Chasing the Fionist Dream

After holding down the fort during Fiona and our daughter’s epic mother-daughter European adventure, I, Finn, have been dreaming of one of my own. While our son isn’t old enough to appreciate such a trip yet, my dad loves to travel. Neither of us had ever been to Rome before and it was on both of our bucket lists. My dad hadn’t had an opportunity to travel since my mom’s illness and subsequent passing last year. Traveling together would be a well-needed and enjoyable bonding opportunity.

We decided to go off-season to bring down costs. By the time we booked, Israel’s airspace looked different than it did in March – No cheap Wizz tickets for us. So since we actually wanted to get to Rome, and make it home, we flew El Al.

I met my dad at Ben Gurion airport excited and ready to go. Our flight was scheduled for 16:15, but as my Oma (may she rest in peace) used to say: El Al stands for “Every Landing, Always Late”. 😉 After taking off two hours after scheduled, we finally landed in Rome, cabbed over to Black & White Suite, checked in, and settled in for the night. We needed our beauty sleep since we had a lot of walking planned for this trip.

The next morning, we ate breakfast in our apartment and set out to walk to the Colosseum, where we had prebooked tickets for that morning. The weather was great and despite making a few wrong turns, we made it there on time. We were surprised to see that the Colosseum was packed. In November! It was incredible to walk around such a large a building that was 2,000 years old. We continued our workout going up and down the stairs, learning about the history and taking in the views.

From there we visited the Arch of Titus, which famously commemorates the Roman triumph awarded to Emperor Vespasian and to Titus, his son and heir, who destroyed and looted the second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Looking up at it while hearing its history as an Israeli Jew 2,000 years later was a surreal experience.

When we felt like we needed a break, we walked back to our accommodations to put our bags down and catch our breath, and then walked outside to get burgers at Fonzie. From there, we walked to the Fontana del Tritone to meet up with our guide from Free Tour Rome. During this time, we got to see many of Rome’s landmarks, including the Pantheon – whose domed roof maximizes the sunlight and keeps out the rain. And did you know that Rome still has a functioning aqueduct? We got to see that too. And lots and lots of churches.

We ended our evening at Ba’Ghetto and split a meat platter. I wanted to do more exploring after that to see the city at night, but after a full day on my feet, I was exhausted.

The next morning, after another breakfast at our apartment, we set off wandering for an hour along the River Tiber.

After learning all about the general history of Rome, we dedicated our second full day to learning about the Jewish history of the city. As Fiona and I are huge fans of “free” walking tours, my dad and I had originally considered joining the tour of the Jewish ghetto run by the same tour company we had used the previous day. We then changed our minds when we realized that not only would we get a lot more in-depth information on a paid tour geared toward Jews, we’d help support the local Jewish community as well.

At 10 am, we met Micaela from Jewish Roma Walking Tours at the Tempio Maggiore, Rome’s Great Synagogue and Museum. There we learned all about the history of Rome’s Jews. As Italian Jews historically worked in the textile business, they were able to receive discarded gowns from royalty and turned them into parochot – cloth coverings for the Torah’s Holy Ark.

We also learned about Italy’s part in World War II as well as the plight of the Italian Jews during the Holocaust. Stones in the ground throughout the Jewish Ghetto show the dates and the names of those deported and murdered by the Nazis.

The tour lasted three hours and was fantastic! We picked up some kosher pizza, took it back to our apartment, ate and rested. After regaining our strength, we trekked up to Gianicolo, to get some breathtaking views of the city. Definitely worth all the stairs on the way up.

After that, we returned to the Jewish Ghetto and picked up meat-filled laffot at Oriental Fonzie. We climbed back up to our accommodations and plotzed. According to my phone, I walked a total of 23,711 steps that day, after walking 35,598 steps the day before. I haven’t walked that much in two days since my tiyulim shnatiyim (yearly school trips/hikes) in high school. Like the previous day, I wanted to get up and explore more after dinner, but I was wiped.

The next morning, we got up, cabbed to the airport, and flew home. It was a great trip and I can’t wait to travel again.

Some closing remarks:

We personally felt very comfortable there as Jewish Israelis. When people asked where we were from, we answered truthfully and only got positive reactions. The Jewish community there is wonderful and there are dozens of kosher establishments. Prices tended to be similar to Israel, or a bit cheaper.

Rome is an incredibly popular tourist destination. Even in November, everything was packed. We were happy we booked everything in advance.

In total, we spent 3,000 shekels on flights, 2,000 shekels on accommodations, and 2,600 shekels for everything else – including meals, cabs, and all activities. My dad and I split the cost.

Now that I’m back, Fiona is already brainstorming our next family trip. 😉

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