Rome, September 20, 2014
It was 5 years ago that I was in Rome. I intended to return a lot sooner that this, but I finally made it. Good thing I wasn't too cheap to toss a coin into Trevi Fountain, or I mightn't have made it!
Before arriving in Rome I spent a few days in Vancouver visiting with my daughter Caitlin and her partner Chris, and my son Ryan and his wife Guin and their two boys, Kallan, 2 3/4 yrs., and new baby Tobin, one month. It was a gift to spend some family time together with them - something I get precious little of. My son Colin joined us via Face Time for a visit from Halifax.
The flight to Rome was routed through Toronto, and the second leg of the journey was quite an ordeal. The seats are small and cramped and even with the additional assistance from melatonin, sleep did not come easily. But I made it, safe and sound, to my hostel accommodation not too far from Termini Station. But it was before check-in time, so I left my suitcase there and headed out to get my bearings.
With my Rick Steves guidebook for Rome firmly in my grasp I ventured into terrain that was a little familiar to me from five years ago. I planned to see some of the same sites again, to orient myself, and test my route finding skills. RUSTY is how I would describe them, but getting better. And anyways half the fun of travelling big cities is in the getting lost part. Right?
First observations: Rome is busier, more crowded with immigrants and tourists, noisier, and dirtier, than it was in 2009. Still, there are places you can find that offer quiet respite from the madding crowds and hustle. Mostly those places are churches, of which there is an unbelievable abundance. This you already know. I do too, but it still amazes me, the sheer number of chiesi and basilichi. And always with very beautifully adorned interiors.
It's hot. Really hot. Plus 31 today with no wind and lots of humidity. I need lighter clothes. Maybe I should go shopping. Or not. Maybe after my friend Val joins me, tomorrow night. She's got more style than I do and would be a good critic.
Today I spent half the day at Appia Antica. Did I mention that it's hot? Really hot? Yes, indeed. I'm still not quite over the time change and found myself almost sleep walking there. Anyways, it's a pretty old road dating back to Aurelius. One of his public work projects, it provided an ancient highway from Rome to Taranto in the deep south. Paved with basalt stones, there are still parts of it in place. There are a couple of catacombs there as well, and the Church of San Sebastian which has two sculptures by Bernini..
The other sites I've gone to have been in central Rome, and included re-visiting Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Campo di Fiori and some of the churches in the vicinties. Crowds galore. One of the big disappointments is that Trevi Fountain isn't accepting coin tosses right now, as it is undergoing restoration and maintenance. It's draped from top to bottom in tarps, drained and the taps are turned off. So are a lot of expectant tourists - I witnessed yelling match between an italian tourist and his italian tour guide that seemed very heated. I imagine that the tourist was stating that he paid to see the fountain and the tour company probably knows full well that it is a bust, but saw their way clear to bringing the unsuspecting walking tour guests past it anyway. Now they can say the have seen Trevi Fountain. Save your coins for next time, folks.
Just spoke with a dorm-mate, who toured Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums today. The crowds are so bad there that you are shoulder to shoulder all the way through. I'm having second thoughts about going there, now. I know it's about as good as it gets, but too many people just takes too much away from the experience. See what Val says.
I am experiencing some problems with how to post pictures on this blog. Google has made changes to it since I last used it in 2010. I will need to do some searching to find out how to proceed.
Meanwhile, it's time to start thinking about supper, cena. Hopefully I can find something decent that won't break the bank. My first night here I went next door to a lovely enoteca. I had a dish of four gnodi (different from gnocchi), made with ricotta and spinach, each about the size of a golf ball. A glass of white wine was perfectly matched, and finished with an espresso. That's all I had - no salad, no desert, no second glass of wine (although I was tempted). 20 euros. That's about C$30. It was very delish, but.... last night I only spent 13 euros for a bowl of broth with ravioli, a tomato salad, a tiny veal scalopini, a carafe of red wine (completely unremarkable) and fruit. Better price but boring, very ordinary. Ka-ching!
It was 5 years ago that I was in Rome. I intended to return a lot sooner that this, but I finally made it. Good thing I wasn't too cheap to toss a coin into Trevi Fountain, or I mightn't have made it!
Before arriving in Rome I spent a few days in Vancouver visiting with my daughter Caitlin and her partner Chris, and my son Ryan and his wife Guin and their two boys, Kallan, 2 3/4 yrs., and new baby Tobin, one month. It was a gift to spend some family time together with them - something I get precious little of. My son Colin joined us via Face Time for a visit from Halifax.
The flight to Rome was routed through Toronto, and the second leg of the journey was quite an ordeal. The seats are small and cramped and even with the additional assistance from melatonin, sleep did not come easily. But I made it, safe and sound, to my hostel accommodation not too far from Termini Station. But it was before check-in time, so I left my suitcase there and headed out to get my bearings.
With my Rick Steves guidebook for Rome firmly in my grasp I ventured into terrain that was a little familiar to me from five years ago. I planned to see some of the same sites again, to orient myself, and test my route finding skills. RUSTY is how I would describe them, but getting better. And anyways half the fun of travelling big cities is in the getting lost part. Right?
First observations: Rome is busier, more crowded with immigrants and tourists, noisier, and dirtier, than it was in 2009. Still, there are places you can find that offer quiet respite from the madding crowds and hustle. Mostly those places are churches, of which there is an unbelievable abundance. This you already know. I do too, but it still amazes me, the sheer number of chiesi and basilichi. And always with very beautifully adorned interiors.
It's hot. Really hot. Plus 31 today with no wind and lots of humidity. I need lighter clothes. Maybe I should go shopping. Or not. Maybe after my friend Val joins me, tomorrow night. She's got more style than I do and would be a good critic.
Today I spent half the day at Appia Antica. Did I mention that it's hot? Really hot? Yes, indeed. I'm still not quite over the time change and found myself almost sleep walking there. Anyways, it's a pretty old road dating back to Aurelius. One of his public work projects, it provided an ancient highway from Rome to Taranto in the deep south. Paved with basalt stones, there are still parts of it in place. There are a couple of catacombs there as well, and the Church of San Sebastian which has two sculptures by Bernini..
The other sites I've gone to have been in central Rome, and included re-visiting Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Campo di Fiori and some of the churches in the vicinties. Crowds galore. One of the big disappointments is that Trevi Fountain isn't accepting coin tosses right now, as it is undergoing restoration and maintenance. It's draped from top to bottom in tarps, drained and the taps are turned off. So are a lot of expectant tourists - I witnessed yelling match between an italian tourist and his italian tour guide that seemed very heated. I imagine that the tourist was stating that he paid to see the fountain and the tour company probably knows full well that it is a bust, but saw their way clear to bringing the unsuspecting walking tour guests past it anyway. Now they can say the have seen Trevi Fountain. Save your coins for next time, folks.
Just spoke with a dorm-mate, who toured Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums today. The crowds are so bad there that you are shoulder to shoulder all the way through. I'm having second thoughts about going there, now. I know it's about as good as it gets, but too many people just takes too much away from the experience. See what Val says.
I am experiencing some problems with how to post pictures on this blog. Google has made changes to it since I last used it in 2010. I will need to do some searching to find out how to proceed.
Meanwhile, it's time to start thinking about supper, cena. Hopefully I can find something decent that won't break the bank. My first night here I went next door to a lovely enoteca. I had a dish of four gnodi (different from gnocchi), made with ricotta and spinach, each about the size of a golf ball. A glass of white wine was perfectly matched, and finished with an espresso. That's all I had - no salad, no desert, no second glass of wine (although I was tempted). 20 euros. That's about C$30. It was very delish, but.... last night I only spent 13 euros for a bowl of broth with ravioli, a tomato salad, a tiny veal scalopini, a carafe of red wine (completely unremarkable) and fruit. Better price but boring, very ordinary. Ka-ching!
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