibaldi and Mazzini, heroes of the independence movement, stayed here, also well known writers. At that time it was one of the best places in town. Now it is one of the cheapest of those who got through the needle’s eye of this database.

Room no. 20 is simple, with linoleum on the floor and old furniture, somewhat skewed. Everything is clean though and in working condition, except for the air condition and the spring bed. A tiny bathroom is adequate.

Colosseum

Via Sforza 10. Phone: 482 7228 & 482 7312. Fax: 482 7285. Price: L.175000 ($110) with breakfast. All major cards. 49 rooms. (D3).

A relatively modern building 200 meters from the Santa Maria Maggiore church and near the central railway station.

A fine sitting room adjoins the lobby. The view from the upper floors includes the famous Colosseum.

Room no. 74 is very small, but has the addition of a balcony with chairs, a table and a good view. The quality furniture includes a secretary desk. There is no TV set.

Columbus

Via della Conzialiazione 33. Phone: 686 5435. Fax: 686 4874. Price: L.230000 ($145) with breakfast. All major cards. 115 rooms. (B2).

Cardinal’s palace, Palazzo dei Penitenzieri, and temporarily a monastery, now a hotel, stern and aloof on the outside. It is very well situated for those who are mainly interested in St Peter’s (San Pietro) and the Vatican. It is on the main street leading up to the Piazza San Pietro, just 150 meters from the piazza.

The 15th century palace was built for cardinal Domenico della Rovera, who later became Pope Julian II. It has much of the original furnishings and wall paintings in the drawing rooms behind the lobby. Breakfast was as ancient as the sour waiter. The front desk staff was efficient.

Room no. 446 is ample with choice furnishings in antique style, with leaded window panes, an exquisite carpet and soft wallpaper. The bathroom is completely tiled, with old equipment in perfect condition.

Condotti

Via Mario de’Fiori 37. Phone: 679 4661 & 679 0484. Fax: 679 0457. Price: L.225000 ($142) with breakfast. All major cards. 19 rooms. (C2).

A preferred hotel of ours, a very small and an unobtrusive hotel in a pedestrian street in the fashion shops district below The Spanish Steps, 200 meters from them.

It has recently been completely renovated and has moved up our ratings list. The staff was friendly and knew the answers to our questions.

Room no. 102 is big and cosy, with modern decor in blue cloth, pink plastic and bright pine, divided by a wardrobe into a sleeping part and a sitting part with a deep sofa. Everything in the room and bathroom was in mint condition and very clean.

De la Ville

Via Sistina 69. Phone: 67 331. Fax: 678 4213. Price: L.500000 ($316) with breakfast. All major cards. 192 rooms. (C2).

One of the best known luxury hotels in Rome, conveniently located above the Spanish Steps. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Duca d’Alba

Via Leonina 14. Phone: 484 471 & 484 712. Fax: 464 840. Price: L.190000 ($120) with rather good breakfast. All major cards. 25 rooms. (D3).

Small and cosy hotel with a modern look in an old building on a small square in the district Suburra, the ancient slum adjoining the Fori Imperiali, 500 meters from the ruins. This central district resembles a village.

Room no. 201 is beautifully designed in green shades, with quality furniture and soft wallpaper, sparkling of freshness. The air condition is unusually efficient and the bathroom very good.

Fontana

Piazza di Trevi 96. Phone: 678 6113 & 679 1056. Price: L.200000 ($126) without breakfast. All major cards. 28 rooms. (C3).

A 13th C. monastery opposite the Trevi fountain. It does not advertise its existence as the tiny entrance is unobtrusively marked with the letters HF.

Many rooms have a nice view to the fountain and the tourist horde. They are rather noisy for a prolonged stay. There is a roof garden. Front service is excellent.

Room no. 207 is small but clean, with greenish blue flower wallpaper and steel furniture. The small bathroom is well equipped. The view to the fountain is breathtaking. The din from it echoed in the ceiling when the window was open. The phone does not have a direct line to the outside.

Forum

Via Tor de’Conti 25. Phone: 679 2446. Fax: 678 6479. Price: L.330000 ($208) with breakfast. All major cards. 81 rooms. (D3).

Dignified hotel just above Fori Imperiali with a view over the ancient Forum Romanum up to the imperial Capitolum hill.

It is a Renaissance palace built of stones from the Forum. Downstairs there are some beautiful saloons in British Edwardian style. The top floor has a breakfast room with views. Service is good.

Room no. 205 is big and nice, with a real writing table, an easy chair, parquet floor, fine small rugs, bright walls with antique paintings. The bathroom is well fitted out.

Gregoriana

Via Gregoriana 18. Phone: 679 4269. Fax: 678 4258. Price: L.240000 ($152) with breakfast. No cards accepted. 19 rooms. (C2).

One of our favorities, a stylish and tasteful hotelet in an old convent in a side street leading off the top of The Spanish Steps, 200 meters from the Steps. It is so popular that booking far in advance is recommended.

It is the home of discerning fashion models when shows are in season. The hotel itself sparkles with cleanliness and comfort. The rooms are marked with letters, not with numbers.

Room F is very relaxing, light and airy, with a balcony overlooking the quiet private garden. Furnishings are matching in pale red. There are bamboo chairs, a writing cabinet, a rocking chair and a thick carpet. The bathroom is big, with soft and flowery wallpapers, even over the bathtub.

Hassler – Villa Medici

Piazza Trinità de’Monti. Phone: 678 2651. Fax: 678 9991. Price: L.590000 ($372) without breakfast. All major cards. 100 rooms. (C2).

One of the top hotels in the world, proudly standing at the top of The Spanish Steps, beside the Trinità de’Monti church, one of the landmarks of Rome. The hotel of spacious rooms is of medium size.

It is decorated with immaculate taste, quiet as a country mansion in the center of a world city. It is almost too relaxed as it took a lot of time to deliver the baggage to the room. Breakfast is served in a top floor restaurant with breathtaking views.

Room no. 523 is one of the finest lodgings we have tested, almost an apartment. It has an anteroom, a giant bathroom and a big bedroom, all in bright colors. Former times are reflected in beams and pillars and in murals above the beds and in the bathroom. Mirrors are everywhere, the carpets are thick, as are the towels and the bathrobes.

Inghilterra

Via Bocca di Leone 14. Phone: 672 166. Fax: 684 0828. Price: L.340000 ($215) without breakfast. All major cards. 105 rooms. (C2).

Traditional hotel of writers and the intelligenzia since 1850 just below The Spanish Steps on a small square in a pedestrian part of the fashion district. H. C. Andersen, Anatole France, Earnest Hemingway, Henry James, Alec Guinness and many others stayed here.

It has been carefully renovated and its many antiques have been preserved.

Room no. 138 is rather small, well equipped, with soft wallpapers, dissimilar and relaxing furniture. The bathroom is marbled and well appointed, including a bathrobe.

Madrid

Via Mario de’Fiori 95. Phone: 699 1511. Fax: 679 1653. Price: L.210000 ($133) with breakfast. All major cards. 19 rooms. (C2).

A tiny hotel a few steps from the Spanish Steps. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Majestic

Via Vittorio Veneto 50. Phone: 48 6841. Fax: 488 0984. Price: L.500000 ($316) with breakfast. All major cards. 88 rooms. (D2).

Probably the best hotel on the famous fashion street. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Margutta

Via Laurina 34. Phone: 322 3674. Price: L.134000 ($85) with breakfast. All major cards. 21 rooms. (C2).

Between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Piccolo

Via dei Chiaviari 32. Phone: 654 2560. Price: L.85000 ($54) without breakfast. All major cards. 15 rooms. (C3).

Quaint and tiny hotel in the old center, midway between the squares Campo dei Fiori and Largo di Argentina.

There is no elevator and no breakfast. But it is the cheapest hotel in the city of those included in this database.

Room no. 8 is big, with an extra bed and a desk, tiled floor and rosy bedspreads. There is neither a TV set nor a direct phone line to the outside. The bathroom is fully tiled and quite well endowed.

Portoghesi

Via dei Portoghesi 1. Phone: 686 4231. Fax: 687 6976. Price: L.130000 ($82) with breakfast. All major cards. 27 rooms. (C2).

Well known hotel in the part of the old center, where the alleys are most narrow and twisted. It is 200 meters from Piazza Navona and beside the church of Sant’Antonio.

This is Renaissance Rome. One of the old towers of noblemen, Torre dei Frangipane, is opposite the hotel. To get to the breakfast room you have to exit the elevator at the top and continue up stairs on the outside of the house.

Room no. 83 is small, with weary furnishings, flowery wallpaper and a carpet on the floor. The price is the second lowest of the included hotels.

Raphaël

Largo Febo 2. Phone: 650 881. Fax: 687 8993. Price: L.390000 ($246) with breakfast. All major cards. 85 rooms. (B3).

A fine hotel patronised by members of the Italian parliament. It is situated just off the northern end of Piazza Navona, under police protection night and day. Many fallen angels lived there in the Dolce Vita years before the clean-up of Italian politics.

The quiet abode is hidden behind a cover of luxuriant foliage, a real oasis in a tiny square with trees. It has atmosphere and style. It is full of antiques and modern paintings, even in the corridors. The roof-garden gives good views. The staff was exceptionally helpful.

Room no. 104 is very well furnished, with a parquet floor, abstract paintings, a giant cupboard and big windows overlooking the square. The bathroom was immaculate down to the bathrobes.

Santa Chiara

Via Santa Chiara 21. Phone: 687 2979. Fax: 687 3144. Price: L.250000 ($158) with breakfast. All major cards. 93 rooms. (C3).

Centrally located a few steps from Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Scalinata di Spagna

Piazza Trinità de’Monti 17. Phone: 679 3006. Fax: 684 0896. Price: L.225000 ($142) with breakfast. All major cards. 14 rooms. (C2).

One of the smallest hotels we know of in the central city. It is just above the Spanish Steps opposite the famous Hassler Villa Medici hotel.

It is homely and beautifully furnished with antiques, resembling an old country inn.

Room no. 3 is small and amusingly skewed, endowed with antique and comfortable furniture, including a secretary desk. An old chandelier hangs from the ceiling which is painted with flowers. The plumbing is visible. The bathroom is small and includes a shower closet.

Senato

Piazza della Rotonda 73. Phone: 679 3231. Fax: 6994 0297. Price: L.190000 ($120) with breakfast. All major cards. 51 rooms. (C3).

Directly in front of the Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Sole al Pantheon

Piazza della Rotonda 63. Phone: 678 0441. Fax: 684 0689. Price: L.250000 ($158) with breakfast. All major cards. 29 rooms. (C3).

A small hotel directly on the square in front of the Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Teatro di Pompeo

Largo del Pallaro 8. Phone: 6830 0170. Fax: 6880 5531. Price: L.210000 ($133) with breakfast. All major cards. 12 rooms. (C3).

A tiny hotel a few steps from the corner of Corso Vittorio Emanuele og Corso del Rinascimento. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Torre Argentina

Corso Vittorio Emanuele 102. Phone: 683 3886. Fax: 6880 1641. Price: L.210000 ($133) with breakfast. All major cards. 52 rooms. (C3).

On the main throughfare in the old city. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Dublin amusements

Ferðir

Abbey Tavern

Howth. All major cards.

The best ballad pub for tourists is in a steep street leading up from the harbor in the northern suburb of Howth, where the city railway ends at the seashore. The program is performed in a big dining room behind the pub. Busloads of tourists sit there at a candlelight dinner before the memorable performance starts.

The musicians and singers cover a broad spectrum of Irish folk ballads, from several epochs, ancient and new. They play mainly fiddles and guitars. The music is historically correct and gets directly to the heart. This is first class and no make-believe.

Admission is £3, with dinner it is £28.

Baggot Inn

Lower Baggot Street. (B2).

The pub of rock n’ roll is a clean place in the street of music pubs.

It is rather delicate and bright by Irish standards, shaped in a U. There are mirrors on columns and low partitions at the walls, hung with paintings and photos of rock singers.

People come here to listen to the newest rock bands who have concerts on the 1st floor.

Bailey

4 Duke Street. (B2).

One of three historical pubs in a small street leading off Grafton Street. This one boasts of the door to 7 Eccles Street, where Leopold Bloom lived, the main character in Ulysses by James Joyce.

It is a refined pub with carpets on the floor and good furniture, including comfortable sofas and easy-chairs. Mirrors abound. The pub is bright and almost modern. There are large windows to the street, sitting areas in front and in back and a restaurant on the 1st floor.

Tourists and affluent shoppers make up the bulk of the clientele. Formerly it was a meeting place for writers and artists, journalists and students. The food is popular.

Brazen Head

20 Lower Bridge Street. (A1).

The oldest pub is inconspicuous down by the river Liffey where Lower Bridge Street runs down to it, about 500 meters from Christ Church. The license is from 1666. A pub has probably been in this place since the 13th C. It is best known for Robert Emmet organizing there the abortive uprising against the British in 1803.

The pub is in two sections with various corridors leading off a paved courtyard. The ceiling is low and the lighting is dim.

The clients are less noisy than in many other pubs, but still as convivial as other Irishmen. Poetry recitals and Irish music are held in honor here.

Davy Byrne’s

21 Duke Street. (B2).

The fashionable pub of the up and going young set in Dublin and one of three historical pubs in a small street leading off Grafton Street, well known for the Gorgonzola cheese and Burgundy wine that Leopold Bloom got here in the novel of Ulysses by James Joyce.

The furnishings are partly in a pre-war style, with paintings of known writers that lived at the start of the 20th C. A more modern section is at the back, resembling a cocktail area.

The clientele consists of well-dressed young people on their way up in business, along with similar types from the travelers’ brigade.

Doheny & Nesbitt

5 Lower Baggot Street. (B2).

A traditional and rather worn drinking pub of professionals in politics, in the middle of the music pubs of this street, leading off St Stephen’s Green, one of the famous pubs of Dublin.

It is small and dingy, with an ugly linoleum floor, and with torn advertising posters, advertising mirrors and large pottery on the walls. Mirrored partitions at the bar counter make the pub look even more crowded.

The clientele comes from the parliament and government buildings round the corner, politicians, journalists and officials.

Duke

9 Duke Street. (B2).

A fine Victorian pub in a small street of old pubs leading off Grafton Street, spacious and bright, with murals and less wood than usual.

A nice floor carpet at the entrance gives a tone of affluence. The bar chairs are upholstered, standing on a parquet floor. There is stained glass behind the bar. Sofas are on platforms at the walls and high bar-stools on the floor beneath the platforms.

Here are many suburbanites on a shopping trip, having a beer and a bite between walks. The price is relatively good, considering the quality and the cleanliness of the place.

Foley’s

Merrion Row. (B2).

A singing pub cum restaurant on the main street of music pubs.

It is spacious and bright, with a carpet on the floor and an exhibition of paintings on the walls, also busts of venerable gentlemen.

This is a nice place, with Irish ballads in the night and at Sunday noon. There is jazz on Sunday nights.

Horseshoe Bar

The Shelbourne Hotel, St Stephen’s Green. (B2).

The most famous hotel bar in Dublin, at the eastern end of the ground floor of the Shelbourne, very small and tightly packed.

Leather sofas line the walls. In front of them are circular tables with edge fillets. The horseshoe-shaped bar is in the center, surrounded with good stools. The ceiling is high and decorations are scant, but there is a lot of mirrors.

Affluent travelers come here, mainly Americans, as the bartenders know how to make cocktails. Also jeweled people who arrive in Jaguars and Mercedeses.

Keogh’s

McDaid’s

Harry Street. (B2).

The literary pub in the center, in a short street leading off Grafton Street, almost under the eaves of Westbury Hotel. Brendan Behan and other well-known writers sat here.

The decorations are beautiful, outside and inside. Very high street windows are partly stained. Decorative porcelain tiles are beneath pictures of Samuel Becket and other writers.

There is still some literary atmosphere here, as university teachers and students congregate here to follow the tradition.

Mulligan’s

8 Poolbeg Street. (B1).

The worn-out pub of journalists near the river docks, the offices of the daily papers and the Trinity University is one of the oldest in town, from 1782 and looks every year its age. It is mentioned in Dubliners by James Joyce.

The pub forms an U around a double bar and has a small room by the window at the opening of the U. The ceiling is low, the air is heavy and the visibility is scant. The furnishings are as worn as they can possibly be. There are two rooms behind the bar area, both of them quite inhospitable. The furniture is accidental, destitute and devoid of taste.

Many guests are deep in their drinks, having the excuse that they are getting the best beer in town. It flows in torrents here from morning into the night. Journalists come here, dock workers and students. The clientele combines with the furnishings to make quite an unforgettable atmosphere.

Neary’s

1 Chatham Street. (B2).

The theater pub is of course just behind the Gaiety theater. The main entrance of the theater and the back door of the pub are opposite each other, but he main entrance of the pub is on a side street of Grafton Street.

The pub is in two parts, rather small, with large mirrors. Quaint gas-lamps of wrought iron are on a pink bar counter of marble. A fine carpet is on the floor and thick cushions are on the chairs, as this is not a place for the riff-raff.

Some actors and musicians are in the otherwise mainly tourist clientele. Peter O’Toole is said to hold court here when he is in Dublin.

O’Donoghue’s

15 Merrion Row. (B2).

One of the most famous music pubs of Ireland, rather shady, specializing in ballads. It has been in the forefront of the revival of Irish ballads. The Dubliners started here.

It is small and dingy, with red and green neon lights on the bar wall above money notes from several continents. The walls are hung with old advertising mirrors.

Guests bring their guitars, as the music is not organized, but rather emanates from the grass-roots.

O’Neill’s

2 Suffolk Street. (B1).

Opposite St Andrews, convenient for Trinity College students, just 100 meters from its main entrance at College Green.

The emblem of the pub is a large clock over one of its Suffolk Street entrance. This is a large pub, clean, well furnished, with few decorations, but lots of seats.

The pub is popular, both with students and burghers. The attraction is not only the beer, but also the grub.

Old Stand

Exchequer Street. (A1).

The main sportsmen’s pub in the center, in a side street 100 meters from the Powerscourt shopping center.

It is rather bright and unusually spacious, clean and simple, with furnishings that have not yet become worn, except for the floor.

Sport enthusiasts congregate here, talking about racing or Irish football. Many of them have something to eat here.

Palace

21 Fleet Street. (B1).

A typical smoke-filled pub in a continuation of Temple Bar in the direction of Westmoreland Street, a neighbor of hotel Temple Bar.

Wood partitions with mirrors form compartments at the heavy counter, opposite the dignified bar furniture behind the counter. Behind the bar there is a sitting room with sofas and round coffee-tables.

There is a lot of drinking and still more of smoking. The place is frequented by workers and media people.

Stag’s Head

1 Dame Court. (A1).

The best pub grub in town is to be had at a beautiful old pub, which is difficult to find in an alley running parallel with Dame Street. Probably the most beautiful pub in the city center, it was restored to its present state at the end of the 19th C. Its life was recently saved by protection activists.

The style is Victorian, with large mirrors and an arcade over the bar, an old ceiling of wood, an impressive venison head above the central bar, mahogany tables with marble tops, stained windows and deeply green sofas. The cooking is simple and the food is tasty, boiled bacon and cauliflower, Irish stew, sandwiches and hamburgers with chips.

There is generally a crowd of well-dressed people, including lawyers.

Toner’s

139 Lower Baggot Street. (B2).

The main artists’ pub, 200 years old, more or less with the original furnishings and looking its age.

At the mahogany bar counter there are narrow, mirrored partitions. The bar wall has countless drawers from the time that the pub doubled as a grocery. Old books are above the drawers. A dominating tile decoration is at the end of the pub. Opposite the counter there is a glass cupboard with memorabilia.

Among the clientele are some convivial writers and people who like convivial writers.

Gaelic football

The most popular team sport in Ireland, a rough sport somewhere between rugby and soccer. When the final game is played in Croke Park in Dublin the home districts of the competitors are almost deserted.

Hurling is another popular sport, where the ball is hit by a club, played on the same fields as football.

Horse races are at Phoenix Park and there are good golf courses all over Ireland.

Market Arcade

(A1).

Tower

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Madrid restaurants

Ferðir

Ainhoa

Bárbara de Braganza 12. Phone: 308 6698. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.11000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (C1).

One of many Basque places, a modern and simple restaurant with classic cooking, situated in the north-eastern part of the center, near Paseo de Recoletos.

The dining room is partioned in two by a wooden grill and covered with mirrors on one side.

• Marmitako = pea soup with turnip, potato and tuna.

• Revuelto de pisto = scrambled eggs with chopped olives.

• Merluza a la parilla = grilled hake.

• Rape a la koskera = turbot with green bean sauce.

• Tarta et truffa almondes = almond cake.

• Idiázabal = Basque cheese.

Al Mounia

Recoletos 5. Phone: 435 0828. Hours: Closed Sunday & Monday. Price: Pts.9700 ($78) for two. All major cards. (C2).

The best Moorish restaurant in Spain is in central Madrid, near Paseo de Recoletos, combining cooking and atmosphere.

It is divided into a few rooms decorated from top to bottom in Moorish style, evoking memories from Alhambra in Granada and Mezquita in Córdoba. Guests sit in sofas at low sofa-tables and enjoy especially good service.

• Al Mounia panache = pancakes of the house.

• Brochette khefta = skewered meat balls.

• Chicken with almonds and meat fumé.

• Grilled lamb.

• Cordero mechoui = oven-braised lamb.

• Taginé = minced chicken.

• Alcuzcuz = Maghreb hash.

• Almond sweets.

• Mint tea.

Asador de Aranda

Preciados 44. Phone: 547 2156. Hours: Closed Monday dinner. Price: Pts.7600 ($61) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Castilian restaurant in a pedestrian area around the main department stores in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Bajamar

Gran Vía 78. Phone: 548 4818. Fax: 559 1326. Price: Pts.15000 ($120) for two. All major cards. (A1).

The best-known seafood restaurant in town, receiving airborne fish every day, popular with tourists and businessmen, in a basement on the corner of Plaza de España and Gran Vía.

An aquarium with lobsters awaits customers when the have descended the staircase. The dining room is rather cool, sheathed in bright wood Scandinavian style, like a Norwegian hotel from 1965.

• Steamed lobster.

• Dublin Bay prawns in garlic oil.

• Baked apple.

• Torrija de la casa = rice pudding with cinnamon.

Botín

Cuchilleros 17. Phone: 366 4217. Fax: 366 8494. Price: Pts.9800 ($78) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Down the steps from the southwestern corner of Plaza Mayor, 100 meters down the street on the left side, Antigua Casa Sobrino de Botín, founded in 1725, one of the very oldest restaurants in the world. This was the venue of the final chapter of Hemingway’s rising sun, not surprisingly since he was a regular here. The place is also mentioned in his story on an afternoon death.

It was originally only on the ground floor but has been expanded into two upper floors. It is not only popular with tourists but also with locals. The tavern has old and quaint furnishings, including porcelain tiles on the walls and marble in the floors. The kitchen oven has been in use since the start of the restaurant.

• Black sausages Burgos.

• Ham on melon.

• Cordero asado = braised lamb.

• Cochinillo asado = braised baby pork.

• Cheese cake with raspberries.

Buey II

Plaza de la Marina Española 1. Phone: 541 3041. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Near the royal palace and the Sabatine gardens. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Café de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente 2. Phone: 541 3974. Fax: 547 7707. Price: Pts.13000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (A2).

One of the very best restaurants in central Madrid, a Basque one, run by Chef Bernardo Santos, influenced by Nouvelle Cuisine. It is opposite the Royal Palace, really two places in one as you have to enter an alley to get into the better one on the left side.

The solemn dining room is wealthy and homey at the same time. Service is excellent.

• Lobster salad.

• Asparagus mousse with sea lamprey and seaweed.

• Pigeon breast.

• Sliced beef fillet.

• Nougat ice-cream flambé with timbale.

• Black-currant sorbet with blackberry sauce.

Casa Gallega

Plaza San Miguel 8. Phone: 547 3055. Price: Pts.8000 ($64) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Galician cooking a few steps from Plaza Major and Plaza de la Villa. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Casa Lucio

Cava Baja 35. Phone: 365 3252. Fax: 366 4866. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch. Price: Pts.10200 ($82) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Near the far end of the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor into Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, frequented by politicians and artists, bullfighters and television people.

Its two storeys are always full to the brim. Service is good for the regulars, less so for the others.

• Melón con jamón = ham on melon.

• Jamón de Jabugó = Jabugó ham.

• Shells.

• Revuelto de patatas con huevo = omelet with chips.

• Lenguado de la casa = sole.

• Solemillo = beef steak.

• Perdices = partridge marinated in vinaigrette.

• Arroz con leche = Milky rice pudding with caramel crust.

Casa Marta

Santa Clara 10. Phone: 548 2825. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.6000 ($48) for two. All major cards. (A2).

A few steps from the opera and Plaza de Orientes. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Casa Paco

Puerta Cerrada 11. Phone: 366 3166. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9200 ($74) for two. No cards. (A2).

On the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor along Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, a celebrity eatery with extremely simple furnishings.

The main decoration are the endless pictures covering a good part of the walls of many small dining rooms. Theater personalities frequent this place for beef and salad. Coffee is not served.

• Jamón serrano = ham.

• Cochinillo asado = braised pork.

• Solomillo de buey = beef filet.

• Flan = fruit flan.

• Tarta Santiago = tart of the house.

Club 31

Alcalá 58. Phone: 531 0092. Price: Pts.14000 ($112) for two. All major cards. (C2).

One of the best restaurants in Madrid, a kind of a ladies’ club at dinner and a gentlemen’s club at lunch, is near the corner of Alcalá and Plaza de la Independencia. Ángel Paracuellos practices classic cuisine.

It is a large, dark brown room that would be bare if it were not full of noisy people all the time. The furnishings are unusual. A large carpet is on one wall, another is of cork and the third of wood. Lots of waiters keep milling around.
• Souffle de rodaballo con bacon a las finas herbas = turbot mousse.

• Cacaroles de borgona con foie en nido de patata asado = snails with goose liver on a baked potato.

• Rodaballo al horno con setas = turbot with mushroom.

• Pata azulón a la naranja y compota de membrillo = duck in orange.

• Perdiz asada en hoja de vid = partridge with baked potato.

• Venado estilo australio, ciruelas, parsas y pinones = venison Australian style, with prunes and raisins.

• Crepes de manzana al calvados con sorbete al cava = flambéed pancakes with apple filling.

• Nuestra tarta milhojas = puff pastry.

Comedor

Montalbán 9. Phone: 531 6968. Fax: 531 6191. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.9600 ($77) for two. All major cards. (C2).

BetweenPlaza de Cibeles and Parque del Buen Retiro. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cuevas de Luis Candelas

Cuchilleros 1. Phone: 366 5428. Fax: 366 1880. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Restaurant in old Madrid style with musicians, on the steps leading down from Plaza Mayor. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Don Pelayo

Alcalá 33. Phone: 531 0031. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (B2).

On the main street leading to Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Errota Zar

Jovellanos 3. Phone: 531 2564. Fax: 531 2564. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9500 ($76) for two. All major cards. (B2).

One of the best of many good Basque restaurants in Madrid is on the short walk between the parliament building and hotel Suecia. The cooking is in traditional Basque style.

It is in a long, green room where guests sit in noble chairs at tables clothed in green linen.

• Gratinado de ostras sobre roseta de tomate a la muselina de aromáticos = gratinated oysters with tomato.

• Milhofas de paloma y foie a la gelatina de frambuesa = warm pigeon liver and duck liver in gelatine.

• Solomillo con foie-gras a las uvas = beef filet with goose liver.

• Ragout de cievres = venison in thick prune sauce.

• Bacalao al pil-pil = salt-cod.

• Suprema de perdiz en lecho de col fresada = partridge breast.

• Pudding de arroz con leche a la crema de cirulas farsas = rice pudding with plum puré.

• Charlota de peras con caramelo al Williams = pear tart with caramel sauce.

• Idiázabal = Basque cheese.

Espejo

Paseo de Recoletos 31. Phone: 308 2347. Fax: 593 2223. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (C1).

Directly on Paseo de Recoletos, one of the most beautiful restaurants in Madrid, a lively place in turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau style.

Lots of mirrors, porcelain tiles and leaded lampshades are the main attraction. The service is also very good. The cooking hails from Navarra and the Basque country.

• Espárragos Navarra = asparagus marinated in oil.

• Ensalade de langosta, melón y salmón ahumado = a salad of shrimp, melon, smoked salmon and small tomatoes.

• Escalopines de cordero = slices of leg of lamb.

• Pato e la laranja = duck in orange.

• Profiteroles de nata con chocolate = puff pastry with cream and hot chocolate.

• Flan al caramelo = caramel pudding.

Esteban

Cava Baja 36. Phone: 365 9091. Fax: 366 9391. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Near the far end of the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor into Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, frequented by journalists, media people and theater people.

Everybody seems to know each other. People amble between tables exchanging greetings just as at a party. The furnishings are old and dark and amusingly accidental. Old beams are much in evidence. The cooking is very old-fashioned.

• Alcachofas con almejas = artichokes with shells in a soup.

• Pimientos rellenos de bacalao = salt cod in paprika.

• Solomillo de corzo = venison filet.

• Rabo de toro estofado = ox tail dressing.

• Cordero asada = braised lamb.

• Torrijas de leche frita = rice pudding.

Grillade

Jardines 3. Phone: 521 2217. Fax: 531 3127. Price: Pts.8000 ($64) for two. All major cards. (B2).

In a short street between Gran Vía and Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Gure-Etxea

Plaza de la Paja 12. Phone: 365 6149. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards. (A3).

A Basque dining room situated in a half-timbered house on a small church square just west off the Cava Baja restaurant street.

The quality furnishings fit the excellent service and the premium cooking.

• Piperrada vaxca = omelet, green peppers and ham.

• Shrimp in crab soup.

• Besugo al estilo de Beneo = whole sea bream in oil.

• Merluza al horno = baked hake.

• Leche frita = pan-fried milk pudding.

• Flan de la casa = caramel pudding.

Ingenio

Leganitos 10. Phone: 541 9133. Fax: 547 3534. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: Pts.6100 ($49) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Between Gran Vía and the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Julián de Tolosa

Cava Baja 18. Phone: 365 8210. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.13000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (A3).

On the main restaurant street in the old center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mentidero de la Villa

Santo Tomé 6. Phone: 308 1285. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (C1).

Restaurant with old furnishings near Museo Arquelógico Nacional and Paseo de Recoletos. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mesón Gregorio III

Bordadores 5. Phone: 542 5956. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: Pts.8200 ($66) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Between the opera and Plaza Puerta del Sol. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mi Pueblo

Costanilla de Santiago 2. Phone: 548 2073. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: Pts.6300 ($50) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Near Plaza Mayor. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Ópera de Madrid

Amnistía 5. Phone: 559 5092. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.7600 ($61) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Near the opera and Plaza de Orientes. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Paradis Madrid

Marqués de Cubas 14. Phone: 429 7303. Fax: 429 3295. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A few steps from Plaza Canovás del Castillo and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Platerías

Plaza Santa Ana 11. Phone: 429 7048. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (B2).

On a main square in old Madrid. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Posada de la Villa

Cava Baja 9. Phone: 366 1880. Fax: 366 1880. Price: Pts.9800 ($78) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Antique restaurant in Castilian style on the main restaurant street in the old center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Rasputín

Yeseros 2. Phone: 366 3962. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: Pts.6400 ($51) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Russian restaurant near the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Robata

Reina 31. Phone: 521 8528. Fax: 531 3063. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A Japanese restaurant near Gran Vía. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Schotis

Cava Baja 11. Phone: 365 3230. Hours: Closed Sunday evening. Price: Pts.7800 ($62) for two. All major cards. (A3).

On the restaurant mile leading off Plaza Mayor into Cuchilleros and Cava Baja, specializing in beef steaks served on sizzling bricks.

It is long and narrow, with large paintings covering the walls, filled with local customers.

• Revuelto de trigueros = scrambled egg with green peas.

• Tomato salad.

• Merluza = hake.

• Solomillo = beef steak on brick.

• Flan de huevo = egg pudding.

• Two ice-creams with pineapple and whipped cream.

Sixto Gran Mesón

Cervantes 28. Phone: 429 2255. Fax: 523 3174. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: Pts.9000 ($72) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Castilian restaurant near Plaza Canovás del Castillo. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Taberna del Alabardero

Felipe V 6. Phone: 547 2577. Fax: 547 7707. Price: Pts.10300 ($82) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Opposite the royal palace, a restaurant in 19th C. style, probably too elegant to be called a tavern. It has spawned descendants abroad.

The best atmosphere is in the innermost room, furnished with antiques. The cooking is a combination of Modern French and Basque, offering some imaginative courses.

• Tomatoes with crab filling and egg sauce.

• Paprika with wild mushroom and spinach filling and tomato sauce.

• Bacalao “Club Ranero” = salt-cod.

• Corazón de solomillo de toro = beef filet.

• Grouse with potato chips.

• Duck slices in orange sauce.

• Rice pudding.

• Melone and cream soup with raspberries.

Toja

Siete de Julio 3. Phone: 366 4664. Fax: 366 5230. Price: Pts.10000 ($80) for two. All major cards. (A2).

On the northwestern corner of Plaza Mayor, a popular and lively tavern offering Galician food.

The simple and large dining place is equally popular with locals and foreigners.

• King prawns in egg sauce.

• Crab.

• Shellfish.

• Merluza gallega = grilled hake with white potatoes.

• Grilled lamb shoulder.

• Tarta Toya = Napoleon pastry.

• Strawberries with cream.

Valle

Humilladero 4. Phone: 366 9025. Hours: Closed Monday dinner & Sunday. Price: Pts.7000 ($56) for two. All major cards. (A3).

A few steps from Descalzas Reales. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Viridiana

Juan de Mena 14. Phone: 523 4478. Fax: 532 4274. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: Pts.13000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Exceptional cooking at a relatively economical restaurant between Plaza de la Lealtad and Parque del Buen Retiro. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Zalachaín

Álvarez de Baena 4. Phone: 561 4840. Fax: 561 4732. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: Pts.19000 ($152) for two. All major cards

We include Zalachaín even if it is not in the city center, near the corner of Paseo de la Castellana and Maria de Molina. It is the best restaurant in Madrid and one of the top three in Spain, a Basque restaurant as the other two. It combines content with form, cuisine with ambience and service. A tie for gentlemen is obligatory.

The dining area is in a few venerable rooms of hardwood, a few tables in each, loaded with exquisite crystal and porcelain. The service matches the dignified atmosphere. The cooking of Chef Benjamín Urdáin is in a Basque version of French Nouvelle Cuisine.

• Ensalada de gambas con maíz dulce al sorbete de tomates = shrimp salad with sweet maize on tomato sorbet.

• Raviolis rellenos de setas, rufas y foie gras = mushrooms and goose liver in ravioli.

• Bacalao Tellagorri = salted cod.

• Pato azulón al chartreuse verde = duck in liqueur.

• Ragoût de bogavante con alcachofas = lobster ragout with artichokes.

• Escalopes de lubina con salsa de almejas = sea bass fillets with shellfish sauce.

• Biscuit glacé con chocolate fundido = coffee ice with chocolate sauce.

• Frutas del tiempo con sorbete = season’s berries with sorbet.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Roma restaurants

Ferðir

Agata e Romeo

Via Carlo Alberto 45. Phone: 733 298 & 446 5842. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (E3).

Classy restaurant 200 meters from the Santa Maria Maggiore church, near the main railway station. Agata Paricella is in charge of the kitchen and Romeo Caraccia directs casually in the dining rooms, hands in pockets (his own).

The restaurant is small and refined with good and dignified service. The guests sit in wicket chairs at well spaced tables in nooks between arches under vaults. A good wine list. Specialises in Roman cooking, such as innards.

• Zuppa di scarola e borlotti = salad and bean soup.

• Rigatoni alla pagliata = pasta tubes with tomato sauce, parmesan and kidneys.

• Merluzzo con zabaione = poached cod in red wine sauce.

• Agnello di Abruzzo = rack of lamb with potatoes and mushrooms.

• Mousse de ricotta con salsa di canelle = cheese soufflé with cinnamon.

Innards:

• Animelle = sweetbreads.

• Cervella = brains.

• Coratella = lamb lungs.

• Fegato = liver.

• Pagliata = kidneys.

• Rognoni = kidneys.

• Trippa = tripe.

Ai Tre Scalini

Via di Santissimi Quattro 30. Phone: 70 96 309 & 70 02 835. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (D4).

Small and distinguished top-class restaurant, 200 meters from Colosseum. It combines traditional cooking with innovations. The owner-chef is a construction engineer, Rosanna Dupré, designing a new menu each day.

Unassuming on the outside, comfortable on the inside, with a big cupboard for glassware, somber paintings, parquet floors and an old chandelier. Ms. Dupré experiments with marinated fish, such as Spigola al sale.

• Spigola al sale = lightly salted, raw, delicate slices of sea bass.

• Ravioli al radiccho = radishes in pasta envelopes.

• Filetto di manzo en crusta = spiced veal with broccoli in crust.

• Piccioni farciti = stuffed duck.

• Spume de melone = melon cake with marzipan cream.

Alberto Ciarla

Piazza di San Cosimato 40. Phone: 58 18 668 & 68 84 377. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.250000 ($158) for two. All major cards. (B4).

One of the main gourmet paradises in the city, heavily decorated in an eclectic style, at the Piazza San Cosimato in the upwards mobile district of Trastevere on the left bank of the river Tevere. It carries the name of the chef-owner.

The room is high and dark, in blue shades. Mirrors at both ends make the place unreal and a few aquariums make it lika a luxury submarine. Reality is closer in framed currency bills and certificates on the walls. Three-armed candle-stands decorate each table. It specialises in gastronomic menus, such as an Etruscan menu.

• Insalata di gamberi = lemon marinated shrimp with mushrooms.

• Bomolotti allo sparacreddo = giant pasta tubes with a strong broccoli & seafood sauce.

• Zuppa di pasta e fagioli ai frutti di mare = pasta soup with shellfish and red beans.

• Filetto di pesce alle erbe = sea trout with herbs.

• Frutti di sottobosco = blueberries with ice cream.

Andrea

Via Sardegna 28. Phone: 48 21 891 & 47 40 557. Hours: Closed Sunday & lunch Monday. Price: L.180000 ($114) for two. All major cards. (D2).

One of the top culinary addresses in Rome, in the splendid Ludovisi district of established wealth, just 100 meters from the Borghese gardens and just off the Via Veneto.

A Spartan place with greenish walls, pictures of carriages, big mirrors, marble floor, bamboo chairs and big chandeliers. Offers excellent cheeses.

• Tagliolini con porcini = pasta ribbons with boletus mushrooms.

• Linguine al nero di seppie = pasta threads with black octopus sauce.

• Rombo griglia = grilled brill.

• Scampi alla griglia = grilled prawns.

• Formaggi = cheese from the trolley.

• Fragoline di bosco con panna liquida = wild strawberries with cream.

Italian cheese:

• Bel paese = mild and soft cheese.

• Gorgonzola = rather soft and strong blue cheese.

• Grana = very hard cooking cheese.

• Mozzarella = rubbery young cheese.

• Parmiggiano = parmesan cheese, a type of grana.

• Pecorino = hard and strong Roman ewe cheese.

• Provolone = strong cheese.

• Ricotta = fresh ewe cheese.

• Taleggio = mild & creamy cheese.

Buco

Via Sant’Ignazio 8. Phone: 679 3298. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.90000 ($57) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Near the Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Campana

Vicolo della Campana 18. Phone: 686 7820 & 687 5273. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (C2).

An inexpensive restaurant in the old center, 400 meters from the north end of Piazza Navona, with refreshingly well made Roman everyday food.

This is a simple and neutral place , bright and clean, with close tables and attentive waiters in perfect Italian style.

• Penne con carciofi = big pasta tubes with artichokes.

• Pappardelle in salsa lepre = broad pasta reams with hare sauce.

• Involtini di manzo con puré = skewered veal slices with mashed potatoes.

• Filetto di tacchino = turkey with mushrooms and two types of cream sauce.

• Fragole di bosco con panna = wild strawberries with cream.

Roman cuisine:

• Abbacchio = baby lamb.

• Alla romana = (usually) with tomato and sometimes red wine.

• Asparagus.

• Mint.

• Pecorino cheese.

• Ricotta cheese.

• Stracciatella = egg and cheese soup.

• Trippa = veal tripe.

Camponeschi

Piazza Farnese 50. Phone: 687 4927. Fax: 686 5244. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: L.175000 ($110) for two. All major cards. (B3).

Directly in front of Palazzo Farnese. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cannavota

Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano 20. Phone: 775 007. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.65000 ($41) for two. All major cards. (E4).

A good restaurant with low prices, beautifully designed, on the square in front of the cathedral San Giovanni in Laterano. It is the best known seafood restaurant in Rome, offering traditional cooking.

The interior resembles a mountain hotel. Massive wooden columns and beams and panels, high chairs, lots of paintings and pictures.

• Fritto misto di mare = deep fried seafood with lemon.

• Linguine alla reviglio = spaghetti with tomato shrimp sauce.

• Risotto alla Cannavota = rice with tomato, cream and lobster.

• Filetto di tacchino = turkey breast under a roof of mushrooms and cheese.

• Scaloppe alla verbena = veal slices under a roof of mushrooms and cheese.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad.

• Macedonia di frutta = marinated mixed fruit.

Roman seafood:

• Antipasto di mare = cold seafood platter.

• Fritto misto di mare = deep fried seafood with lemon.

• Insalata di mare = seafood salad.

• Risotto di frutti di mare = fried rice with seafood.

• Zuppa di pesce alla romana = shellfish soup.

Cesare

Via Crescenzio 13. Phone: 686 1227 & 686 1912. Hours: Closed Sunday evening and Monday. Price: L.110000 ($69) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Behind the Palace of Justice and the Mausoleum of Hadrian, a very Roman restaurant, convenient for visitors to St Peter’s and the Vatican museums.

A long row of a few rooms connected with arches and exaggerated in length by a mirror at the end. Wooden panelling and bright walls. A noisy and a happy place frequented by regulars.

• Breasola = dry salt meat with grana cheese with oil and lemon, similar to prosciutto.

• Penne al’arrabiata = short pasta tubes with tomato, lobster and pepper sauce.

• Saltimbocca alla romana = thin veal and ham slices, fried in butter and then cooked in Marsala wine.

• Fragolini con panna = wild strawberries with cream.

Cesarina

Via Piemonte 109. Phone: 488 0828 & 460 828. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (D1).

Big and popular in country style with Bologna cuisine, in the refined Ludovisi district to the west of Via Veneto, 200 meters from the Borghese gardens and 500 meters from Via Veneto.

Brick arches divide the restaurant in sections. Lots of paintings decorate the walls. Clients talk business loudly, Italian style.

• Mortadella = unsalted pork sausages Bologna style, cooked in white wine.

• Carpaccio = thin slices of raw beef with oil, lemon and parmesan cheese.

• Tagliatelle bolognese = egg pasta with Bologna sauce, made of ground beef and pork, mushrooms, tomato, vegetables, spices and garlic.

• Filetto di bue Toscana = steak with lemon.

• Semifreddo Cesarina = ice cream with pudding and chocolate sauce.

Checchino dal 1887

Via Monte Testaccio 30. Phone: 574 6318. Fax: 574 3816. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: L.155000 ($98) for two. All major cards. (C5).

One of the few real gourmet restaurants in Rome, between the Tevere river and Stazione Ostia. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Convivio

Via dell’Orso 44. Phone: 686 9432. Fax: 686 9432. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Between Piazza Navona and the Tevere river. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Costanza

Piazza del Paradiso 65. Phone: 686 1717 & 654 1002. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Steak and seafood restaurant with traditional, solid Italian cooking in an alley just 100 meters from the Campo de’Fiori square in the old city center.

Unassuming as it is on the outside it is as exciting on the inside. The main room is a romantic cave with vaulted ceiling and antiques in niches, such as amphorae and column stumps. Illumination is indirect and stylish. On the side there is a panelled room with a fireplace.

• Crepes funghi e tartufi = very hot pancakes with mushrooms and the expensive white truffles grown in Northern Italy.

• Entrecote griglia = grilled beef.

• Asparagi = fresh asparagus in oil.

• Tiramisu = Venetian chocolate pudding with coffee chocolate.

Tartufi: The Italian type of tuber, the underground mushrooms dug up with the help of trained dogs and pigs. This type is white and almost as expensive as the French black ones. They have a pungent aroma and are always used uncooked, usually in small amounts with some other food. Tartufi is one of the things essentially Italian.

Crisciotti

Via del Boschetto 30. Phone: 474 4770. Hours: Closed Saturday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. No cards. (D3).

Typical, busy and devoid of tourists, in a side street 100 meters from Via Nazionale and 600 meters from Fori Imperiali. The food is simple, typical Roman fare, based on vegetable soups, mixed salads and fresh fruits of the season.

Local regulars sit in three small rooms under rustic decorations, where brown paintings hang on red-painted walls above heavy stone masonry. Fish are on view in a big refrigerator of glass.

• Zuppa did verdura = a filling soup of colorful vegetables.

• Agnello = lamb straight, with nothing on the side.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad.

• Frutta de stagione = fresh fruits of the season.

Galeassi

Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere 3. Phone: 580 3775 & 580 9898. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (B4).

On the main square in the fashionable Trastevere district, not as expensive as neighbouring Sabatini, but also specialising in seafood.

This is a clean and cosy place with dark panelling and dark wooden ceiling, but otherwise bright. The smaller streetside room is the better one.

• Fettucini con funghi porcini = Broad pasta reams with boletus mushrooms.

• Risotto creme di scampi = rice with scampi chunks.

• Mazzancolle al forno = king prawns oven-fried in the shell.

• Saltimbocca alla romana con funghi = veal and ham slices with sage and mushrooms.

• Ananas = fresh pineapple.

• Macedonia di frutta = fresh fruit salad.

Shrimp: There are several Italian types of shrimp:

• Gamberi.

• Scampi.

• Gamberoni (big).

• Mazzancolle (very big).

Galeone

Piazza San Cosimato 27. Phone: 580 9009. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.160000 ($101) for two. All major cards. (B4).

Interestingly decorated seafood restaurant on the San Cosimato market square in the Trastevere district, which is the part of the city center on the other side of Tevere river.

It has a high wicket ceiling. The guests sit in carved chairs on a stone floor under leaded window panes and wooden columns and beams.

• Linguine alle vongole = pasta threads with small shells.

• Tagliolini all’aragosta = pasta reams with crab chunks and tomato sauce.

• Spigola alla griglia = freshly grilled sea bass with lemon.

• Misto di frutti di bosco = fresh wild berries, including wild strawberries.

Italian fish:

• Bonito = tuna.

• Merlano = whiting.

• Merluzzo = cod.

• Rombo = turbot and brill.

• Rospo = monkfish.

• Sogliola = sole.

• Spada = swordfish.

• Spigola = sea bass.

Giarrosto Toscano

Via Campania 29. Phone: 482 1899 & 482 3835. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (D2).
An agreeable place beautifully designed in a basement opposite the Borghese gardens, about 100 meters from the upper end of Via Veneto. It offers Tuscany cooking from the Florence area.

Arches and vaults divide the restaurant into several parts. The walls are brightly panelled all the way up to the arches. Where panel and arches meet there are rows of bottles. mainly with Tuscany wine such as Chianti.

• Grand’antipasto = a collection of starters, including devilled egg with potato chunks, filled pumpkins and artichokes, meat dumplings with tomato sauce, white ricotta cheese dumplings, sausages and ham, raw prosciutto ham, smoked salmon and melon.

• Bistecca alla Fiorentina = coal grilled and salted beefsteak with spinach.

• Frutta con gelato = fresh fruit with ice cream.

Ricotta: Soft, unsalted cheese, reminiscent of Greek feta cheese, eaten fresh. Usually it is put into pasta envelopes or used in sweet bakery, but here it is served in wet and soft dumplings.

Girone VI

Vicolo Sinibaldi 2. Phone: 6880 22831. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: L.135000 ($85) for two. All major cards. (C3).

A few steps from Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mario

Via delle Vite 55. Phone: 678 3818. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.80000 ($51) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Very lively and rather inexpensive place with Tuscany cooking in the district of fashion shops beneath the Spanish Steps, about 400 meters from the steps and 200 meters from the traffic artery of Corso.

The decorations are simple. Small paintings and photos are tightly hung on the walls above the panelling. Most of the photos show Mario with thick brows in the company of famous and beautiful people. The restaurant is divided by arcades into three rooms with tightly set tables. Chianti in 1,5 liter bottles are put on the tables and drunk out of water glasses. The waiters are very busy and effective.

• Risotto con funghi = rice with mushrooms.

• Ribollita = vegetable soup.

• Ravioli verde = small pasta envelopes with spinach, cheese, egg and parmesan cheese.

• Due quaglie arrosto = two soft quails.

• Castagnaccio = hot and soft chestnut cake with whole nuts.

Tuscany cuisine: Generally considered the top of Italian cooking. The Queens of France were often brought from Florence, bringing with them their chefs, starting what is now called classical French cuisine. The best pasta in Italy comes from Tuscany: ravioli and gnochi. And Tuscany is one of the best wine regions in Italy.

Montevecchio

Piazza Montevecchio 22a. Phone: 686 1319. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (B3).

Tiny gourmet temple of 28 seats on a tine square in the densest and most inaccesible part of the old city, 100 meters to the west from the north end of Piazza Navona. Its speciality is game.

Earlier it was known as the restaurant Pino et Dino. Master chef Antonio Civello has changed it into a gourmet temple of the French type. The front door is locked and reservations are obligatory. The ceiling is high, the wine rack cupboard is huge, the single wall painting is huge and the wrought iron chandelier is huge.

• Strudel di funghi = Mushroom dumpling.

• Crepes al gorgonzola e noci = pancakes filled with gorgonzola cheese and almonds.

• Anitra alle noci = duck with almonds.

• Capretto d’Abruzzo al forno = oven-baked venison.

• Tiramisu = Venetian chocolate pudding with coffee chocolate.

• Creme brulée = caramel crusty pudding.

Italian game:

• Allodole = lark.

• Beccaccia = woodcock.

• Capretto = kid.

• Capriolo = roebuck.

• Cervo = venison.

• Chinghiale = wild boar.

• Lepre = hare.

• Quaglie = quail.

• Starna = partridge.

• Uccelletti = small birds, such as sparrows.

Moro

Vicolo delle Bollette 13. Phone: 68 40 736 & 67 83 495. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Hidden in a side street about 100 meters from the Trevi fountain and other 100 meters from the main traffic artery Corso, you find this essential Roman restaurant offering true Roman food. It is mainly patronised by elderly local people even if travelers are also welcomed.

The furnishings are old-fashioned but not antique. Wooden panels cover the lower walls and above them there are discordant paintings. There are two dining rooms, the front one is better. Specialises in everything alla Romana = in the Roman way, which in fact can mean anything; and in antipasti assortiti = small and sundry appetisers.

• Spaghetti alle vongole = spaghetti with small shellfish in the shell.

• Ricotta = soft cheese.

• Abbacchio alla romana = a slice of lamb leg with pan-fried potatoes.

• Vitello cacciatora = veal with mushrooms and tomatoes.

• Insalata mista = mixed salad with oil and vinegar.

• Fragoline di bosco = wild strawberries.

Alla Romana:

• Abbachio alla romana = lamb cooked in egg, lemon and white wine sauce.

• Gnochi alla romana = mashed potato dumplings with tomato sauce and cheese.

• Pizza alla romana = pizza with mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and basil.

• Piselli alla romana = beans fried with onion, ham and butter.

• Pollo alla romana = chicken pieces fried in oil and butter with onion, ham, pepper and tomato.

• Saltimbocca alla romana = thin veal covered in ham.

• Trippa alla romana = tripe in tomato mint sauce, accompanied with pecorino-cheese.

• Zuppa alla romana = shellfish soup.

Nerone

Via delle Terme di Tito 96. Phone: 474 5207. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.65000 ($41) for two. All major cards. (D4).

Unpretentious and inexpensive, very Roman, about 200 meters north of the Colosseum. Its speciality is beef and French fried, so it is frequented by many foreign visitors. Many Italian places have inferior steaks for tourists, so seek out places which are used by local regulars, like this one.

This is a lively place with happy locals mixed with curious travelers, sitting in two rooms on comfortable wood chairs under vaulted ceilings and high panels, big and small paintings. The kitchen is in plain view.

• Anitpasto misti = a cold buffet of 34 items.

• Antipasto di mare = a choice of seafood from the cold buffet.

• Filetto de bue ai feri con patate fritta = thin and wide beef steak from the pan, with French fried.

• Gelati misti = three types of ice cream.

• Frutta di stagione = fresh fruit of the season.

Orso ’80

Via dell’Orso 33. Phone: 686 4904 & 686 1710. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Strangely resembling a skiing hut in the old city center, 300 meters from Piazza Navona. An inexpensive restaurant with cuisine from Abruzzi, the mountainous region east of Rome.

An arch divides the restaurant in two parts. The front room is panelled with light pine in Nordic skiing style with inlaid cupboards of wrought iron. Many kinds of incidental paintings decorate the walls.

• Zuppa pavese = egg, bread and cheese soup.

• Risotto alla pescadora = rice with tomato and squid.

• Spaghetti alle vongole = spaghetti with shellfish in the shell.

• Filetto di bue alla griglia = grilled beef filet.

• Polla toscana arrosto = oven baked chicken.

• Frutta mista = mixed fruit.

• Creme caramel = caramel pudding.

Italian soups:

• Brodo = clear soups.

• Minestrone = clear soups with pasta.

• Minestre = thick soups with rice or pasta.

• Egg soups such as zuppa pavese and stracciatella.

Pancrazio

Piazza del Biscione 92. Phone: 686 1246. Fax: 686 1246. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Build from the ruins of Teatro di Pompeo, a few steps from Campo de’Fiori. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Papà Giovanni

Via dei Sediari 4. Phone: 868 5308. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.165000 ($104) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Old family friend, amusingly tastelessly decorated restaurant with a locked front door, excellent cuisine and an ever-changing menu. It is 150 meters south of the Senate in Palazzo Madama and 50 meters north of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

It is divided into long corridors with sofas and low tables on one side and bottle racks on the other. Naked bulbs hang from the old ceiling of carved wood. The walls show the varied brickwork. The wine bottles have not been dusted for decades.

• Misticanza con neretti = sea-urchin salad.

• Farfalla di spigola = marinated sea bass.

• Tagliolini alla cardinale = pasta reams with mushrooms.

• Vermicella pomodoro verde = green spaghetti with cheese.

• Portafoglio con funghi = broccoli and Brussels sprouts enclosed in veal slices.

• Granatina di filetto = veal dumplings with small tomatoes on salad.

• Creme brulée allo zenzero = crispy caramel pudding.

• Pastiera di castagne = chestnut paté with whipped cream.

Paris

Piazza San Callisto 7a. Phone: 581 5378. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (B4).

A few steps from Santa Maria in Trastevere. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Passetto

Via Zanardelli 14. Phone: 654 0569. Hours: Closed Monday lunch and Sunday. Price: L.140000 ($88) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A solid piece of the old block. Real Italian waiters of the old school serve food from plates as in the days before World War II. It is in the old city, 100 meters from Piazza Navona.

A long front room with a high ceiling, big mirrors on one wall and strange paintings on the other. Cork floor and panelling. A more conventional back room.

• Pasta e fagioli ai frutti di mare = pancake with chopped fish, baked with cheese and tomato sauce.

• Zuppa di cozze = mussel soup with the shells.

• Filetto al pepe verde = pepper steak with asparagus.

• Creme brulée = caramel pudding.

Zuppa di cozze: Oil, onion and tomatoes are heated in a pan, water is added and finally the mussels are added, opening on the way to the table.

Pianeta Terra

Via dell’Arco del Monte 95. Phone: 686 9893. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.300000 ($189) for two. All major cards. (B3).

One of the main cuisine temples in Rome, behind locked doors which are difficult to find in a pedestrian alley 200 meters away from the Campo de’Fiori square. The name means: The Planet Earth. Roberto Minetti cooks and Patrizia Minetti directs the service.

There is a bar and a sitting room downstairs. A dark dining room is upstairs, with different dark shades in the panelling. The ceiling is vaulted. There are special menus, taste menu, seafood menu, Roman menu and a conventional menu. The meal starts with four different breads.

• Criole al oeli di pomodoro e basilico = eel in basil and tomato sauce.

• Paté de foie gras in salsa di Recioto = goose liver in white wine sauce with redcurrant berries, wild strawberries and raspberries.

• Zuppe di lenticchie con gamberi = lentil soup with big prawns.

• Vermicelli alle mezzancolle = pasta with big giant prawn chunks in strong tomat sauce.

• Risotto au zuchine e zafferano = fried rice with zucchini, saffron and grana cheese.

• Pesce con cicoriette fritte = turbot with chicory.

• Insalate di carne = marinated beef slices with apple slices.

• Dolche di Patrizie e Roberto = fine desserts of the house.

Piccola Roma

Via Uffici del Vicario 36. Phone: 679 8606. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.80000 ($51) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Always busy, full of parliamentarians and pressure specialists, journalists and bureaucrats in a hurry, with their overcoats ready on the big pegs at the tables. Near the parliament, 200 meters from Corso.

As many exemplary restaurants in Rome this one tries not to be obvious on the outside. When inside it is rather big, in a few rooms on the first floor. The walls have brick up to the middle. Above that there are strange and accidental paintings and posters. A wine shelf goes through the restaurant.

• Prosciutto di San Daniele = lots of smoked ham, thinly sliced like Parma ham, only better, served with figs.

• Risotto pescatore = rice with squid and mussels.

• Abbachio forno = lamb, well done, with grilled potatoes.

• Gelato, three types of ice cream, with chocolate mint, vanilla and mocha.

Prosciutto is typically Italian. The best internationally known smoked ham comes from Parma. In Italy the one from San Danieli is considered at least equal to the one from Parma. The ham is always cut in very thin slices. Out of Italy it is usually accompanied with melon, but Italians like figs better.

Piperno

Via Monte de’Censi 9. Phone: 654 0629 & 654 2772. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner & Monday. Price: L.110000 ($69) for two. All major cards. (C3).

In a shady alley in the Jewish ghetto, beautiful and comfortable, with very good food, just under the walls of the Censi palace, about 50 meters from the Tevere river bank.

This is a big dining room with a circular buffet in the middle. There is wood everywhere, in the floor, in the panelling and in the ceiling. The furniture is of good quality. Enormous paintings of ancient ruins decorate the walls. There is also a simpler back room.

• Carciofi alla giudia = artichokes fried in oil in Jewish style.

• Filetti di baccalà = deep fried salt-cod.

• Le palle de nonno fritte = deep fried ricotta cheese with chocolate in butter pastry.

Carciofi alla giudia: The artichokes are opened and flattened, cut in pieces and deep fried in an oil mixture of secret ingredients. After cooking they are golden and look like flowers. This is a speciality of the Jewish ghetto.

Preistorici

Vicollo Orbitelli 13. Phone: 689 2796. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.120000 ($76) for two. No cards. (B3).

In the west end of the renaissance center of the city, in a pedestrian alley leading off Via Giulia near its northern end. A cosy restaurant with a locked door and a small doorbell sign and no other identification. It is run by one of the most adventurous chefs of the city, Luigi Frizziero.

The restaurant is in a few small rooms with vaulted ceilings. It is heavily panelled and decorated with big paintings. There is no menu.

• Prosciutto = thin slices of raw veal.

• Risotto di mare = rice with giant prawns.

• Filetto al pepe = pepper steak.

• Filetto griglia = grilled steak.

• Creme brulée = caramel pudding.

• Fragole = strawberries.

Risotto: A rice dish from the Po valley, generally connected with Milan and Venice. The rice is first fried in oil or butter, often with onions, and then cooked in a small amount of liquid, wine or the juice of the food, which then is mixed into the rice when it is served. Often butter and grana cheese are added.

Quinci Gabrieli

Via della Coppelle 6. Phone: 687 9389. Fax: 687 4940. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: L.200000 ($126) for two. All major cards. (C3).

About 100 meters from the Pantheon. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Romolo nel Giardino

Via di Porta Settimiana 8. Phone: 581 8284. Fax: 580 0079. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: L.100000 ($63) for two. All major cards. (B3).

Enchanting garden restaurant in Trastevere, near the river. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Rosetta

Via della Rosetta 8-9. Phone: 686 1002 & 654 8841. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. Price: L.180000 ($114) for two. All major cards. (C3).

The best seafood restaurant in Rome and one of its gourmet temples, in the old city, 100 meters north of Pantheon. You have to sound the bell to get in. From humble beginnings this Sicilian restaurant of the brothers Riccioli has gradually evolved into the refined place it is today. When we discovered it a decade ago it was much more basic than it is now.

The furnishings are elegant, with a big buffet overflowing with flowers, fruit and wine bottles. On the inner wall of the room there is a fish artwork in mosaic. The only discordant note is the piped music, which is happily absent in most Roman restaurants.

• Cappesante ai carciofi = scallops with artichokes.

• Spigola macinata al arancia = marinated sea bass in orange and lemon juice.

• Scampi insalata = prawn salad with grana cheese.

• Rombo griglia = grilled brill.

• Polipa griglia = grilled octopus.

• Macedonia di frutta = mixed fresh fruit.

• Sorbetto = lemon sorbet.

Shellfish:

• Arselle and vongole = small shells.

• Cappe and cappesante = scallops.

• Cozze and muscoli = mussels.

Sabatini

Vicolo Santa Maria in Trastevere. Phone: 581 8307. Hours: Closed Tuesday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (B4).

A popular place with travellers, but good in spite of that. In a pedestrian alley leading off Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, about 10 meters from the square. The district is a former slum that is changing into a fashionable one. There is a sister establishment with the same name on the square itself, equally good. Both have atmosphere and good seafood cuisine.

The center of the restaurant is the grill oven and buffet which we pass when we are shown to our tables in one of the side rooms. In the middle there is a traffic congestion of hurrying waiters and cooks. The side rooms are more quiet, with old, painted ceilings with wooden beams. This restaurant has been used as a location in a Fellini movie.

• Trippa alla romana = pan-fried tripe in tomato sauce with mint and pecorino cheese.

• Crespolini = pancakes with spinach, cheese, egg and liver.

• Costata di bue = steak.

• Tiramisú = chocolate dessert.

• Trippa: Can be soft and tasty when it is correctly cooked. It is a national dish all the way from Rome to Florence.

• Pecorino: A hard ewe cheese reminiscent of grana or parmesan.

Sans Souchi•
Via Sicilia 20/24. Phone: 482 1814. Fax: 482b 1771. Hours: Closed lunch & Monday. Price: L.220000 ($139) for two. All major cards. (D2).

A quality restaurant a few steps from Via Veneto. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Taverna

Via Massimo d’Azeglio 3f. Phone: 474 4305. Hours: Closed Saturday. Price: L.90000 ($57) for two.,. All major cards. (E3).

Comfortable and unassuming, with quick and solid service in a cellar, about 100 meters from the square in front of the central railway terminal. It offers solid cooking in the Roman style.

There are two rooms, with high panels alternating with light walls and coat-hangers. Above the panelling there are rows of wine bottles.

• Prosciutto di Parma = raw ham with melon.

• Filetto di bue con carciofi = beef filet with artichokes.

• Torta al ciocolato = chocolate tart.

Taverna Giulia

Vicolo dell’Oro. Phone: 686 9768 & 656 4089. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: L.95000 ($60) for two. All major cards. (B3).

A cosy place with Ligurian cuisine at the west end of the old city center, near the bridges to the Vatican and St Peter’s.

Several small rooms and low panelling beneath rustic walls. Wrought iron rails are in arches between the rooms. Guests sit in comfortable wicket chairs.

• Trenette al pesto = flat pasta with Ligurian sauce.

• Lasagnette ai funghi porcini = small pasta plates with boletus mushrooms.

• Ravioli genovese = pasta envelopes with lamb and calf innards.

• Tagliatelle al gorgonzola = pasta strings with blue cheese.

• Vitello straccotto alla Genovese = broad and thin veal slices cooked in white wine with onion sauce.

• Faraoni di Giomnes all’arancio = guinea hen with a thin orange sauce and pan fried celery.

• Pacciugo = fresh fruit and berries with sorbet.

Pesto: A famous, strong sauce from Liguria, generally greenish, made of basil, nuts, garlic and lots of grana cheese. Liguria is the name of the coastal area around Genua.

Toulà

Via della Lupa 29b. Phone: 687 3498 & 687 3750. Hours: Closed Sunday & lunch Saturday. Price: L.190000 ($120) for two. All major cards. (C2).

In the old center, about 300 meters from the corner of Corso and Via Condotti, the refined and glamorous restaurant of international business gives good service to busy clients talking into pocket phones. In spite of that it is one of the best restaurants in the city, mainly because of chef Danaiele Repette, who cooks in Venetian style.

The place looks airy and spacious. From the entrance there are some steps down to the restaurant level, which is divided by arches into several sections with well-spaced tables. Waiters abound. At the end of the meal all guests get candy drops and a very hard frigolotta bisquit which has to be smothered with an hammer.

• Carpaccio di’vitello con pate di olive mere e pinoli = thin slices of raw veal with olive paté, grana cheese, lemon juice and oil.

• Medaglioni d’astice con insalata novelle e punte d’asparagi = freshwater crab salad with asparagus tips.

• Ventaglio di petto d’anitra alle nerue aroccasti = duck breast.

• Cotelette di’capriolo a la ginepro con polenta = venison cutlets in ginger with mashed corn.

• Budino di nocciole con mousse di cioccolato = nut putting coated with chocolate.

Vecchia Roma

Piazza di Campitelli 18, Via della Tribuna. Phone: 686 4604. Hours: Closed Wednesday. Price: L.130000 ($82) for two. All major cards. (C3).

Corn is the speciality of this well-known restaurant in the middle of the Jewish ghetto, 300 meters from the steps up to Capitolum. There are many places with this name, but this is the real one.

The restaurant is in several small rooms with bright wooden panelling, big paintings from the history of Rome, iron bars in the windows and table candlesticks of wrought iron.

• Calamaretti affogati all’uvetta = a few whole octopuses fried in oil, with tomato.

• Polenta ghiottona = corn porridge looking like mashed potatoes, corny and salty, made in the Jewish way.

• Polenta boscaiola = corn porridge with boletus mushrooms.

Polenta: Corn porridge made by boiling maize in water until it becomes thick and chunky. Then it is cooled and cut in slices which are usually fried, baked or grilled. The porridge form in Vecchia Roma is rather unusual.

Teatro dell’Opera

Via Firenze 62. (D3).

The venue of great popular operas. In summer it operates in the Baths of Caracalla.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Feneyjar gisting

Ferðir

Hótel í Feneyjum eru yfirleitt hrein og vel við haldið, þar á meðal pípulagnir, ef þau hafa þrjár stjörnur eða fleiri. En tveggja stjörnu hótel geta líka verið mjög góð, þótt þau hafi ef til vill ekki sjónvarpstæki á herbergjum. Einka baðherbergi er talið sjálfsagt. Sum hótel hafa verið innréttuð í frægum höllum, sem eru enn innréttaðar í gömlum stíl.

Dýrara er að gista í Feneyjum en annars staðar á Ítalíu. Þú getur þess vegna gist uppi í landi og farið á morgnana með lest eða bíl í bæinn, en það kostar auðvitað bæði tíma og peninga.

Morgunverður á ítölskum hótelum er yfirleitt nauðaómerkilegur, svipað og á frönskum hótelum. Betra er að fá sér ferskt pressaðan safa, nýbakað brauð og kaffi úti á horni.

Agli Alboretti

(Rio Terra Sant’Agnese, Dorsoduro 884. Sími: 523 0058. Fax: 521 0158. Verð: L.182000 (7698 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 20 herbergi. B2)

Skemmtilegt, lítið hótel í gömlu og brakandi húsi við hlið aðalsafnsins í Feneyjum, Accademia. Frá bátastöðinni framan við safnið er farið hliðargötuna vinstra megin við það. Hótelið er við þá götu, um 100 metra frá stöðinni.

Gestamóttaka er lítil og skemmtilega gamaldags og lyfta er ekki í húsinu. Herbergin snúa ýmist að fremur breiðri götunni milli hótels og Accademia eða að óvenjulega stórum bakgarði.

Herbergi 3 er fremur lítið og einfalt, með glugga út að garði, afar hreinlegt og milt í litum, með síma og hárþurrku, en engu sjónvarpi. Húsbúnaður er gamaldags, nánast forn. Baðherbergið er með minnsta móti, en vel búið og fullflísað. Sturtan tekur þriðjung af plássinu.

Danieli

(Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello 4196. Sími: 522 6480. Fax: 520 0208. Verð: L.770000 (32569 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 221 herbergi. C2)

Frábært glæsihótel í fagurri, gotneskri miðaldahöll á breiðbakkanum við lónið, nánast við hlið hertogahallarinnar, fyrrum heimkynni Dandolo-ættar. Hótelið er í þremur samhliða höllum og hægt er að gista þar fyrir tvo þriðju hluta verðsins, sem hér er gefið upp, en beztu hertogaherbergin í elztu höllinni eru þau, sem fólk sækist eftir, ef það gistir á stað sem þessum.

Opinberir salir hótelsins eru með því glæsilegasta sem sést, allt lagt marmara og dýrasta viði. Þrjár hæðir eru til lofts í móttökunni og tvær í víðáttumikilli setustofu til hliðar. Þjónar eru misjafnir, sumir eru góðir, en aðrir þyrftu að komast niður á jörðina. Lifandi tónlist er í setustofunni á brezkum tedrykkjutíma og síðan tónlist með söng á kvöldin.

Herbergi 33 er frábært, stórt og ríkmannlegt, með glugga út að lóninu, klaustureyjunni San Giorgio Maggiore og iðandi mannlífi bakkans. Það er í mildum, grænum litum í mjúkum veggdúk, gluggatjöldum, rúmábreiðum og vínskáp. Vandað parkett er á brakandi gólfi. Baðherbergið er sérstaklega glæsilegt, lagt fegursta marmara og einstaklega vel búið, þar á meðal baðsloppum.

Do Pozzi

(Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2373. Sími: 520 7855. Fax: 522 9413. Verð: L.160000 (6768 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 29 herbergi. B2)

Uppáhaldshótelið okkar, lítið og notalegt, við aðalgötu um 400 metra frá Markúsartorgi, hefur bezt hlutfall verðs og gæða í borginni. Frá suðvesturhorni torgsins er gengin Salizzada San Moisè og áfram yfir brú á Calle larga 22. Marzo, þar sem mörg sund liggja til vinstri að Canal Grande. Hótelið er við enda vestasta sundsins, greinilega merkt við aðalgötuna.

Frá lítilli og þægilegri gestamóttöku er innangengt í Rafaele veitingahúsið í sömu eigu. Langir og mjóir gangar eru skreyttir teikningum og málverkum. Þjónusta er afar lipur.

Herbergi 75 er notalegt, fremur lítið og bjart, snýr glugga að Calle larga 22. Marzo og brakar þægilega, þegar gengið er um gólf. Fornlegur húsbúnaður er léttur og vandaður, í mildum sumarlitum. Þar er sjónvarp, sími og vínskápur. Fullflísað baðherbergi hefur líka glugga og er vel búið, til dæmis stóru baðkeri og hárþurrku.

Europa e Regina

(Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2159. Sími: 520 0477. Fax: 523 1533. Verð: L.565000 (23898 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 192 herbergi. B2)

Eitt glæsihótelanna við Canal Grande snýr breiðri hlið að skurðinum, svo að tiltölulega auðvelt er að fá herbergi með útsýni yfir umferðina á skurðinum til Salute kirkjunnar á hinum bakkanum. Það er við aðalgötuna Calle larga 22. Marzo, um 300 metra frá suðvesturhorni Markúsartorgs. Farin er Salizzada San Moisè, yfir brúna og til vinstri ómerkta leið framhjá gondólaræðurunum.

Móttakan er í þeim hluta, sem áður var hótelið Europa, en beztu herbergin eru í Regina hlutanum. Niðri eru miklir salir, þar á meðal veitingastaðurinn Tiepolo, sem einnig er morgunverðarstofa hótelsins. Þjónusta er afar góð, svo sem hæfir stíl og verði staðarins.

Herbergi 456 er stórt og myndarlegt, vandað og virðulegt að öllum búnaði. Ljósgrænir veggir kalla á stærri málverk. Um tvær dyr er gengið út á stórar einkasvalir með einstæðu útsýni yfir Canal Grande. Húsbúnaður er forn og fagur. Öll þægindi eru á fullflísuðu baði. Þetta er lúxus-herbergi.

Fenice et des Artistes

(Campiello de la Fenice, San Marco 1936. Sími: 523 2333. Fax: 520 3721. Verð: L.250000 (10574 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 65 herbergi. B2)

Vel þekkt, samnefnt óperuhúsi borgarinnar, sem er við hliðina, um 500 metra frá Markúsartorgi. Frá suðvesturhorni torgsins er farin Salizzada San Moisè og áfram Calle larga 22. Marzo, þaðan sem beygt er til hægri eftir sundinu Calle delle Veste inn á Campo San Fantin framan við leikhúsið. Farið er hægra megin við leikhúsið til annars torgs, þar sem hótelið er.

Móttakan er í eins konar garðhúsi milli tveggja húsa hótelsins. Ekki er lyfta í eldra húsinu, en stigi og gangar eru teppalagðir og skreyttir gömlum munum. Starfsfólki er frekar ókunnugt um gang mála úti í bæ.

Herbergi 312 er meðalstórt og hlýlegt, snyrtilega innréttað fornum húsbúnaði, sjónvarpi og síma, og grænum litum í veggfóðri, ofnum, teppi og lofti. Glugginn snýr að smágarði. Fullflísað baðherbergi er vel búið og rúmgott, með setubaðkeri.

Flora

(Calle larga 22. Marzo, San Marco 2283a. Sími: 520 5844. Fax: 522 8217. Verð: L.210000 (8883 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 44 herbergi. B2)

Gamalfínt hótel og ekki dýrt, vel í sveit sett við aðalgötu í nágrenni Markúsartorgs, um 400 metra frá suðvesturhorni torgsins. Farin er Salizzada San Moisè, yfir brú og áfram eftir Calle larga 22. Marzo, þar sem beygt er til vinstri inn í hliðarsund, sem er hið þriðja í röðinni frá hinum enda götunnar. Hótelið er greinilega merkt við innganginn í sundið.

Bak við Art Nouveau inngang er allt í leðri og eðalviði. Virðulegur hótelstigi liggur upp á efri hæðir, skreyttur speglum og veggtjöldum, sem einkenna hótelið. Starfslið kann vel til verka og er einkar þægilegt og kurteist. Allir, sem ekki eru ávarpaðir “professore”, eru ávarpaðir “dottore”.

Herbergi 2 er gamalt og lúið, hreint og gott, búið fornum húsgögnum, sjónvarpi, síma og hárþurrku. Gluggar snúa út að nostursömum garði að baki anddyris. Fullflísað og nýtízkulegt baðherbergi er afar vel búið.

Marconi

(Riva del Vin, San Polo 729. Sími: 522 2068. Fax: 522 9700. Verð: L.283000 (11970 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 26 herbergi. B1)

Skemmtilegt og vel staðsett á bakka Canal Grande, nokkrum skrefum frá Rialto-brú. Frá Rialto bátastöð er farið yfir brúna og beygt til vinstri eftir bakkanum Riva del Vin.

Að baki inngangs er lítil og snyrtileg móttaka með hæfu starfsliði. Flóknir stigar liggja upp á hæðirnar, langir gangar og síðan aftur stigi niður í morgunverðarsal með hlaðborði að norður-evrópskum hætti.

Herbergi 11 er stórt og vel búið fornum húsgögnum, sjónvarpi og síma, hárþurrku og vínskáp, gólfteppi á terrazzo-gólfi og sérkennilega ljótum glerljósakrónum í svifstíl á veggjum. Burðarbitar sjást í lofti. Útsýni er aðeins út í næsta vegg. Fullflísað baðherbergi er stórt og nýtízkulegt, með hitagrind fyrir handklæði.

Monaco e Grand Canal

(Calle Vallaresso, San Marco 1325. Sími: 520 0211. Fax: 520 0501. Verð: L.360000 (15227 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 70 herbergi. B2)

Öndvegishótel með breiðri framhlið og frábæru útsýni yfir Canal Grande að Santa Maria della Salute, óvenjulega vel í sveit sett um 100 metra frá Markúsartorgi. Frá suðvesturhorni torgsins eru farin nokkur skref eftir Salizzada San Moisè og beygt til vinstri inn í Calle Vallaresso, þar sem hótelið er hægra megin sundsins úti á skurðbakka.

Hótelið hefur þann kost umfram flest önnur, að meirihluti herbergjanna snýr út að breiðum og fjölförnum skurðinum. Starfsfólk er einkar þægilegt.

Herbergi 306 er afar vel búið vönduðum og fornlegum húsgögnum úr renndum eðalviði, handmáluðum fataskáp og virðulegu skrifpúlti, sjónvarpi og síma. Fullflísað baðherbergi er nýtízkulegt og vel búið. Glugginn snýr beint að Canal Grande.

Paganelli

(Riva degli Schiavoni, Castello 4182. Sími: 522 4324. Fax: 523 9267. Verð: L.160000 (6768 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 22 herbergi. B2)

Afar hagstætt hótel á breiða gönguferðabakkanum andspænis lóninu um 300 metra frá hertogahöllinni. Bátastöðin San Zaccaria er beint framan við hótelið, sem er í tveimur aðskildum hlutum. Annar er á sjálfum bakkanum og hinn í sundi þar við hliðina. Móttakan er í fyrrnefnda hlutanum, þar sem herbergin eru heldur dýrari og morgunverðarstofan í hinum síðarnefnda.

Hótelið er afar lítið og þröngt, hreinlegt og þægilegt, án lyftu, rekið af þægilegu starfsfólki, sem reynir ekki að breiða yfir mistök. Morgunmatur er fremur góður, því að ávextir eru á boðstólum.

Herbergi 23 er í hliðarálmunni, afar lítið, búið fornum og samræmdum húsgögnum, þar á meðal handmáluðu skrifpúlti. Beinn sími er á herberginu, en ekki sjónvarp. Fornir burðarbitar í lofti fegra staðinn. Fullflísað baðherbergið er nýtízkulegt og vel búið, þar á meðal hitagrind fyrir handklæði, sem eru óvenju stór.

Sturion

(Calle Sturion, San Polo 679. Sími: 523 6243. Fax: 522 8378. Verð: L.180000 (7614 kr) með morgunverði. Öll helztu greiðslukort. 11 herbergi. B1)

Sérkennilegt hótel og skemmtilegt, aðeins 100 metra frá Rialto brú. Frá Rialto bátastöðinni er farið yfir brúna og beygt til vinstri eftir bakkanum Riva del Vin og síðan beygt til hægri inn í portið Calle Sturion, þar sem hótelið er vinstra megin. Þaðan liggur svo ógnarlangur og beinn stigi upp á fimmtu hæð.

Hótel með þessu nafni var rekið í húsinu í fimm aldir, frá lokum 13. aldar til loka 18. aldar, þekkt af málverkum og fornum skjölum. Eftir tveggja alda hlé var síðan opnað hótel aftur, en aðeins á tveimur efstu hæðum hússins. Það er notalegt fjölskyldufyrirtæki með góðri morgunverðarstofu, sem býður útsýni yfir Canal Grande. Tvö herbergjanna snúa þangað líka.

Herbergi 10 er afar sérkennilegt, myndar langan gang, þar sem lítið baðherbergi er fremst, síðan forstofa og gangur með vaski og loks svefnálma í innsta enda. Úr litlum glugga er útsýni yfir húsþök San Polo hverfis. Húsbúnaður er gamaldags, en hreinlegur. Þarna er sjónvarp og sími, vínskápur og hárþurrka.

uýmist að fremur breiðri götunni milli hótels og Accademia eða að óvenjulega stórum bakgarði.

Herbergi 3 er fremur lítið og einfalt, með glugga út að garði, afar hreinlegt og milt í litum, með síma og hárþurrku.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Dublin excursions

Ferðir

Ireland

The Irish get more courteous, sincere and helpful the further we get from Dublin. On the west coast they greet passing drivers with a hearty wave. Everywhere people try to help strangers and involve them in conversations. The best way to get around with freedom of movement is to rent a car. The road network is extensive, and quite good B&B’s are all over the country.

Ireland is mild and green. Most roads are lined with trees and surrounded with pastures for cattle and sheep, horses and goats. Farmhouses and villages, manors and palaces, fit naturally in the pastoral scene. Only at the west and north coasts does nature get harsher and wilder. On this trip we concentrate on nature and on historical monuments which dot the countryside.

Ancient monuments tell a story, especially from the first centuries of Christianity, when Ireland was for a while the center of the new religion. We visit monasteries, where beautiful manuscripts were made and from where monks went on missions over the oceans. We visit castles and palaces and manors, some of whom double as convenient hotels or restaurants for travelers.

We are going to thread all this up on a necklace of jewels, reaching in a circle around the country. We may use a week for the trip as distances are short or we may spend more time. We start and end in Dublin and go counter-clockwise through the country. We drive on N3 north out of Dublin and at Black Bull turn left into R154 to the castle of Trim.

Trim Castle

Trim. (I7).

The Medieval ruins of Trim castle are the most extensive ones in the country, covering nearly an hectare. English occupiers built it in Norman style. The central keep is from 1220-1225 and the outer walls from 1250.

The entrance to the castle is now from the western part of the middle of the town. The keep contained two banquet halls and bedrooms over them. The main part of the castle was on its eastern side where the original entrance was, with two drawbridges, a barbican and a prison. Henry IV was imprisoned there by Richard II, but escaped and went on to win the throne of England.

From Trim we drive on R161 in the direction of Navan and find a road sign to Tara on our right.

Tara

Tara. (I7).

Tara was the holy hill of northwestern Ireland in pagan times. There is now a church and extensive pastures, where can be seen the contours of mounds which are the remains of a Pre-Christian temple, royal palace and a parliament.

From the access of the Nialls to power as High Kings in Ulster in the 6th C. Tara was the political and religious center of Ulster. After the advent of Christianity it continued as a holy shrine until 1022, when it disappeared from the scene, continuing only in stories and tales.

We return to R161, turn right and continue to Navan. From there we take N51 through Slane in the direction of Drogheda, until we arrive at the road sign to Newgrange on the right.

Newgrange

Hours: Open in summer 10-18:30, in spring and fall 10-13 & 14-17, in winter Tuesday-Sunday 10-13 & 14-16:30. (I7).

An impressive burial temple from 3000 B.C., one of the most important in the world of the type. It is a man-made and grass covered stone mound, sheathed in white quartz. It is 80 meters in diameter and 12 meters in height.

It is enclosed in an inner circle of horizontal stones, some of them inscribed with signs, and an outer circle of vertical stones. The building is an engineering feat in an age of primitive technology, bearing witness to intense religious belief and strong political power.

From the concave entrance there is a 20 meters corridor into a burial chamber with three nooks, probably altars. At winter solstice the sun shines almost horizontally through the corridor into the burial chamber and lits it up for a few minutes.

We return to N51 where we turn right, and almost immediately turn left, following a sign to Mellifont Abbey.

Mellifont Abbey

Hours: Open in summer 9:30-18:30, in spring Monday-Saturday 9:30-13 &14-17:30, Sunday 14-17:30. (I7).

Well-preserved ruins of a Cistercian monastery from 1142. The foundations are visible of the church, which was consecrated in 1157. Remaining are mainly a gatehouse to the right, an octagonal lavabo in the middle, both original, and a chapter house from the 14th C. to the left. The monastery was closed down in 1556.

We continue on the road and follow signs to Monasterboice.

Monasterboice

(I7).

A large Round Tower from the Viking period is almost intact in the graveyard. Irish monks built such towers to defend themselves and the treasures of the church against the raiding Vikings. The tower was burned in 1097 and its treasures scattered.

Three High Crosses, monoliths from the 10th C. are also in the graveyard. The largest of them is 7 meters high. These are among the best-preserved and most beautiful High Crosses of Ireland, richly sculptured with scenes from the Bible.

High Crosses with a long leg and an orb in the center were a characteristic feature of Irish Christianity from the 8th to the 10th C., at the Golden Age of Ireland as the world center of Early Christianity. They varied from 2 to 7 meters and were sculptured first with abstract signs and later with episodes from the Holy Scriptures.

From here we go directly to N1 in the direction of Dundalk. We pass the city center in the direction of Belfast, cross a bridge and pass a graveyard on the way out of Dundalk, still on N1, and soon arrive at a signpost to Ballymascanlon hotel to the right.

Ballymascanlon

Dundalk. Phone: 42 71124. Fax: 42 71598. Price: £75 ($117) with breakfast. All major cards. 36 rooms. (I6).

An old manor converted into a cozy hotel with a golf course and a gym.

The dining room has large windows to the grounds. Fly-baiters hang in the chandeliers. Service is good, also the cooking, even if old-fashioned French. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 30 is small and well equipped, including a coffee machine and a trouser press.

We continue on N1 over the border to Northern Ireland, where the road continues as A1 all the way into Belfast center. From King Street we drive into a car parking house adjoining the Castlecourt shopping center. From there we walk 600 meters on King Street and then left on Wellington Place to City Hall.

Belfast

(J6).

Belfast started as an English castle in 1177, when John de Courcy invaded Ulster. The castle was destroyed by Edward Bruce in 1315 and the area was then held by the Niall High Kings until 1603.

This is mainly an industrial city, built up in the Victorian period, and has stagnated in the 20th C., partly because of its position as a battleground between Protestant Unionists and Catholic Republicans.

City Hall is the main landmark of Belfast. We are standing in front of it.

City Hall

Donegal Square, Belfast. Phone: (232) 320 202. Hours: Open 10:30, book in advance. (J6).

The most impressive building in the city, a white palace at the intersection of the main streets. It was built in 1898-1906 in a Neo-Classic wedding-cake style with a large copper dome over the middle. It is open to the public.

Donegal Square in front of City Hall is the main square of the center and its bus center. Opposite City Hall on the other side of the square there is a pedestrian shopping district.

We walk the same way back, through Wellington Place and King Street. If we take a detour to the left into Fisherwick Street instead of turning right into King Street, we will after 200 meters arrive at the most famous hotel and the most famous pub in town, in Great Victoria Street.

Crown Liquor

Great Victoria Street, Belfast. (J6).

A Victorian pub, richly decorated on the inside and outside, with porcelain tiles on the outside, stained windows, gas lights, semi-closed compartments for groups of guests, and carved wood in pillars and ceiling.

This haven of tired travelers is possibly the most remarkable monument in Belfast. We would not dwell for long in this city, were it not for the Crown Liquor.

Opposite Crown Liquor there is Hotel Europe, recently renovated and sparkling at present.

We drive out of Belfast, first on M2, then M5 and finally A2 a short way to Carrickfergus by the sea. We stop in a car park between the boat harbor and Carrickfergus Castle.

Carrickfergus Castle

Carrickfergus. Hours: Open in summer Monday-Saturday 10-18, Sunday 14-18, in winter Monday-Saturday 10-16, Sunday 14-16. (J6).

The castle dominates the main street in town, standing on ocean cliffs, originally separated from the mainland. It is a Norman castle from 1180, one of the largest and best-preserved castles in Ireland. The castle is now a museum, showing the history of itself.

It defended the entrance to Belfast harbor and was for a long time the main English fortress against Irish rebels. In spite of its apparent invulnerability it was taken three times, once by Scots in 1315, by Protestants in 1689, and by the French in 1760.

The oldest part is the keep, surrounded with two outer and younger walls. The castle is a very good example of the defense engineering technology of the French-Nordic Normans in the Middle Ages.

We cross the main street to the old hotel pub in town.

Dobbin’s Inn

6-8 High Street, Carrickfergus. Phone: 9603 51905. Price: £60 ($94) with breakfast. All major cards. (J6).
A typical Irish hotel in an old building, famous for Maud the ghost, who haunts the hotel. From the hotel there is a subterranean corridor to the castle across the street.

We can stay here or have a lunch or a pint at the pub before continuing. Lunch is £10 for two, excluding beverages.

The road is straight on A2 and we next stop at Ballygally castle hotel.

Ballygally Castle

Ballygally. Phone: 574 83212. Price: £60 ($94) with breakfast. All major cards. (J5).

Built in 1625 in Scottish style, with a view to Scotland on a good day. It has been preserved in the original condition. The hotel itself is mainly in an adjoining building.

You should book a room in the old castle. The rooms have modern conveniences, such as a hair-dryer and a trouser-press. And the plumbing is not original, for certain.

We continue on A2 to Glenariff, where we have two choices. We can turn left for a detour on A43 through Glenariff wood and past Glenariff falls and then on B14 to Cushendun. Or we can go directly on the B92 coast road to Cushendall and on to Cushendun.

Cushendun

(J5).

Cushendall and Cushendun are romantic coastal towns. The latter is as a whole protected as a national heritage. White and peaceful houses nest between large trees and broad streets.

From Cushendum we drive on to A2 and continue on that road to Ballycastle, where we turn right on B15. We soon come to a car park at the beginning of the half an hour path to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.

Carrick-a-Rede

(I5).

A robe bridge with a span of 20 meters, 25 meters above the sea, connecting the mainland with a rock, where fishermen catch salmon in summer.

The bridge sways under steps of passers-by. The walk over the bridge is not for the faint-hearted. But there are no documented accidents in the whole 200 years history of the bridge.

We continue on B15 to A2 and soon come to a tourist center, from which small busses drive people down to the coast to the hexagonal basalt columns of Giant’s Causeway.

Giant’s Causeway

Bushmill. (I5).

An extensive formation of groups of basaltic lava columns, created in the aftermath of volcanic eruptions sixty million years ago. Such columns are created when lava cools very slowly, making it possible for the stone to crystallize into multi-sided, often octagonal columns. There are about 40,000 such columns at Giant’s Causeway.

We continue on A2 a short way to Bushmill. When we enter the town we arrive at Bushmill’s Inn to our right.

Bushmill’s Inn

Bushmill. Phone: 2657 32339. Fax: 2657 32048. Price: £74 ($116) with breakfast. All major cards. 11 rooms. (I5).
A cozy, old lodge from the beginning of the 19th. C. in good condition.

There is an open fire in the lobby. Narrow stairs, corridors and steps are all over the house. A quaint library is above the lobby. The restaurant is partitioned by unpolished furnishings. The cooking is unusually good. Dinner is £27 or £35 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 24 is rather big and well equipped, with flowery wallpaper, rough furnishings of wood, creaking and carpeted floor and a parquet in the bathroom.

From Bushmill we drive on A2 and soon arrive at Dunluce Castle on the coast.

Dunluce Castle

(I5).

An enigmatic castle with a haunted look, perched on an outcrop on the coast. The oldest parts, the eastern towers and the southern wall, are from the 14th C. and the rest mainly from the 16th C. In 1639 the kitchen collapsed into the ocean with the people inside and the castle was abandoned for good.

We continue on A2 to Derry or Londonderry and drive into the old center inside the city walls.

Derry

Derry. (I5).

The city wall from 1613-1618 is the main attraction of Derry, originally with four gates but now with seven gates. It is the best Irish example of city wall so well preserved that it is possible to walk on it in a full circle around the city center.

The area inside the wall is 500 meters and 250 meters in diameter. In the middle is the main square, Diagonal. From it Bishop’s Street leads south to the Gothic St Columb’s Cathedral from 1628-1634, the first cathedral to be built after the Reformation, Gothic in style. The shopping Shipquay Street leads steeply down and north from Diagonal.

We can go straight from Derry on A2 and then N13 to a side-road on our left to Grianan of Aileach. We can also take a 160 km detour around the mountains of the Inishowen peninsula, leaving Derry on R238 through Moville, Carndonagh and Malin head, and back on the same road through Carndonagh, Ballyliffin and Buncrana to turn right into N13 to the north of Grianan of Aileach.

Malin Head

(I5).

Between Moville and Carndonagh is a side-road to the left to two High Crosses and a Cross Slab at Carrowmore. A little farther on there is a side-road to the right to the ruins of the Clonca church and a High Cross.

Malin Head is a small fishing village nestling under ocean cliffs.

On the road back is an 8th C. High Cross a little farther than Carndonagh and a Cross Slab in the graveyard of Fahan. Cross Slabs are from the 7th to the 12th C., flat and irregular stones, with hewn crosses, other religious signs and inscriptions in Latin, put over graves.

We arrive at N13 and turn right on N13 and then left on a side-road up the hill to Grianan of Aileach on the hilltop.

Grianan of Aileach

(I5).

A complete restoration from 1870 of a circular fortress originally built in the 5th C., at the beginning of Irish Christianity. It was the royal residence of the Nialls from that time to the 12th C. and was destroyed in local wars of Irish kings in 1101.

The circular hilltop fortress is 23 meters in diameter, 5 meters high and 4 meters thick. On the inside there are steps in walls to facilitate the movement of the defending forces. There is a good view from the walls, including Derry.

We go back the side-road and continue on N13 to Letterkenny, where we change to N56 and can continue until we come to a side-road to the left to Glenveagh Castle. We can also take a detour from Letterkenny on first R245 and then R247 to Rathmullan, if we want to dine and stay at Rathmullan House before we go to Glenveagh Castle.

Rathmullan House

Rathmullan. Phone: 74 58188. Fax: 74 58200. Price: £121 ($189) with breakfast. All major cards. 23 rooms. (I5).
A beautiful and remote country manor in Georgian style from the beginning of the 19th C., with comfortable antique furniture, a library, open fire, a swimming pool, a sauna and peaceful gardens.

Dinner is served in the garden pavilion of the manor. The starters’ trolley is one of the best in the whole country and the cooking is generally superior. So many people dine here that it is advisable to book a table in advance. Dinner is £60 for two, excluding beverages.

Some of the rooms have a view over beautiful gardens to the Swilly bay.

We leave on R247 and then R249 until we arrive at N56 where we turn right. Then we turn left on a side-road to Glenveagh Castle.

Glenveagh Castle

Hours: Park open all year, castle in summer 10:30-18:30. (H5).

The Glenveagh National Park covers nearly 10,000 hectares of woodland and bogs around a fake castle in Walt Disney style, built at Beagh Lake in 1870 to create a romantic atmosphere for the lord of the castle and his guests.

This is a conventional country manor disguised as a castle. It is now a museum with the rich furnishings of the former owner.

We are here in the Donegal hills.

Donegal hills

(H5).

This is the most remote part of Ireland, a narrow part of the Republic to the west and north of Northern Ireland. This is Gaelic country as we can see from many signs. The landscape is rough and rather naked.

Formerly this district was called Triconnaill, now Donegal, which comes from the Gaelic: “Dún na nGall”, meaning the Fortress of Foreigners, that is Vikings.

The best beer of Ireland, Poitin, is brewed in the Donegal hills.

We return on the side-road to N56, where we turn left and then turn right at a sign to Doe Castle, just before we come to Creeslough.

Doe Castle

(H5).

The ruins are relatively well preserved, standing on a promontory on the ocean. The age is unknown and the buildings are from several periods. The castle has obviously been damaged in several attacks over time. Many famous generals are connected with its history, either in defense or attack. At the end of the 18th C. it got more or less its present appearance.

We return on the side-road and turn right into N56 to Bunbeg.

Bunbeg

(H5).

As in many other Irish seaside villages the dwellings face inward to the country, not outside to the ocean. The harbor is lonely, quite a distance from the scattered inland dwellings. It gives the impression that people were afraid, either of pirates or of the natural powers of the ocean and wanted to live out of sight.

The harbor is peaceful and almost romantic and does not witness to much fishing nowadays.

We continue on N56 through the bogs of Rosses.

Rosses

(H5).

The Rosses means the promontories. There are few habitations and few trees, but lots of bogs and small lakes.

Peat is made here in abundance and used for heating and in electric plants. The topsoil is cut and put again in place when several shovel-layers of bog underneath have been removed for drying. Long lines of cuttings are an attribute of peat bogs country.

We continue on N56 past Dungloe and Gwebarra. When we have just passed Ardara we turn right at a sign to Glengesh Pass. From the pass we have a good view back to the valley we were coming from. We continue all the way to Glencolumbkille.

Glencolumbkille

(H5).

The landscape surrounding Glencolumbkille is wild and majestic and mainly incidental, just like it has been thrown around by the gods.

Saint Columba or Columbkille is said to have settled down here in his advanced years, far away from the commotion of the world. There are also remains of a Pre-Historic habitation.

To the south of the river outside the town the Glencolumbkille Folk Village is in a few simple houses in the farmhouse styles of 1720, 1820 and 1920, showing old tools and utensils, furnishings and furniture from those years.

We drive to Carrick and there turn left to Teelin and follow a sign to Bunglass, where an extremely narrow one-lane road clutches the steep mountain slopes and cliffs, reaching an end at an observation point from where we can see The Cliffs of Bunglass.

Cliffs of Bunglass

(H5).

Steep cliffs of 600 meters on the southern slopes of Slieve League Mountain, an impressive sight in bad weather and sparkling with colors in good weather, as there are several varieties of rock in the cliffs.

We return from Bunglass to Teelin and Carrick and continue to Killybegs.

Killybegs

(H5).

A lived-in and active fishing town with modern fishing vessels in the lively harbor. The town is on slopes above the harbor. The Killybegs hand-made carpets are made here and have been famous since the middle of the 19th C. The Irish wool industry has its center in this area.

We continue onwards from Killybegs and soon reach N56 which we follow all the way to Donegal city. We try to park in the center, near the main square, Diagonal.

Donegal center

(H5).

Founded by the Vikings and carries a name that means the Fortress of Foreigners. It is the center of the tweed-wool garment industry in Ireland.

The triangular main square was laid out in 1610. An obelisk in memory of four Irish artists and scientists is in its center.

We walk to the nearby Donegal Castle.

Donegal Castle

(H5).

Partly an old castle and partly a manor from the first half of the 17th C., as is the gate house, which is nearest to the central square.

From Donegal we take N15 in the direction of Bundoran and turn right to the Rossnowlagh strand where we come directly to Sand House.

Sand House

Rossnowlagh. Phone: 72 51777. Fax: 72 52100. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 40 rooms. (H6).
Standing alone on the beach, a bright, modern house with a crenellated roof. It has solemn furnishings and quality furniture. An open fire is in the lobby.

The service is excellent, even by Irish standards. The restaurant is top class. It offers several choices from a menu of a fixed price, £40 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 33 faces the ocean and listens to the comfortable lullabies of the ocean waves, when the windows are open. The quality furnishings are very beautiful.

We return to N15 and turn right, continuing south, through Bundoran and Sligo. Having passed Sligo we turn right on N59 to Ballina. We can continue on the same road to Castlebar or first make a detour to the right on R314 to a side-road to the right to Rosserk Abbey.

Rosserk Abbey

(G6).

Ruins of a Franciscan abbey from the middle of the 15th C, relatively well preserved, even if it was burned down in the 16th C. when the English drove the monks away.

Some original decorations are sill visible on the western door, in the eastern window and the southern transept.
This remote part of Ireland is Mayo, known for extensive bogs and scant habitation inland and sand beaches and rocky promontories at the seaside.

We return to Ballina and from there on N59 and then N5 to Castlebar. From there we can drive directly to Newport on R311 or take a detour from Castlebar to the left on N60 in the direction of Claremorris. On this road we soon come to Breaffy House.

Breaffy House

Castlebar. Phone: 94 22033. Fax: 94 22033. Price: £76 ($119) with breakfast. All major cards. (G6).

A quaint mixture of old and new. A modern building of concrete and glass with regular contours has been added to an old and an irregular palace. The hotel is in beautiful gardens, offering fishing, hunting and riding.

The public rooms are imposing, except the rather common dining room.

The guest rooms are modern, well furnished, including coffee machines and bathrobes.

We return the same way to Castlebar and can continue from there to Newport on R311 or make another detour, this time to the left on N84 to Ballintubber Abbey.

Ballintubber Abbey

Ballintubber. Hours: Open 9-24. (G6).

Mass has been sung daily in the Gothic abbey church for almost eight centuries since the Augustine abbey was built in 1216. Even in times of trouble not a single day was missed. The church was partly rebuilt after a fire in 1265. In 1653 Cromwell vandalized the abbey and burned the roof of the church. A new roof was added in the original style in 1966.

Inside the church there are some items from the 13th C., including an altar.

We return on N84 to Castlebar and go from there on R311 to Newport.

Newport

(G6).

A nice little resort, popular with anglers, dominated by a disused railway viaduct, converted into a pedestrian bridge.

In the town center we cross the motorists bridge and immediately turn left through a gate into the grounds of Newport House.

Newport House

Newport. Phone: 98 41222. Fax: 98 41613. Price: £87 ($136) with breakfast & dinner. All major cards. 18 rooms. (G6).
A Georgian country manor, beautifully sheathed in red creeper, almost covering the windows.

The interior is grand, especially the staircase in the hall. The dining room is superior and the food is mediocre. Coffee and confectionery are served in the drawing room after dinner. Service is outstanding. Dinner is included in the room price.

Room no. 1 is large, furnished with antiques. The bathroom is also large. There is a good view over the grounds to the river.

We can leave from here on N59 to the south to Westport. We can also drive north on N59 for a detour to Achill Island. In that case we soon turn left at a signpost to Burrishoole Friary.

Burrishoole Friary

(G6).

A Dominican friary, founded in 1486, converted into a fortress in 1486. The remains consist of a broad and squat tower, nave, chancel, south transept and parts of the friary.

We return to N59, turn left and continue a short distance to another signpost on the left to Carrigahowley or Rockfleet Castle.

Carrigahowley Castle

(G6).

A four-storeyed tower house from the 15th C, similar to several others in the country, this one especially well preserved.

Edward VI of England subsidized the building of such towers to strengthen the rule of his vassals over the unruly Irish. The ground floor housed stores and the top floor the living quarters of the masters of the tower.

We can return from here to Newport if we have little time. Otherwise we turn left on N59 and continue to Mulrany, where we turn left on R319 to the towns of Keel and Dooagh on Achill Island.

Dooagh

Dooagh. (G6).

The island of Achill is connected by a bridge to the mainland. The landscape is bare and weathered. The coast is suitable for sunbathing and the sea is suitable for surfing and fishing. Sand beached and rocky outcrops dot the coastline. Treeless villages, painted in white, rest on the beaches.

We return all the way back, first R319 and then N59 to Newport and continue on N59 south to Westport.

Westport

Westport. (G6).

A friendly tourist town, planned and built in 1780. It has a well-known manor, Westport House.

The best part of town is the Quay, where old houses have been converted into hotels and seafood restaurants. The Quay offers a good view to Croach Patrick mountain.

We take R395 out of town and drive on the coastline past Croach Patrick.

Croagh Patrick

(G6).

The 763 meters mountain on our left side has been a holy mountain since heathen times.

The story goes that Saint Patrick killed all snakes in Ireland by tolling his bell. Since then there have been no snakes in the country.

Last Sunday in July, tens of thousands of pilgrims climb the mountain, some of them bare-footed, to sing a mass at the chapel on the top. The western side of the mountain has become visually polluted because of that yearly attack.

We continue on R395 until it reaches N59, where we turn right and drive through Leenane to the fairy palace of Kylemore Abbey.

Kylemore Abbey

Hours: Open 9:30-18, closed in winter. (G7).

The abbey with all its crenellated towers rises suddenly from the wood on the far side of a lake, just as a dream or a prop in an animated Disney film. In fact the building is not especially old. It is a Neo-Gothic castle from the 19th C., a convent school of the Benedictine order. Parts of the castle are open to the public.

We continue on N59 a short way and turn left at a signpost to the Connemara National Park.

Connemara Park

Hours: Visitors center open in summer 10-18:30. (G7).

More than 200 hectares of heath, bog and wood, the home of the red Irish deer and the Connemara pony. The peak of Diamond Hill, 445 meters, dominates the view from the visitors center. The peak offers a good view over Connemara.

Connemara is a desolated and varied country with countless lakes and ridges, brooks and bogs, outcrops and sand beaches. Population is sparse in this barren country and people still speak Gaelic. The district is sometimes called Gaeltacht, the Country of the Celts.

We continue on N59. Soon we come to Letterfrack, where we have some choices. We can press on to Abbeyglen or we can turn right on a side-road to Tullycross and Renvyle. We drive to Currath Castle on the Renvyle coast.

Currath Castle

(G7).

One of many tower houses in Ireland. This one is special, as the ocean waves have broken one of its corners so that we can see the interior from the outside, including the staircase of stone.

We return the same way up to N59 and turn right. Soon we arrive at Rosleague Manor to the right.

Rosleague Manor

Letterfrack. Phone: 95 41101. Fax: 95 41168. Price: £90 ($141) with breakfast. All major cards. 20 rooms. (G7).

A country manor on a small hill in a large garden near Letterfrack, loaded with antiques and art.

Service is exceptionally friendly. The grand and beautiful dining room is one of the better ones in Ireland. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

The guest rooms are generally large and well equipped.

We continue on N59 to Clifden center, and find the main road up the valley to Abbeyglen Castle on the slopes of the hill on the other side of town.

Abbeyglen Castle

Clifden. Phone: 95 21201. Fax: 95 21797. Price: £99 ($155) with breakfast. All major cards. (G7).

The hotel is designed as a mock castle with pointed windows, corner towers and a crenellated roof. There are large gardens near the hotels and woods farther on.

Service is very good.

The rooms are rather large and well equipped and most have good views. The best rooms are in the main building.

We continue on this side-road up the slope. We are on the Sky Road which covers the peninsula out of Clifden town.

Clifden Bay

(F7).

This road offers good views to peninsulas, islands and the ocean. This is the beautiful country of Connemara.

After the Sky Road circle we are back on N59 and drive again through Clifden. Next we turn right either on R341 or R340 and follow signs to Cashel Bay.

Cashel Bay

(G7).

Typical Connemara coastline with lots of peninsulas and islands.

We continue on the road to either Zetland House or Cashel House for an overnight.

Cashel House

Cashel Bay. Phone: 95 31001. Fax: 95 31077. Price: £127 ($198) with breakfast. All major cards. 32 rooms. (G7).
A unique hotel, most famous for being a retreat of President de Gaulle. It is a beautiful, old building in a garden, that is almost botanical, with horse stables in the back.

The lay-out of the hotel is old and accidental and mainly warm and personal. It has several nooks on the way to the bar. Drawing rooms, libraries and retreats alternate with narrow corridors. The dining room is in an adjoining garden house of glass. The cooking is first class, but the boring waiter spoke French up his nose, with an Oxford intonation. Dinner is £64 for two.

Room no. 18 is stylish, rather small, but recently and well furnished, with a good view to the garden. It has a thick carpet on the floor.

From Cashel we drive on R341 and then turn left on R340 and then turn right on N59 all the way to Maam Cross.

Maam Cross

Maam Cross. (G7).

A popular angling village in a district of extensive peat bogs, with the typical peat piles dotting the roadside.

Arriving in Maam Cross we turn left on R336 to Maam and from there to the right on R345 to Cong, where we quickly find Ashford Castle.

Ashford Castle

Cong. Phone: 92 46003. Fax: 92 46260. Price: £256 ($400) with breakfast. All major cards. 83 rooms. (G7).

This is a chapter on its own. The stone gray hotel of dreams is a quaint combination of a 13th C. castle, an old manor in the French Renaissance Chateau style and new buildings in mock-castle Neo-Gothic style. All this makes an irreal pile in spacious gardens with the hotel’s own golf course. As a hotel this pile is also a gem of quality and service and gastronomy.

Inside there is a perfect atmosphere of richness and grandeur. The wooden furnishings are heavy and the antiques numerous. There are good conference facilities for the mandarins of the European Union. The cooking is among the very best in Ireland. The smaller and more royal and expensive Connaught Room is in the manor, with large windows and tons of wood. Dinner is £80 for two.

The rooms are very spacious, offering good views in any direction and every imaginable luxury as can be understood from the price.

Before we leave Cong, we can make a detour and continue on R345 to Cross and then to the right on R334 a short way to Ross Abbey.

Ross Abbey

Ross. (G7).

The best preserved Franciscan abbey in Ireland, built in 1351, enlarged and restored in the 15th C. It was an cloister until 1753. From the church tower of 1498 there is a good view over the abbey buildings and the neighboring country.

Frescos and 15th C. windows are in the church. Parts of the cloister have been preserved, including a sacristy, lavatorium, refectory and a scriptorium.

We return on R334 and R345 to Cong, then continue on R345 to Maam and R336 to Maam Cross, where we turn left on N56 to Oughterard. Soon after entering the town we see Sweeney’s Oughterard House on our left.

Sweeney’s Oughterard House

Oughterard. Phone: 91 82207. Fax: 91 82161. Price: £70 ($109) with breakfast. All major cards. 21 rooms. (G7).

A 200 years old house covered with creepers, with a guest-rooms extension to the back.

Antique collector items are tastefully arranged in the public rooms and some of the guest rooms. The atmosphere is very comfortable. Dinner is included in the room price.

The guest rooms are simple and well appointed.

We continue to the center of Oughterard, where there is as side-road to the left with a signpost to Currarevagh House. We take that detour through woods on the banks of Lake Corrib.

Currarevagh House

Oughterard. Phone: 91 82313. Fax: 91 82731. Price: £90 ($141) with breakfast. No cards. 15 rooms. (G7).

An old country manor peacefully nested in a private wood. It does not resemble an hotel, rather a country manor. It is mainly frequented by anglers, which is evident from some of the furnishings.

Guests all dine at the same time. The host serves the main course and chats with the guests. After dinner the guests congregate in the drawing room for coffee and conversation. This is very manor-like and pleasant. People go early to bed and rise late. Breakfast is served at nine o’clock. Dinner is £38 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 1 is an excellent corner room with big windows with a good view to Lake Corrib. The ceiling is high and the room is spacious, the furnishings old-fashioned. The floor is covered with a carpet all the way to the bathtub. All the amenities are there, excluding a TV set and a phone, as guests are expected to be trying to forget the outside world.

We return on the side-road to the center of Oughterard, again passing the shores of Lake Corrib.

Loch Corrib

(G7).

The second largest lake in Ireland, 58 km long has several islands. It is a famous angling resort. The road between Currarevagh and Oughterard gives us a glimpse of the charm of this lake.

We continue on the side-road to the center of Oughterard, and turn left on N59. Soon we take another detour on the left, signposted for Aughnanure Castle.

Aughnanure Castle

Hours: Open in summer 9:30-18:30. (G7).

A well conserved and tower house with outer walls and the ruins of a banqueting hall. The tower has six storeys with a staircase of 73 steps. On the two topmost floors are bedrooms and a sitting hall with a fireplace. From the top there is a good view to Lake Corrib.

We return to N59, turn left and drive to Galway. We cross the bridge and drive from the roundabout to the center and find a parking place.

Galway

Galway. (G7).

The largest city on the western coast and the linguistic center of the Gaelic language. The old center with narrow streets and low-rise houses is the main attraction for tourists.

Shop Street is the main shopping street of the center and could be made more convenient by excluding cars and making it pedestrian.

Lynch’s Castle is midway along Shop Street.

Lynch’s Castle

Galway. (G7).

A tower house from the 16th C., with decorations on the outside. It is still functioning, nowadays as a bank office.

A little further on, at the same side of the street, we come to St Nicholas’ Church.

St Nicholas’

Hours: Open in summer 9-18, in winter 9-17:30. (G7).

Built in 1320 and enlarged in the 15th and 16th C., a simple and powerful church.

We leave town, first on N6, then on N18 and finally on N67, where we soon arrive at Dunguaire Castle on the coast.

Dunguaire Castle

Kinwara. Hours: Feasts start at 17:45 and 21. (G7).

A tower house of four storeys, with an outer defense wall, built in 1520 and renovated in the 20th C.

The ground and first floors are now used as a venue for banquets for tourists twice a day. These amusing feasts include a medley of short plays, witty limericks, sentimental ballads, ribald dances, all very well-done, accompanied with a food that is supposed to be as it was in the olden time.

We continue on N67 and turn left on R480 where we arrive at the Aillwee cave.

Aillwee Cave

(G7).

A long and narrow cave of 1034 meters, found in 1940 in a porous limestone mountain, the remains of a subterranean river. It has many small stalactites and stalagmites and even a small waterfall.

The atmosphere is enhanced by intelligent floodlighting.

In this area a whole system of caves and subterranean streams were found in 1987.

R480 continues up to The Burren.

Burren

(G7).

A naked, arid and stony limestone highland of 260 square km., that is being declared a National Park.

Near the road, mainly on our left side, are several megalithic tombs from the Stone Age, 4000-2000 B.C. Large and heavy, flat stones have been raised on edge and other flat stones put on top as a roof.

We continue on R480 and turn left into R476 at Leamaneh Castle.

Leamaneh Castle

(G7).

An impressive building of four storeys with large windows from the 17th C., adjoining an older tower house with small windows from the 15th C. There are 88 steps to the top.

We drive on and keep to R476 to Kilfenora. In the center there are ruins of an abbey.

Kilfenora Crosses

Kilfenora. (G7).

The cloister ruins are partly from Early Christianity in the 6th C. Three high crosses from the 12th C. are in the graveyard. The church is mainly from 1190, but renovated in the 15th C. It is mainly intact and is used for mass. This was formerly a bishopric.

We continue on R476 to Lisdoonvarna, where we turn left on L54 (R478) to the Cliffs of Moher.

Cliffs of Moher

(G7).

Dark sandstone cliffs, 182 meters high, almost vertical, stretching for 8 km.

An easy pedestrian path leads up to O’Brien’s Tower with a good view to the cliffs. The tower was built in 1853.

A tourist information center is at the start of the path, giving information on walks in the area.

We drive on, first on L54 (R478) to Lahinch and from there on N67 to Ennistymon with quaint, old shop-fronts at the main street, and from Ennistymon on N85 to Ennis. We stop in the center at Ennis Friary.

Ennis Friary

(G8).

Once a powerful Franciscan friary. 350 monks and 600 students were there in the 14th C. The friary was recently acquired again by the Franciscans.

The church is from the 13th C., except the southern transept and the central tower from the 15th C. It has no roof but is otherwise relatively intact. Its main attribute are high and narrow windows in the chancel.

We take the R469 from Ennis to Clare, Quin, Knappogue and Craggaunoven and soon come to our first stop at Clare, where we stop at the right turn in front of the railway station to inspect Clare Abbey.

Clare Abbey

(G8).

Extensive ruins of an Augustine cloister from 1189. The nave of the church is still standing, its central tower and parts of the cloister.

We continue on R469 to our next stop at Quin Friary to our left.

Quin Friary

(G8).

Extensive ruins of an imposing Franciscan friary from 1430. The cloister is mainly standing, including the central tower and the southern transept of the church.

The friary was built on the ruins of a Norman castle that again was built on the ruins of an earlier cloister.

We continue on R469 and turn right to Knappogue Castle.

Knappogue Castle

Price: £60 ($94) for two. (G8).

Built in 1467 to defend against Norman invaders and has since then been lived-in for most of the time. It really is a beautifully designed palace, built around a castle.

Now Medieval banquets for tourists are held in the grand banqueting hall twice every day, at 17:45 and 21. The food and table service are in Medieval style. Included is a program of ballads and poetry, plays and dance, which give a vivid picture of the history of Ireland and its music.

Again we return to R469 and stop at the Craggaunoven Centre.

Craggaunoven

Hours: Open in summer 10-18, in winter 9:30-17, -16 on Friday. (G8).

A kind of a museum on Irish prehistory. It is housed in a tower house from the 16th C.

The ox-hide boat or “curragh”, Brendan, is on show, a replica of the boats that Irish monks used to roam the North Atlantic from the 6th C. up to the Viking period in the 9th C. and onwards. It was built to sail to America in 1976-1977 to prove that it would have been possible for Saint Brendan to reach America in the 6th C. as has been speculated.

Below the tower is a replica of a Bronze Age village of round huts or “crannóg”, on an islet in a small lake, connected by a bridge to the mainland. The style of the huts is similar to those we see in Africa.

We return on R469 to Ennis and from there we drive on N18 to Newmarket-on-Fergus where we arrive at Dromoland Castle.

Dromoland Castle

Newmarket-on-Fergus. Phone: 61 368144. Fax: 61 363355. Price: £252 ($394) with breakfast. All major cards. 73 rooms. (G8).

The majestic castle from 1570 was owned by one of the main royal families in Ireland, the Brians, until it was converted into the primary luxury hotel in Ireland. Its main attribute is the round corner tower. The castle sits in an extensive private parkland with a famous golf course.

Inside the hotel is very cozy and comfortable, with open fire in fireplaces, lots of antiques and works of art. The library bar is a perfect venue for a drink or two. The Thomond Room restaurant is one of the best in Ireland. Dinner is £90 for two, excluding beverages.

The rooms are variable, but all are beautifully designed.

We continue on N18 almost all the way to Limerick and stop at Bunratty Castle.

Bunratty Castle

Limerick. (G8).

An unusually large and majestic tower house from 1460, recently renovated into its 16th C. form. It houses a museum of furniture and carpets from the 14th to the 17th C.

Alongside the castle is Bunratty Folk Park, exhibiting old houses and replicas of old houses, which together make a convincing village street with a 19th C. atmosphere.

Adjoining the castle is also a banquet hall, where tourists congregate twice a day, at 17:45 and 21 to have a Medieval dinner and enjoy an historic program of song and dance.

There is a short way from Bunratty Castle on N18 to Limerick. Just before we enter the town we arrive at the Limerick Inn hotel, clearly signposted.

Limerick Inn

Limerick. Phone: 61 326666. Fax: 61 326281. Price: £73 ($114) with breakfast. All major cards. 153 rooms. (G8).

A low-rise modern hotel in standard hotel style, comfortable though. It is a busy airport and convention hotel.

The food is better than can be expected at such hotels. The menu is extensive and varied. Dinner is £50 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 404 is large and well equipped, including a hair dryer and a trouser press. The bathroom is excellent.

We continue on N18 into Limerick, turn left, when we come to the river, and drive on the river bank to cross the river at the next bridge. On the other side of the river we arrive at King John’s Castle.

Limerick

Limerick. (G8).

Limerick is the main city of the Middle West, situated near the formerly important Shannon airport. It was founded in 922 as a Danish Viking town, its name derived from a Viking name meaning Rich Land. It was repeatedly attacked by Irish kings and finally captured by the Viking-French Normans in 1194. Little remains from this turbulent history.

A part of central Limerick has mainly an English character, including King John’s Castle and St Mary’s Cathedral, the oldest building in town.

Another part is more Irish in character, including the area around St John’s Cathedral and Limerick Museum.

We are in front of King John’s Castle.

King John’s Castle

Limerick. Hours: Open in summer 10-17. (G8).

An extremely well conserved Norman castle from 1200, majestic and powerful. It has repeatedly played a role in Irish history and is now fittingly an historical museum.

Next to the castle on Nicholas Street in the direction of the city center we come to St Mary’s Cathedral.

St Mary’s

Limerick. Hours: Open in summer 9:30-12:45 & 14:15-17:30. (G8).

The oldest building in town, from 1168, Gothic in style and crenellated.

We continue on Nicolas Street and Mary Street, cross a bridge, and continue on John Street to St John’s Cathedral.

St John’s

Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9-18:30, Saturday 9-20:30, Sunday 8-20:30. (G8).

A Neo-Gothic cathedral from 1861, with the highest church spire in Ireland, 85 meters.

John Square is in front of the church. Limerick Museum, a museum of city history, is in a 18th C. house on the square.

We leave Limerick on N20 and then N21 to Adare.

Adare Manor

Adare. Phone: 61 396566. Fax: 61 396124. Price: £220 ($344) with breakfast. All major cards. 64 rooms. (G8).

A Neo-Gothic country manor with several small towers in a large garden at the river Maigue. The hotel is beautifully furnished in an old style.

Dinner is £65 for two, excluding beverages.

The guest rooms in the main building are especially desirable.

We continue on N21 until we are near Castleisland, where there is a side-road to the left, leading to Crag Cave.

Crag Cave

(G8).

A limestone cave more than million years old, found by accident in 1983. It is almost 4 km, of which 350 m are accessible to the public. There are untouched stalagmites and stalactites, most beautiful in the floodlit Crystal Gallery.

We drive back to N21, turn left and continue through Castleisland to Tralee, where we change over to R559 to Blennerville, where we stop at a windmill on the other side of a long bridge.

Blennerville Windmill

Hours: Open in summer 9-18. (G8).

A windmill for grinding floor, 18 meters and 5 storeys, built in 1800 and still going strong. A museum on the grounds shows the history of windmills and floor-grinding and the history of Irish settlers in America.

Here is also a railway station for a narrow-gauged train with three wagons from the 19th C., all original, used for tourists today. It goes between Tralee and Blennerville.

We continue on R559 and then R560 in the direction of Connor Pass. Finally we turn into a side-road signposted to Connor Pass.

Connor Pass

(F8).

The highest road pass in Ireland, 456 meters above sea level. The road cuts through steep cliffs into a narrow slit in the mountain edge.

There is a car park at the top. From there we have good views in both directions. The landscape is naked and majestic.

We drive down the winding road on the other side, leading down to Dingle.

Dingle
Dingle. (F8).

A mixture of a fishing town and a tourist town. The outer and inner harbors shelter the ships against the fury of the Atlantic Ocean.

Every other house in the center is either a pub or a restaurant.

In the center we find Doyle’s Seafood Bar.

Doyle’s

4 John Street, Dingle. Phone: 66 51174. Fax: 66 51816. Price: £48 ($75) for two. All major cards. 8 rooms. (F8).

Situated in an house from 1830. The guest rooms are furnished with antiques and beautiful bathrooms.

Doyle’s is primarily a seafood restaurant, the best one on the west coast. The daily changing menu offers the fresh catch of each day. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

This is the perfect place for a dinner and overnight.

We drive west out of town on a road signposted as Slea Head Drive. We go through Ventry, stopping at a sign for Dunbeg Fort. There is a footpath leading down to a Pre-Historic seaside fortress. A little further on we start to see signs to Fahan huts. We stop at the first one.

Fahan beehive huts

(F8).

There is a short walk from the road up to the first of over 400 Fahan stone huts on the slopes of Mountain Eagle.

These beehive huts or “clochans” are Pre-Historic, all built up of stones in the form of half a sphere, without any gluing or binding material, many of them in perfect condition. They are in small groups all over the mountain slopes. Most of them are from the 6th to the 10th C.

We continue on this scenic route around the peninsula and look for a sign to Gallarus Oratory, when we have driven through Ballyferriter.

Gallarus Oratory

(F8).

One of the most important historic monuments in Ireland. It is a stone church from the 8th or 9th C., built from stone slabs all the way up to the ridge, without the use of any glue or binding material.

The structure is very well done, watertight and has been preserved in perfect condition during all these centuries, while other such churches have collapsed under their own weight.

We follow signposts to Dingle. From there we take the R559 to Annaschul, the R561 to Castlemaine, N70 to Milltown and finally R563 almost all the way to Killarney, but look for a signpost to Aghadoe Heights hotel on our right.

Aghadoe Heights

Killarney. Phone: 64 31766. Fax: 64 31345. Price: £145 ($227) with breakfast. All major cards. 60 rooms. (G9).

A modern and excellent hotel on a hill outside Killarney, with a good view to Lake Leane and the mountains around Dunloe Pass.

Service is perfect, combining German efficiency and Irish hospitality. The dining room combines good views with good furnishings, excellent service and excellent food. Dinner is £60 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 227 is very large and majestic and mainly stylish, with a good view and all amenities.

We follow signposts to Killarney, find R562, which we drive on to Killorglin, where we change to N70 and drive a scenic route to Glenbeigh, Cahirciveen and finally Waterville.

Waterville

(F9).

A famous summer holiday resort with pleasant, old-fashioned atmosphere. The main street is on the seaside, with hotels and restaurants on the land-side and a well-tended garden on the ocean-side.

We continue on N70 up Coomakista Pass above the town, offering good views in both directions. The grand landscape of Iveragh peninsula is particularly obvious from this observation point. Then we continue on N70 and look for a signpost to Staigue to our left.

Staigue

(F9).

A 2000 years old circular fortress which has mostly withstood the ravages of time. The walls are 5 meters high and 4 meters broad.

The fortress has probably been built as a sanctuary for the local people in raids by pirates. Other fortresses have been discovered in this area, but Staigue is the largest and the best preserved one.

We continue on N70 to Sneem.

Sneem

Sneem. (F9).

A nice little tourist village with two central squares connected with an old bridge.

We continue on N70 almost all the way to Kenmare, but turn right at a signpost to Dromquinna Manor.

Dromquinna Manor

Blackwater Bridge, Kenmare. Phone: 64 41657. Fax: 64 41791. Price: £70 ($109) with breakfast. All major cards. 28 rooms. (G9).

A beautiful old Victorian manor in romantic oceanside surroundings, with its own boat harbor.

The hotel is very cozy, with creaking floors, open fire in the fireplace and several drawing rooms. This is a good place for relaxation. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

Room without a number, named Robertson, is very large and very grand, with a royal bed and large windows to the garden. The bathroom is also elegant, with parquet on the floor.

We have a short way on N70 to Kenmare, where we stop at the main square or in its immediate vicinity.

Kenmare

Kenmare. (G9).

A quaint tourist town with an old-fashioned shopping street, Main Street, with several interesting shop-signs.

We drive Market Street which runs parallel to Main Street from the central square up to the Kenmare Stone Circle.

Kenmare Stone Circle

(G9).

Probably laid out and built by Spanish copper miners 4000 years ago. There is a big stone in the middle, surrounded with 15 smaller stones in a circle.

We drive from Kenmare on N71 through beautiful landscapes and through a 726 m mountain tunnel and arrive at the other side of the mountain in Glengariff, where we see the Eccles hotel on our left.

Eccles

Glengariff. (G9).

The best known building in this tourist town, built in 1833. It still has the same featherlight and charming look as it had when Queen Victoria stayed there. Inside as outside the hotel preserves the charm of the 19th C.

We continue on N71 to Ballylickey, where two excellent hotels are side by side to the left of the road, Ballylickey Manor House and Sea View House. We drive to the latter one.

Sea View House

Ballylickey. Phone: 27 50462. Fax: 27 51555. Price: £132 ($206) with breakfast. All major cards. 17 rooms. (G9).

A white summer manor on the hillside, very comfortable, best known for the excellent cooking.

There are antiques all over the building. Dinner is served in several adjoining small rooms. The excellent dinner is £46, excluding beverages. Breakfast includes boxty pancakes made from potatoes, an Irish specialty.

Room no. 4 is of a medium size, tasteful and old-fashioned, with a very small bathroom with a sitting tub and a shower. It has a good view over the garden down to the ocean.

We continue on N71 a short way to the 19th C. town of Bantry. When we have crossed the main square we turn left through a brick gate and drive through formal, Italian gardens to the hotel entrance of Bantry House.

Bantry House

Bantry. All major cards. 10 rooms. (G9).

A palace from 1740, now a hotel and an art museum, showing what the owners have collected through two centuries and a half.

Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

The museum has a few rooms for travelers.

We continue on N71 to Skibberen. Then we turn right into a side-road to Glandore, a small town at a small harbor. We drive on R597 through the town and look for a signpost to Drombeg Circle.

Drombeg

(G9).

One of the best preserved stone circles in Ireland. Fourteen stone slabs of up to 1.5 m each stand upright in a circle of 9 m in diameter.

The purpose of such stone circles is unknown. Possibly they are religious structures.

We continue to Roscarberry, where we take N71 and drive to Clonakilty, where we change to R600 for Timoleague.

Timoleague Friary

(G9).

The ruins of a Franciscan cloister from 1320, destroyed by Cromwell in 1642. Near it are the ruins of an hospital and the 13th C. Barrymore Castle.

R600 brings us to Kinsale, where we can park at the port.

Kinsale

(G9).

For a long time considered the gastronomic capital of Ireland, a little overstated nowadays. Its restaurants specialize in seafood.

Sailing boats dominate the harbor of this oldest town in Ireland. The streets are narrow, almost undriveable in cars. The white houses are neat and well maintained. This was such an English town that Irish were not allowed to live there until at the end of the 18th C.

We drive through town and follow signs to Charles Fort.

Charles Fort

Kinsale. Hours: Open in summer 9:30-17:30, in spring Tuesday-Saturday 9-17, Sunday 14-17. (G9).

A fortress from 1670 on a promontory to the west of the entrance to Kinsale harbor. It is as extensive as a village, surrounded by a wall. The English built it after Spanish raids and used it up to 1922, when the Irish Republic was founded.

There is a good view from the fortress to the Kinsale harbor.

We continue on R600 to the center of Cork. Before we drive down the slope to the center we stop to have a look at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

St Fin Barre’s

Cork. Hours: Open Monday-Friday 10-13 & 14-17:30. (G9).

A Neo-Gothic church from 1865, with a central tower of 73 m. The Elizabeth Fort from 1590 is immediately to the west from the church, offering a good view over the city center, which is on an island in the river Lee.

We continue down the slope and drive into the center of Cork, looking for a parking-house.

Cork

Cork. (G9).

The principal streets of the city center are the broad Grand Parade and the winding St Patrick’s Street. The houses along these streets are low-rise and give a comfortable impression of the city.

From the center we drive along St Patrick’s Street, then straight over the bridge, turn right, not on the river bank, but next street after it, Mac Curtain Street. Then we turn a little to the left up the slope of Summerhill and its continuation in Middle Glanmire Road, where Arbutus Lodge is on our right side.

Arbutus Lodge

Middle Glanmire Road, Cork. Phone: 21 501237. Fax: 21 502893. Price: £53 ($83) for two. All major cards. 20 rooms. (G9).

A city mansion in a beautiful garden on a slope overlooking the city center. It is one of the very best restaurants in Ireland and a comfortable hotel at the same time.

Service is young and friendly. Strawberries and raspberries were included in the breakfast. Dinner is a special occasion, costs £44-£56 for two, excluding beverages. You may start with feta salad, continue with mussels and walnuts in garlic sauce, then rhubarb and ginger sorbet, go on to braised duck with duck-leg dressing and finish with the excellent cheese and dessert trolleys.

Room without a number, called Montenotte, does not have the coveted city view. It is large and quaint, furnished with antiques.

We return down Middle Glanmire Road and Summerhill in the direction of Cork center, but make a sharp left turn into Lower Glanmire Road, which continues as N25 out of town. We then turn right into a road signposted to Cobh, where we park at the harbor.

Cobh harbor & cathedral

Cobh. (H9).

Cobh was the harbor of the British fleet in the independence war of the United States of America, later the embarkment point of hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrants, and finally a port of call for the large Atlantic liners in their heyday.

The harbor is dominated by St Colman’s Cathedral with a giant tower of 47 bells, built 1868-1915 for collection money from emigrants to America.

We return to N25 and drive all the way to the center of Youghal, where we park at Main Street, near the southern side of the city wall.

Clock Gate

Youghal. (H9).

There are some important landmarks in Main Street. Clock Gate is one, a four storeyed house built in 1777 across the street, as a part of the southern side of the city wall.

We walk Main Street to the northern side of the city wall.

Tynte’s Castle

Youghal. (H9).

On our right side, adjoining the city wall, a tower house from the 15th C., Tynte’s Castle.

Opposite, on our left side. is the Red House in Dutch style from the early 18th C.

Farther to the left, also nesting under the city wall, we come to St Mary’s Collegiate Church from the early 13th C.

We turn our attention to the city wall.

Youghal City Wall

Youghal. (H9).

This city wall is the best preserved one in Ireland. It is still intact, in spite of being built in the 13th C.

We leave town on N25 in the direction of Waterford, but soon turn left into R671 which we follow through beautiful landscapes to Clonmel, where we try to park in the central O’Connell Street, near the West Gate.

Clonmel

Clonmel. (H8).

O’Connell Street is the main street in Clonmel. In its west end the West Gate sits across the street, a 14th C. gate on the city wall.

From the gate there is a passage to the north to St Mary’s Church with an octagonal tower. In the graveyard is a well-preserved part of the city wall.

In the west O’Connell Street ends at Main Guard, the old courts building of the city.

We drive N24 to Caher and stop at a car park between the main square and the castle.

Caher

(H8).

A nice little historic town at Suir river. Its central square is on a split level, surrounded with shops in low houses.
Caher Castle is the main attraction in Caher.

Caher Castle

Hours: Open in summer 9:30-19:30, in spring and fall 10-18, in winter Monday-Saturday 10-13 & 14-16:30, Sunday 14-16:30. (H8).

An extensive castle beside the river Suir, built in the 13th C. and renovated in the 15th C. There is a keep in the middle and three ports, surrounded with a wall with three large towers.

The castle is in good condition and is used as a local museum.

We leave town on N8 and drive to Cashel, turn right into the main street and then immediately left through a gate into the grounds of Cashel Palace.

Cashel

Cashel. (H8).

Cashel is a tourist town nested under the Rock of Cashel.

It has two cathedrals linked by a passage.

There is also a Folk Village, a reconstruction of 18th C. rural life in Ireland.

Cashel Palace is our abode tonight.

Cashel Palace

Cashel. Phone: 62 61411. Fax: 62 61521. Price: £100 ($156) with breakfast. All major cards. 20 rooms. (H8).

Built in 1730 in Palladian Renaissance style as a bishopric, now a dignified and a little tired hotel with antiques and an open fire in the lobby. Its main attraction is a beautiful garden leading up o the Rock of Cashel.

Dinner is £46 for two, excluding beverages.

Room 35 is very large and has several windows to the garden, furnished with comfortable furniture and a good bathroom, also with a large window to the garden.

We walk through the garden on the Bishop’s Walk for about 7 minutes to reach the Rock of Cashel.

Rock of Cashel

Cashel. Hours: Open in summer 9-19:30, in winter 9:30-16:30. (H8).

The royal seat of the Munster kings 370-1101, similar to Tara of the Ulster kings, north of Dublin. St Patrick is said to have baptized king Aengus here in 450. The rock became a cathedral site in the 12 th C. and remained so until 1749. An English barbarian, Lord Inchiguin, burned 3000 inhabitants of Cashel inside the church in 1647.

The rock is entered through a museum in a priest’s house from the 15th C., adjoining a dormitory from the same time.

The Gothic cathedral itself rises behind, badly damaged in the fire of 1647. It is mainly from the 13th C. It has a simple crucifix form without aisles, with high lance-windows and a massive central tower. A castle tower from 1450 is at the west end of the church, built as an archbishop seat in violent times. Behind the northern transept is a Round Tower from the 12th C.

Opposite the dormitory is the Cormac’s Chapel.

Cormac’s Chapel

Cashel. (H8).

The oldest part of the monuments on the Rock of Cashel, built in Romanesque style in 1127-1134, a single nave with a chancel and two towers on the sides.

We return on the Bishop’s Walk to Cashel Palace. If we have time before dinner we can visit the Folk Village.

Folk Village

Cashel. Hours: Open in summer Monday-Saturday 10-19:30, Sunday 14-19:30. (H8).

A reconstruction of 18th C. rural life in Ireland. It shows shops and homes with the corresponding utensils.

We leave town on R660 in the direction of Holycross Abbey.

Holycross Abbey

(H8).

Built in 1168 as a Benedictine abbey and soon converted into a Cistercian abbey. It was a cloister until the 17th C. and was considered a holy place.

It has now been renovated as a parish church. It has a nave with aisles, two transepts and a powerful central

Madrid amusements

Ferðir

Corral de la Morería

Morería 17. Phone: 365 1137. Fax: 364 1219. (A3).

The Andalucian Flamenco dance, influenced by Moors and Gipsys, is at its Madrid best at this restaurant. The famous Blanca del Rey dances there in a red dress almost every evening.

The show continues from 23 in the night to 3 in the morning. Diners arrive at 21:30 and get the best tables. The food is acceptable, the atmosphere is perfect and the feeling is great, if Spaniards outnumber the tourists.

Dancers and singers sit on the stage and stand up to take solo turns. Lament and grief, pride and despair are forcefully expressed in wailing and rapid songs. The instruments are guitars and castanets, in addition to the clapping of hands. The ladies dance in colorful and substantial dresses and the gentlemen sing in high-heeled shoes.

Plaza de Toros

Alcalá 231.

The main bullfight arena in the world, built 1931 in Neo-Moorish style as many bullfight arenas in Spain, with seats for 26,000 people. Fights are performed Sunday afternoon, competing with soccer, sometimes also on Thursday. Bullfighting comes from Andalucía and has been performed since the Middle Ages. The present form is from the late 18th C.

This is not a sport or a competition between man and but. It is a ritual drama, almost always resulting in the death of the bull. Three matadors perform and each kills two bulls. There are three acts to the drama. First the matador shows some traditional movements, such as the Veronica, with the red muleta cloth. Then riding picadores come and put spears in the bull.

In the second act the assisting bandilleras put three arrows in the neck of the bull. Finally the matador arrives again in the third act with his muleta cloth, performs some ritual movements and kills the bull with a single, perfect estocada with his sword. Everything must be performed according to strict rules of conduct and etiquette. This is like a religious performance.

Cervecería Alemana

Plaza de Santa Ana. (B2).

On one of the major squares in the old and liveliest part of the center, a combination of a café, a pub and a snack bar.

This is one of the places made famous by Hemingway, a simple and straightforward café, bursting with conversation from morning to night.

The tapas snacks are popular.

Cuevas de Sésame

Principe 5. (B2).

A friendly basement piano bar in a side street leading north from Plaza de Santa Ana.

Guests sit on different levels at small tables. The walls are covered with paintings by well-known artists and the sayings of well-known intellectuals.

Sometimes he guests pick up their own musical instruments, but otherwise a pianist takes care of that.

La Trucha

Manuel Fernandez y Gonzalez 3. (B2).

The snack-bar in front of the relaxed Andalusian restaurant La Trucha is one of the more popular discussion venues in the lively Plaza de Santa Ana area, in a pedestrian alley leading off the northeastern corner.

Madrilenos stand at the bar in three or four layers and devour tapas.

Mesón

Ciudad Rodrigo. (A2).

In the arcade leading off the northwestern corner of Plaza Mayor, offering the best tapas snacks in town.

Try the squid, shellfish, mushrooms and some far-flung varieties.

Café Central

Plaza del Ángel 10. (B2).

An old café opposite Victoria hotel, reminiscent of French turn-of-the-century cafés, decorated with mirrors.

Jazz is often played live here at night, when people feel like it.

There are some other jazz cafés in this neighborhood.

Café de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente 2. (A2).

Opposite the royal palace, a café and a tapas bar and a meeting point for musicians and politicians.

The outdoor part of the café is popular in good weather.

The same name also applies to an excellent restaurant on the premises.

Círculo de Bellas Artes

Alcalá 42. (B2).

One of the most interesting morning cafés, often full of artists, on the traffic artery between Plaza Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Cibeles.

You can relax with your coffee in deep leather chairs and enjoy a good view either out to the street or into the gallery with paintings and leaded window panes.

To enter the café we must buy a ticket to the current exhibition.

Gran Café de Gíjon

Paseo de Recoletos 21. (C2).

The main discussion center of politics and culture, one of many cafés on this major avenue, just north of Plaza de Cibeles.

This is a typical 19th C. café, open and noisy. Large windows open to the heavy motor traffic on the avenue. The intellectuals hang out there for hours on end and express themselves eloquently.

Mallorquina

Calle Mayor / Plaza Puerta del Sol. (B2).

A quiet breakfast café on the first floor at the western end of Plaza Puerta del Sol.

This is the ideal place for breakfasting on café and bakeries, such as ensaimada, spiral pastry in Mallorca style.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Roma amusements

Ferðir

Bernasconi

Largo di Torre Argentina 1. (C3).

Famous café beside the Argentina theatre.

Café de Paris

Via Veneto 90. (D2).

Famous sidewalk café

Caffè Greco

Via Condotti. (C2).

In the main street of fashion shops, just beneath The Spanish Steps.

It is the best known café in Rome, founded in 1760, and has ever since been the haunt of writers and artists. H. C. Andersen was there, Berlioz, Browning, Goethe, Tennyson, Thackeray and Wagner. Local people drink their coffee standing in the small front room, and travellers sitting down in the narrow back room.

Canova

Piazza del Popolo 16. (C1).

Famous sidewalk café

Colombia

Piazza Navona 88. (C3).

Famous sidewalk café

Doney

Via Veneto 145. (D2).

Famous sidewalk café

Om Shanti

Piazza Campo dei Fiori. (B3).

Famous sidewalk café. Probably the best coffee in Rome.

Rosati

Piazza del Popolo 5a. (C1).

Famous sidewalk café

Sant’Eustachio

Piazza Sant’Eustachio. (C3).

Famous sidewalk café

Tre Scalini

Piazza Navona 28. (B3).

Famous sidewalk café

Azienda Agricola

Vicolo della Torretta 3. (C2).

A tiny shop in the old center, with many types of olive oil, truffle paté and other delicacies.

Cisterino Cooperativa

Vicolo del Gallo 20. (B3).

A cheese shop near Campo de’Fiori, with many special cheeses, such as ewe and buffalo cheese.

Rizzoli

Largo Chigi 15. (C2).

The largest book shop in Rome has many English and other foreign books.

Via dei Capellari

(B3).

Furniture restorers and other craftsmen work out in the open in this alley in the old center.

Via dei Condotti

(C2).

Via dei Condotti runs from the Spanish Steps to Via del Corso. It is the axis of the fashion shops district.

This quarter of baroque buildings has overtaken Via Veneto as the fashion street in town. Almost all known Italian fashion houses have shops there, and some of the most famous are directly on the Via dei Condotti.

Via del Pellegrino

(B3).

Book shops and art shops cluster in this street near Campo de’Fiori.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Feneyjar göngur

Ferðir

Piazza San Marco

(C2) Fyrsta gönguleið okkar um Feneyjar er stutt. Hún liggur um Piazza San Marco = Markúsartorg og mannvirkin umhverfis það. Þetta er þungamiðja Feneyja, glæsilegt torg framan við Markúsarkirkju, 175 metra langt og 58-82 metra breitt, lagt stórum marmaraflísum með reitamynztri, að jafnaði fjölskipað ferðamönnum.

Þar leika hljómsveitir fyrir kaffihúsagesti og þaðan er gengið inn í Markúsarkirkju, Campanile, Torre dell’Orologio og nokkur söfn að auki. Í bogagöngunum, sem umlykja torgið, eru tízkuvöru- og minjagripabúðir. Þar eru frægustu kaffihús borgarinnar, Florian og Quadri. Rétt hjá torginu eru matstaðirnir Al Conte Pescaor, La Colomba, Do Forni, Harry’s Bar and Rivetta.

Í flóðum rennur sjór inn á torgið. Þá eru settar upp göngubrautir kruss og þvers, svo að fólk geti gengið um þurrum fótum. Þá er líka beztur friður fyrir þúsundum útbelgdra dúfna, sem eru helzta myndefni ferðamanna í Feneyjum.

Við byrjum á því að skoða Markúsarkirkju.

San Marco

(Piazza San Marco. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 9:45-17, sunnudaga 14-17. C2)

Ævintýrahöll úr Þúsund og einni nótt, austræn kirkja í vestrænni kristni, reist 1063-1094 í býzönskum stíl, jafnarma kross að grunnfleti, með fimm hvelfingum á þaki. Hún er bezta dæmi Feneyja um hin miklu og aldalöngu sambönd borgríkisins við hinn gríska eða býzanska heim, löndin um austanvert Miðjarðarhaf og Miðausturlönd.

Öldum saman var hún hlaðin skarti og dýrgripum að innan sem utan. Þó varð hún ekki dómkirkja Feneyja fyrr en 1807, en hafði fram að því verið einkakirkja hertogans, oft notuð við móttöku sendiherra og annarra borgaralegra athafna. Í henni var val nýs hertoga kynnt fyrir borgurunum og frá henni var farið í skrúðgöngur um víðáttumikið Markúsartorg.

Steinfellumyndir einkenna kirkjuna að utan og innan, í veggjum, lofti og jafnvel gólfi. Þær eru frá ýmsum tímum, en flestar þó frá miðöldum, yfirleitt eftir óþekkta listamenn. Núverandi útlit fékk kirkjan á síðari hluta 15. aldar og fyrri hluta 16. aldar. Fræg eru bronzhrossin, sem voru áður yfir aðalinngangi, en eru nú geymd í hliðarsal að baki núverandi eftirlíkinga.

Gengið er inn í kirkjuna um miðdyrnar að framanverðu.

San Marco interior

(San Marco. C2)

Markúsarkirkja breytist að innan í sífellu eftir því, hvaðan birtan fellur á steinfellumyndirnar. Bezt er að skoða þær af kirkjusvölunum. Hvelfingin, sem sést bezt þaðan er Hvítasunnuhvelfingin með elztu steinfellumyndunum, frá 12. öld. Upprisuhvelfingin í kirkjumiðju er frá 13. öld.

Steinfellumyndirnar þekja samtals heila ekru. Þær eru líflegar og sýna samskipti fólks, greina kirkjuna frá hinum stirðnuðu býzönsku fyrirmyndum, þar sem hver persóna lifir í eigin heimi. Þannig marka þær upphaf þeirrar forustu, sem feneyskir listamenn tóku í málaralist Vesturlanda og héldu um nokkrar aldir.

Eftir að hafa skoðað okkur um í kirkjunni förum við inn að kórbaki til að skoða gullbríkina miklu.

Pala d’Oro

(San Marco. C2)

Við kórbak er gullbríkin, altaristafla kirkjunnar, gerð á 10. öld af feneyskum gullsmiðum, þrír fermetrar að stærð, þakin 250 smámyndum, sem hver um sig er skreytt dýrindis eðalsteinum og glerungi. Þessi altaristafla er einstök í sinni röð í heiminum og án efa sú verðmætasta. Napóleon rændi nokkrum eðalsteinum úr henni, en að öðru leyti hefur hún varðveitzt.

Stundum er erfitt að greina á milli sökudólga og fórnardýra í ránum og gripdeildum veraldarsögunnar. Glerungnum í gullbríkinni rændu Feneyingar í Miklagarði 1204, þar sem þeir rændu líka hrossunum á kirkjuloftinu. Napóleon rændi síðan hrossunum af þaki Markúsarkirkju 1797, en þeim var síðan skilað, þegar hann hafði hrökklazt frá völdum.

Helgustu minjum kirkjunnar, jarðneskum leifum Markúsar guðspjallamanns, rændu Feneyingar raunar í Alexandríu 828 og voru stoltir af. Raunar gilti um þá eins og Víkinga og fleiri siglingaþjóðir, að oft var skammt milli kaupsýslu og gripdeilda á sjóferðum þeirra. Feneyingar sneru til dæmis fjórðu krossferðinni upp í að rústa og ræna keppninaut sinn í Miklagarði.

Við höldum áleiðis úr kirkjunni. Sunnan við innganginn innanverðan eru tröppur upp á kirkjusvalirnar. Þaðan er gengið inn í fjársjóðastofuna og í bronzhrossastofuna og út á svalirnar fyrir ofan anddyri kirkjunnar. Við lítum fyrst út á svalirnar.

Equini San Marco

(San Marco. C2)

Hrossastytturnar fjórar ofan við innganginn eru eftirlíkingar þeirra, sem þar stóðu í hartnær sex aldir, frá 1204, þegar Feneyingar rændu þeim úr Miklagarði, og til 1797, þegar Napóleon rændi þeim frá Feneyjum og flutti til Parísar. Af svölunum er ágætt útsýni niður á Markúsartorg og byggingarnar umhverfis það.

Í stofu að baki svalanna eru hinar upprunalegu hrossastyttur úr bronzi varðveittar úti í horni. Þær voru upphaflega við keisarastúku paðreimsins í Miklagarði. Margt hafa þær séð um dagana, en núna á elliárunum hafa þær ekkert útsýni.

Áður en við yfirgefum kirkjuna getum við minnzt þess, að hér varð tónskáldið Monteverdi kórstjóri árið 1613 og varð þar með upphafsmaður forustu Fenyja á sviði tónsmíða, sem náði hámarki á upphafi næstu aldar, þegar Vivaldi varð tónstjóri Pietà kirkjunnar hér í nágrenninu.

Eftir að hafa skoðað fjársjóðastofuna förum við niður tröppurnar aftur og höldum út á torgið. Við förum til vinstri suður fyrir kirkjuna. Á miðri þeirri hlið er lágmynd á kirkjuhorni af rómversku fjórkeisurunum.

Di Tetrarci

(Piazzetta. C2)

Fræg lágmynd úr dílagrjóti, sem talin er sýna fjórkeisarana Díókletíanus, Maximíanus, Galeríus og Konstantíus, sem stjórnuðu Rómarveldi í lok þriðju aldar. Faðmlög þeirra eru hugnæm og í samræmi við raunveruleikann, því að þeir stóðu saman um stjórn ríkisins.

Við lágmyndina er inngangurinn í hertogahöllina.

Palazzo Ducale

(Piazzetta. Opið á sumrin 9-19, á veturna 9-16. C2)

Hertogahöllin er einkennistákn Feneyja, enda nýtur hún þess að vera til sýnis á lónsbakkanum framan við kirkjuna. Hún er mannvirkið, sem heilsar ferðamönnum, sem koma sjóleiðina til Markúsartorgs. Hún var öldum saman stjórnmálamiðstöð Feneyja, heimili hertogans, fundarstaður ríkisráðsins og öldungaráðsins, aðsetur yfirdómstólsins og leynilögreglunnar.

Í núverandi mynd er hún leikandi léttbyggð og leiftrandi fögur gotnesk höll frá 14. öld og upphafi 15. aldar. Hún er afar sérstök, byggð á tveimur hæðum súlnaganga, sem ná eftir öllum torghliðum hallarinnar, þeirri efri í blúndustíl, sem víða má sjá í Feneyjum. Ofan við súlnagöngin eru fagurlega mynztraðir og ljósir veggir úr marmara frá Verona.

Nú á tímum er hún safn. Til sýnis er íbúð hertogans og fundarsalir ríkisráðs og öldungaráðs, svo og ríkisfangelsið. Þessi glæsilegu salarkynni gefa góða hugmynd um stórveldistíma Feneyja, þegar borgin atti kappi við stórveldi á borð við Austrómverska keisaradæmið og síðar Tyrkjaveldi um yfirráð á austanverðu Miðjarðarhafi.

Inn í hallargarðinn er farið um gotneskt hlið milli hennar og Markúsarkirkju, Porta della Carta. Þegar komið er inn í portið, er sigurbogi á vinstri hönd, Arco Foscari. Framundan eru miklar tröppur, stigi risanna.

Scala dei Giganti

(Palazzo Ducale. C2)

Tröppurnar miklu inn í höllina voru hannaðar af Antonio Rizzo og reistar á síðari hluta 15. aldar. Nafn þeirra stafar af risavöxnum styttum eftir Sansovino efst í stiganum, af Neptúnusi og Marz, guðum láðs og lagar.

Tröppurnar voru notaðar við hátíðleg tækifæri. Í þeim voru nýir hertogar jafnan krýndir frýgversku húfunni með toppi að aftanverðu, sem minnir dálítið á kórónu Neðra-Egyptalands hins forna.

Við förum inn í höllina og að stiganum, sem liggur upp af Scala dei Giganti innan veggja hallarinnar, gullstiganum.

Scala d’Oro

(Palazzo Ducale. C2)

Logagyllti stiginn liggur upp á þriðju hæð hallarinnar, þar sem voru salir stjórnvalda og íbúð hertogans. Stiginn var gerður af Sansovino 1554-1558, með miklu gullflúri eftir Alessandro Vittoria í bogadregnum hvelfingum. Hann hefur án efa verið tilkomumikil sjón ókunnugum sendiherrum erlendra ríkja.

Við förum um tilkomumikla sali hallarinnar. Meðal annars förum við yfir lokuðu göngubrúna, Ponte dei Sospiri, sem tengir höllina við dómhöllina til hliðar. Hástigi nær hallarskoðunin í sal ríkisráðsins.

Sala del Maggior Consiglio

(Palazzo Ducale. C2)

Risastór fundarsalur tæplega 2000 manna ríkisráðsins og veizlusalur borgarinnar á sjálfstæðistíma Feneyja. Eitt stærsta málverk heims, Paradís eftir Tintoretto, rúmlega 180 metrar að flatarmáli, prýðir hásætisenda salarins. Veggir og loft hans eru þaktir málverkum, meðal annars eftir Veronese.

Hér voru teknar formlegar ákvarðanir um samninga og stríð Feneyinga við Tyrki og við ítalska keppinauta þeirra í Genova. Hér var lagður grundvöllurinn að sjóorrustunni við Lepanto, þar sem Feneyjar, Genova og fleiri vestræn ríki stöðvuðu sigurgöngu Tyrkja á Miðjarðarhafi 1571 undir forustu Feneyinga.

Við yfirgefum höllina, göngum kringum hana og upp á brúna Ponte della Paglia, þaðan sem við sjáum brú, sem tengir höllina við dómhöllina við hliðina. Það er hin fræga stunubrú.

Ponte dei Sospiri

(Palazzo Ducale. C2)

Stunubrúin, sem tengir hertogahöllina við dómhöllina handan síkisins, var reist á síðari hluta sextándu aldar. Nafnið stafar af stunum fanga, sem leiddir voru til dómhallar og sáu gegnum litla glugga til lífsins í Feneyjum í síðasta sinn, eftir því sem sagan segir.
Við höldum til baka meðfram höllinni og komum aftur inn á Piazzetta, torgið milli hallarinnar og Libreria Sansovina. Nálægt lónsbakkanum eru tvær sögufrægar súlur heilags Markúsar og heilags Theódórs.

Colonne di San Marco e San Teodoro

(Piazzetta. C2)

Helzta borgarhlið Feneyja í gamla daga, þegar aðeins varð komizt þangað sjóleiðina. Þeim var eins og mörgu öðru rænt í Miklagarði. Auk þess að vera borgarhlið voru þeir einnig aftökustaður borgarinnar fram á miðja 18. öld.

Á eystri súlunni er bronzlíkan af vængjuðu ljóni heilags Markúsar. Það er aðflutt og talið vera kínverskrar ættar. Á vestari súlunni er marmarastytta af heilögum Theódór, sem var verndardýrlingur Feneyja áður en jarðneskum leifum Markúsar var stolið í Alexandríu og smyglað til Feneyja árið 828.

Vestan styttanna er fornbókasafnið Libreria Sansovina. Þar er einnig inngangurinn í forngripasafnið, sem annars snýr sýningarsölum sínum á annarri hæð inn að Markúsartorgi.

Museo Archeologico

(Piazzetta. Opið 9-14. C2)

Lítið og rólegt safn listmuna frá rómverskum tíma, einkum frá 2. öld, tilvalinn griðastaður, þegar mannhafið á torgunum í kring er að verða yfirþyrmandi.

Við förum aftur út á Piazzetta og beinum athygli okkar að hinum frístandandi turni Markúsarkirkju.

Campanile

(Piazza San Marco. Opið 9:30-19. C2)

Turninn er frá 1902-1912, nákvæm eftirlíking af turni frá 1173, sem hrundi 1902. Hann er 98,5 metra hár, upprunalega innsiglingarviti, en síðar einnig ríkisturn og kirkjuturn. Fimm klukkur eru í turninum og gegndi hver sínu hlutverki á lýðveldistímanum, ein kallaði öldungaráðsmenn til fundar, önnur ríkisráðsmenn, hin þriðja tilkynnti aftökur og tvær gáfu upplýsingar um tíma.

Lyfta hefur verið sett í turninn fyrir ferðamenn til að auðvelda þeim að komast upp á útsýnispallinn, sem veitir frábært útsýni yfir Feneyjar. Oft er löng biðröð við lyftuna um hádaginn, svo að bezt er að vera þar sem fyrst að morgni eða síðla dags.

Turnhúsið er hannað af 16. aldar arkitektinum Jacopo Sansovino, sem einnig hannaði Libreria Sansovina hér til hliðar og hallirnar Ca’Grande og Palazzo Manin-Dolfin við Canal Grande. Öll þessi mannvirki eru í endurreisnarstíl þess tíma.

Úr turninum förum við yfir Markúsartorg framan við kirkjuna að tímaturninum, sem er felldur inn í húsaröðina norðan torgsins.

Torre dell’Orologio

(Piazza San Marco. Lokað vegna viðgerða. C2)

Turninn er þekktastur fyrir bronzstyttur Máranna tveggja á þakinu, sem hringja klukkunni á heilu tímunum, og stafa vinsældirnar mest af því, að þeir eru ekki í neinu að neðan. Efst á turnveggnum er lágmynd af vængjuðu ljóni heilags Markúsar. Þar fyrir neðan er líkneski af Maríu mey og hreyfilíkön af vitringunum þremur, sem færa jesúbarninu gjafir.

Merkasti hluti turnsins er þar fyrir neðan. Það er tímatalsklukka með gyllingu og bláum glerungi. Hún sýnir stjörnuhimininn og kvartilaskipti tunglsins.

Við göngum langsum yfir torgið að höllinni Ala Napoleonica við austurenda þess. Þar er gengið upp steintröppur í borgarlista- og -minjasafnið.

Museo Correr

(Piazza San Marco. Opið miðvikudaga-mánudaga 10-17. B2)

Málverkin í safninu eru í tímaröð, svo að unnt er að sjá, hvernig stíllinn breyttist með menningarskeiðunum. Tvö málverk Carpaccio eru einna þekktust: Ungur maður með rauðan hatt, og Tvær Feneyjafrúr. Í safninu eru einnig kort, vopn og myntir frá sögu Feneyja.

Í safninu er meðal annars stórt líkan af einkar skrautlegu hefðarskipi hertogans, Bucintoro. Það var meðal annars notað á hverjum uppstigningardegi til að flytja hertogann út á Adríahaf, þar sem hann fleygði gullhring í sjóinn og mælti: “Desponsamus te mare in signum veri perpetuique dominii” til marks um hjónaband sitt og hafsins og yfirráð Feneyja á hafinu.

Við ljúkum þessari gönguferð um næsta nágrenni Markúsartorgs með því að fá okkur kaffi á Florian eða Quadri.

Canal Grande

Breiðstræti og aðalgata borgarinnar er í rauninni fljót. Þar sem Canal Grande bugðar sig núna, var áður fyrr áll í Feneyjalóni. Á bökkum hans varð borgin til og frá upphafi hefur hann verið helzta samgönguæð hennar. Hann er varðaður um það bil 200 margra alda gömlum höllum á tæplega 4 kílómetra leið sinni um borgina.

Canal Grande er iðandi af lífi frá morgni til kvölds. Almenningsbátar og leigubátar, lögreglubátar og sjúkrabátar, flutningabátar og útfararbátar, sorpbátar og gondólar eru sífellt á ferðinni fram og aftur. Á bökkunum bíður fólk eftir fari yfir vatnsgötuna eins og á rauðu ljósi í öðrum borgum.

Bátaleið 1 stanzar á flestum viðkomustöðum við Canal Grande. Flestar leiðarlýsingar hér eru miðaðar við bátastöðvarnar. Og fáir staðir í Feneyjum eru í meira en eins kílómetra göngufjarlægð frá einhverri bátastöðinni.

Við siglum frá járnbrautarstöðinni Santa Lucia, sem tengir Feneyjar við meginlandið, og ætlum til Markúsartorgs. Við förum auðvitað með leið 1, svokallaðri hraðferð, Accelerato, sem þekkist á því, að hún er hægari og kemur víðar við en aðrar leiðir. Fyrst förum við undir Ponte Scalzi.

Ponte Scalzi

(Canal Grande. A1)

Hér var áður smíðajárnsbrú yfir Canal Grande, en 1934 var þessi steinbrú lögð.

Brátt komum við að breiðum skurði vinstra megin, Canale di Cannaregio. Við hann, nálægt horninu er fyrsta höllin, sem við ræðum hér.

Palazzo Labia

(Fondamenta Labia. A1)

Labiarnir voru auðug kaupmannaætt, sem keypti sig inn í aðalinn á sautjándu öld. Höll þeirra er frá lokum aldarinnar.
Giambattista Tiepolo skreytti danssal hallarinnar veggmálverkum um miðja átjándu öld. Þau er unnt að sjá með því að fara á hljómleika í höllinni.

Framan við höllina er San Geremia, grísk krosskirkja, sem geymir jarðneskar leifar heilagrar Lúsíu.

Næst komum við að lágri og breiðri höll á hægri bakkanum.

Fondaco dei Turchi

(Salizzada dei Fondaco dei Turchi. Opið þriðjudaga-sunnudaga 9-13 . B1)

Býzönsk höll frá 13. öld, ein elzta og fegursta og lengi ein stærsta höllin við Canal Grande, tveggja hæða með turnum beggja vegna. Býzanski stíllinn sést vel á grönnum súlum og háum súlnabogum.

Á 17. öld komst hún í eigu Tyrkja og var vöruhús þeirra, gistiheimili og ræðismannssetur. Frá þeim tíma stafar nafn hennar. Fondaco er raunar afbökun úr arabiska orðinu funduk, sem þýðir krá eða gistihús.

Nú er náttúrusögusafn Feneyja í höllinni.

Aðeins lengra á leið okkar komum við að mikilli höll vinstra megin, merktri Casino Municipale á rauðu pelli yfir aðaldyrum.

Palazzo Vendramin Calergi

(Calle larga Vendramin. B1)

Þriggja hæða höllin er frá upphafi endurreisnartímans, hönnuð af Mauro Coducci og reist um 1500, afar stílhrein með rómönskum bogum og hringgluggum.

Hún er núna spilavíti á vegum borgarinnar, opið á veturna.

Aðeins ofar við Canal Grande komum við að kirkju og bátastöð á vinstri bakkanum.

San Stae

(Campo San Stae. Opið 9-12, 16-18. B1)

Marmarahvít hlaðstílskirkja frá upphafi 18. aldar með styttum skreyttri hásúlna-framhlið.

Í kórnum eru listaverk eftir Tiepolo og Piazzetta.

Frá bakkanum framan við kirkjuna er ágætt útsýni yfir Canal Grande til hallanna fyrir handan.

Enn höldum við áfram og komum hægra megin að voldugri og hvítri höll.

Ca’ Pesaro

(Calle Pesaro. Opið þriðjudaga-sunnudaga, Galleria 10-17, Museo 9-14 . B1)

Þetta er dæmigerð hlaðstílshöll, hönnuð af Baldassare Longhena, reist á síðari hluta 17. aldar í grófum stórgrýtisstíl að neðan og ríkulega skreyttri framhlið með súlum og súlnapörum.

Hún hýsir nú nútímalistasafnið, Galleria D’Arte Moderna og Austurlandasafnið, Museo Orientale. Í listasafninu eru meðal annars verk eftir Miró og Matisse, Klee og Kandinsky.

Handan Canal Grande sjáum við rauðgula glæsihöll.

Palazzo Fontana Rezzonico

(Strada Nova. B1)

Þessi höll er þekktust fyrir að vera fæðingarstaður Rezzonico greifa, sem varð síðar fimmti páfinn frá Feneyjum. Hún er tímalaus að stíl, minnir mest á býzanska stílinn með háum og grönnum rómönskum bogum, en samt engum bátasvölum á neðstu hæð. Aðalsmerki hennar er rauðguli liturinn.

Aðeins ofar, sömu megin er ein fegursta höll Feneyja, Gullhöllin.

Ca’ d’Oro

(Strada Nova. Opið 9-13:30. B1)

Blúnduhöll frá 15. öld í gotneskum stíl, með þakskeggsprjónum, s-laga bogum að arabískum hætti og flóknum marmaraskreytingum. Framhliðin var upprunalega máluð í rauðu og bláu og skreytt gulllaufum, sem gáfu henni nafn.

Höllin er núna málverkasafn. Þar eru meðal annars verk eftir Mantegna og Sansovino, Carpaccio og Tiziano, Giorgione og Guardi.

Aðeins ofar, sömu megin, er rauðgul höll.

Palazzo Sagredo

(Campo Santa Sofia. B1)

Blanda af býzönskum og gotneskum stíl. Háar og grannar súlur annarrar hæðar eru býzanskar, en oddbogar og blúndugluggar þriðju hæðar eru gotneskir.

Handan Canal Grande er fiskmarkaðshöll Feneyja.

Pescheria

(Campo della Pescheria. B1)

Sjálf höllin er 20. aldar stæling á gotneskum stíl. Jarðhæðin er opin í gegn og þar er meginhluti fiskmarkaðarins til húsa, þótt hann flói líka út í næstu götur.

Hann hefur verið á þessum stað í sex aldir og er enn líflegur sem fyrr. Skemmtilegast er að vera þar á morgnana, þegar húsfreyjur Feneyja gera innkaupin.

Við skoðum hann betur í síðari gönguferð. Við nálgumst nú sveigju á Canal Grande og komum að afar gamalli höll vinstra megin.

Ca’ da Mosto

(Calle della Posta. B1)

Ein af elztu höllunum, frá 13. öld, gott dæmi um býzanska hallarstílinn í Feneyjum.

Á átjándu öld var þetta fínasta hótelið í Feneyjum, meðal annars dvalarstaður Austurríkiskeisara.

Þegar við erum alveg að koma að Rialto-brú, er breið og ljósgul höll á vinstri hlið.

Fondaco dei Tedeschi

(Calle de Fontego dei Tedeschi. B1)

Ein stærsta höll Feneyja, byggð 1505, með 160 herbergjum á fjórum hæðum umhverfis lokaðan garð, fyrr á öldum verzlunarmiðstöð, vörulager og gistiheimili þýzkra kaupmanna.

Nú er hún aðalpósthúsið í borginni.

Andspænis höllinni, við hinn sporð Rialto-brúar er önnur umfangsmikil höll.

Palazzo Camerlenghi

(Ruga degli Orefici. B1)

Byggð 1528, einföld í sniðum, með háum býzönskum bogagluggum, löngum aðsetur fjármálaráðuneytis Feneyja. Jarðhæðin var notuð sem fangelsi.

Næst beinum við athygli okkar að brúnni miklu yfir borgarmóðuna.

Ponte di Rialto

(Canal Grande. B1)

Elzt og merkust þriggja brúa yfir Canal Grande, reist þar sem þungamiðja athafnalífsins hefur jafnan verið, miðja vega milli járnbrautarstöðvarinnar og Markúsartorgs. Á þessum stað hefur verið brú síðan í lok 12. aldar, en þessi brú er frá 1588-1591, hönnuð af Antonio da Ponte, sem sigraði í samkeppni við hina heimsfrægu Michelangelo, Palladio og Sansovino.

Brúin spannar fljótið í einum boga. Hvor brúarstöpull um sig hvílir á 6000 lóðréttum eikarbolum, sem voru reknir niður í botninn. Hún er svo breið, að hún rúmar tvær lengjur af sölubúðum með göngutröppum á milli og til beggja hliða.

Umhverfis brúna er mesta verzlunarlífið, tízkubúðir austan brúar og markaðsbúðir vestan hennar. Bakkinn suður frá vesturenda brúarinnar heitir Riva del Vin og er miðstöð gangstéttar-veitingahúsa í borginni. Frá brúnni er mikið og gott útsýni til suðurs eftir Canal Grande.

Við höldum áfram og komum næst að ljósri höll, sem er á vinstri hönd aftan við Rialto bátastöðina.

Palazzo Manin-Dolfin

(Calle larga Mazzini. B1)

Einföld og stílhrein endurreisnarhöll með grískum veggsúlnariðum, byggð af þekktasta arkitekti Feneyja, Sansovino, árin 1538-1540, heimili síðasta hertogans í Feneyjum, Ludovico Manin.

Við hliðina er rauðgul höll.

Palazzo Bembo

(Riva del Carbon. B1)

Fagurlega hönnuð gotnesk höll frá 15. öld með tvöföldum gluggaknippum í miðjunni.

Aðeins ofar, einnig vinstra megin, komum við að einna elztu og fegurstu höllum þessarar leiðar, Loredan og Farsetti.

Palazzo Loredan

(Riva del Carbon. B1)

Léttu tvíburahallirnar eru frá lokum 12. aldar eða upphafi 13. aldar. Loredan er sú bjartari, sem er vinstra megin, afar býzönsk að stíl, með háum og nettum skeifusúlnariðum, sem ná eftir endilangri framhlið tveggja neðstu hæðanna og mynda þar svalir.

Við hlið hallarinnar er tvíburahöll frá sama skeiði byggingasögunnar.

Palazzo Farsetti

(Riva del Carbon. B1)

Þessi er heldur breiðari og dekkri en tvíburahöllin við hliðina. Hún er líka frá upphafi 13. aldar, í tærum býzönskum stíl, skólabókardæmi um Feneyjaútgáfu þess stíls. Há og nett skeifusúlnariðin ná einnig hér eftir endilangri framhliðinni.

Borgarráð Feneyja er til húsa í þessum tveimur höllum.

Aðeins ofar komum við að svartflekkóttri marmarahöll.

Palazzo Grimani

(Calle Grimani. B2)

Dæmigerður endurreisnarstíll einkennir þessa höll, sem væri mjög fögur, ef framhliðin væri hreinsuð. Hún er afar formföst og nákvæm í hlutföllum með grískum súlum og rómverskum bogum, skörpum skilum milli hæða og miklu þakskeggi. Dyraumbúnaðurinn á jarðhæð, með stórum dyrum í miðju og minni dyrum til hliðar, er kenndur við Feneyjar.

Á hinum bakkanum, vinstra megin við San Silvestro bátastöðina, er höll með útskoti á jarðhæð.

Palazzo Barzizza

(Corte Barzizza. B1)

Býzönsk 13. aldar höll með upprunalegri framhlið.

Við förum heldur lengra og komum að þekktri höll frá endurreisnartíma.

Palazzo Corner-Spinelli

(Ramo del Teatro. B2)

Ein af elztu endurreisnarhöllunum, reist 1490-1510 og varð fyrirmynd annarra slíkra halla. Hún er úr grófum steini með djúpum fúgum að neðanverðu, en að ofanverðu tiltölulega fínleg og skrautleg.

Við lýsum ekki frekar höllum á þessum kafla samgönguæðarinnar og nemum næst staðar á kröppu beygjunni á Canal Grande, þar sem háskólahallirnar þrjár blasa við augum.

Ca’ Foscari

(Calle Foscari. A2)

Þetta er hæsta höllin af þremur sambyggðum í sama síðgotneska stílnum, reist á 15. öld, með blúnduverki í kringum flókna oddbogaglugga, þar á meðal fjögurralaufa gluggum ofan við súlnahöfuð. Allar hallirnar hafa dæmigerðan skrautgluggahluta á miðri framhliðinni, sem einkennir síðgotneska stílinn í Feneyjum.

Þessar gotnesku hallir eru núna háskólinn í Feneyjum.

Nokkurn veginn andspænis háskólanum er afar breið höll.

Palazzo Moro Lin

(Calle Ca’ Lin. B2)

17. aldar breiðsíðuhöll, sem stundum er kölluð þrettán glugga höllin, af því að gluggarnir eru þrettán á hverri hæð.

Nánast við hlið hennar er mikilúðleg höll.

Palazzo Grassi

(B2)

Þessi þunga, hvíta höll var reist 1730 í endurvaktri útgáfu af endurreisnarstíl.

Hún er núna notuð fyrir listsýningar, sumar hverjar afar athyglisverðar.

Andspænis henni á hinum bakkanum er sögufræg höll við hlið samnefndrar bátastöðvar.

Ca’ Rezzonico

(Fondamenta Rezzonico. Opið á sumrin 10-17, á veturna laugardaga-fimmtudaga 10-16. A2)

Afar skrauthlaðin og formföst framsíða ber vott um hlaðstíl arkitektsins Baldassare Longhena, sem reisti hana á síðari hluta 17. aldar.
Höllin er ekki síður skarti búin að innanverðu, þétt skipuð málverkum, veggmyndum og forngripum. Danssalurinn liggur eftir endilangri annarri hæðinni, með gylltum ljósakrónum og þrívíddarmálverkum í lofti, svo og útskornum húsbúnaði. Nokkur stofuloft eru með veggfreskum eftir Giambattista Tiepolo.

Höllin er núna minjasafn um Feneyjar 18. aldar. Þar eru meðal annars málverk eftir Pietro Longhi, Francesco Guardi, Canaletto og Giandomenico Tiepolo.

Örlitlu ofar, sömu megin, er önnur athyglisverð höll.

Palazzo Loredan dell’Ambasciatire

(Calle dei Cerchieri. A2)

Síðgotnesk höll með ívafi endurreisnarstíls, sendiráð austurrísk-ungverska keisaradæmisins um langt skeið.

Við höldum áfram og komum að Accademia bátastöðinni. Að baki hennar er gömul kirkja í nýju hlutverki.

Santa Maria della Carità

(Campo della Carità. B2)

Miðaldakirkja, sem var færð í núverandi mynd á 15. öld.

Hún og klausturhúsin að baki hennar rúma nú eitt af þekktustu listasöfnum heims, Accademia, sem sagt er frá í einni gönguferðinni um Feneyjar.

Hér er trébrú yfir Canal Grande.

Ponte dell’Accademia

(Canal Grande. B2)

Timburbrú, sem reist var til bráðabirgða 1932 og menn vildu ekki láta rífa, þegar á reyndi. Um hana er jafnan mikil umferð gangandi fólks milli hverfanna San Marco og Dorsoduro.

Frá brúnni er gott útsýni til beggja átta eftir Canal Grande, einkum í átt til kirkjunnar Santa Maria della Salute.

Rétt handan við nyrðri brúarsporðinn er fögur höll með gróðursælum garði.

Palazzo Francetti Cavalli

(Campo San Vidal. B2)

Fagurlega hönnuð, gotnesk glæsihöll í góðu ásigkomulagi.

Andspænis henni á hinum bakkanum er fögur marmarahöll.

Palazzo Contarini del Zaffo

(Calle Rota. B2)

Fagur marmari klæðir framhlið hallarinnar, sem er ein af fyrstu höllum borgarinnar í endurreisnarstíl, reist á síðari hluta 15. aldar. Litauðugur marmarinn gefur henni líflegan svip, þótt hún sé að öðru leyti formföst í sniðum.

Aðeins ofar komum við hægra megin að höll með steinfellumyndum.

Palazzo Barbarigo

(Campiello San Vio. B2)

Steinfellumyndir framhliðarinnar skera í augu þeirra, sem fara um Canal Grande. Þær eru í skörpum litum með mikilli gyllingu og fremur ungar, miðað við annað á þessum slóðum, frá 1887.

Aðeins ofar, handan Canal Grande, er umfangsmikil og frístandandi höll, sem ber nafn með rentu.

Ca’ Grande

(Fondamenta Corner Zaguri. B2)

Eitt þekktasta og bezta verk Sansovino, helzta arkitekts Feneyja í endurreisnarstíl, frá 1545. Að neðan er gróf þrívíddarhleðsla og að ofan samfelld og jöfn bogagluggaröð með súlnapörum á milli.

Handan Canal Grande er rómantísk höll.

Palazzo Dario

(Calle Barbaro. B2)

Framhlið hallarins er ekki sammiðja, heldur er gluggahlutinn úti í öðrum kantinum. Þetta er ein elzta höll borgarinnar í endurreisnarstíl, frá 1478. Hringgluggarnir með ytra hring minni hringglugga grípa athygli augans, einnig hin fagurlita marmaraklæðning.

Þjóðtrúin segir, að eigendur hallarinnar lendi í ógæfu, og rekur því til stuðnings dæmi, sem ná fram til ársins 1992.
Rétt hjá er höll með glerfellumynd á miðri framhlið.

Palazzo Salviati

(Calle Maggiore. B2)

Lítil höll í eigu glerlistasmiðju. Listaverkið á framhliðinni er fremur nýlegt.

Við höldum áfram og förum hjá Gritti hóteli á hinum bakkanum. Þegar við komum að Salute bátastöðinni, sjáum við andspænis okkur litla og granna höll á milli annarra, sem eru fyrirferðarmeiri.

Palazzo Contarini Fasan

(Calle dei Pestrin. B2)

Fegursta höll Feneyja er lítil og mjó, í gotneskum stíl, með afar fínlegu skrautvirki í svalariðum, arabískum oddbogum, gullin og hvít að lit.

Hún er stundum kölluð Höll Desdemónu eftir söguhetju í Kaupmanninum í Feneyjum eftir Shakespeare.

Andspænis höllinni er ein af þekktustu kirkjum borgarinnar.

Santa Maria della Salute

(Campo della Salute. B2)

Skrautleg hlaðstílsterta úr hvítum kalksteini, hönnuð af Longhena, reist 1631-1687. Hún stendur á bezta stað, við austurodda Dorsoduro hverfis, þar sem Canal Grande mætir Feneyjalóni, og blasir við úr öllum áttum. Hún er áttstrend og ofhlaðin skrauti, með sextán risavöxnum bókrollustoðum, sem þykjast styðja við stórt timburhvolf, er þarfnast slíks ekki.

Að innanverðu er kirkjan hófsamlegri. Hún hefur að geyma altaristöflu og loftmálverk eftir Tiziano og verk eftir fleiri kunna listamenn, svo sem Jacopo Tintoretto. Steinfellugólfið er óvenjulega fallegt, með ýmsum tilbrigðum í hringlaga mynztri.

Fyrir utan kirkjuna, á eyraroddanum er gamla tollbúðin í Feneyjum.

Dogana di Mare

(Punta della Dogana. B2)

Glæsilegt útsýni er frá eyraroddanum til turns Markúsartorgs, hertogahallarinnar, breiðbakkans Riva degli Schiavoni og eyjanna San Giorgio Maggiore og Giudecca. Núverandi tollbúð er frá síðari hluta 17. aldar. Á hornturni hennar bera tveir bronzrisar gullna kúlu, þar sem gæfugyðjan stendur á einum fæti og snýst eins og vindhani.

Hér er Canal Grande á enda og við tekur sjálft Feneyjalónið víðáttumikið. Lokið er yfirgripsmikilli ferð okkar um Canal Grande. Við tökum bátinn yfir til Markúsartorgs, þar sem við hefjum gönguferð um miðborgina.

Sestiere San Marco

Tanginn, sem Canal Grande sveigist umhverfis frá Rialto brú að Markúsartorgi, myndar hverfi, sem kennt er við kirkjuna San Marco og er hjarta miðborgarinnar. Við förum nú í hringferð um hverfið og raunar einnig lítillega inn í aðliggjandi hverfi.

Við hefjum ferð okkar við suðvesturhorn Markúsartorgs, göngum út af torginu tæpa 100 metra leið eftir Salizzada San Moisè, þar sem við komum að hliðargötunum Calle Vallaresso til vinstri og Frezzeria til hægri. Við göngum þá fyrrnefndu á enda, um 150 metra leið, þar sem hún kemur fram á bakka Canal Grande.

Calle Vallaresso

(B2)

Ein helzta gondólastöðin er þar sem gatan mætir bakkanum. Þar er oft mikill ys og þys og stundum raðir fólks, sem bíður eftir að kynnast einkennisfarartækjum Feneyja.

Merkar stofnanir eru hér á horninu, öðrum megin hinn kunni Harry’s Bar, sem Hemingway gerði frægan, og hinum megin hótelið Monaco, sem býður fjölmörg herbergi með útsýni yfir Canal Grande.

Í götunni eru einnig dýrar tízkuverzlanir og listmunaverzlanir, svo og eitt leikhús.

Við göngum götuna til baka og höldum áfram um 100 metra vegalengd eftir Frezzeria.

Frezzeria

(B2)

Ein helzta verzlunargata Feneyja frá fornu fari. Hún er dæmigerð fyrir slíkar götur í borginni. Nafnið stafar af, að þar voru í fyrndinni seldar örvar. Nú er þar mest um fataverzlanir.

Í hliðargötu út frá Frezzeria er veitingahúsið La Colomba.

Við snúum til baka og beygjum til hægri í Salizzada San Moisè, sem við göngum um 100 metra leið út á Campo San Moisè and lítum á kirkjuna.

San Moisè

(Campo San Moisè. Opið 15:30-19. B2)

Rækilega skreytt og þunglamaleg hlaðstílskirkja frá 1668. Hún væri ásjálegri, ef óhreinindin á framhliðinni væru hreinsuð.

Við förum yfir torgið og brúna handan þess og lítum niður eftir skurðinum.

Rio San Moisè

(B2)

Á horninu er ein af bátastöðvum gondólanna og ómerktur aðgangur að frægðarhótelinu Europa e Regina. Hér sitja ræðararnir löngum stundum og spila meðan þeir bíða eftir viðskiptavinum.

Frá brúnni höldum við áfram inn í breiðgötuna framundan.

Calle larga 22 Marzo

(B2)

Ein breiðasta og fjölfarnasta gata borgarinnar, með tízkuverzlunum og hótelum á báðar hendur. Við sjálfa götuna hægra megin er hótelið Saturnia og veitingastaðurinn Caravella. Mjó sund liggja til suðurs frá götunni til hótelanna Europa e Regina, Flora og Pozzi.

Í nágrenninu er hótelið og veitingahúsið Gritti.

Við tökum krók norður úr götunni eftir sundinu Calle delle Veste út á torgið Campo San Fantin, um 100 metra leið.

Campo San Fantin

(B2)

Nokkuð er af þekktum veitingahúsum við torgið og í næsta nágrenni þess. Frægasta stofnun torgsins er þó óperuhúsið Fenice.

Við skoðum leikhúsið nánar.

Teatro Fenice

(Campo San Fantin. B2)

Elzta leikhús borgarinnar og ein þekktasta ópera veraldar brann í ársbyrjun 1996. Það var frá 1792, í fölskum endurreisnarstíl, fremur einfalt að utan en hlaðið skrauti að innan, í rauðgulu, rauðu og gullnu. Áhorfendastúkur voru á fimm hæðum í hálfhring kringum sviðið og gólfið. Við hlið leikhússins er hótelið La Fenice et des Artistes og veitingahúsið La Fenice í sama húsi.

Frægast er leikhúsið fyrir frumflutning sögufrægra óperuverka á borð við La Traviata eftir Verdi, Tancredi og Semiramis eftir Rossini, I Capuleti ed i Montecchi eftir Bellini, Rake’s Progress efir Stravinsky og Turn of the Screw eftir Britten. Mörg verk eftir Richard Wagner voru sýnd hér, enda bjó hann lengi í Feneyjum.

Snemma á 17. öld urðu Feneyjar óperumiðstöð Ítalíu og héldu þeirri forustu í þrjár aldir. Í Feneyjum hætti óperan að vera einkamál aðalsins og varð að almenningseign. Þar náði óperettuformið flugi. Þar var líka jafnan lögð meiri áherzla á tónlistarþátt óperunnar en víðast annars staðar. Á 19. öld frumflutti Giuseppi Verdi mörg verka sinna einmitt hér í Teatro Fenice.

Við göngum Calle delle Veste til baka, beygjum til hægri eftir Calle larga 22 Marzo og síðan Calle delle Ostreghe í beinu framhaldi af henni í áttina að Campo San Maurizio, tæplega 400 metra leið. Á leiðinni förum við yfir nokkrar síkisbrýr.

Canals

Krókóttir skurðirnir fylgja oft útlínum hinna rúmlega 100 eyja, sem borgin var reist á. Þeir mynda samfellt samgöngukerfi í borginni, að verulegu leyti óháð samgöngukerfi göngugatna. Milli tveggja nálægra staða getur verið margfalt lengra að fara á landi en sjó eða öfugt. Bátaleiðirnar hafa svo það umfram gönguleiðirnar, að hinar síðarnefndu henta síður vöruflutningum.

Skurðirnir hreinsast af straumunum, sem myndast í þeim vegna mismunar á flóði og fjöru. Eigi að síður safnast fyrir í þeim mikið af úrgangi og leirkenndri leðju, sem þarf að hreinsa, svo að skurðirnir fyllist ekki og verði ófærir bátum. Er þá skurði lokað, dælt úr honum, lagðir teinar í botninn fyrir vagna, sem flytja leðjuna frá dæluprömmum út í flutningapramma.

Við höldum áfram til torgsins Campo San Maurizio, þar sem við sjáum skakkan turn Santo Stefano að húsabaki og höldum beint áfram eftir Calle dello Spezier inn á næsta torg, samtals um 100 metra leið.

Campo Santo Stefano

(B2)

Eitt stærsta torg borgarinnar, fyrr á öldum miðstöð kjötkveðjuhátíða og nautaats, en núna leikvöllur barna og kaffidrykkjustaður ferðamanna.

Frá suðurenda torgsins eru aðeins 100 metrar að Accademia-brú yfir Canal Grande. Torgið myndar því krossgötur gönguleiðanna milli Accademia, Markúsartorgs og Rialto-brúar, enda fer mikill flaumur fólks um torgið.

Við norðurenda torgsins er kirkja.

Santo Stefano

(Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 8-12 & 16-19, sunnudaga 7:30-12:30 & 18-20. B2)

14. og 15. aldar smíði, með bátskjalarlofti, útskornum loftbitum og gotneskum bogariðum. Nokkur málverk Tintorettos eru í kirkjunni. Turninn að kirkjubaki er með skakkari turnum borgarinnar.

Við förum um sundið Calle dei Frati meðfram vesturstafni kirkjunnar til næsta torgs, um 100 metra leið.

Campo Sant’Angelo

(B2)

Skakkur turn Santo Stefano gnæfir yfir torginu að húsabaki.

Við höldum áfram um 200 metra eftir Calle dello Spezier, Calle della Mandola og Calle della Cortesia til torgsins Campo Manin, þar sem við beygjum til hægri 100 metra leið eftir Calle della Vida, Calle della Locanda og Corte del Palazzo Risi að sívaliturni borgarinnar.

Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo

(Corte del Palazzo Risi. B2)

Léttur gormur Langbarðastigans er helzta einkenni þessarar 15. aldar hallar Contarini ættar. Í garðinum er slökunarstaður katta hverfisins.

Í húsasundi rétt hjá höllinni er veitingahúsið Al Campiello.

Við höldum sömu leið til baka um Calle della Locanda og Calle della Vida til Campo Manin, þar sem við beygjum til hægri og göngum merkta og krókótta leið í átt til Rialto-brúar. Rúmlega 200 metra frá torginu verður fyrir okkur San Salvatore á hægri hönd.

San Salvatore

(Opið 10-12 & 17-19. B1)

Kirkja í endurreisnarstíl frá upphafi 16. aldar með fagurlitu marmaragólfi og nokkrum verkum Tiziano.

Rétt hjá kirkjunni, nálægt Canal Grande, er veitingahúsið Antica Carbonera.

Handan kirkjunnar er Merceria, stytzta leiðin milli Rialto brúar og Markúsartorgs, um 500 metrar, ein helzta verzlunargata borgarinnar. Að þessu sinni förum við norður úr torginu eftir Merceria 2 Aprile tæplega 100 metra leið til helzta stefnumótatorgs borgarinnar.

Campo San Bartolomeo

(B1)

Að lokinni vinnu mæla Feneyingar sér mót hér á torginu til að undirbúa kvöldið. Styttan af leikskáldinu Carlo Goldoni á torginu miðju gegnir sama hlutverki og klukkan á Lækjartorgi gegndi fyrr á árum í Reykjavík. Á þessum slóðum er mikið um kaffibari.

Rétt hjá torginu er veitingahúsið Al Graspo de Ua.

Við torgið beygjum við til vinstri eftir Salizzada Pio X, rúmlega 50 metra að Rialto-brú til að skoða minjagripaverzlanir brúarsvæðisins.

Salizzada Pio X

(B1)

Kjötkveðjuhátíðargrímur eru ein helzta minjagripavara Feneyja. Þær eru gerðar eftir fyrirmyndum úr Commedia dell’Arte leikhúshefðinni. Kristall er önnur helzta minjagripavaran, yfirleitt handblásinn í gleriðjum Murano-eyjar. Hin þriðja eru blúndur frá eyjunni Burano og hin fjórða eru vörur úr handunnum marmarapappír. Allt þetta fæst í götusundunum við brúna.

Eftir að hafa gengið upp á Rialto brú til að skoða okkur um, snúum við til baka eftir Salizzada Pio X út á Campo San Bartolomeo, þar sem við beygjum til vinstri og förum um 250 metra leið eftir Salizzada di Fontego de Tedeschi og Salizzada San Giovanni Crisostomo til kirkjunnar San Giovanni Crisostomo.

San Giovanni Crisostomo

(Campo San Giovanni Crisostomo. Opið 8:15-12:15 & 15:30-18. B1)

Fremur lítil krosskirkja grísk, frá 1479-1504, í rauðbrúnum lit, skreytt málverkum eftir Giovanni Bellini og Sebastiano del Piombo. Hún er þægilegur áningarstaður í ys og þys gatnanna í kring.

Andspænis kirkjunni er veitingahúsið Fiaschetteria Toscana.

Við förum áfram leiðina yfir næstu brú, þar sem við beygjum til hægri eftir Salizzada San Canciano. Eftir 100 metra komum að Palazzo Boldú, þar sem við beygjum til hægri eftir Calle dei Miracoli, yfir brú og að kirkju á skurðbakkanum, tæplega 100 metra leið.

Santa Maria dei Miracoli

(Campo dei Miracoli. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 10-12 & 15-18. C1)

Afar fögur smákirkja frá upphafi endurreisnartímans, hönnuð af Pietro Lombardo, fagurlega lögð marglitum marmara og öðrum fægðum steini að utan og innan. Einkum er vesturstafninn fagurlitur og skrautlegur með rómönskum bogagluggum og hringgluggum. Kirkjan er höfuðverk Lombardo, en við munum sjá fleiri verk hans í þessari gönguferð.

Nafn sitt dregur kirkjan af málverki Nicolò di Pietro af heilagri guðsmóður og barninu, sem er yfir altarinu. Myndin er talin valda kraftaverkum. Í tunnulaga kirkjuloftinu eru myndir af 50 englum og spámönnum. Kirkjan hefur nýlega verið gerð upp, svo að hún skartar sínu fegursta.

Við förum úr kirkjunni og göngum umhverfis hana, yfir brúna að baki hennar, beygjum síðan strax til hægri og göngum eftir Fondamenta Piovan og Calle larga Gallina að torginu fyrir framan San Zanipolo og Scuola di San Marco, þar sem er styttan af Colleoni, alls um 300 metra leið.

Colleoni

(Campo San Zanipolo. C1)

Riddarastyttan úr bronzi af Bartolomeo Colleoni sýnir vel kraft og hreyfingu atvinnuhermanns og stríðsgæðings hans. Hún er eftir Andrea Verrocchio og er frá 1481-1488.

Colleoni var frægur 15. aldar hershöfðingi málaliða, sem Feneyingar tóku á leigu til landhernaðar, því að sjálfum hentaði þeim betur sjóhernaður. Þeir stigu betur ölduna en þeir sátu hestana. Colleoni gagnaðist þeim vel og græddu báðir aðilar á þeim viðskiptum.

Colleoni arfleiddi að lokum Feneyjalýðveldi að tíunda hluta auðæfa sinna gegn því, að stytta yrði reist af sér fyrir framan San Marco.

Feneyingar játuðu þessu, en reistu hana ekki fyrir framan kirkjuna San Marco, heldur klúbbhúsið Scuola Grande di San Marco. Styttan hefur verið hér síðan og haldið minningu Colleoni á lofti, þótt ekki sé með sama hætti og hann sá fyrir sér.

Frá styttunni sjáum við vel framhlið klúbbhússins.

Scuola Grande di San Marco

(Campo San Zanipolo. C1)

Neðri hluti marmaraklæddrar framhliðarinnar og frumlegar þrívíddar-blekkimyndir hennar eru eftir arkitektinn fræga Pietro Lombardo og syni hans, 1485-1495. Efri hæðirnar eru eftir Mauro Coducci, einnig frá lokum 15. aldar.

Höllin var reist sem klúbbhús eins af sex karlaklúbbum borgarinnar. Flest listaverk hennar eru horfin á braut, en þó eru þar enn málverk eftir Tintoretto og Veronese.

Nú er höllin notuð sem sjúkrahús, Ospedale Civile, og er ekki opin almenningi.

Hornrétt á framhlið hallarinnar er vesturvirki kirkjunnar San Zanipolo.

San Zanipolo

(Campo San Zanipolo. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 7:30-12:30 & 15:30-19. C1)

Önnur af tveimur helztu gotnesku kirkjunum í Feneyjum, rúmlega 100 metra löng og háreist eftir því, með einföldum og voldugum vesturstafni, reist síðast á 13. öld og fyrst á 14. öld sem klausturkirkja Dóminíkusa. Sjálfur dyraumbúnaður kirkjunnar er yngri, frá upphafi endurreisnartímans.

Fullu nafni heitir hún Santi Giovanni e Paolo, en jafnan stytt í munni Feneyinga. Kirkjan hýsir fræg listaverk, einkum eftir Pietro Lombardo, Giovanni Bellini og Paolo Veronese.

Innst við kór er gengið til vinstri inn í Capella del Rosario. Þar eru mörg málverk eftir Paolo Veronese, þar á meðal Tilbeiðsla fjárhirðanna, á norðurveggnum andspænis inngangi. Við fjöllum nánar um Veronese í annarri gönguferð, þegar við heimsækjum listasafnið Accademia.

Hér snúum við okkur fyrst að verkum Lombardo.

Pietro Lombardo

(San Zanipolo. C1)

Legsteinar 25 hertoga eru í kirkjunni, þar á meðal steinkista Pietro Mocenigo hægra megin við innganginn, þekkt listaverk frá 1481 eftir Pietro Lombardo. Vinstra megin við meginaltarið er steinkista Andrea Vendramin frá 1476-1478, einnig eftir Lombardo, sem á hér fleiri listaverk. Altarið sjálft er mikið yngra, eftir Baldassare Longhena, frá 17. öld.

Lombardo hannaði einnig neðri hluta óvenjulegrar framhliðar Scuola Grande di San Marco og alla skartkirkjuna Santa Maria dei Miracoli, sem við erum áður búin að skoða á þessari gönguferð. Hann gerði líka róðubríkina í Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, sem við sjáum í annarri gönguferð um Feneyjar.

Lombardo var uppi 1435-1515 og vann einkum í Feneyjum. Hann var einn helzti frumkvöðull endurreisnarstílsins í Feneyjum, þegar þar var að syngja sitt síðasta vers síðgotneski stíllinn, sem hélt þar lengur velli en víðast annars staðar.

Næst snúum við okkur að listamanninum Bellini.

Giovanni Bellini

(San Zanipolo. C1)

Frægt altari eftir Bellini er inn af hægra hliðarskipi kirkjunnar, með nokkrum málverkum í gullnum skrautramma. Stóru málverkin í miðröð sýna þrjá helga menn. Fyrir ofan eru málverk úr ævi Krists og fyrir neðan málverk úr ævi heilags Vincentíusar.

Í annarri göngu heimsækjum við Accademia-safnið með mörgum verkum Bellini, einkum málverk af heilagri guðsmóður með jesúbarninu og öðru helgu fólki. Frægt guðsmóðuraltari hans er í Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, og Pièta í Museo Correr, sem við skoðum hvort tveggja í öðrum gönguferðum um borgina. Einnig málverk í San Giovanni Crisostomo, sem við sáum fyrr á þessari göngu.

Giovanni Bellini var uppi 1430-1516, sonur Jacopo Bellini, bróðir Gentile Bellini og mágur Andrea Mantegna, sem allir voru miklir málarar. Hann var einn af helztu einkennismálurum upphafsskeiðs endurreisnartímans, undir áhrifum frá mági sínum Mantegna, en sýndi mildari mannlegar tilfinningar í verkum sínum. Þau eru nákvæm og vönduð, sýna næmt samspil ljóss og skugga.

Við yfirgefum kirkjuna og förum meðfram suðurhlið hennar, göngum yfir torgið og förum inn sundið Calle Bressane, yfir brú og síðan eftir Calle Trévisagna og beygjum svo á næsta horni til hægri eftir Calle lunga Santa Maria Formosa og komum eftir samtals 250 metra leið að torginu Campo di Santa Maria Formosa.

Campo di Santa Maria Formosa

(C1)

Eitt helzta markaðstorg Feneyja, óvenju stórt í sniðum í landþröngri borginni. Umhverfis það eru litlar verzlanir, fagrar hallir og kirkjan Santa Maria Formosa. Þótt torgið sé í næsta nágrenni Markúsartorgs, er það ekkert ferðamannalegt. Mannlífið á torginu ber með sér feneyskan hverfissvip eins og það sé heimur út af fyrir sig.

Við beinum athygli okkar að kirkjunni.

Santa Maria Formosa

(Campo di Santa Maria Formosa. C1)

Hönnuð 1492, en var heila öld í byggingu, svo að hún er misjöfn að stíl. Hliðin að torginu, með bogadregnum kórbökum, er allt öðru vísi en kantaður stafninn að skurðinum. Kirkjuturninn er yngri, frá 1688, með þekktu afskræmisandliti í lágmynd.

Þekktasta listaverkið í kirkjunni er altari í syðri kór eftir Paolo il Vecchio með miðjumálverki af heilagri Barböru og hliðarmálverkum af helgum mönnum. Barbara var verndardýrlingur hermanna. Önnur málverk eftir Paolo eru í listasafninu Accademia.

Við förum kringum kirkjuna að austanverðu og göngum yfir brú að dyrum Stampalia-safnsins.

Fondazione Querini Stampalia

(Campiello Querini. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 10-12 & 14:30-23:30. C1)

Höllin var hönnuð og reist á 16. öld.

Þar er núna málverka- og bókasafn Querini-ættarinnar, meðal annars verk eftir Giovanni Bellini og Giambattista Tiepolo.

Við förum yfir brúna til baka og tökum næstu brú til vinstri, förum meðfram Rio del Rimedio, beygjum til hægri í Calle del Rimedio og síðan til vinstri í Calle dell’Angelo og loks til hægri í Calle Canonica, sem leiðir okkur til Markúsartorgs, samtals tæplega 500 metra leið. Þessari gönguferð er lokið.

Castello

Riva degli Schiavoni, breiði lónsbakkinn frá hertogahöllinni til austurs í átt að borgargarðinum, er sá hluti hverfisins Castello, sem flestir ferðamenn kynnast. Að baki hans eru róleg og fáfarin húsasund og hinar fornu skipasmíðastöðvar borgarinnar.

Við skoðum hluta hverfisins í annarri gönguferð, svæðin við San Zanipolo og Santa Maria Formosa. Í þessari ferð skoðum við aðra hluta hverfisins.

Við hefjum gönguna á Molo, bakkanum fyrir framan hertogahöllina, göngum til austurs yfir Ponte della Paglia út á Riva degli Schiavoni.

Riva degli Schiavoni

(C2)

Vesturhluti bakkans er viðkomu- og endastöð margra áætlunarbáta á Feneyjasvæðinu. Ferðamenn koma margir hverjir hér að landi og ganga inn á Markúsartorg. Oft er því margt um manninn á vesturenda bakkans, á leiðinni milli báta og torgs. Hér eru ferðavöruvagnar og gangstéttarkaffihús.

Hér hefur jafnan verið mikið um skip og báta. Fyrr á öldum var þetta löndunarsvæði kaupmanna frá ströndinni handan Adríahafs, Dalmatíu, þar sem nú eru Slóvenía, Króatía og Bosnía. Feneyingar höfðu mikil áhrif á þeim slóðum. Þeir kölluðu íbúana Schiavoni og af því er nafn breiðbakkans dregið.

Bakkinn liggur í mjúkum sveig að lóninu og veitir gott útsýni til eyjarinnar San Giorgio Maggiore og skipaumferðarinnar á lóninu. Hann er mikið notaður til gönguferða og skokks. Hann tengir saman Bíennalinn og miðborgina. Oft eru þar sett upp tímabundin listaverk í tengslum við Bíennalinn og aðrar listsýningar í borginni.

Við göngum framhjá Danieli hótelinu, þar sem veitingahúsið Rivetta er að hallarbaki, förum áfram bakkann yfir brú og framhjá Paganelli hótelinu að Londra hótelinu. Fyrir framan það er riddarastytta.

Vittorio Emanuele II

(Riva degli Schiavoni. C2)

Engin borg á Ítalíu er borg með borgum án þess að þar sé riddarastytta af Vittorio Emanuele II, fyrsta konungi sameinaðrar Ítalíu. Hér fyrir framan Londra hótelið er feneyska útgáfan. Hana gerði Ettore Ferrari árið 1887.

Við förum nokkur skref til baka og inn í sund vinstra megin við Paganelli hótelið. Eftir 100 metra leið komum við þar inn á lítið torg framan við Zaccaria kirkjuna.

San Zaccaria

(Campo San Zaccaria. Opið 10-12 & 16-18. C2)

Byggð 1444-1515 í blöndu síðgotnesks stíls og endurreisnarstíls við nunnuklaustur af reglu Benedikts. Antonio Gambello hóf gerð framhliðarinnar í síðgotneskum stíl og Mauro Coducci lauk henni í endurreisnarstíl.

Að innanverðu eru veggir kirkjunnar þétt skipaðir málverkum. Í nyrðra hliðarskipi er guðsmóðurmynd eftir Giovanni Bellini.

Við förum vestur eftir norðurenda torgsins og beygjum síðan til hægri eftir Campo San Provolo og Fondamenta dell’Osmarin. Þar komum við að skurði, sem við förum yfir á tveimur brúm. Samtals er þetta tæplega 300 metra leið. Með bakkanum handan síðari brúarinnar liggur leið að kirkju með óvenjulega skökkum turni.

San Giorgio dei Greci

(Rio dei Greci. Opið 9-13 & 14-17. C2)

16. aldar kirkja með afar höllum turni. Hún er grísk rétttrúnaðarkirkja með innri kvennasvölum og íkonabrík milli kórs og kirkjuskips.
Í þessu hverfi er veitingahúsið Arcimboldo.

Við förum til baka út að brúnum tveim, sem við fórum yfir, beygjum þar til hægri og förum eftir Calle della Madonna og Salizzada dei Greci yfir brú og áfram meðfram kirkjunni San Antonio eftir Salizzada Sant’Antonin að torginu Campo Bandera e Moro, að Bragora kirkjunni, samtals um 400 metra leið.

San Giovanni in Bragora

(Campo Bandiera e Moro. Opið 8-11 & 17-18. C2)

Einföld gotnesk kirkja frá 1475-1479.

Hún er búin mörgum listaverkum frá síðgotneskum tíma og frá upphafi endurreisnar. Þar á meðal er gotneskt guðsmóðuraltari eftir Bartolomeo Vivarini og endurreisnarmálverk við háaltari eftir Cima da Conegliano af skírn Krists.

Rétt hjá kirkjunni er veitingahúsið Corte Sconta.

Úr suðurenda torgsins göngum við tæpra 100 metra leið á Calle del Dose til Riva degli Schiavoni, þar sem við beygjum til vinstri eftir lónsbakkanum. Við göngum eftir bakkanum yfir tvær brýr, samtals tæplega 400 metra leið, unz við komum að skurðinum Rio dell’Arsenale, sem liggur að herskipasmíðastöðinni gömlu. Við getum tekið krók með skurðinum til að skoða inngang stöðvarinnar.

Arsenale

(D2)

Turnarnir tveir við innganginn að Arsenale eru frá 16. öld. Þeir eru hluti virkisveggs með skotraufum. Við komumst ekki inn í stöðina sjálfa, því að hún er ennþá talin vera hernaðarsvæði, þótt hún sé í eyði. Við getum hins vegar siglt um hana endilanga með því að taka okkur far með 23. eða 52. leið áætlunarbáta borgarinnar.

Herskipasmíðastöðin var hornsteinn sjóveldis Feneyinga, stofnuð á 12. öld. Hún varð stærsta skipasmíðastöð veraldar, með 16.000 manna starfsliði. Hún var fyrsta færibandaverksmiðja Evrópu og gat árið 1574 fullsmíðað galeiðu á meðan Hinrik III af Frakklandi var í borginni í matarveizlu, sem tók 24 klukkustundir.

Ef við nennum ekki að taka krókinn að Arsenale, getum við farið yfir brúna á lónsbakkanum og skoðað safnið í húsinu á horninu handan brúarinnar. Það er flotasögusafnið Museo Storico Navale, opið mánudaga-laugardaga 9-13. Þar má sjá fróðlega skipasmíðasögu Feneyinga.

Ef við höfum ekki mikinn tíma, getum við látið þessa skoðun nægja, snúið hér við og gengið lónsbakkann til hertogahallarinnar. Að öðrum kosti höldum við áfram eftir lónsbakkanum, yfir næstu brú og komum þar að mjóu hornhúsi milli Riva degli Sette Martiri og Via Garibaldi.

Alls er þetta um 200 metra leið.

Ca’ Giovanni Caboto

(Via Garibaldi. D2)

Hornhúsið var heimili feðganna Sebastian og Giovanni Caboto, sem fundu Labrador 1497 í upphafi landafundatímans. Þeir voru þá í þjónustu Englandskonungs.

Via Garibaldi er ein fárra breiðgatna í borginni, mynduð 1808 með því að fylla skurð.

Við göngum Via Garibaldi á enda, tæplega 500 metra leið, þar sem langur garður liggur suður frá götunni.

Garibaldi

(Viale Garibaldi. D2)

Í enda garðsins hér við götuna er minnisvarði ítölsku frelsishetjunnar Garibaldi eftir listamanninn Augusto Benvenuti frá 1895.

Við göngum áfram Via Garibaldi að skurðinum Rio di Sant’Anna, förum sunnan hans í beina stefnu á brúna Ponte de Quintavalle, um 500 metra leið.

Ponte de Quintavalle

(D2)

Frá brúnni er ágætt útsýni um breiðan og rólegan Canale di San Piero og skakkan turn kirkjunnar að baki hans.
Við göngum norður eftir bakkanum Calle drio il Campanile til kirkjunnar, um 300 metra leið.

San Pietro di Castello

(Campo San Pietro. D2)

Hér var einna fyrst byggð í Feneyjum og erkibiskupssetur allan sjálfstæðistíma borgarinnar. Kirkjan var dómkirkja Feneyja frá upphafi til 1807, þegar Markúsarkirkja tók við. Núverandi kirkja er frá miðri 16. öld, en skakki turninn eftir Mauro Coducci er eldri, frá 1482-1488.

Gamla erkibiskupshöllin er milli kirkju og turns.

Við förum til baka suður með bakkanum, yfir brúna Ponte de Quintavalle og áfram eftir Fondamenta Sant’Anna unz við komum að Calle Tiepolo, sem við göngum suður að skurðinum Rio di San Giuseppe. Við beygjum þar til hægri, förum yfir næstu brú og göngum suður að görðunum, þar sem alþjóðlegi bíennalinn er haldinn. Alls er þetta um kílómetra löng ganga.

Giardini Pubblici

(D2)

Garðarnir eru víðáttumiklir beggja vegna Rio dei Giardini. Hérna megin heita þeir Giardini Pubblici og þar er bíennalinn til húsa. Hinum megin heita þeir Parco delle Rimembranze.

Við göngum úr görðunum út á lónsbakkann og förum hann langleiðina til baka til hertogahallarinnar, um hálfs annars kílómetra leið. Milli skurðanna Rio della Pietà og Rio dei Greci komum við að framhlið kirkju. Við getum líka sleppt því að skoða þessa kirkju og tekið almenningsbát beint frá bátastöðinni Giardini við vesturenda garðanna.

La Pietà

(Riva degli Schiavoni. Opið 9:30-12:30. C2)

Endurreist 1745-1760, með framhlið frá 1906, upprunalega kirkja munaðarleysingjahælis, en núna einkum notuð fyrir tónleika, sem haldnir eru að minnsta kosti mánudaga og fimmtudaga árið um kring.

Hælið varð frægt fyrir kóra og frægast fyrir kórstjórann Antonio Vivaldi, sem samdi hér ótal óratóríur, kantötur og önnur verk fyrir kóra. Kirkjan er raunar stundum kölluð Chiesa di Vivaldi eftir honum, enda skipa verk hans heiðursess í dagskránni.

Vivaldi var frægasti tónsnillingur Feneyja, uppi 1678-1741. Hann lærði til prests og starfaði fyrri hluta ævinnar sem kórstjóri Pietà munaðarleysingjahælisins. Hann samdi rúmlega 770 tónverk, þar á meðal 46 óperur, flestar þeirra frumfluttar í Feneyjum.

Uppáhaldshljóðfæri hans var fiðlan. Hann notaði hana mikið sem einleikshljóðfæri í verkum sínum.

Við ljúkum þessari gönguferð með því að fara tæplega 300 metra leið eftir bakkanum frá kirkjunni til Palazzo Ducale.

Dorsoduro

Sunnanverður tanginn milli Canal Grande að norðanverðu og Feneyjalóns að sunnanverðu. Nafnið þýðir, að jarðvegur er hér þéttari og traustari en víðast annars staðar í borginni. Þungamiðja hverfisins er listasafnið Accademia og brúin, sem er fyrir framan safnið og tengir hverfið við meginhluta miðborgarinnar.

Á sjálfum tanganum vestan við Accademia er rólegt íbúðahverfi vel stæðra Feneyinga og útlendinga. Austan við safnið er fjörugra hverfi miðstéttafólks og allra austast við hafskipahöfnina er verkamannahverfi. Suðurbakkinn við lónið er vinsæll slökunarstaður með útikaffihúsum, þar sem fólk sameinar sólskinið, útsýnið og sjávarloftið.

Við byrjum gönguna austast, við bátastöðina Salute, fyrir framan kirkjuna.

Santa Maria della Salute

(Campo della Salute. Opið 8:30-12 & 15-17. B2)

Skrautleg hlaðstílsterta úr hvítum kalksteini, hönnuð af Baldassare Longhena, reist 1631-1687. Hún stendur á bezta stað, við austurodda Dorsoduro hverfis, þar sem Canal Grande mætir Feneyjalóni, og blasir við úr öllum áttum. Hún er áttstrend og ofhlaðin skrauti, með sextán risavöxnum bókrollustoðum á þaki.

Að innanverðu er kirkjan hófsamlegri. Hún hefur að geyma altaristöflu og loftmálverk eftir Tiziano og verk eftir fleiri kunna listamenn, svo sem Jacopo Tintoretto. Steinfellugólfið er óvenjulega fallegt, með ýmsum tilbrigðum í hringlaga mynztri.

Baldassare Longhena var einn helzti hlaðstílsarkitekt Feneyja á 17. öld. Hann hannaði líka höllina Ca’Pesaro og byrjaði á Ca’Rezzonico.

Við göngum beint inn í hverfið vestan við kirkjuna. Af kirkjutorginu förum við á trébrú milli San Gregorio kirkju og klausturs.

San Gregorio

(Campo della Salute. B2)

Þetta eru leifar voldugs klausturs heilags Gregoríusar, sem lagt var niður fyrir löngu. Kirkjan er einföld og látlaus múrsteinskirkja í gotneskum stíl.

Við göngum meðfram kirkjunni eftir Calle Abazia og Calle Bastion, yfir brú og áfram Calle San Cristoforo að Guggenheim safninu, alls um 300 metra leið.

Collezione Peggy Guggenheim

(Calle San Cristoforo. Opið miðvikudaga-mánudaga 11-18. B2)

Merkilegt nútímalistasafn í garði og höll, sem aldrei varð nema jarðhæðin ein. Þar eru verk eftir Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Constantin Brancusi, Max Ernst, Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Giorgio de Chirico, Kasimir Malevich og Marino Marini.

Peggy Guggenheim var mikill listvinur og framúrstefnukona, þegar hún safnaði verkum málaranna, sem síðar urðu einkennismálarar síðari hluta 20. aldar. Það er hressandi að skoða safn hennar, þegar maður er orðinn þreyttur á aldagamalli list, sem hvarvetna verður á vegi manns í borginni.

Ráðgert er að flytja hluta safnsins í gömlu tollbúðina, Dogana di Mare, við Salute kirkjuna. Þá verður unnt að sýna mun fleiri verk, sem nú eru í geymslum þess.

Við höldum áfram frá safninu nokkur skref út á Fondamenta Venier.

Rio della Torreselle

(Fondamenta Venier. B2)

Friðsæll skurður á gönguleiðinni milli Salute og Accademia.

Við skurðinn er veitingahúsið Ai Gondolieri. Í nágrenninu er hótelið og veitingahúsið Agli Alboretti.

Við göngum eftir skurðbakkanum og síðan beint áfram eftir Calle della Chiesa og Piscina Fornier, framhjá listasafninu Collezione Cini, sem er stundum opið og oftast ekki, og áfram eftir Calle Nuova Sant’Agnese að vesturhlið Accademia, alls rúmlega 300 metra leið. Við göngum norður fyrir safnið til að komast að innganginum.

Accademia

(Campo dei Carità. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 9-14, sunnudaga 9-13. B2)

Helzta og stærsta listasafn borgarinnar er til húsa í klaustri og klausturkirkjunni Santa Maria della Carità. Það sýnir þróun feneyskrar málaralistar frá býzönsku og gotnesku upphafi til endurreisnar og hlaðstíls. Þar sem feneysk málaralist skipar eitt fremsta sætið í listasögu þessara tímabila, er Accademia með merkustu málverkasöfnum veraldar.

Merkustu verkin úr aflögðum kirkjum og klaustrum borgarinnar hafa verið flutt hingað, svo og ýmis helztu einkennisverk feneyskrar listasögu. Uppsetningin er í tímaröð, svo að auðvelt er að átta sig á þróun feneyskrar málaralistar. Rúmt er um málverkin, svo að tiltölulega auðvelt er að njóta þeirra, einkum þó á vel björtum degi.

Safnið stækkaði við brottflutning akademíunnar sjálfrar, Accademia di Belle Arti, svo að unnt er að sýna verk, sem áður lágu í geymslum. Hér eru verk eftir hina býzönsku Paolo Veneziano og Lorenzo Veneziano, endurreisnarmennina Jacopo Bellini, Gentile Bellini og Giovanni Bellini, Palma og Tiziano, svo og hlaðstílsmálarana Giambattista Tiepolo og Giandomenico Tiepolo.

Við staðnæmumst hér einkum við verk eftir snemm-endurreisnarmanninn Carpaccio, síð-endurreisnarmanninn Tintoretto og hlaðstílsmanninn Veronese. Við tökum þá í tímaröð.

Vittore Carpaccio

(Accademia. B2)

Carpaccio var uppi 1486-1525, kom sem málari í kjölfar Bellini-feðga, notaði skarpa teikningu og milda liti, svo og mikla nákvæmni í útfærslu. Málverkið í safninu frá Canal Grande hefur mikið sagnfræðilegt gildi fyrir utan það listræna, því að hann málaði meira að segja texta skiltanna á húsunum nákvæmlega. Þar má líka sjá Rialto-brú eins og hún var á blómaskeiði Feneyja.

Verk hans má meðal annars einnig sjá í safninu í Ca’d’Oro og í Museo Correr.

Annar höfuðmálari í Accademia er Tintoretto.

Jacopo Tintoretto

(Accademia. B2)

Tintoretto var uppi 1518-1594, helzti málari Feneyja á fægistíls-blómaskeiði endurreisnartímans. Hann notaði mikið dimma myndfleti með lýstum flötum, sterka liti og litaandstæður. Málverk hans eru flest trúarleg.

Í Accademia eru nokkur málverk hans, en heillegast safn þeirra er í Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Risaverk hans um Paradís og nokkur fleiri eru í veizlusal hertogahallarinnar. Verk hans eru víða í kirkjum hverfisins Cannaergio, þar sem hann var búsettur.

Veronese er þriðji málarinn, sem við ræðum sérstaklega, keppinautur Tintoretto.

Paolo Veronese

(Accademia. B2)

Veronese var uppi 1528-1588, einn helzti upphafsmaður svonefnds fægistíls, sem var lokaskeið endurreisnartímans í listum. Hann fæddist í Verona, en vann mest í Feneyjum. Myndir hans eru bjartar og afar litskrúðugar og sumar hverjar risastórar og flóknar, með raunsæjum smáatriðum. Meðal þeirra er Gestaboð í húsi Leví, risastórt málverk í Accademia.

Verk hans má sjá víðar í Feneyjum, meðal annars í hertogahöllinni og safninu í Ca’Rezzonico.

Við yfirgefum Accademia, göngum austur fyrir safnið og göngum Rio terrà Antonio Foscarini niður á lónsbakkann, rúmlega 300 metra leið.

Þar er kirkja á hægri hönd.

Gesuati

(Fondamenta Zattere ai Gesuati. Opið 8-12 & 17-19. B2)

Dómíníkönsk munkakirkja frá fyrri hluta átjándu aldar, mikið skreytt að innanverðu.

Þekktust er hún fyrir loftfreskur Giambattista Tiepolo með samspili ljóss og skugga. Í kirkjunni eru líka altarismyndir eftir Tintoretto og Tiziano.

Við athugum nánar loftmyndirnar eftir Tiepolo.

Giambattista Tiepolo

(Gesuati. B2)

Svifstílsmálarinn Giambattista Tiepolo var uppi 1696-1770, meira en heilli öld á eftir Veronese, langsíðastur hinna frægu málara Feneyinga. Verk hans eru svanasöngur feneyskrar myndlistar. Hann naut mikillar hylli í heimaborg sinni, en vann einnig töluvert við erlendar hirðir, þar á meðal hjá Karli III Spánarkonungi.

Tiepolo notaði ljós og skugga eins og flestir fyrri málarar Feneyja, en lagði meiri áherzlu en aðrir á milt samspil pastel-lita. Loftfreskurnar í Gesuati eru dæmigerð verk hans, sem og málverkið af heilagri guðsmóður og englunum.

Verk eftir hann má meðal annars einnig sjá í safninu Accademia hér í nágrenninu, í kirkjunni San Polo og í söfnunum í Palazzo Labia og Ca’Rezzonico.

Við göngum út á lónsbakkann framan við kirkjuna.

Zattere

(A2)

Lónsbakkinn eftir endilangri suðurhlið hverfisins Dorsoduro, andspænis eyjunni löngu og mjóu, Giudecca, er vinsæll slökunar- og kaffidrykkjustaður í sólskini og sjávarlofti. Fyrr á öldum var bakkinn helzta salthöfn Evrópu.

Við höldum til vesturs 200 metra eftir bakkanum unz við komum að næstu brú, yfir Rio di San Trovaso. Við beygjum til hægri meðfram skurðinum, 100 metra eftir Fondamenta Nani. Handan skurðarins sjáum við gondólasmiðju.

Squero di San Trovaso

(A2)

Elzta gondólasmiðja borgarinnar, í húsakynnum, sem minna á Týról. Vinnusvæðið sést aðeins úr þessari átt, yfir skurðinn.

Við höldum áfram tæplega 200 metra eftir bakkanum, yfir næstu brú og til baka um 100 metra eftir hinum bakkanum, þar sem við komum að kirkju.

San Trovaso

(Campo San Trovaso. Opið mánudaga-laugardaga 8-11 & 16:30-18:30, sunnudaga 8:30-13 . A2)

Reist 1590, með tveimur framhliðum, þekkt fyrir málverk eftir Tintoretto.

Hægra megin við altarið er litskært málverk hans af Tilbeiðslu vitringanna.

Við snúum til baka til norðurs eftir skurðbakkanum og beygjum síðan til vinstri eftir Calle della Toletta, Sacca Toletta, Fondamenta Toletta og Sottoportego Casin yfir á torgið Campo San Barnaba. Alls er þetta um 500 metra leið.

Campo San Barnaba

(A2)

Rólegt markaðstorg í miðju Dorsoduro. Í götunum í kring er töluvert um skemmtilegar verzlanir, þar sem meðal annars er hægt að kaupa minjagripi lægra verði en við helztu ferðamannastaðina. Í Calle dei Botteghe handan brúarinnar við kirkjustafninn er til dæmis ágæt grímubúð.

Skömmu áður en komið er að torginu er merkt leið um sund til veitingahússins Antica Locanda Montin. Frá torginu sjálfu er stuttur spölur til veitingahússins La Furatola.

Eftir að hafa litið inn í Calle dei Botteghe, göngum við til baka að brúnni, en beygjum þar til vinstri eftir Fondamenta Rezzonico, sem er 100 metra löng og liggur að hallarsafni við Canal Grande.

Ca’ Rezzonico

(Fondamenta Rezzonico. Opið á sumrin 10-17, á veturna laugardaga-fimmtudaga 10-16. A2)

Baldassare Longhena reisti höllina í hlaðstíl á síðari hluta 17. aldar.

Hún er skarti búin að innanverðu, þétt skipuð málverkum, veggmyndum og forngripum. Danssalurinn liggur eftir endilangri annarri hæðinni, með gylltum ljósakrónum og þrívíddarmálverkum í lofti, svo og útskornum húsbúnaði. Nokkur stofuloft eru með veggfreskum eftir Giambattista Tiepolo.

Hún er núna minjasafn um Feneyjar 18. aldar. Þar eru meðal annars málverk eftir Pietro Longhi, Francesco Guardi, Canaletto og Giandomenico Tiepolo.

Við höldum til baka eftir bakkanum að annarri brú, Ponte dei Pugni eða “Slagsmálabrú”, þar sem hefðbundið var fyrr á öldum, að klíkur fengju að slást. Við förum ekki yfir brúna, heldur beygjum til hægri eftir Rio terrà Canal og síðan til vinstri eftir Rio terrà della Scoazzera inn á stórt torg, alls rúmlega 300 metra leið.

Campo di Santa Margherita

(A2)

Notaleg miðstöð mannlífs í vesturhluta Dorsoduro-hverfis, óreglulegt og þorpslegt torg, umkringt sérkennilegum verzlunum í 14. og 15. aldar húsum.

Við göngum úr suðurenda torgsins að sundi milli kirkju og klausturs inn á torgið Campo dei Carmini og virðum fyrir okkur kirkjuna.

Santa Maria dei Carmini

(Campo dei Carmini. Opið 7:30-12 & 16:30-19. A2)

14. aldar kirkja, töluvert breytt á síðari

København introduction

Ferðir

“Hygge”

“Hygge” is a Danish word not easily translated into English. It resembles the German “Gemütlichkeit” and means a relaxed, feeling comfortable and secure. It describes a personality trait that is more common in easy-going Denmark and positive attitude, feeling comfortable and secure. It describes a personality trait that is more common in easy-going Danes.

History

Warrior bishop Absalon founded Copenhagen in 1167 by building a castle on the island of Slotsholmen. The fishing village around the castle soon grew into a merchant town, giving it the present name, which means: “Merchants’ harbor”. For centuries the royal palace was on the island and the merchant town was on the banks round the island. Now the parliament is on Slotsholmen.

It became an official capital of Denmark in the early 15th C. Many churches and palaces in the center date from a building boom in the 17th C. during the reign of Christian IV. Devastating city fires in 1728 and 1795 destroyed most of the ordinary houses inside the city walls, so that the present-day architecture of the old center is mainly from the beginning of the 19th C.

Life

There is no better place for guests. This merry city is one of the friendliest in the world, open-minded and international, without having lost Danish customs and culture. The Danes have acquired the style of the relaxed cosmopolitan, the witty prankster and the adventurous artist. They have opened up their windows to the world and are nevertheless unlike anyone else.

They have few natural resources other than their wits, which are best evident in their world-famous works of art. Everything becomes beautiful in their hands, glass, clay and wood, silver, hides and steel. And nowhere is this better seen than in Copenhagen.

Life is both rough and soft, all the way from the drug addict’s despair to the connoisseur’s delight. Here beer and wine flow freely with good and abundant food. Here is companionship and solitude in cafés and pubs, in pedestrian streets and gardens. Here is coziness and charm as guests from abroad are quick to find the Danish beat of life.

Taste

The Danes are justly famous for applied arts. Copenhagen shops are a fairy-tale land of refined taste and traditional handicraft. No shopping street in the world equals the pedestrian Strøget for its concentration of beautiful and useful things. During 15 minutes of walking one sees there rows of shops, all full of wonders to admire and enjoy.

We see unique things, furniture and home appliances, furs and porcelain, gold and glass, pottery and linen, much of it so exquisite that we look at in awe. It is simplest to window-shop on Strøget and its pedestrian side-streets. It has the densest concentration of exactly those shops offering goods that travelers want to inspect.

Accident

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Ambulance

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Complaints

The police in Copenhagen are generally nice, just as the population on the whole. Most people understand English.

Dentist

Oslo Plads 14. Phone: 3138 0251. Hours: Open 8-21:30 Monday-Friday, 10-12 Saturday-Sunday.

Tandlægevagten. Personal callers only. Emergencies only.

Fire

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Hospital

Blegdamsvej 9. Phone: 112.

Casualty wards. Day & night treatment, emergencies only.

All foreigners staying temporarily in Denmark are entitled to free treatment in hospitals and casualty wards in the event of sudden illness or aggravation of chronic disease, provide the patient has not come to Denmark with the intention of obtaining treatment or is not strong enough to return to home country. Transport home is paid by patient or his insurance.

Medical care

Phone: 3393 6300. Hours: Monday-Friday 9-16.

Doctors on Call. Outside work hours dial 3312 0041. In emergency dial 112.

Pharmacy

Vesterbrogade 6c. Phone: 3314 8266. Hours: Open day & night. (A3).

Steno Apotek.

Police

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Precautions

There is little petty crime and almost no violent crime in Copenhagen.

Banks

(A3).

Den Danske Bank at the central railway station is open all days 7-21. Banking hours are Monday-Friday 9:30-16, Thursday -18.

Credit cards

Credit cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops. Visa and Eurocard (Access, MasterCard) have the largest circulation.

Missing cards: For Eurocheque, Eurocard, MasterCard, Access, Visa and JCB dial Eurocard Danmark 4489 2500 day & night. For American Express dial 8001 0021, for Diners dial 3672 3672.

Electricity

Danish voltage is 220V, same as in Europe. Plugs are continental.

Hotels

Copenhagen hotels are generally clean and well maintained, including plumbing. Small hotels can be good, even if they do not have TV sets in guest rooms. A bathroom is taken for granted nowadays. Some hotels have been artistically designed out of old warehouse buildings and have a personal appearance.

We only include hotels with private bathrooms, and in most cases we also demand a direct telephone line, working air-condition, and peace and silence during the night. Only hotels in the city center are included as we want to avoid long journeys between sightseeing and our afternoon naps.

The price ranges from DKr. 500 to DKr. 2050, including a substantial breakfast.

We checked all the hotels in this database during the winter of 1995-1996 as everything is fickle in this world. We have also tested some other hotels that are not included as they were not on par with the best in each price category. Some expensive hotels in Copenhagen are in fact no better than our selection of smaller hotels.

Money

The currency in Denmark is the Danish Krone, DKr, divided into 100 ører.

Prices

Prices have lately become stable in Denmark.

Shopping

Normal shopping hours are Monday-Friday 9:30/10:00-5:30/7:00 and Saturday 9-14. Some shops may open at 6:00 and some may close at 20:00. Some may be open weekends. The Seven-Eleven supermarket at Rådhuspladsen square is open day and night. Shop-owners are allowed to keep open at any hours Monday-Saturday and large shops are also allowed to keep open on Sunday also.

Non-residents of the European Union and Norway are entitled to buy tax-free in Denmark. Buying tax-free is easy. You save from 15% up to 19% on purchases in shops with the Europe Tax-Free Shopping sign on doors or windows. Each time you buy, ask for your tax-refund cheque. You can cash that cheque at Copenhagen Airport or one of the major European airports when you leave.

Tipping

Service is included in hotel and restaurant bills and on taximeters.

Toilets

Toilets are free of charge in restaurants, cafés and pubs. They are generally good.

Tourist office

Bernstorffsgade 1 / Vesterbrogade. Phone: 3312 2880. Fax: 3393 4969. Hours: Open 9-24 in summer, in winter Monday-Friday 9-17, Saturday 9-14. (A3).

Copenhagen Tourist Information, opposite the central railway station.

Water

Tap water is quite drinkable.

Accommodation

Bernstorffsgade 1 / Vesterbrogade. Phone: 3312 2880. Fax: 3393 4969. Hours: Open 9-24 in summer, in winter Monday-Friday 9-17, Saturday 9-14. (A3).

Copenhagen Tourist Information Hotel Bookings, opposite the central railway station.

Airport

Hovedbanegården, Bernstorffsgade. Phone: 3154 1701. (A3).

The SAS airport bus from the bus terminal at main entrance of Hovedbanegården, the central railway station, opposite Tivoli Gardens, leaves 5:42 & 6:10, from 6:15-6:45 every 15 minutes, 7:00-7:50 every 10 minutes, 8:00-21:45 every 15 minutes.

The phone number gives information on bus departures and on flight arrivals and departures.

News

International newspapers are readily available in Copenhagen. Some English channels are usually on TV sets in hotels. Information on what is on in the city is in the weekly Copenhagen This Week.

Phone

The Danish country code is 45. There are no local codes. The foreign code from Denmark is 00.

Post

Hovedbanegården, Bernstorffsgade. Hours: Monday-Friday 8-22, Saturday 9-16, Sunday 10-17. (A3).

The main post office is at Tietgensgade 37, behind Tivoli Gardens, open Monday-Friday 9-19, Saturday 9-13.

Railways

The Danish railway is reliable.

Taxis

You wave cabs down in the street. Otherwise: Københavns Taxa 3135 3535; Amager/Øbro Taxi 3151 5151; Hovedstadens Taxi 3122 5555; Radio/Codan Bilen 3131 7777.

Traffic

The Copenhagen Card is available at railway stations, hotels and travel agents. It is valid for buses and trains, many museums and Tivoli. It also gives a rebate on boat trips to Malmø in Sweden. 24 hours card costs DKr. 140, 48 hours card costs DKr. 230 and 72 hours card costs DKr. 295. Children under 12 pay half price.

Each trip in the center costs DKr. 10. Ten tickets together cost DKr. 70. Month tickets cost DKr. 235. A ticket for a city train is also valid for the connecting bus and vice versa. Some buses go all night.

1000 cycles are available for free at 120 special stands. You pay DKr. 20 to release one. If you return it to another stand, you get back your DKr. 20. This is a Danish innovation. Otherwise cycles are for rent in the center at: Rent-a-bike, Colbjørnsensgade 3; Københavns Cykelbørs, Gothersgade 157; Københavns Cykler, Reventlowsgade 11; and Østerport Cykler, Oslo Plads 9.

Cheese

Danablue and Mycella are blue mould cheeses, Havarti and Esrom are half-firm ones, Samsö, Danbo, Fynbo and Maribo are firm and Hingino and Svenbo are hard cheeses.

Cuisine

Danish cuisine has always been related to the mother cuisine in France, adapted to Danish countryside cooking. Open sandwiches for lunch are often an artwork of beauty. Many varieties of marinated herring are another popular lunch item. Beer is the national drink and Danish aquavit is well-known.

• Øllebrød = bread and beer soup, really thick and hot.

• Leverpostej = pork liver paté.

• Plukfisk = chopped fish and eggs in cream sauce.

• Frikadeller = meatballs.

• Oksebryst = lightly smoked beef.

• Rødkål = sweet and sour red cabbage.

• Risengrød = rice dessert with almond.

• Rødgrød med fløde = stewed redcurrants, blackcurrants and raspberries with cream.

• Æblekage = apple pie.

• Wienerbrød = Danish pastry.

Drinks

Beer is the national drink. Tuborg and Carlsberg are well-known breweries. The best beer is the light one, sometimes called “grøn” (Tuborg) or “hof” (Carlsberg). Stronger beers are called “guld” or “luxus” and one of the strongest is “elefant” (Carlsberg) and “fine festival” (Tuborg).

Akvavit is the hard drink of the country, mainly the Ålborg brand, either Taffel or Jubilæum. It is a clear spirit with a taste of caraway seeds, taken ice cold from the freezer. Many use it as a chaser with beer.

The morning hangover drink is Gammel Dansk, widely seen at breakfast tables. The cherry liqueur Cherry Herring, the coffee liqueur Kahlua and the Solbærrom blackcurrant rum are well known.

Lunch

All over central Copenhagen there are small restaurants that are only open for lunch. They serve light snacks, such as beautiful open sandwiches of many types and several varieties of marinated herring.

Restaurants

The Danish take their meals early. Normal lunch hours are 12:15-13:30, dinner hours 19-21. Most waiters speak excellent English and Danish restaurants are generally spotless.

The Danish have more or less accepted French cuisine as their own. They still keep to aspects of their old-fashioned heavy cooking and like to dine in snug and cozy rooms with traditional Danish antiques and traditional Copenhagen atmosphere.

A Danish specialty are the lunch restaurants, specializing in open sandwiches, called “smørrebrød”, and marinated herring.

Smørrebrød

Open sandwiches are a Danish specialty. They come in endless variations. Some special shops in Copenhagen have 200 different types. They are usually based on meat, fish or vegetables with lots of mayonnaise and other sauces plus garnishes. The presentation, decoration and colors are considered important.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Madrid walks

Ferðir

Old Madrid

A maze of narrow streets between Palacio Real to the west and Museo del Prado to the east, from Gran Vía in the north and the Rastro market in the south.

This is the leisure center of Madrid, full of tapas bars, cafés, pubs, restaurants and hotels. Most of the interesting sights of Madrid is in this part of town, on the periphery of this part or just outside it.

Two famous squares are the center of this center, Plaza Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor, 500 meters apart.

Our first walk in Madrid will start and finish at Plaza Puerta del Sol.

Plaza Puerta del Sol

Plaza Puerta del Sol. (B2).

The geographical and factual center of Madrid. All distances in Spain are measured from this plaza. The kilometer stone of “zero” is in front of the palace of the security police on the southern side of the square. All clocks in Spain follow the clock in the tower of that palace. The square itself is surrounded with conform and cream colored houses from the 18th C.

This is the place to start from, if you want to go somewhere in the center. Madrilenos meet here at all times of the day and night, arriving by bus or metro, both of whom are centered here. The lively plaza is also the venue of protests and processions. The only relatively quiet period on the square is in the early 5-7 morning hours.

North from the square the pedestrian Preciado and Carmen lead in the direction of the fashionable shopping and traffic street of Gran Vía. Some of the best known department stores are in these pedestrian streets, El Corte Inglés and Galerias Preciados. The main leisure part of Madrid is south of the square, full of tapas bars, cafés, pubs and restaurants.

Two major streets lead west off the plaza, Mayor and Arenal. The famous Mallorquina café occupies the first floor of the building between them. Under its windows there are always some women selling lottery tickets.

Puerta del Sol lottery ticket sales

Plaza Puerta del Sol.

The old people selling tickets for the state lottery are a common sight in the streets of Madrid. There are always some vendors with a sharp tongue at the western end of Plaza Puerta del Sol.

We turn our attention upwards and look for street signs on the buildings.

Street signs

Plaza Puerta del Sol.

Beautiful ceramic tiles with street signs have been put up in most of central Madrid. We can see some of them where streets lead off Plaza Puerta del Sol.

From the west end of Plaza Puerta del Sol we walk along Arenal in the direction of the opera palace. Arriving at the second street to the right, San Martín, we turn right and take a detour to Monasterio de Descalzas Reales at a square with a corresponding name.

Descalzas Reales

Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10:30-13, Tuesday-Thursday 16-18. (B2).

A 16th C. convent for daughters of noble families. It became very rich and collected paintings. It has now been converted into a museum, showing famous works by Brüghel the elder, David, Titian, Rubens and others.

In the middle of the monastery there is a courtyard with 30 chapels.

We return to Arenal and turn right, pass the opera palace, Teatro Real, from the early 19th C and arrive at the square in front of the royal palace, Plaza de Oriente.

Plaza de Oriente

Plaza de Oriente. (A2).

The statue on the plaza is of Felipe IV, King of Spain, made according to drawings by Velázquez. The popular Café de Oriente is on our left, when we enter the plaza. The Palacio Real is in front of us, on the other side of the plaza.

We can make a detour into the Sabatini gardens on the northern side of Palacio Real, with a grandiose view to the palace.

Then we walk along the palace front to arrive at the tourist entrance through the courtyard on the southern side of Palacio Real.

Palacio Real

Plaza de Oriente. Hours: Open 9:30-12:45, in summer 16-18:30, in winter 15:30-17:15. (A2).

Built in the 18th C. on the foundation of an older palace that burned down in 1734. This one has 2,800 rooms and has stayed vacant since 1931. It is now a museum, open to the public, except for an occasional reception. The main attraction is the Throne Room, probably the most decorated room in the world, clothed in gold and velvet, with a ceiling painting by Tiepolo.

The apartment of Reina Maria Christina is now a tapestry museum. The apartment of Princesa Isabel is a museum of painting, embroidery, porcelain and crystal, containing works by Goya, Bosco, Rubens, Greco and Velázquez. The library of King Felipe V is now a book and coin museum. There is also a pharmaceutic museum and a museum of armor.

There is a special entrance to a carriage museum from the gardens Campo del Moro on the western side of the palace. The view from there up to the palace is imposing.

We leave the palace, turn right into Bailén past Catedral de la Almuenda for about 150 meters until we come to Mayor, which leads back to Plaza Puerta del Sol. We turn left at this corner of Bailén and Mayor and continue on Mayor just over 200 meters to arrive at Plaza de la Villa, the old City Hall square of Madrid. We turn right into the square and have Ayuntamiento on our right.

Ayuntamiento

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

The City Hall of Madrid, built in the middle of 17th C. in Neo-Renaissance style.

The statue in the middle of the plaza depicts Admiral Alvaro de Bazán, the Spanish hero of the naval battle of Lepanto.

Casa de Cisneros is at the far end of the plaza.

Casa de Cisneros

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

A 16th C. palace in Neo-Gothic Plateresque style with a noticable oriel window overlooking the plaza.

It is now a tapestry museum.

Hermeroteca is at the eastern side of the square.

Hemeroteca

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

The Moorish palace has a Neo-Gothic entrance

It is now a library of periodicals.

Torre de Los Lujanes rises at the northern end of Hermeroteca

Torre de los Lujanes

Plaza de la Villa. (A2).

A 15th C. military defense tower, the prison of Francis I after the battle of Pavia.

At the northern side of Torre de los Lujanes the Punonrostro alley leads off the plaza. We follow the curved alley all the way south to San Miguel, about 200 meters in all.

San Miguel

Sacramento. (A2).

A 18th C. Baroque church with a convex street front.

We cross San Justo in front of San Miguel and turn into Letamendi which we follow to the San Pedro tower.

San Pedro

(A3).

A 14th C. tower, one of two Moorish towers in Madrid.

We continue on San Pedro past the church south to Plaza San Andrés and the adjoining Plaza Puerta de Moros, from where we turn left into the long Cava Baja, the main restaurant street in Madrid. Near the other end of the street we turn right into Bruno and walk a short way to arrive at Toledo where Catedral de San Isidro is in front of us.

Catedral de San Isidro

Toledo. (B3).

A 17th C. church in powerful and strict Jesuit style.

San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid. The major festival of the year is held in his honor May 8.-15. It is a festival of music and cooking, bullfights and nightlife.

We go past the cathedral to the south and turn left into Estudios and continue to Plaza de Cascorro, where the Rastro market begins.

Rastro

(A3).

The main street market of Madrid is south from Plaza de Cascorro, in the street Ribera di Curtidores and most of the adjoining streets. This is a flea market, open Saturday & Sunday 10-14. It is a lively place with some pickpockets around so you have to be careful with your valuables.

This is the oldest and most colorful part of Madrid, with lots of alleys and the thickest Madrilenos patios.

We walk back Ribera di Curtidores, Plaza de Cascorro, Estudios and Toledo to Cava Baja, turn right into that street, cross Plaza Puerta Cerrada and walk along Cuchilleros.

Cuchilleros

(A2).

The main street of good restaurants Madrid, along with its continuation in Cava Baja in the other direction.

Among the restaurants on this mile are Casa Paco and Casa Botín in this part and Schotis, Esteban and Casa Lucio in the Cava Baja part.

We continue on Cuchilleros all the way up the steps and arcade of Plaza Mayor.

Plaza Mayor

(A2).

A comfortable square, completely free of motor traffic, a chosen place to sit down at a café. This is a rectangular square built in the beginning of the 17th C. All the buildings are in the same style, all three storeys and all with an arcade on the ground floor. We can walk in the arcade around the whole square.

In the middle of the square there is a statue of Felipe III. Nine arcades lead into the square, which otherwise is closed to the outside world.

This was formerly the main square of Madrid. Sentences were passed on heretics and they were executed here. Bullfights were here and coronations of kings. Now this is the tourist center of Madrid, also popular with locals. The Tourist Board office is at no. 3.

The square is the focal point of the yearly San Isidro festival.

San Isidro á Plaza Mayor

San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid. The major festival of the year is held in his honor May 8.-15. It is a festival of music and cooking, bullfights and nightlife. The focal point of the festival is at Plaza Mayor.

If it is Sunday morning we can observe a quaint market in the square.

Plaza Mayor stamp market

Sunday morning stamp collectors gather at Plaza Mayor to exchange, buy and sell stamps. They clutch their large albums and huddle together at small tables, absorbed in their hobby.

We leave Plaza Mayor through the west arcade at the northwestern corner of the square, pass the Mesón tapas bar and turn left into Plaza San Miguel.

Plaza San Miguel

(A2).

A beautiful and lively food market is at the 17th C. square.

We return to Plaza Mayor, cross the square diagonally and leave it to the east at the southeastern corner and walk along Gerona and Bolsa past the Foreign Ministry of Spain to the squares Plaza del Ángel and Plaza de Santa Ana.

Plaza Santa Ana

(B2).

These two squares are the center of café nightlife in Madrid. The squares are dominated by the Victoria hotel, which fronts them both.

Here are Café Central, Cerveceria Alemana, Cuevas de Sésame and La Trucha, also the restaurant El Cenador del Prado.

From Santa Ana we walk north along Principe until we come to San Jerónimo where we turn left into Plaza Puerta del Sol where we started this walk through the old center of Madrid.

New Madrid

The newer part of central Madrid covers for our purposes two avenues and their neighborhood, Gran Vía and Paseo de Recoletos and the continuation of the latter in Paseo del Prado. It includes Plaza de España in the west and the Retiro park in the east.

Most of the important museums of Madrid are in the area around Paseo del Prado. They are Museo del Prado, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and Colección Thyssen. We will end our walk through this part of the center at these important museums.

We start at Plaza de España.

Plaza España

Plaza España. (A1).

The square is far from beautiful, surrounded by ugly buildings from the last decades. It is important for the memorial of Cervantes the writer and the statue of his characters Quixote and Sancho Panza.

We turn our attention to the memorial and statues.

Don Quixote & Sancho Panza

Plaza España. (A1).

The bronze statue of Quixote and Sancho Panza has become a symbol of Madrid, vividly showing these extreme rather than typical characters from the well of Castilian history. Quixote is the aristocratic idealist and Sancho Panza is the earthy farmer, both in a way divorced from reality, just as many Castilians want to think of themselves.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a contemporary of Shakespeare in the end of the 16th C. By writing the story of the travails of Quixote and Sancho Panza he was of the same importance to the Spanish language as Shakespeare was to the English language.

We leave the plaza at its eastern corner and walk along Gran Vía.

Gran Vía

Gran Vía. (B2).

The main tourist avenue in Madrid, lined with offices of airlines and car rentals, international thrash food restaurants and hotels. The center of Gran Vía is at Plaza de Callao, where two pedestrian streets, Preciados and Carmen lead down to Plaza Puerta del Sol, passing the main department stores of Madrid on their way, El Corte Inglés and Galerias Preciados.

A little farther to the east Gran Via joins with another traffic artery, Alcalá, which comes from Plaza Puerta del Sol. All the way to Paseo de Recoletos we are walking alongside the heavy traffic of beeping motorists.

To the south of Gran Vía is the old center of Madrid with a web of narrow alleys, lots of tapas bars, cafés and restaurants. To the north is a more recent part of the center, more frequented by young people, with louder music entering the streets from the establishments of leisure.

When we arrive at Paseo de Recoletos we observe the palatial post office on the other side.

Postes

Plaza de Cibeles. (C2).

Probably the most heavily decorated post office in the world, built in wedding-cake style at the beginning of the 20th C.

We are at Plaza de Cibeles. On the plaza there is a statue from the 18th C. depicting the goddess of fertility, Cybele, in a wagon pulled by lions.

We turn left into Paseo de Recoletos.

Paseo de Recoletos

Paseo de Recoletos. (C1).

The avenue is lined with cafés with outdoor sections on the green islands between the motor traffic lanes. Among them is an Art Nouveau glass house, belonging to Café d’Espejo. The best-known café at this stretch is Gran Café de Gijón.

When you enter the cafés the traffic noise drowns in the noise of the lively conversation. But the heavy motor traffic continues all day, all evening and far into the night.

Just before we arrive at Plaza de Cólon we pass Biblioteca Naçional, the national library.

We arrive at Plaza de Cólon.

Plaza de Cólon

Plaza de Cólon. (C1).

The plaza is dominated by a giant monument with a statue of Cólon or Colombus on top. The monument rises above fountains and a subterranean cultural center with a gallery and a theater. The entrance is at the monument.

At the back of the plaza there are monuments honoring famous Spanish explorers.

The palace to our right houses Biblioteca Naçional, facing Paseo de Recoletos, and Museo Arquelógico Naçional, the national museum of archeology, facing Serrano, open Tuesday-Sunday 9:15-13:15.

We turn our attention to the Cólon statue.

Cólon

(C1).

Columbus is a national hero of Spain, even if he was really an Italian, born in Genova. But it was Spain that was ready to finance his addiction to explorations, which enormously helped the European discovery of the Americas and made Spain for a century the major superpower on earth, amassing an empire covering most of Latin America.

It is no wonder that his memorial is a major landmark of Madrid.

We turn right into Serrano.

Serrano

Serrano. (C1).

The main fashion and antique street of Madrid, in fact the most expensive street in town, good for observing fashionable ladies walking with flourish on the pavement.

This is the Salamanca district, built by noble families in the 19th C., now a district of foreign embassies.

We continue on Serrano all the way to Plaza de la Independenzia with the Puerta de Alcalá in the center of the plaza.

Puerta de Alcalá

Plaza de la Independenzia. (C2).

A triumphal arch built according to drawings by Sabatini in the late 18th C. in memory of the investiture of Carlos III.

From the plaza we enter the northwestern corner of the Retiro park.

Retiro

(C2).

The large park is similar in size to Hyde Park in London, but much more covered in woodland. This park was laid out in the 17th C. for the summer palace of Felipe IV, converted into a public garden in the late 19th C.

We pass a marionette theater for children, fortune-tellers with Tarot cards, hot-dog stands and pickpockets.

On our left we pass lake Estanque.

Estanque

People rent pleasure boats to row around the lake.

A memorial to Alfonso XII is on the other side of the lake, designed in a wedding-cake style that is similar to the memorial of Victor Emanuel II in Rome.

We continue straight through the park, passing bridge, backgammon and chess players, excited lovers and peculiar dogs. Finally we leave the park by the southwestern corner and walk down Claudio Mayanno.

Claudio Mayanno

Claudio Mayanno. (C3).

Second-hand bookstalls line the street. The action is most interesting on Sunday morning when Madrilenos relax in the Retiro park.

We cross Plaza del Emperador Carlos V and walk a few meters southwest along Atocha and turn right into Santa Isabel where Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is at no. 52.

Centro de Arte Reina Sofia

Santa Isabel 52. (C3).

The old building is immediately recognizable by glass enclosures that have been erected around new outside elevators.

This extensive museum is similar in size to Museum Pompidou in Paris. It boasts of 20th C. Spanish masters, such as Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso.

The main attraction is the Guernica by Pablo Picasso.

Picasso

Santa Isabel 52. (C3).

Guernica may be the best-known work of art in the 20th C. It describes the effect of a German aircraft attack on a Basque town in the Civil War of 1936-1939. Picasso painted it for the Republican government, that Franco displaced at the end of the civil war.

The painting was returned to Spain after the death of Franco and demise of Falangism and became a symbol of Spanish democracy. It has a place of honor in Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.

We return on Santa Isabel and Atocha to Plaza del Emperador Carlos V. There we turn left along Paseo del Prado, past Jardín Botanico and Museo del Prado on the other side. At Plaza Canovás del Castilio we arrive at Palacio de Villahermosa housing Colección Thyssen.

Colección Thyssen

Plaza Canovás del Castilio. (C2).

A museum of 787 works of art collected by the Swiss millionaire Thyssen-Bornemisza and put by him into the custodianship of Spain. It opened it doors in 1992.

Opposite Palacio de Villahermosa on the other side of San Jerónimó is the Palace luxury hotel. Behind Villahermosa on San Jerónimó is Cortes Españolas, the parliament of Spain. Opposite Villahermosa on the other side of Plaza Canovás del Castilio is another luxury hotel, the Ritz.

We cross Plaza Canovás del Castilio, turn right and walk to the entrance of Museo del Prado. If there are crowds waiting to enter the main entrance, it is often easier to walk on and enter the museum from the south side, where there tend to be less crowds.

Museo del Prado

Paseo del Prado. Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-15, Sunday 9-14. (C2).

Prado is one of a handful of major art museums in the world, in the same class as the Louvre in Paris, Uffizi in Florence, National Gallery in London and National Museum of Art in Manhattan. It started as the private collection of the Spanish royal dynasty.

When browsing the museum we may notice the violent nature of many of the works of art. The paintings are more brutal and bloody than the paintings of other museums of the same stature. Destruction, death and the Devil seem to have weighed heavily on the religious minds of the extremely Catholic Habsburg dynasty of Spanish kings.

Some of the major works of Goya, El Greco, El Bosco, Raphael and Rubens decorate the walls of Prado, in addition to several other masters. The collections of Prado are so large that only a tiny fraction can be exhibited at the same time in the extensive palace. It is difficult to give directions as the placing has tended to change.

There are some important works by Goya.

Goya

Goya was a major force in the Romantic period of European painting. He lived 1746-1828, famous for his violent paintings expressing extreme feelings and abhorrence of war and its terrors.

His paintings in Prado include the two Majas, the clothed and the naked Maja, the Execution of the Rioters, and Saturnus Eating His Son.

El Greco is another major master in Prado.

El Greco

El Greco dominated the Spanish scene of painting in the Renaissance period. He lived 1541-1614, born in Crete, studied with Titian in Venice and later fled to Spain as a vehement Catholic. He is famous for his strong use of powerful colors marking the pinnacle of Renaissance art. He lived in Toledo and painted for religious patrons.

His paintings in Prado include Nobleman with a Hand on His Chest and Adoration of the Shepherds.

El Bosco is another great master in Prado.

El Bosco

El Bosco was a Dutchman, also known as Hieronymus Bosch, lived 1450-1516, a member of a fanatic group of Catholics. His weird pictures are hair-raising and surrealistic attacks on hypocrisy, greed and lust. The extremely religious King Felipe II of Spain adored them.

His paintings in Prado include Garden of Delights and Adoration of the Magi.

Velásques is another Spanish master at the Prado.

Velásques

Possibly the greatest painter in Spanish history, 1599-1660, born in Sevilla and became the court painter of the kings in Madrid.

His paintings in Prado include Maids of Honor, probably the main diamond of the museum.

Memorable paintings by other masters include the Cardinal in Red by Raphael, and the many naked and fat ladies of Rubens.

This concludes the second walk through the center of Madrid.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Roma walks

Ferðir

Papal Rome

St Peter’s is the main attraction of Rome and the Vatican museums with the Sistine Chapel are also in the group of main attractions. The Vatican museums reflect the fact that the Papal state was for centuries one of the main centers of the world.

We start our walk on the Tevere river bank at the Ponte Umberto bridge, opposite one of the most conspicuous buildings in Rome, the national courthouse.

Palazzo di Giustizia

(B2).

The national courthouse is an enormous, cream-colored, ornate pile in historical style, designed by Gugliemo Calderini, built 1889-1910, dominating the river view.

We walk downriver along Lungotevere Castello to the next bridge, Ponte Sant’Angelo

Ponte Sant’Angelo

(B2).

The most beautiful bridge in Rome is from antiquity, built by emperor Hadrian in 136 to connect the Martian Fields (Campus Martius, Campo di Marzo) with his mausoleum on the other side of the river.

The three central arches are original and the two bankside arches are 17th C. The statues of St Peter and St Paul on the southern end of the bridge are from 1530. The other ten statues are by Bernini, from 1667-1669.

At the northern end of the bridge the imposing mausoleum of emperor Hadrian lies open before the eye.

Mausoleo Adriano

(B2).

The circular building is predominantly original, built by emperor Hadrian in 135-139 to contain his ashes, completed by emperor Antonius Pius. It is in the Etruscan mausoleum style, originally with a conical earth mound on top of the building, crowned by a statue of Hadrian himself.

When emperor Aurelian fortified Rome in 270 he included the mausoleum as a fortress in the city wall. Pope Gregorian I built a chapel on the mound in 590, dedicated to archangel Michael (Sant’Angelo) whose statue replaced the one of emperor Hadrian. Later the mausoleum was converted into a papal castle which has up to now carried the name of Castel Sant’Angelo.

Pope Nicolas V built a brick building on top of the circle in mid-15th C. Pope Alexander VI built the Passetto escape corridor between the castle and the Vatican in 1493 and the octagonal defence towers around 1500. The castle withstood an attack by the French king Charles V in 1527 during his sack of Rome. Pope Clementine VII fled through the Passetto to the castle. Later the castle became a barracks and a prison.

The mausoleum is now a castle museum which we enter from the river side.

Castel Sant’Angelo

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-14, Sunday 9-13, Monday 14-19. (B2).

We walk up ramps and stairs to get into the main courtyard with the original statue of Sant’Angelo from 1544. A 18th C. bronze statue by Pieter Verschaffelt has replaced it at the top of the castle. The ramp is mostly original, with black and white mosaics, ending in Hadrian’s burial chamber.

The museum is mainly of military nature. On the top floor there are apartments of three popes, Pius IV, Julian II and Paul III. Bramante decorated the apartments of Julian II where there is an excellent view over the city. The library and archives of the Vatican is also on this floor.

The main garden, Cortile di Onore, laid out by Pope Alexander VI of Borgia, is on the level below the apartments, also the main courtroom, a few prison cells and the chapel of Pope Leo X, built by Michelangelo in place of the old chapel. One of the most famous prisoners was the monk and scientist Giordano Bruno.

We turn right from the castle and walk the avenue Via della Conciliazione all the way to Piazza San Marco in front of St Peter’s. From the piazza we turn right along the Vatican buildings.

Vaticano

(A2).

This is not Italy, we are in the papal state of the Vatican. Here the post boxes are blue, ensuring swift delivery of your letters. But you have to use Vatican stamps, not Italian. This is a separate state with special ambassadors to the capitals of the world, the papal nuncios.

Building started in 500 and got an impetus after 1377 when the Pope moved back to Rome from Avignon. At that time the Vatican took over as papal headquarters from the Lateran palace which had been destroyed in a fire. Most of the buildings are 15th and 16th C.
The buildings were gradually filled with artworks and antiques which now make up the Vatican museums.

We continue along the Vatican buildings on Via did Porta angelica, Piazza del Risorgimento, Via Michelangelo and Viale Vaticano to the entrance of the Vatican museums.

Musei Vaticani

Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 8:45-13, last Sunday of month 8:45-13. (A2).

Well organised and much visited, most famous for the Sistine Chapel, which sparkles after the recent cleanup. We can take four differently long walks through the museums, marked in different colors. We should choose the longest walk if we can possible manage.

We start in the Egyptian Collection with the 13th C. B.C. statue of Queen Tuia, mother of Ramses II and the 21st C. B.C. bust of Pharaoh Mentuhotep. Then we continue to the Greek-Roman Collection with the famous Belvedere garden of the original 1st C. violent-dynamic Late-Hellenic Baroque statue of King Laocoën and his sons fighting with snakes, found in the ruins of Nero’s Golden House.

Next comes the Etruscan Collection showing artefacts from the tomb of an Etruscan couple. The collections shows well the special position of Etruscan culture which often is considered to have originated in Asia Minor and was certainly different from the Greek and Roman ones. Etruscan civilisation preceded the Latin one in the area around Rome.

We continue along a long corridor with carpets, geographic maps from 1580-1583 and extensively decorated ceilings and arrive at the Rafaello Rooms.

Stanze di Rafaello

The collection shows Rafaello’s frescos from 1508-1517, including The Fire in the Borgo, The School of Athens, The Dispute of the Holy Sacrament, The Mass at Bolsena and The Liberation of St Peter.

Pope Julius II liked Rafaello’s work and commissioned him to decorate four rooms of his apartment, replacing earlier artworks. Rafaello died before he could finish his work.

This part of the Vatican museums probably ranks behind the Sistine Chapel as one of the main attractions.

We next pass the Chapel of Nicolas with frescos by Fra Angelico from 1447-1451 and the Borgia apartments with frescos by Pinturicchio from 1492-1503 and arrive at the Sistine Chapel.

Capella Sistina

(A2).

Built in 1475-1480, famous for the Michelangelo ceiling frescos, painted in 1508-1511 and the altar wall fresco painted in 1533. The ceiling frescos depict scenes from the Old Testament, like Creation of the Sun and Moon, Creation of Adam, Original Sin, and The Deluge.

The altar wall fresco depicts The Last Judgement. It is a dynamic picture marking a historical departure from the Renaissance style into the emerging Baroque style.

Several artists painted the 12 frescos on the walls of the chapel, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo, Perugino, Rosselli and Signorelli. These frescos show episodes from the lives of Moses and Christ.

We visit the Pinacoteca with famous paintings by 15th and 16th C. artists like Rafaello, da Vinci, Caravaggio and Bellini. Finally we come to the Archaeological Museum with mosaics from Caracalla’s Baths. We leave not by foot but in a special bus that traverses the Vatican gardens every half an hour between the Vatican museums and Piazza San Pietro. It is the easiest way to get to see the gardens.

Piazza San Pietro

(A2).

The elliptical piazza with colonnades of four rows of columns, designed by Bernini, built in 1656-1667. The purpose of the ellipse is to draw attention to the front of St Peter’s and to act as an embrace for the believers when they listen to the Pope.

On top of the colonnades are 140 statues of angels. A 1st C. obelisk from Heliopolis is in the middle of the piazza, brought to Rome during the reign of Caligula. The fountains are by Maderno to the right and Bernini to the left.

Preceding St Peter’s was the Old St Peter’s, built during the reign of Constantine the Great in early 4th C., probably in 326. The old cathedral was the main cathedral of Rome but not a papal church. It was built in this place because St Peter is said to have been crucified here during the reign of Nero.

We observe the front of the cathedral before we enter St Peter’s.

San Pietro

(A2).

Originally a Greek cross church designed and mostly built by Michelangelo in 1547-1564 and extended into a Latin cross basilica by Maderno and Bernini in early 17th C. The majestic dome was finished by Giacomo della Porta after Michelangelo’s death. In all it took a century and a half to build St Peter’s, from the first designs by Bramante in 1506 to the finishing of the piazza by Bernini in 1667.

St Peter’s is built in Renaissance style and decorated in Baroque style. The front is rather diminutive, designed by Maderno and built in 1607-1614. It largely hides the masterpiece of Michelangelo, the enormous dome. Statues of St Peter and St Paul are in front of the church. On top of the front there are statues of Christ and all his disciples except for Peter. The balcony of the pope is beneath the pediment.

The church is one of the biggest in the world, with 450 statues, 500 columns and 50 altars, heavily decorated with marble and artworks. It can take 60.000 people at the same time. It is just over 200 meters long with a central dome of 140 meters in height and 40 meters in width, modelled on the Pantheon. It is lighter in appearance than envisioned by Michelangelo, completely set with mosaics.

We observe some of the most beautiful artworks in the church, such as Pietà.

Pietà

To the right of the entrance we see the crown of Michelangelo’s work. It is Pietà, from 1499-1500, showing the sorrow of Maria after the death of Christ.

We go to the altar in the middle of the cathedral.

Baldacchino

The papal altar is in the middle of the nave under the dome. It is a throne from 1592-1605, overlooking the crypt where St Peter is supposedly buried. An enormous baroque baldacchino rises 20 meters on spiral columns above the altar, built by Bernini in 1624 from bronze that Pope Urban VIII robbed from the Pantheon.

In front of the altar to the right there is a bronze statue of Jupiter, originally from the Capitolum, but now said to depict St Peter. The foot of Jupiter has become shiny of believers’ kisses who do not know that this is a pagan god. In the apse there is the heavily baroque Throne of St Peter in Glory from 1666 by Bernini.

From the church entrance to the right we can access an elevator to the roof with good views over Rome and with stairs up to the dome with views down to the church. From the south side of the church there is an entrance into a 1th-4th C. graveyard which has been excavated. You have to book beforehand if you want to inspect it.

But this walk is over.

Imperial Rome

The classical center of Rome was in the valley west of the Capitolum hill and north of the Palatinum hill. It was Forum Romanum which was the central square of Rome in republican antiquity and Fori Imperiali which was a series of central squares in imperial antiquity.

During centuries these squares were the center of the Western world, from the time that Romans took over from Greeks as the standard-bearers of the west and until the popes moved the center a kilometer and af half to the south-east, to the Laterano square.

Most of the glory of the past has disappeared. There are broken columns and remains of walls which give an idea of the classical grandeur. Much of the Trajan Market and the Maxentian Basilica is still standing. There are some remains of imperial palaces, a few whole triumphal arches and the Curia, the meeting room of the senate. The enormous Colosseum is now the center-stage of this part of Rome.

We start the walk at the northern end, on the central square of modern Rome, on Piazza Venezia, where we can clearly see the Column of Trajan. We approach the column.

Colonna Traiana

(C3).

The Trajan column is surprisingly intact, having been standing here for nineteen centuries. Emperor Trajan built it in 113 to commemorate his victories in two wars against the Dacians in Romania. The column is 40 meters tall, including the pedestal.

The story of the wars is told in 100 marble reliefs spiralling up the column. They would cover 200 meters if they were laid out in a straight line. As many monuments of antiquity it was originally painted in bright colors. Originally the column was surrounded by library buildings from whom people could observe the marble reliefs at close hand.

For centuries a statue of Trajan stood at the top of the column. In 1587 it was replaced with a statue of St Peter. Behind the columns we see the remains of Basilica Ulpia, bearing the family name of Trajan. We see that in antiquity the level of the land was much lower than it is nowadays.

We pass the ruins and go uphill by way of the stairs of Via Magnanapoli up to Via Quattro Novembre, where the entrance is to the Trajan Forum.

Foro di Traiano

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-13 & 15-18, Sunday 9-12:30, closed Monday. (C3).

The largest market or mall of imperial Rome was built in a semicircle at the bottom of the hill. It was built in 107-113 by Apollodorus of Damascus, the architect of Trajan. It is a complex of 150 shops and offices on several storeys, considered at that time to be one of the wonders of the classical world.

The shops are grouped together according to the merchandise. There is a mall of wine shops and spices, Via Biberatica. The cool shops at the bottom of the complex probably sold vegetables and fruit. On the second floor there were shops for olive oil and wine. Higher up there were shops of less perishable goods and distribution offices for the corn dole.

Above the ruins of the Trajan market there is a military tower from 1227-1241, one of the best preserved remains of medieval architecture in Rome. It is Torre delle Milizie.

We return down the steps and walk along Via Alessandrina by the railing separating us from the Trajan forum, past Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi, the palace of the Rhodos or Maltese knights, built in 1464-1471 in Venetian Renaissance style as we can see from the oriel balcony facing the forum. We now come to the Augustus Forum.

Foro di Augusto

(D3).

This market was built in 31 B.C. by emperor Augustus to celebrate his victory over Brutus and Cassius at Philippi in 41 B.C. In the middle there are remains of the Temple of Mars the Avenger (Martius Ultor), which thereupon became the family temple of Augustus’s descendants.

On both sides of the temple there are remains of basilicas. Between the basilicas and the temples are steps which led the way to the ancient slum of Suburra, which was directly behind the wall. Half of the Forum of Augustus is hidden below the modern road of Via di Fori Imperiali.

We continue along the railing and come next to the Forum of Nerva.

Foro di Nerva

(D3).

The last part of the excavations on the other side of the railing, directly behind the Hotel Forum. This long and narrow market was opened by emperor Nerva in 98, adjoining the ancient street of Argiletum, which lead from Forum Romanum, along the Curia, to the suburb of Suburra.

Little can be seen of the ancient temple of Minerva which was in the center of this forum. The stones were used by Pope Paul V to build a fountain on Janiculum hill. Northeast of the forum there is a 13th C. tower, Torre de’Conti.

At that time there was yet another forum on the other side of the forum of Nerva. It was the Forum of Peace built by emperor Vespanian in 70. This forum is almost completely covered by Via dei Fori Imperiali and Via Cavour. It had a temple of peace and a library where now the church Santi Cosma e Damiano stands.

We now pass Via dei Fori Imperiali which was laid by Mussolini straight through the antique ruins. It should be removed to enable new excavations and will probably be, sooner or later. We return by the other side of the street and arrive at the Forum of Caesar.

Foro di Cesare

(C3).

Two thirds of this forum are visible, including three columns from the temple of Venus Genetrix, which the Julian family considered to be their ancestor, and broken columns from the money-changing market of Basilica Argentaria, which was alongside the ancient road of Clivus Argentarius. Julius Cesar built this forum in 51.

We take a detour from the south end of the forum into the alley of Via Tulliano in the direction of the Arch of Septimus Severus. On our right we see steps into a church cellar. These steps lead to the Mamertine Prison.

Carcere Mamertino

Hours: 9-12:30 & 14:30-18. (C3).

The prison is on two levels. In antiquity it housed famous prisoners such as Jugurta, King of Africa, in 104 B.C., and Vercingetorix, Chief of the Gauls, in 46 B.C. There are stories that St Peter and other Christina martyrs were also incarcerated here.

From here we have a good view of part of Forum Romanum, which we shall soon visit. First we have to retrace our steps along Via dei Fori Imperiali or along the footpath of Via della Salara Vecchia, to the entrance to the Roman Forum.

Foro Romano

Hours: Open daily 9-14, Monday, Wednesday-Saturday -30 min. before sunset. (C3).

The main square of republican Rome was originally a shopping center with brick buildings, but was then transformed into a marbled square of politics and religion up to the migration of tribes in the Middle Ages, when the Roman empire disintegrated.

Excavations have opened up this place so that we can imagine the layout of the city center in ancient times, if we take our time to stroll through the area. The western part was dominated by the two main basilicas, Basilica Aemilia and Basilica Julia, the oratorical platform of Rostra and the senate of Curia. The eastern part was dominated by several temples and the Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius.

The Roman Forum was a kind of a living room for political citizens during the Roman republic. All major political and religious activity was concentrated there, also the major financial transactions and much commerce. Originally the area was a sump that was drained by Cloaca Maxima to make buildings possible.

When we enter the area we have the base of Basilica Aemilia on our right side and the Temple of Antonius and Faustina on our left side.

Antonio e Faustina

(D3).

The temple was built by Antonius Pius in 141 and dedicated to his late wife Faustina. The six frontal columns are the original obelisks and the steps up to the temple are also original.

The front itself is a baroque addition from 1602. The temple had already been converted into a church in the 11th C., dedicated to San Lorenzo. The building is now closed to the public.

We turn our attention to Basilica Aemilia on the other side of the entrance.

Basilica Aemilia

(D3).

This basilica from 179 B.C. was named by the family that built it and was responsible for its upkeep. The remains are mainly from the 1st C. It was burnt down by the Goths when they sacked Rome in 410.

The basilica was a rectangular building with colonnades. It was a meeting place for politicians, financiers and businessmen all the way to its demise.

Between Basilica Aemilia and Basilica Julia on the other side of the Forum, is the Via Sacra.

Via Sacra

(C3).

The street of religious, political and military processions, the most important avenue in ancient Rome. When victorious generals came back from their successful campaigns they rode along this street in triumphal processions to the Capitoline hill to give thanks to Jupiter.

Triumphal arches were later built across this road, the Arch of Septimus Severus, the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Constantine.

We walk Via Sacra past Basilica Aemilia and come at its end to the ancient street of Argiletum, which lead to the Suburra. On the other side of Argiletum is the Curia.

Curia

(C3).

The meeting place of the Roman senate was built approximately here in 80 B.C. and restored in this place several times in ancient history. The present building is a restoration of Emperor Diocletian’s Curia in the 3rd C., built on its ruins.

This is a rather dour brick building. The original was more beautiful, as it was clothed in marble. The Curia was robbed of its famous bronze doors by Pope Alexander VII for use in San Giovanni in Laterano and are still there. The bronze doors to the present Curia are replicas.

Two relief panel decorations from the Rostra in Trajan’s time are on show inside the Curia building.

Outside the Curia we see the Arch of Septimus Severus.

Arco di Severo

(C3).

The arch was built in 203 by Septimus Severus after his and his sons’ victory over the Parthians to celebrate his decade in power. When his son Caracalla became emperor after the death of Severus he had his brother Geta killed and removed his names from the arch. The holes are still visible.

This is first triumphal arch with the columns separated from the wall behind them. It is one of the best preserved monuments in the forum. During the Middle Ages it lay half-buried in earth. Since then it has been excavated and has regained some of its older splendor, except for being rather eroded.

Beside the arch we see the Rostra.

Rostra

(C3).

A podium or a dais for Roman politicians. Such a platform was here all the way back to 338 B.C., and the present one is from Caesar’s time, 44 B.C. The name comes from a decoration made of ships’ prows (rostra), captured in the Battle of Antium in the 4th C. B.C.

Behind the Rostra there are some remains of temples, the Temple of Saturn, the Temple of Vespasian and the Temple of Concord.

Tempio di Saturno

(C3).

The most prominent of the remains of the temples at the western end of the Roman Forum are eight Ionic columns of the Temple of Saturn with a section of the entablature. A temple dedicated to Saturn was here since 497 B.C., the first temple in the forum. These remains are from the 4th C. Saturn was the god of the masses. Every year the Saturnalia revelries were held in his honor in December.

Beside these columns there are three Corinthian columns from the Temple of Vespasian. It was built in 79 by his son and grandson after his death.

Beside the Saturnine columns there a platform from the Temple of Concord, built in memory of the concord between the Roman patricians and plebeians in 367 B.C. Behind the Vespasian and Saturnine columns there are twelve Corinthian columns from a portico that Emperor Dominitian built at the end of the 1st C. for the twelve main Roman gods.

Behind all this temples the massive wall of Tabularium dominates the scene.

Tabularium

(C3).

The austere building was built of peperine in 78 B.C. as national archives and national treasury, filling the depression between the Capitolum and Palatinum. The portico and six of the nine pillars are original. The building on top of them is the Senatorial Palace which was built upon the ruins of the Tabularium.

We turn back from the Rostra. In front of us is the Column of Phocas.

Colonna di Foca

(C3).

The slender, Corinthian column is 13,5 meters high, built in 608 to thank the Byzantine emperor Phocas for visiting Rome and giving the Pantheon to the pope. It is the last monument known to be erected in the forum before its demise.

On the right side we see the foundation of Basilica Julia

Basilica Giulia

(C3).

The basilica was enormous, measuring 82 meters by 18 meters, with five aisles and three storeys, fronting Basilica Aemilia on the other side of Via Sacra. This basilica was built by Julius Cesar in 55 B.C. and finished by emperor Augustus in 12. It has been almost completely destroyed. Standing are the steps, the pavement and some column stumps.

The purpose of this basilica was to be a courthouse, where the 180 centumviri or magistrates tried cases in four courtrooms in public.

The remains of a row of columns are in front of the basilica. The columns were built in 300 to honor some Roman generals. On the side of the basilica, a little to the back, there are three white and slender columns from the Temple of Castor and Pollux, built in 484 in memory of a victory in the battle of Lake Regillus against the Tarquinian kings. The present remains are from a restoration in 12 B.C.

The Temple of Julius Caesar, erected by Augustus, is next to the basilica on the Via Sacra. On the far side of the temple we come to the Temple and the House of the Vestal Virgins.

Vestae

(D4).

The circular temple, originally surrounded by 20 columns, is from the 4th C., based on earlier Vestal temples which had been in the same place since the 6th C. B.C.

The Vestal virgins kept alight the sacred flame of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, and guarded the other holy items of the Roman state, such as the Palladium statue.

The Vestal virgins lived in the building behind, the Vestae. We can still see the garden with two ponds of water lilies and eroded statues of the virgins. Originally the house had 50 rooms on three storeys. Some of the rooms around the garden have been preserved.

We leave the Vestae and cross Via Sacra to Antonio e Faustina on the other side. On the way we pass the back side of the scant remains of the Regia, the office of the Pontifex Maximus, the High Pries of Rome. On the other side of the Via Sacra we turn right and see on our left side the Temple of Romulus.

Tempio di Romolo

(D4).

The circular temple from the early 4th C. is possibly dedicated to Romulus, son of emperor Maxentius. It is a brick building with a cupola on top, flanked by two rooms and with a concave porch in front with heavy and original 4th C. bronze doors.

This temple has been preserved as an entrance to the 6th C. church of Santi Cosma e Damiano, built into a part of the Vespanian Forum of Peace. Nowadays the church is entered from the Via dei Fori Imperiali side.

We continue on Via Sacra to the imposing Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius.

Basilica Constantino e Maxentius

(D4).

This giant basilica is partly still there, 35 meters high. It was the largest building in the forum and has three immense vaults, built by emperor Maxentius in 308-312 and finished by emperor Constantine.

This last basilica of antiquity covered an area similar to the Julian and Aemilian basilicas and is higher than they were. It was used for judicial and business purposes. Originally the roof was covered with gilded tiles which were stolen in the 7th C. to cover the roof of the old St Peter’s.

It bears witness to the feats of Roman engineers. The technique was the same as in the building of the vast baths of Caracalla and Diocletian in Rome.

Via Sacra continues to the Arch of Titus.

Arco di Tito

(D4).

A triumphal arch of classic proportions on a ridge in the Via Sacra. It was erected in 81 by emperor Dominitian to honor the victories of his brother Tito and father Vespanian in the war against the Jews.

The beautifully carved marble reliefs show Roman soldiers carrying off the booty, including the seven-armed chandelier from the temple in Jerusalem.

Here we turn right off the Via Sacra and climb uphill to the Palatine hill on the Clivus Palatinus path.

Palatino

(C4).

The oldest village of Rome was on the cool slopes of the Palatine hill. Emperor Augustus built his imperial palace in a wealthy suburb on the hilltop. The following emperors continued to build palaces there and the last emperor of the Flavian dynasty, Dominitianus, converted the whole hill into an imperial palace, Domus Flavia.

Little can now be seen of the former splendor of antiquity but many gems must be hidden under the Farnese-gardens that now occupy the major part of the hill. Excavations are going on in the area of Domus Livia. In addition the Augustinian and Flavian palaces, remains have been found of the Tiberian and Severan palaces.

With the change from republican to imperial Rome, the political center of the Western world gradually moved from the Forum Romanum beneath the hill up to the imperial Palatine hill. It then gradually began to decline in the 3rd C., when the emperors left Rome for other places in the far-flung empire. And the Christian popes never took a liking to this hill.

If we walk toward the modern archaeological museum we pass Domus Augustana on our left and Domus Flavia on our right. We start with the latter.

Domus Flavia

(D4).

The remains of the family temple of Domus Flavia are nearest to the road down to the Forum Romanum. Then comes the throne room and finally the judicial basilica, where the emperor distributed justice.

A courtyard, peristyle, is behind the remains of these buildings, originally surrounded by a colonnade. An octagonal pond in the middle is still there. Subterranean rooms are below the buildings and the garden.

Beyond the peristyle there was the triclinium, the dining room of the emperor, the most beautiful part of the palace. A part of the multi-colored marble floor has been preserved. Around the triclinium were drawing rooms, nymphaea. The one on the right has been partly preserved.

To the west are the remains of Domus Augustana.

Domus Augustana

(D4).

The palace was built around two gardens. The higher garden was in front of the present museum house and the lower one was behind it and to its left. The lower floors of the palace still rise in a concave form above Circus Maximus on the other side of the hill.

To the left of the palace is a stadium from the time of emperor Dominitian, originally surrounded by a giant colonnade. The ellipse at the southern end is an addition from the time of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric in the 6th C. A balcony is on the far side, probably for observing games in the stadium.

On the other side of the stadium are the remains of the baths of Septimus Severus and to the south the remains of his palace, which partly stands on arches stretching up from the Circus Maximus lowland.

We turn back to Domus Livia and pass through it to get to the excavation area around the House of Livia.

Domus Livia

(C4).

This was the relatively modest palace of emperor Augustus and his wife, Livia. Archaeologists have removed frescos from some rooms and put them outside for people to see.

The remains of a temple that emperor Augustus built for Apollo are in this area. Also the so-called huts of Romulus, which are remains of prehistoric dwellings. And the Temple of Cybele, where we can still see a few column stumps.

We continue into the Farnese gardens where the Tiberian palace was.

Domus Tiberiana

(C4).

The Farnese gardens were laid out in the middle of the 16th C. on the ruins of the former palaces of emperors Tiberius, Caligula, Trajan and Hadrian. The palace of Tiberius, Domus Tiberiana, was adjacent to Domus Livia. Then came the palaces of Trajan and Hadrian and on the far western tip was the palace of Caligula.

Nothing can be seen from above of these palaces but remains of outer arches can be seen from the Roman Forum below. Excavations would probably bring important things to light.

We return down to the Arch of Titus and there turn right on Via Sacra along a few columns from the Temple of Venus and Rome, which emperor Hadrian built in 121-136 and continue in the direction of the Colosseum. Once the entrance to the golden palace of Nero was here. We go to the right to observe the Arch of Constantine.

Arco di Constantino

(D4).

The triumphal arch was erected in 315 to commemorate the victory of Constantine over his co-emperor and rival Maxentius. It is beautifully designed and heavily decorated with marble reliefs.

Some of these were robbed from older 2nd C. monuments of Trajan, Hadrian and Aurelius. Already in the time of Constantine the practice had started to erect new and lesser monuments by spoiling older and better existing ones. This continued for centuries. Popes and cardinals were especially damaging, as can clearly be seen on the ruins of the Colosseum.

We now turn our attention to the enormous Colosseum.

Colosseo

Hours: 9-19, except Wednesday & Sunday 9-13. (D4).

The symbol of classical Rome. The elliptical circus is 188 and 156 meters in diameter and could seat 50.000 spectators when it was built in 72-96 during the reigns of the Flavian emperors Vespanian, Titus and Dominitian. Much of the outer walls are still there, but devoid of the marble and other decorations that made this building one of the wonders of the world.

Four storeys are on the outside, a Doric arcade at the bottom, then a Ionic arcade and a Corinthian one. The outer wall of the top floor was massive, originally covered with bronze shields. This order of the Greek column styles has since been an example for later architects. A canopy was stretched over the arena to protect spectators against the sun.

This engineering feat had 80 entrances and a complicated system of staircases to enable 50.000 spectators to leave in a hurry. The underground city of officials, slaves and animals below the arena is now visible. The games stopped in the 6th C., and in the 13th C it became a fortress. In the 15th C the popes started to rob it of material for St Peter’s. This malpractice was halted in the 18th C.

After making the rounds inside the Colosseum we cross the Piazza del Colosseo and climb the Esquiline hill to a few remains of the ancient Golden House of Nero.

Domus Aurea

(D4).

Colosseum was built in the former palace pond of the Golden House of emperor Nero. He built this palace in 64 after a major fire in Rome. The palace only existed for a few years and was famous for the bottomless luxury, including the piping of scents. The main dining room was rotated by slaves.

The emperors who succeeded Nero tore his palace down. The floor was used for the Baths of Trajan, which also has disappeared. Some remains of the Golden House can be seen in the slope down to the Colosseum.

We next take a taxi or walk for a kilometer and a half from the Arch of Constantine to the south on Via di San Gregorio and then to the south-east on Via delle Terme Caracalla. The imposing walls of the Caracalla Baths soon become visible.

Terme di Caracalla

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-18, Sunday-Monday 9-13 . (D5).

The ruins give a good picture of a major bathing house from Roman times. It was built around three bathrooms in the middle. One room was hot, caldarium, one was tepid, tepidarium, and the third was cold, frigidarium. Clothing rooms are on both sides of the of the frigidarium and gymnastic halls are on the other side of the clothing rooms. A dry sauna, laconicum, is on either side of the caldarium.

The baths were based on a complicated system of waterways and heating. They were built by Caracalla and his successors in 212-235 and was at that time the largest ones in Rome. 1600 people could use it concurrently. The buildings were laid in marble and mosaics. It was in use for over three centuries until barbarians destroyed many of Roman aqueducts that brought fresh water to the city.

We can walk around the enormous rooms and inspect beautiful mosaics in the floors. Important concerts and operas are performed in the caldarium and in the garden in front of it. On the outskirts of the gardens there are gymnastic buildings and libraries.

We cross Via delle Terme Caracalla, turn right along it and then turn left into Via Druso and again turn left from Via Druso on Via della Navicella and then right on Via di San Stefano Rotondo with a church on the right hand side.

San Stefano Rotondo

Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9-12. (D4).

The biggest circular church of early Christianity, built in 468-483 and was then meant to be an exact replica of the mountain church in Jerusalem. This church was for a long time one of the main churches in Rome and has seen better times. In the 16th C. Pomarancio painted gruesome frescos of several martyrs on the church walls.

It was originally 45 meters in diameter with two concentric ambulatories around an altar and four chapels making the shape of a cross. The roof is carried by Ionic columns and lighted by 22 high windows. Pope Nicolas V spoiled the church by walling up the outer colonnade and removing the outer ambulatory.

We continue on Via di San Stefano to the Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano.

Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano

(E4).

The highest obelisk in Rome is in the middle of the piazza. It is from the 15th C. B.C. brought to Rome during the reign of Constantine II.

The baptistery, Battistero, is on our right. It is from the early 4th C. In that century all Christians in Rome were christened there. It got its present octagonal shape in 432 and has since then been a model for other baptisteries in the world.

The Lateran Palace is in front of us. This palace replaced an earlier one and dates from 1586. It is the official palace of the Archbishop of Rome, alias the Pope. For centuries it was the political center of papal power.

We walk around the palace to get to the main entrance of San Giovanni in Laterano.

San Giovanni in Laterano

(E4).

Behind a baroque facade from the 18th C. is an original Romanesque church with parts from 314 when it was built by Constantine the Great. Originally it had five aisles. It was damaged in barbarian attacks in the 5th C., in an earthquake in 896 and a fire in 1308. This church was the cherished end of endless pilgrimages to Rome during ten centuries, 314-1309. It still is the cathedral of Rome.

Behind the vestibule we see the majestic bronze doors that were robbed from the Curia when the church was built. On the inside the church is mainly baroque, designed by Borromini and built from the older church in 1646-1650, incorporating the 16th C. timber roof and the big mosaic in the apse. Giant statues of the twelve apostles, made by Bernini’s disciples, dominate the cathedral.

Parts of the big mosaic in the apse is from the original church. It survived a renovation in the 5th C. and another in the 13th C. Borromini left it in peace in the 17th C. but then it was damaged in the 19th C. It is difficult to estimate how much of it is original.

From the main entrance we cross the Piazza di Porta San Giovanni to Scala Santa.

Scala Santa

Hours: Open daily 6-12. (E4).

The staircase and the chapel on top of it are parts of the old Lateran Palace and were moved here by Sixtus V when the new palace was built. The Sancta Sanctorum is the private chapel of the pope and the Scala Santa of 28 steps is believed by the faithful to have been brought from Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem by St Helena, mother of emperor Constantine.

The holy steps are covered with boards. Devout Christians climb the staircase on their knees, especially on Good Friday.

We continue downhill on Piazza di Porta San Giovanni to Porta Asinaria.

Porta Asinaria

(E4).

The Gate of the Donkeys is a minor gateway from the 3rd C. Aurelian city wall. It has played a part in the vicissitudes of Roman History.

In 546 barbarian mercenaries opened this gate for the army of Goth Totila who thereupon sacked the city. In 1084 emperor Henry IV entered it with an anti-pope to oust Pope Gregory VII. Later that year the gate was damaged by Robert Guiscard from Normandy, when he came to the rescue of the pope and burned down the Lateran district.

One of the flea-markets of Rome is held in the area around the gateway.

This walk is over.

Ancient Rome

On the last walk through Imperial Rome we saw many sights that date from the classical Roman times. On this walk we continue to inspect what remains of ancient Rome in the historical center of the city.

We start on the Aventine hill, the stronghold of the ancient plebeian party and end on the Capitoline hill, the ancient stronghold of the patrician party. On the way we pass through the area of the ancient riverside markets between those hills.

We take a taxi to Santa Sabina. It is on a viewpoint on the Aventine hill, where Caius Graccus made his last stand against the Roman senate of patricians.

Santa Sabina

Hours: Open daily 7-12:30 and 15:30-18. (C4).

One of the oldest basilicas and the first Romanesque church in Rome, from 422. with a nave and two aisles. After several alterations the church has now been restored to its original appearance.

Its beautiful Corinthian colonnades are the first Roman example of rows of columns replacing arches. The rifled columns come from a Roman temple. The mosaic above the entrance is the remnant of many pictures that originally extended around the church above the colonnades.

The original doors of cypress are from the 5th C. with 18 panels showing woodcuts from the life of Jesus and Moses. One of the oldest extant pictures of the Crucifixion in a public place is above the panels on the left side. From the garden beside the church there is a view over central Rome and to the San Pietro cathedral in the Vatican.

When we leave the garden we turn right and walk Via di Santa Sabina and continue along Valle Murcia. After 500 meters we come to Piazzale Romolo e Remo, where we have a view over the ancient Circus Maximus and behind it to the ruins of the imperial palaces of the Palatinum.

Circo Massimo

(C4).

This is now an esplanade with slopes of grass in the valley between the hills of Aventinum and Palatinum. It shows well the contours of the original and magnificent track, which was used exclusively for chariot racing. The teams were known by their colors of blue, green, etc.

The circus was the biggest track of Rome, originally measuring 500 meters and later 600 meters, having place for 150.000 spectators in the Julian period, growing to 250.000 spectators in the Dominitian and Trajan periods.

We walk to the left along Via dei Circo Massimo and continue along Via Greca down the hill to Piazza Bocca della Verità, in all 400 meters. Santa Maria in Cosmedin dominates the square on our right side.

Santa Maria in Cosmedin

Hours: Open daily 9-13, 15-18. (C4).

The elegant Romanesque church tower and the portico is from the 12th C., but the church itself is from the 6th C., one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in existence, originally a Greek church. After many alterations it was restored to its ancient charm in the 19th C.

The church has many works by Cosimati, especially the mosaic floor, the bishop’s throne, the choir and the canopy over the main altar.

We look at the drain cover on the left side of the portico of the church.

Bocca della Verità

(C4).

The ancient drain cover on the left side of the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmendin is called Bocca della Verità. It is a frightening face which is supposed to bite the hand off people with a bad conscience.

The piazza outside, the Piazza Bocca della Verità occupies approximately the same area as Forum Boarium, the ancient meat market of Rome. Forum Holitorium, the fruit and vegetable market, adjoined it on the north side.

Facing the church on the other side of the square is the circular Temple of Vesta.

Tempio di Vesta

(C4).

A temple from the 2nd C. B.C., incorrectly named after the Vestas, possibly because it resembles the Vestan temple in Forum Romanum. Probably it was a temple for the god Hercules.

It is one of the oldest surviving marble temples in Rome, built of imported marble from Greece. The Corinthian colonnade is from the reign of Tiberius, who had the temple restored. It was spared in the Christian period as it was converted to a church.

Beside this temple is the Temple of Fortuna Virilis.

Tempio della Fortuna Virile

(C4).

The temple is now attributed to the luck of male people, but was in fact probably dedicated to the river god Portumnus. It is from the 2nd Century B.C., quadratic in design, supported by rifled Ionic pillars.

It is the best preserved temple in Rome was like Tempio di Vesta spared during the centuries because it had been converted to a Christian church.

Behind the temple there is Casa dei Crescenzi, an 11th C. fortress built from columns and capitals from ancient temples.

We go to the other side of the square, to the Arch of Janus.

Arco di Giano

(C4).

This arch is unique in having four sides with arches, not only two. It was built in the 4th C over cross-roads at the northern end of Forum Boarium, the ancient meat market of Rome. It honors the god Janus.

Behind the arch is a 7th C. church, San Giorgio in Velabro, with a Romanesque bell tower from the 12th C. It has a ionic portico in front.

In a side street leading off the square there is San Giovanni Decollato from 1490, the burial church of executed people.

We walk this street, the Via di San Giovanni Decollato, to Piazza della Consolazione, where we face the Tarpeian Rock.

Rupe Tarpea

(C3).

The rock is named after Tarpeia who secretly let the army of Sabines up the cliff and into Rome in a war in the 8th C. B.C. After that episode traitors were executed by throwing them off the same cliff.

At the top end of the piazza there is a church built in 1470 with a baroque front from the 16th C. It is Santa Maria della Consolazione, built to provide consolation to prisoners before their execution.

We go past the cliff down Vico Jugario to the avenue of Via di Tetro di Marcello. We cross that street to visit San Nicola in Carcere.

San Nicola in Carcere

Hours: Open 7:30-12, Monday-Saturday 16-19, Sunday 10-13. (C4).

The church is built on the ruins of three temples that were side by side above the Forum Holitiorum, the ancient fruit and vegetable market. From the outside we can see columns from the old temples incorporated into the side wall of the church.

The bank of the river Tevere at Forum Boarium and Forum Holitorum was the Roman harbor in antiquity. Ships came here to unload their goods from faraway countries. The harbor included the whole area from Santa Maria in Cosmedin to San Nicola in Carcere and had many temples.

Adjoining the harbor to the north was the military harbor of Rome. Both these harbors became unusable due to silting in the river. In imperial time the harbor was moved out to Ostia which was on the coast in those times, but has in turn also become silted and unusable.

We go behind the church and walk along the river bank, Lungotevere dei Pierleoni to the Fabricio river bridge.

Ponte Fabricio

(C4).

v
The only bridge that has been preserved intact from classical times. It was built in 62 B.C. and is thus over 20 centuries old. It connects the island of Tibur to the center of Rome.

Its broad arches show how competent, daring and sure of themselves Roman engineers were in matters of weight suspension and how well some of their works have withstood earthquakes, floods and wars.

The Tiber island is the site of a monastic order which specialises in caring for the sick. In antiquity this was the island of medicine. Where now the church stands there was at that time a temple of Aesculapius, the god of healing. The buildings on the island are now mostly part of a hospital.

After inspecting the island we return over Ponte Fabricio and walk between San Nicola in Carcere and Teatro di Marcello to Via di Teatro di Marcello where we turn right along the Theater of Marcellus.

Teatro di Marcello

(C3).

The building of the theater started during Caesar’s reign and was finished in the year 11, during Augustus’s reign, dedicated to his nephew Marcellus. The lowest tier has Doric columns, the second done Ionic ones, and the third one is believed to have had Corinthian ones. This architecture probably influenced the design of the Colosseum.

These columns are a part of the semicircular spectator stands. This was the largest theater in Rome next after the Pompeian amphitheater in the Martian Fields. It was 120 meters in diameter and could place 20.000 spectators. It was a venue of plays, concerts, readings and oratory.

Two tiers of arcades out of three are still there. The ruins were converted in 1150 to a castle and then to a palace. The additions are visible on the top floor.

We see columns in front of the theater.

Tempio di Apollo

(C3).

Three Corinthian columns stand in front of the arcade, the remains of a famous Temple of Apollo, built in 433-431 B.C. and renovated in 34 B.C. The Greek god Apollo was revered by many Romans, especially in fighting illness.

We pass the columns and turn left into Piazza di Campitelli, pass the heavily arcaded church of Santa Maria in Campitelli from 1661 and then turn left on the corner of restaurant Vecchia Roma into Via Tribuna di Campitelli and walk it and its continuation, Via di Sant’Angelo di Peschieria, all the way to Via Portico d’Ottavia, where we see the Portico of Octavia.

Portico d’Ottavia

(C3).

The portico is all what remains of an extensive complex, built by Caecilius Metellus in 146 B.C. The portico is part of a wall around two temples dedicated to Juno and Jupiter.

Emperor Augustus renovated the temple complex in 27-23 B.C. and dedicated it to his wife Octavia. Emperor Severus renovated it again in 203. The present portico is from that time.

Two of the columns in the portico were replaced in the Middle Ages by a brick arch which is in contrast to the rest of the monument.

We walk along Via Portico d’Ottavia to the west in the direction of Via del Progresso. We are in the Jewish Ghetto.

Ghetto

Jews first lived in Trastevere on the other side of the river. They were made to move to this area in the 13th C. Pope Paul IV built a wall around the district in the middle of the 16th C. It was then torn down again in the middle of the 19th C.

This area still retains some ghetto atmosphere. It has several restaurants with Jewish cuisine.

We turn right into Via Sant’Ambrogio to Piazza Mattei. There is a tortoise fountain in the square.

Fontana delle Tartarughe

(C3).

The tortoise fountain was designed by Giacomo della Porta, built in 1581-1588, and the bronze figures are by Taddeo Landini. Later the tortoises were added by an unknown artist. This is one of the most beautiful fountains in Rome.

From the square we continue into Via Paganica. We come to a big square with excavations in the middle.

Largo di Torre Argentina

(C3).

Excavations in the square show how much lover the level of the land was in classical times. The remains are of the oldest temples that have been found in Rome. They date from the republican age, partly from the 5th C. B.C. A tower from the Middle Ages is on the corner, giving its name to the square.

Nearest to the tower is the oldest temple, in Etruscan style. Then comes a circular temple from the 2nd C. B.C. Finally there is a temple that was built and rebuilt several times from the 4th C. B.C. to the 1st C. B.C. It is partly entwined with the remains of a church from the Middle Ages. Behind the temple there is a wall of a public toilet building from ancient Rome.

Behind the ruins, on the other side of the square, is the Teatro Argentina, where Rossini’s Barber of Seville debuted catastrophically in 1816. The famous café Bernasconi is beside the theater.

We walk east from the square on the avenue of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and soon came to the imposing church of Gesú.

Gesú

Hours: Open daily 6-12:30, 16:30-19:15. (C3).

The first baroque church of Rome, built in 1568-1575, compactly designed by Vignola for the new order of Jesuits. It still is their head church. The majestic and dynamic front is by Giacomo della Porta in 1573-1584. The giant order of columns and the powerful scrolls became a model for many churches around the world.

The compact church was an expression of the Catholic counter-reformation led by the Jesuit order. It only has one nave, and chapels replaced the usual transepts. This made it easier for the congregation to see and hear the priests. It is also designed with acoustics in mind.

The extensive decorations inside are from the 17th C. when the baroque style had matured. Giovanni Battista painted frescos in 1672, including one of Jesus in the vault over the apse. The most extensive decorations are in the third chapel to the left, dedicated to Ignazio Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order. They were made by Andrea Pozzo in 1696-1700 using marble with inlaid lapis azuli.

We continue along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and its continuation, Via del Plebiscito all the way to Piazza Venezia.

Piazza Venezia

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 9-14, Sunday 9-13. (C3).

This is the traffic center of Rome. It is the crossing point of its main traffic arteries, the supreme piazza of traffic jams. All taxi trips seem to cross this piazza.

On the Palazzo Venezia balcony Mussolini made some of his speeches. The most popular rendezvous point in the city is below that balcony.

We enter the palace on the piazza, the Palazzo Venezia.

Palazzo Venezia

Hours: Open 9-14, 9-13 Sunday, closed Monday. (C3).

Built in 1455-1471 by Pope Paul II who had his apartments here. Later many popes lived here, also Charles VIII, King of France. Mussolini had his offices here. The name of palace derives from the time that the Venetian ambassador in Rome lived here.

It is the first secular Renaissance building in Rome. Parts of it are older in style such as the massive corner tower. The Renaissance elements are obvious in the fenestration and in the double portico of the palace church beside the tower.

The church itself is older than the palace, originally from 336 and renovated in the 9th C. It is decorated in many styles. The palace is also much decorated in spite of its austere outer appearance. There is a famous palace garden and a museum of medieval art.

We leave the museum, walk into the piazza and turn our attention to an imposing monument

Monumento Vittorio Emanuele II

(C3).

The imposing, creamy-white monument dominates the Venetian square and spreads out in front of the Capitolum hill, obscuring the view to the ruins of ancient Rome. This is the absolute top of the wedding-cake variety of the Historic style in the latter half of the 19th C., designed in 1884 by Giuseppi Sacconi, but not finished until 1922.

An equestrian statue of king Vittorio Emanuele II is in front of the monument. He was the first king of a united Italy after its freedom wars. The national altar and the monument of the unknown soldier are in front of the statue.

We pass the monument to the right. When we come to the Capitolum steps we observe ancient ruins on our left side.

Insula

(C3).

In imperial time the poor people of Rome lived in barrel-vault Insulae like this one, which dates from the 2nd C. The Insulae were big apartment blocks. This one is the only survivor in Rome. It had at least six storeys and housed 380 people in its heyday.

The living conditions in such tenements were mostly squalid and more so the higher you were in the building.

Part of the upper storeys was converted into a church in the 14th C. The church tower is still visible.

Now we can choose either to climb the Aracoeli stairs or the Cordonata steps up to the hill of Capitolum. We take the first one which leads us to the church of Santa Maria d’Aracoeli.

Santa Maria d’Aracoeli

Hours: Open daily 7-12, 16-18. (C3).

The steps are from 1346, 122 in number. From the top of them, in front of the church, there is a good view over the medieval city center with the dome of St Peter’s in the background. This was once the most holy place in Rome with the Temple of Juno and the castle of Arx.

The church is from 1250, with Gothic rose windows. It contains many works of art from the Middle Ages, including a marble floor and stone tombs at the entrance, also frescos by Pinturicchio in the right corner chapel at the entrance.

The most famous item in the church is Santo Bambino, an olive-wood figure in the left transept, believed to have miraculous powers.

From the church we walk down steps into Piazza Campodoglio.

Piazza Campodoglio

(C3).

Michelangelo designed this piazza and the steps leading up to it. He also was influential in the design of the three palaces around the piazza. The piazza is beautifully laid in stone according to his designs. Old statues from imperial times of Castor and Pollux with their horses, found in the Martian Fields, are at the edge of the piazza, moved to this place in the 16th C.

Capitolum was the hill of gods in Rome. Already in Etruscan time, in the 6th C. B.C. a temple of Jupiter was standing here. Later the temples were three, dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. When Michelangelo started his work, the fame of ancient times had disappeared long ago and goats were grassing in the holy place.

A replica of an equestrian statue of emperor Aurelius is in the middle of the piazza. The original was moved to here from the Lateran piazza, where it had been allowed to stand as people thought it depicted the Christian emperor Constantine. The original was recently moved from the piazza to protect it from pollution.

We turn our attention to the palaces and start with the one in the middle, Palazzo Senatorio.

Palazzo Senatorio

(C3).

Built in 1143 upon the ruins of the ancient Tabularium and was the city senate at that time, towering over the Roman Forum behind. It is now the city hall of Rome.

Michelangelo spared the walls and only designed a new front, which was realised in 1582-1605 by Giacomo della Porta.

Now we turn to the palace on the north side of the piazza, Palazzzo Nuovo.

Palazzo Nuovo

Hours: 9-13:30 Tuesday-Sunday, Tuesday also 17-20. (C3).

Designed by Michelangelo and finished in 1654. In 1734 it became the world’s first museum. It specialises in ancient sculpture.

Among the sculptures are busts of most of the known philosophers and poets of ancient Greece and of all of the rulers of ancient Rome. The original equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, that formerly was in the square, is now in this museum. It also contains the Venus from Capitolum and a replica of the Dying Galatian by the Greek sculptor Praxiteles.

The third palace on the piazza is Palazzo dei Conservatori.

Palazzo dei Conservatori

Hours: 9-13:30 Tuesday-Sunday, Tuesday also 17-20. (C3).

Built in the 15th C. for the magistrates of the city. Michelangelo redesigned it in the same style as Palazzo Nuovo and it was then rebuilt by Giacomo della Porta. It combines painting and sculpture from ancient and medieval times.

The most famous statue is an Etruscan 5th C. B.C. bronze of the wolverine that mothered the brothers Romulus and Remus. There is also Spinario, a 1st C. B.C. bronze showing a boy taking a thorn out of his foot. And a 3rd C. bust of Junius Brutus, the founder of the ancient Republic of Rome.

The paintings are in Pinacoteca Capitolina. Among them are works by Caravaggio, Veronese, Tintoretto, Cortona, Rubens, Titian and Van Dyck.

From the piazza we can walk down steps to the Roman Forum on the left of Palazzo Senatorio. Or we can walk to the right of the palace on Via del Campidoglio where there is a good view over the Roman Forum. This is the ancient Clivus Capitolinus, the road of processions from the Forum up to the Capitolum. This walk ends here.

Renaissance Rome

The district covers the ancient Martian Fields and their surrounding plain between the river and the hills of Capitolum, Quirinal and Pincius. It still retains some of its Renaissance character with narrow streets and winding alleys, barely or not passable by cars. It is also the most pleasant part of present Rome.

This part of the city center is where the action is. Many of the best restaurants cluster in this district around Piazza Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the parliament.

We start by taking a taxi to the other side of the river, to the church of San Pietro in Montorio on the hill Gianicolo just above the district of Trastevere. In the church garden we see the Tempietto.

Tempietto

Hours: Open daily 9-12, 16-18. (B4).

The small temple designed by Bramante is one of the most beautiful works of art in Rome. It is circular and classic, with a Doric colonnade of 16 columns, built in 1502. Above the colonnade there is a frieze and a balustrade. Then comes a second floor topped by a dome.

This small building of harmonious proportions showed the way to the high Renaissance period in architecture and is often used to decorate books on the history of architecture.

From the square in front of the church we have a good view over Rome, from Castel Sant’Angelo to the left, to the Vittorio Emanuele monument, Capitolum and the Basilica of Constantine and Maxentius in the middle and San Giovanni in Laterano to the right.

We walk down the stairs and the hillside road of Via Garibaldi to the next crossing and then down Via Memeli until we come to a staircase leading us down to Via della Paglia in Trastevere. We walk that street to the main square in Trastevere, Piazza Santa Maria di Trastevere. There we see the church by the same name.

Santa Maria in Trastevere

Hours: Open daily 7:30-13, 16-19. (B4).

The church is from 341, rebuilt in 1140 and furnished with the present bell tower. The colonnade in front is much more recent, from 1702.

It is famous for the mosaics in front and inside. The picture in the higher apse depicting Jesus and Maria is in Byzantine style by Greek masters in the 12th C. The six pictures below are by Pietro Cavallini in the 13th C.

We are in the district of Trastevere.

Trastevere

This district is not part of the ancient Rome. It was built by Etruscans and later also Jews and Syrians. Emperor Augustus made it a part of the city. The Aurelian city wall included it.

Since then it has been a district of tradespeople and artisans, who worked in the nearby harbor. Lately it has become fashionable and has been invaded by prosperous people. Restaurants are everywhere and street life is vivid in the evening.

We walk from the piazza on Via della Lungaretta to Piazza Sonnino, where San Crisogno is on the corner, built in the 5th C. and renovated in the 12th C. On the square we turn left, and walk to the Anguillara Tower.

Torre degli Anguillara

(C4).

A typical city tower from the Middle Ages, built in the 13th C., adjoining the Anguillara palace. It got its name from one of the most influential families in Rome in medieval times. Now it is an institute for studies in Dante.

We cross the river on the Garibaldi bridge. On the other side we turn left on Lungarotevere de Vallati, until we come to Piazza Pallotti, where we enter the pedestrian Via Giulia.

Via Giulia

(B3).

The main street in Renaissance Rome. It was the street of proud palaces of cardinals such as Palazzo Farnese and Palazzo Sacchetti. It has been rehabilitated in present times as a street of art and antique galleries.

It may be the only straight street in this old part of Rome and it is a street for pedestrians only. This makes is unique and pleasant for visiting strollers.

The garden wall around the Farnese palace is especially beautiful, with cascades of ivy falling over it.

We arrive at a fountain on the left side of street.

Fontana del Mascherone

(B3).

The grotesque fountain was put up in 1626 but has probably been stolen from a nearby building from classical times, now lost and forgotten. It combines an ancient mask and a granite basin to make a baroque whole.

We pass the Farnese palace and turn right on the next corner to get to the front of the Farnese palace

Palazzo Farnese

(B3).

The main work of Antonio Sangallo jr, designed in 1514. The building started in 1534 and was more or less finished by Michelangelo in 1546 and finally by Giacomo della Porta in 1589. Its outer form is often considered to be a perfect example of the Renaissance style in Rome. It is now the French embassy.

The proud palace is free-standing and rectangular. It has a courtyard with arcades and pairs of columns in the Romanesque style. On the outside it has horizontal Renaissance lines. On the first floor triangular and circular pediments alternate, after an example in the Pantheon.

Two giant stone tubs are in the square in front of the palace. They were robbed from the Caracalla baths in 1626.

We walk Via dei Venti to another palace, Palazzo Spada.

Palazzo Spada

Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday 8:30-14, Sunday 9-13. (B3).

The palace was built in 1540 in the late Renaissance style of Mannerism. The walls are not smooth and strict but laden with friez