Next Stop, Florence

Giotto's Campaneli and the Florence Duomo

The train is an easy, comfortable two hour ride from Rome to Florence without any stops.  The only discomfort was the man directly behind us who snorted, coughed and sniffled for the entire trip without once reaching for a handkerchief.  I wanted to throttle him.  

We disembarked and walked the 15 minutes to our apartment.  There we were met by Raffaella, the apartment manager, who spent a good hour with us.  We got her recommendations for restaurants and places to visit.  The owner, Pierro, is coming on Monday to take us on a walking tour.  The apartment is so nice.  Large rooms with 15-20' ceilings, marble floors, beautiful books and paintings.  I feel like a Medici.  LOL. We have a view of the Brunelleschi dome from 2 rooms and the balcony.  The bells serenade us every hour.  

We took a short walk to check out the neighborhood and do a little shopping.  You can see those pictures at flickr. 

Observations of two visitors.

    Italy is doing a very poor job of teaching the cough into your elbow thing.  

   

Arrivederci Roma

A Typical Corner in Trastevere

There is nothing exciting to report today.  We walked in a bright, sunny, warm February day down to the Tiber River and watched people sunning along the banks.  We had the best pizza of the trip for lunch.  We revisited the Chiesa di San Francisco to have a last look at Bernini's The Ecstasy of Ludovia.  We had a last aperitif and light supper at Grazia e Graziella.  Nothing exciting, just wonderful. Same old, same old.

Observations of two visitors.

    You can't parallel park a 10' car in a 8' space.  But you can try for 10 minutes.
     Packing is never fun. 

Churches

    Chiesa San Francisco (second time)

Three Coins in a Fountain

Trevi Fountain

As we wind down our time in Rome, we made sure to return to the Trevi Fountain to throw in coins. We'll be back. Then we sat and people watched for a while, and listened to a podcast about the fountain.  The remainder of the day was a leisurely walk past familiar places (Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Piazza Trilussa) and an early evening home. 

 A few pics at flickr.

Observations of two visitors.

    People (especially women) with selfie sticks are ridiculously vain.

    Beggars using a cell phone will not gain sympathy. 
    Acanthas grows wild, free and everywhere. 

Acanthas

Acanthas, the plant that adorns the corinthian columns.  We have a funny observation we make when worried about losing our memory. It comes from a passage in Ian McEwan's novel, Amsterdam. 
 "Within weeks she was fumbling for the names of things. Parliament, chemistry, propeller she could forgive herself, but less so bed, cream, mirror. It was after the temporary disappearance of acanthus and bresaiola that she sought medical advice, expecting reassurance.
  And, thus, Wayne and I intone "Acanthus" to replace whatever name, place, event we can't remember. 

Churches

    Sant'Agnes in Agone (second visit)

     

Fountians

    All the Piazza Navona Fountains (third time)

    Trevi Fountain

Vatican City

Rome, Christmas 2002

Gallery of Maps, 2020

The Vatican doesn't change in 20 years, but some tourists do.

We employed a tour for today's Vatican visit.  With a tour guide you can skip the lines but not the crowds.  Our guide did say many times, "You are lucky there are not many people today".  And, actually it was very manageable with only the occasional large group of mask covered Chinese.  In the photo above, we are in my favorite area, the Gallery of Maps.  This gallery is 131 yards long, and it is AMAZING.  Yes, there are fresco maps of Italy on the walls of this gallery.  But the ceiling was what wowed me.  Elsewhere, we saw the usual high points which were the Raphael rooms, the Sistine, and St Peter's.  When we were here some 20 years ago, the Sistine's ceiling had not been cleaned.  Today we were able to see the vibrancy of Michelangelo's original works.  We had a nice group of 10, all Americans.  Pictures galore at flickr. 

Observations of two visitors.

    People are now wearing masks.

    

Churches

    St Peter's Basilica

Ostia Antica

Baths of Neptune, Ostia Antica

We took a 30 minute train ride out of Rome to Ostia Antica.  This archeological site once sat at the mouth of the Tiber and over the years transformed from a military base to the major port of trade for Rome.  But then the Tiber decided to change its course, and Ostia became covered in mud.  In the grander scheme, that was a fortunate thing, and protected Ostia from scavengers.  Mussolini excavated the city with abandon to reveal the "glory of Rome".  His rough and crude mannered excavation destroyed a lot of the medieval ruins.  But, all in all, it is a view of how Rome may have looked before modernity buried it.  Please take a look at flickr.

Observations of two visitors.

    Women are starting to use their ubiquitous scarves to cover mouths and noses.

     

Doria Pamphilj

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Courtyard

We have been passing the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj on occasion and peeking into the courtyard you see above which opens directly from the sidewalk. Today we finally entered.  The collection dates from the 17th century and includes important works by Caravaggio and the Velazquez painting of Pope Innocent X who began the collection.  To Wayne's delight there is also a Bernini bust of the Pope.  Much like the Gardner Museum in Boston, the collection remains intact and in situ thanks to the Pope's entail.  To me the star of the show, though, was the opulent palazzo.  In need of attention with regard to the ravages of time, it still shines as an entirety of amazing ceilings, walls and floors.  

Church of St Louis of the French

There are so many similar looking baroque churches here that we have difficulty knowing if we've been inside.  But today on the way back from Doria Pamphilj, we noticed this was a French church and had not been inside.  What a find!  Not only was the interior fabulous, there were three Caravaggio paintings in a chapel.  A second church discovery was the Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola with an interesting trompe l'oeil painting in the dome.

The day ended on a high note with drinks on the roof of the Hotel Raphael. I will let the pictures tell the story at flickr. 

Observations of two visitors.

    Piazza Navona is beautiful anytime of day and never gets old.

Churches

     Chiesa di Ignazio di Loyola
      Church of St Louis of the French

A Little Protest then a Little Night Music

Plinth of Pasquino

Today was one of easy strolling and revisiting favorite spots.  The Pantheon is one such spot, and it happens to be very close to Pasquino, the talking statue who currently is expounding upon Trump.  We prepared for a visit with our own complaint.  It read, DUMP TRUMP, Vote Blue No Matter Who, Dear World, We're sorry for this raging, lying fool.  People are constantly stopping and reading the postings.  We did our part to spread the disgust.  

Early evening we attended a concert at San Cecilia of Schubert's Winterreise performed by Sabrina Cortese, soprano, and Daniele Ruffino, pianoforte.  It was quite beautiful and well attended. Pictures of our sunny day at flickr.

Observations of two visitors.

     Glue stick will adhere paper to stone.  

      Folding plastic chairs on flagstone are unstable.  Ouch!

Churches

     San Cecilia, second visit

     Pantheon, second visit

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Via dei Fienaroli 

Above is a picture of the apartment and street where we have been staying.  As evident, the Cooking Class of Rome was truly next door. Our rooms are the first four windows on the first floor.  We've seen only a few other people who live here.  One very nice woman rang the bell to tell us we left our keys in the door.  Otherwise, it's quite for city living with soundproof windows.  

Via dell Arco di San Calisto

Around the corner is the street that leads under the arch and onto Piazza Calisto where people gather by the dozens every night to drink, chat and sometimes listen to street performers. It's a place of conviviality.  This piazza is small and adjacent to the much larger Piazza Sant'Maria. 

Jazz at Piazza Calisto

We hung around the neighborhood all day and tried to revisit some of the churches we like.  We managed to get into half.  A wedding and closures prevented entrance to the others.  So, we stopped in the Piazza Santa Maria for an aperitif of both Jewish and Roman prepared artichokes.  It was decided that the Jewish preparation (fried) is preferred over the Roman (steamed).  

This evening we employed our cooking class lesson and made spaghetti carbonara.  Considering our limited space and utensils, the results were very good.  Pictures of the neighborhood are at flickr. 

Observations of two visitors.

    Always say no to the bread and water offers at restaurants. They ain't free.

    

Churches

     Sant'Cecilia

     Basilica San Crisogono

    

     

Janiculum Hill

Selfie at Fontana Paolo, Janiculum Hill

The Janiculum Hill is in Trastevere outside the boundaries of the ancient city, and not one of the preverbal seven hills.  But it still deserves recognition and visiting because it is the second tallest of all the hills and offers a scenic view of central Rome.  Janiculum is where Garibaldi battled the French during the struggle to defend the short lived Roman Republic of 1849.  There are many monuments to Garibaldi and the fallen soldiers.  One of them, commissioned by Mussolini, has a facist appearance but beautiful gold mosaics in the crypt. Andrea, the guide at the Mausoleum, was very friendly and chatty. He spent a great deal of time discussing Italian history and Janiculum Hill. 

Fontana dell'Acqua Paola

Other than the views, the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola was the highlight.  It was built in 1612 by Pope Paul V to mark the end of the rebuilt Acqua Traiana aqueduct and provide clean water to the residents of the hill. The sculptural theme is water.  

To fortify ourselves for the march up Janiculum Hill, we had our daily stuffing of pasta at Mani in Pasta, another highly recommended spot. The atmosphere was one of busy hustle, tight elbow to elbow tables.  Our waiter was a riot. We told him we would like a dish seen on the table next to us.  So he said, "This dish?"  Grabbed it and tried to serve us.  Everyone took it in stride.  This restaurant is know for its fish so we had vongole and spaghetti.  Pictures at flickr.

Observations of Two Visitors

     Young people will sit on the most dangerous precarious ledges.

      The Italian people are very friendly and nice.

      Garibaldi and Anna Maria, a love story.

Fountains

     Fontana del Prigione

     Fontana  dell'Aqua Paola

      

Aventine Hill Where the Views are Magnifica

View of Rome from the Aventine Hill

The Aventine Hill has a more residential feel than the other hills we've visited.  The 'pines of Rome' are everywhere here, shading large homes of architectural interest.  There are significant churches (where are there not???) and gardens over looking the Tiber and greater Rome.  The Basilica of Santa Sabina was the most interesting church.  It was built upon the ancient Temple of Juno. One of the original columns from the temple can be seen in an excavated area of the church. Santa Sabina is a rest for the eyes after so many Baroque churches.  It follows the simple basilica design drawn out by Constantine in his efforts to begin to serve as a basis for the new Christian churches.  The only existing mosaic tomb cover is here.  

Line for the Key Hole

The beauty of the hill for us was the panoramic view of Rome center, the Tiber and Trastevere.  Many people come here to capture a perfect view of St Peter's Basilica through a key hole in the door of the Priory of the Knights of Malta.  The line was long and looked to take about an hour to reach the key hole.  We opted out and found excellent views elsewhere at the Orange Garden of Santa Sabina and the Garden of Sant'Alessio.  

Felice Testaccio

Early today we had a very nice lunch at Felice Testaccio.  Several sources recommended this restaurant for the best Cacio e Pepe in Rome.  I had it; Wayne had spaghetti carbonara.  I actually preferred his dish because the meat and egg gave it more oomph.  Testaccio sits at the base of the Aventine Hill.  It was once the area of Tiber River trade and a working class neighborhood.  Today, it still has a bohemian vibe and is known for some of the best restaurants.  Panoramic pics at flickr.

Observations of two visitors.

    A 30 degree climb can be worth it for the view.

    People, like sheep, will follow the flock, ie, the keyhole line.

Churches

    Basilica of Santa Sabina

    Sant'Anselmo

Fountains

    Fontana of Santa Sabina

Bernini's Favorite Spot

Sant'Andrea della Quirinale 

Today was a lot of street sight-seeing and some good pizza.  We started with lunch at Dar Poeta, a pizza parlour recommended by many sources as the best pizza in Trastevere.  We had about a 10 minute wait for a packed restaurant.  The parlour is named after the poet, G.G. Belli, and one of his poems is written on the wall. Dar Poeta translates "At the Poet's". They offer a leavened pizza as well as another pretty full menu.  What we've noticed with Roman pizza in general is that the tomato sauce we are so accustomed to in the US is a rarity.  To get a piquant taste one needs to order a spicy sausage topping.  If you ask for a red pizza you get tomato slices baked in.  

Castor and Pollux at Piazza Quirinale

The Piazza Quirinale, near our destination, has a nice fountain with Castor and Pollux and their horses.  It is also where the Italian President lives.  Guardie! Guardie!

The Sant'Andrea della Quirinale is a small church designed by Bernini.  We have learned that it was his favorite creation.  He would go there and sit for hours contemplating his design.  It is a simple oval with acres of marble and soaring dome upon dome.  We were lucky enough to hear a visiting group of teenagers sing.  We think they were from Detroit based on their gear.  

The other church nearby, a Borromini and Bernini's supposed rival, was unfortunately closed.   Sant'Andrea sits in a tight space on the intersection of 2 roads and is considered a masterpiece of Baroque architecture.  All four corners sport fountains.  Borromini designed St Agnes in Agone in Piazza Navona.  A fun legend has it that Bernini designed his fountain of Four Rivers which faces St Agnes so that two of his allegorical in figures that face the church express horror.  It's not true but fun to consider.

Almost home, I finally walked down into the Cat Sanctuary at the Torre Argentina.  The subterranean area is a refuge for rescued abandoned cats.  Pictures at Flickr

Observations of two visitors.
     Walking in Rome is a contact sport.
      Sometimes the way from one road to another entails beaucoup stairs.  And they are       always up.

Churches
     Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
     San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
    

Marble, Marble Everywhere

Wayne Outside the Baths of Diocletian

It was a full day of walking and visiting three museums and one church.  We've gotten better at realizing the proximity of places we wish to visit and clumping them within one trek.  The three museums are part of the National Museums of Rome.  Saturday's visit of Altemps was the first visit of the four museums.  

Our day started with the Crypt Balbi which stands on the ruins of the the Theater of Balbus.  The ruins are visible deep down inside the museum.  This area of Rome along the Tiber is known as the Field of Mars where military exercises took place (even today the military will use this term for the area where drills and parades are conducted). Fires, floods and earthquakes eventually did in the theater.

From here we returned to the Piazzo Republica where the Baths of Diocletian can be visited.  These were the largest imperial baths in Rome covering some 32 acres.  Most Romans tried to bathe daily not only for cleanliness but as a means of socializing.  It's hard to imagine the original structure from the ruins.  But what clearly remains is Michelangelo's cloister where expressive face sculptures hang over the doors.  In the center of the cloister is a fountain surrounded by four cypresses. It is said that Michelangelo planted these.  

The final museum, Palazzo Massimo is across the street from the Baths.  Wayne was excited to see Boxer at Rest.  Unfortunately, it was under restoration, could be seen but not appreciated.  The Discobolus was there and made up for the Boxer's hospitalization. It is in the most perfect condition of all the Roman copies.

Boxer at Rest, Palazzo Massimo

I found this the best museum of the day.  The frescos and mosaics were captivating and in excellent condition,  The best frescos were from the villa of Livia, wife of Caesar Augustus and mother of subsequent rulers including Nero.  Look her up,  She's pretty savvy, pretty nasty, too.

The Basilica of St. Peter's Chains was on our way home.  This is where Michelangelo's Moses is (and also the chains).  I didn't realize until the visit that this sculpture is only a small part of a tomb planned for Pope Julius II. The initial design was massive and intended for the Basilica of St Peter.  A lot of pictures and some music videos are at flickr.

Observations of two visitors

    62 steps from one museum floor to another is too much for a 70 year old.  

    3 floor of 62 steps each can be a killer.

    Walking in Rome is a contact sport.

    

Churches

    St Peter's in Chains

  

Fountains

    Fontana of the Naiads (2nd time)

Mangia, Bevi, e Sposati

Rome Cooking Class

Today we walked all of three steps to our next door neighbor, the Cooking Classes in Rome.  Here we spent the next four hours getting to know our fellow 'chefs'.  We chopped, we de-boned, we sautéed, we fried, we whipped, we cracked eggs, we made pasta and pizza dough, we ate, we drank.  We learned how to use netting to hold our de-boned, stuffed chicken together.  The carbonara and stuffed chicken were the BEST.  For those of you who might find yourselves in Rome and want a cooking class, I recommend the Rome Cooking Class with Andrea.

Pictures at flickr.

Observations of two visitors.

     Everyone likes to eat.

     Not everyone likes to cook.

     Most people are nice and curious.

     

Suicidal Gauls and Talking Statues

Palazzo Altemps

The Palazzo Altemps is one of three locations for the National Museums of Rome.  These museums are a great deal more user friendly with English labels and explanations of provenance than the private palazzos. This site houses a collection of Greek and Roman sculpture that belonged to several families of the Roman nobility between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The works are on display in beautiful rooms decorated with frescoes on the walls and ceilings. Each room as only a few pieces giving the eye time to appreciate and not wander. The Altemps is a Renaissance work of art in itself with a chapel within the palace itself. Of course, Altemps was a Cardinal.  Those guys!!!  This has been one of my favorite spots, particularly the two pieces The Ludovisi Sarcophagus and the Galation Suicide.   Speculation is that the Galatian Suicide was part of a group that included the Dying Gaul now at the Borghese Gallery.  

Pasquino, the Talking Statue

On our way home we came across the sculpture of Pasquino.  This is one of six sculptures or fountains around Rome that are called talking statues because of the tradition of attaching anonymous criticism to the form. On Pasquino we noticed a number of criticisms that had the heading TRUMP.  I forwarded the script to our apartment manager with a request for translation.  She translated a few words and then said, "basically it is a poetic form of throwing shit on Trump."  We plan to return and throw our own "shit posting" on Trump.  

With some time remaining in our day, we tried to make it to the Santa Maria en Cosmedian where one can find The Mouth of Truth.  Our plan was to re-enact the scene from Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.  With about 5 minutes to spare before closing, we arrived at the church to find a waiting line of about 50 people.  So...a quick picture through the gate sufficed.  

Another beautiful sunset from the Ponte Cestio, Tiber Island ended another perfect day.  See all of it at flickr.

Observations of Two Visitors
  There are some in Rome who disparage Trump as much as we.
  Sunsets never get old.
   Popular sites are not always worth the wait.

Fountains
    Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (again)
   Fontana Tritoni

Barberinis and Berninis

Ecstasy of Beata Ludovica Alberton by Bernini

Our day started in church, the Chiesa di San Francesco a Ripa Grande, which was a block from our apartment.  Somehow we missed this very impressive Franciscan church which has the Bernini sculpture of Ludovica Alberton.  Ludovica is buried here, was beatified for her work with the poor, and had the capability to elevate herself while apparently in a state of ecstasy.  We found this sculpture to be very similar to Bernini's Ecstasy of St Teresa in the facial features and the breast grabbing.  I'm envious of the Romans who can simply walk into any of the hundreds of churches and contemplate upon all this amazing art.  

Fontana del Api by Bernini

The majority of our time today was spent in the Palazzo Barberini, the companion to the Palazzo Corsini. The Barberini houses the main national collection of older paintings in Rome. The collection includes works by Caravaggio, Lippi, and yes, Bernini among others.  The Barberini were one of those ruling families that commanded Pope and Cardinal positions.  They were a very wealthy minor noble family who made their money in Florence in the grain, wool and textiles. Their influence is easy to spot due to their iconic symbol of three bees. The palazzo faces the Barberini Piazza where we had earlier seen the Fontana of the Tritone.  We walk down to the piazza to see a small Bernini fountain we had missed, the Fontana del Api.  You got it.  The Fountain of the Bees.  This fountain was incidentally added to reduce the water pressure of the Fontana Tritone which was soaking people who walked passed. 

M5S Protestors

We had a nice waiter for our lunch who explained with great facial expression about all the street protestors we had encountered. Members of Italy's Five Star Movement (M5S) were protesting the Senate's proposed restoration of annuities for former senators. The M5S is a what we would describe as progressive yet holds to an anti-immigrant stance.  

More pics at Flickr

Observations of two visitors.

    Surprisingly few cats are around.

    Some galleries are better organized that others.

Fontains

    Fontana del Api

    Fontana del Tritones (again)

    Trevi Fontana

Churches

    Chiesa di San Francisco

The Mysterious Etruscans

Sarcophagus of the Spouses

I love the Etruscans for many reasons, but particularly because of the gender equality in their society.  Women engaged and participated in Etruscan life equally with the men,  Unlike the Greeks and Romans of this period who would not allow the women to even eat with them, the Etruscans reveled in partnership with each other,  This sarcophagus is a strong example of that. It represents the husband and wife of equal proportions attending a banquet, reclining on a kline (dining couch).  Very little is known about the Etruscans as none of their own literature or histories survive.  The buildings were made mostly of wood and, thus, have been lost.  What did remain are the extensive necropolises built to replicate Etruscan rooms and filled with artifacts and replicas of their daily lives.  The National Etruscan Museum has room after room of the excavated artifacts from the necropolises.  Etruscans traded with the Greeks whose beautiful vases can be seen here along side the Etruscan terra cotta and bronze pieces.  

Today's walk took us to the Piazza Popolo again and then through the north portal onto the Via Flaminia, once the ancient road to the Adriatic Sea. Along the way we saw a few minor fountains.  See all this at Flickr. 

Observations from two visitors.
   No matter your age, females can opt for bright red or orange hair.
   Great lunches can be found in the most unexpected places.  

Fountains
   Fontana delle Conche
   2 Nameless
  

The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum

We let the professionals take over today.  Talk Walks Tours was recommended by Rick Steves, and turned out to be a good decision.  The tours are small (10 people today) and allows one to skip all the long entry lines.  Our guide, Elena, was very well informed and pointed out history and structural aspects we would have probably missed.  The tour included the Colosseum (upper and lower levels), the Palatine Hill and a look at the Roman Forum.  We got a complete description of how the Colosseum was constructed, the original appearance and the functions.  Elena continued to impress upon us that this was a place of death. Events were sponsored by the wealthy and powerful in order to appease the middle classes and the poor, "Bread and Circus".  Sound familiar? Over the nearly 400 years of use, it is estimated that 400,000 people and about 1,000,000 animals died here.  During Titus inaugural 100 days alone more than 2000 gladiators died.  And, the people loved this.  Wow!

The steep climb up the Palatine Hill was well worth the effort.  Here, where Romulus founded Rome, are the remains of the wealthy rulers' villas and the Gardens of Farnese.  The Hill offers an expansive view of the Forum and the surrounding area and is where Elena pointed out significant buildings.  She left us here, and we walked down into the Forum area for a leisurely walk and viewing.  We were impressed with the Temple of the Vestal Virgins and Caesar's cremation site.  Surprisingly, the Forum is a very small area amongst all the larger ruins of temples and shops of the area.  Our exit took us under the Via dei Fori Imperiali and into Trajan's Forum.

At Elena's suggestion we had a late lunch at Ai Bozzi in Trastavere.  The outside belied an elegant interior where we had delicious beef carpaccio and polio.  Pictures worthy of a travel log at flickr.  

Observations of two visitors.
   The Roman Forum is really just a tiny rectangular area amongst all the ruins.