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The Wedding on the Steps
May 2001
Rome. It has been over ten years since my last visit to Rome and this trip is very last minute and for just three short days. Over the past several weeks my dear friend Libby Wolfensperger has been describing to me in vivid detail the spectacular plans for her friend’s wedding in Rome. Helene and Marcantonio are to be married on May 5, 2001 in the magnificent Church of the Trinite des Monts located at the top of the Spanish Steps. The French and Swiss-Italian delegations will be arriving in grand style to celebrate the union of these two beautiful people and representation from the United States is in order. The wedding celebration includes receptions and a black tie gala at a private villa in the heart of Rome. With invitation in hand, Libby has been debating whether to attend or not. I make a few calls and in less than 24 hours we are planning our own “Roman Holiday.” The focus of this visit will of course be the wedding, but what shall we do with the remaining two days? Libby and I enjoy food, wine and everything that comes with engaging conversation, so Rome is an excellent place for us to explore.
Our Delta Air Lines flight via New York’s JFK Airport is on time and with our early morning arrival at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, we flag down a taxi for the transfer to the hotel. A major traffic accident forces a closure of the main highway to the city center, so we make our way into downtown Rome via a detour. To our surprise we encounter quiet residential neighborhoods full of beautiful trees and greenery. This part of the city is most often overlooked by visitors and I wish we had more time on this trip to explore some of these surrounding residential districts. As we make our way further into the city center, the symbols of ancient Rome pass us on the right and left – the Coliseum, Forum, Altare della Patria, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Piazza Colonna, and finally the Via Veneto. Our taxi makes its final climb up the winding tree-lined Via Veneto to our hotel – the Excelsior.
Located next to the U.S. Embassy, the Excelsior is managed by the Westin Group of hotels and is considered one of their premier properties. It is quietly nestled along the upper portion of the Via Veneto within walking distance of the Villa Borghese and the Pincian Gardens (a must see for all visitors to Rome for its amazing art collection). Our early arrival at the hotel means that our rooms will not be ready for occupancy, but it gives us ample time to explore the public areas of the hotel and to enjoy delicious blood orange mimosas and light snacks in the hotel’s comfortable and spacious lobby bar. When our room is ready, the front desk staff escorts us to the top floor of the hotel, where we discover a very spacious room with a bathroom larger than most normal European hotel rooms. The entire bathroom is decorated in Italian marble and the bathtub will serve as a great escape after walking the streets of Rome all day long. The best part of the room is a large terrace overlooking the Via Veneto and the entire cityscape of Rome including views of the Vatican and the surrounding hills.
After freshening up after our long international flight, we put on our walking shoes and venture out into the city streets to explore Rome on foot. Our walk starts with a stroll to the Spanish Steps which are only about 15 minutes away and along the way we enjoy popping in and out of small stores and boutiques selling everything from food to high fashion. The Church of the Trinite des Monts sits majestically at the top of the Spanish Steps and this will be the site of the wedding tomorrow. After getting familiar with the area around the hotel we walk down to the Via del Corso and Via Condotti, which is well known for Italian and international fashion and footwear stores, shops, and beautiful boutiques. Rome draws tourists from around the world and it is great fun exploring the sites and meeting so many different people. We continue our walk along the Via del Corso and find ourselves standing across from the mammoth Altare della Patria and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which many of the locals refer to as the giant wedding cake. The monument commands spectacular views of the city in all directions and we are fortunate to be visiting during a rousing musical number performed by a local big band orchestra. The remainder of the afternoon is spent strolling by the Forum and finally to the Coliseum – the symbol of the city of Rome and an impressive statement of the legacy of the Roman Empire. We enjoy walking leisurely around the Coliseum and try to envision what life would have been like during the height of the Roman Empire. We return to our hotel by subway, which whisks us quickly from the Coliseum and across town to the Via Veneto with only one change of trains.
For dinner, Libby and I decide to savor the ambience of the Pantheon and the surrounding piazza and find ourselves at an outdoor table in a quaint local restaurant. We order wonderful wines and enjoy several courses of the best in Roman cuisine before making an evening stroll back to the hotel. To our surprise, a cloud bursts in the sky above us and we are drenched to the bone in a spring rainshower. We enter the hotel lobby looking like drowned rats, but we take it all in stride and give the front desk staff a wink and smile and dash for the elevators.
Today is the lavish wedding and Libby and I are taking the morning at ease and enjoying a lavish room service breakfast complete with china, silver and linens. We discuss world events and things trivial as we finish our second pot of rich coffee overlooking the city of Rome from our veranda. After donning our Sunday best, we decide to make the journey to the church on foot and enjoy the sites along the way. As we approach the Spanish Steps we pass the Hassler Hotel and decide to take a peak inside. The Hassler is considered one of Rome’s best and the rooms command some of the best views of the city from its perch high above. The hotel is also located at the very top of the Spanish Steps, making it one of Rome’s most sought after addresses.
We arrive at the church and find many guests enjoying the spring sun in anticipation of the marriage celebration to follow, so we find ourselves a spot on the stairs overlooking the city and decide to watch all the guests as they arrive in grand fashion. We recognize the French guests immediately as they all showcase the most amazing hats from simple pill boxes to extravagant mad hatter monsters with dangling fuzz balls. We gaze in amusement as the guests arrive one by one and finally make our way into the chapel for the service. The church has an amazing history and after doing some questioning I learn more fully the “French Connection” between the French bride and the church. After the successful French invasion of Naples in 1495, King Louis XII of France had the church built. Construction started in 1502 and continued for many years to follow. Finally, in 1585, Pope Sixtus V consecrated the church, which was eventually built in the Gothic style, but the façade is neo-classical. During Napoleon's occupation of Rome, the French stripped the building of its most precious decorations, but in subsequent years the kings of France patronized the church and Louis XVIII returned the decorations to their rightful place. The interior was also renovated in the early 19th century by a French architect. For over 400 years the church has maintained a long history with France and thanks to the families’ ties with the French Ambassador to Italy, the church was opened for this special occasion. It is nice to have friends in high places.
Once in our seats in the chapel we immediately recognize that the guests are from around the world, many wearing the traditional clothes of their homeland. I could not help but notice the beautiful Indian sarees and the million dollar rubies, diamonds and emeralds glittering in the candle light. With guests from the around the world, the priest conducts the service in three languages – French, Italian and English. This makes for a much longer ceremony, but also gives us a chance to touch up on our language skills as the words transitioned from one language to another. The bride and groom are dressed traditionally and most elegantly, which serves as a wonderful contrast to the ornate interior of the chapel. At the conclusion of the ceremony we exit through the front door and notice the tourists gazing at the wedding party and I am sure wondering who these special people are to be married in the little church at the top of the Spanish Steps.
The cocktail reception is to be held in the cloisters of the church next door and I am told that this is the first time the area has been opened for a private wedding reception. And this is just the cocktail reception immediately following the ceremony – I wonder how amazing the dinner will be at the private 17th century Palazzo Ferrajoli in downtown Rome. The guests slowly gather in the cloisters around tables and chairs placed strategically in the grass courtyard of the cloisters. A delicious buffet lines one side of the garden along with several cocktail stations, making it very easy for guests to mingle and imbibe. We greet the bride and groom, Helen and Marcantonio, and offer our congratulations before making our way to the Pantheon for some simple sightseeing and light food. We decide that pizza is in order and savor some of Rome’s best thin crust pizza as we view the magic of the Pantheon. We enjoy a massive and sudden downpour of rain in the middle of our meal, but after several glasses of local red wine and numerous pieces of pizza, it all seems appropriate. Our afternoon would not be complete without another visit to Giolitti, which has become a daily ritual while in Rome.
We return to the Excelsior and nap a bit before preparing for the big wedding reception gala. Libby and I arrive all decked out in our best black and white early, and take the opportunity to explore the 17th century Palazzo Ferrajoli. We wander from room to room in amazement as the space feels as though it could be a wing of the Louvre Museum in Paris with its high ceilings and ornate interiors. We are offered our first glass of champagne and toast to the start of an exciting evening. The entire evening is magical as we gaze at the guests and their haute couture fashions, making their way through the extravagant candle lit dining rooms and dancing the night away listening to the latest music mixed by the hottest DJ in Paris flown in just for the occasion. Libby and I take a moment to revisit reality and step onto an outside balcony overlooking the piazza and make a toast to friendship. After several dances to the hot DJ we decide that it is time to make the quick trip back to the hotel and call it an evening to remember. We hit the street in search of a taxi which took much longer than we expected, but found ourselves back at the hotel in the early morning hours ready for bed.
Sunday is going to be a relaxing day with a walk to the Galleria Borghese and the surrounding gardens, which are only about 10 minutes from our hotel. We made reservations the day prior as tickets are very difficult to secure unless you do so in advance. You enter the gallery from the second floor portico and then you are free to roam at your leisure. The collection is amazing with priceless sculptures by Bernini and paintings by Raphael, Rubens, and Caravaggio. We spent almost two hours strolling the galleries and admiring some of the best art in the world, housed in one of the most spectacular settings. After a brief respite at the hotel, it is time for an evening of great food, wine and gelato with close friends who grew up in Rome - Haven and Fadi.
The Piazza Navona is a special place for Romans and is a marvel of light and sculpture. It is exceptionally long and owes its shape to the ruins that lie beneath it. Under the buildings that surround Piazza Navona are the remains of the Circus Domitianus or Domitian's Stadium and the open public space features many exquisite old buildings, a beautiful church and three stunning fountains. Dinner tonight is at the fashionable Bramante Restaurant, located near the Piazza Navona. As soon as we enter the restaurant we smell the most delicious cuisine and realize that half the city of Rome is also waiting for a table. Libby immediately befriends the owner – Giuseppe – and before we know it we have the best table in the place with views of all the activity that nocturnal Rome is known for. Giuseppe is definitely over-the-top and parades around in leather pants and makes his away around with a lovely fan in hand. He knows how to work a room and ensure smooth sailing in the dining room and kitchen alike. Throughout the evening Giuseppe joins our table and tells us stories of his life in New York, Rome and around the globe and recites his sagas of love lost. After several bottles of wine and the most amazing salads, pastas and meat dishes, we close our bill and start the evening walk to the best gelato shop on the planet. Giolitti is located near the Pantheon between the Piazza Navona and the Piazza Colonna and is regarded as the best in all of Italy. The flavors of malaga or niocciola are still on the tip of my tongue as I write these words and what makes this gelato so amazing is the dollop of panna (whipped cream) that sits atop each cone or dish of Giolitti gelato. A trip to Giolitti alone is reason enough to visit Rome.
After another wonderful Roman breakfast, we prepare for the trip to the airport and our return flight to the USA. Our Roman Holiday has been a grand affair and a whirlwind of an experience, but so much fun. I look forward to a future visit of longer duration to explore more of the sights and sounds of Rome.
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