Happy Halloween from Rome! We made it safely to Rome on Friday afternoon after a four hour train ride from La Spieza near Cinque Terre. We left the coastal town of Riomaggiore population 2,500 and arrived in Rome population 2.5 million not counting the hordes of tourists. We went from the sound of crashing waves against rocks to the constant sound of cars, buses and vespa scooters making mad dashes through the street. We have learned the dangerous art of playing “Frogger” (an old Atari video game where the frog character dodges things trying to run it over). Mariella and I both agree that we would rather be meandering the Cliffside towns of Cinque Terre than dodging people and cars. Maybe we will find ourselves living in a smaller town in the near future. After walking around Rome for a day and a half it is easy to imagine what a great city this must have been. Today we went on a marathon walk that started at the hostel we are staying at near the central train station. First we walked to a church called Santa Maria Maggiore where there is a statue of Moses carved my Michelangelo and the chains supposedly warn by the Apostle Peter during his imprisonment. From there we made our way to the Coliseum and ventured around Palatino Hill. Next we walked to Piazza Del Campidoglio, which was designed by Michelangelo. Eventually we made our way to Trevi Fountain, depicting Neptune’s chariot being led by Tritons, with sea horses representing the moods of the sea. After this we walked to the Pantheon where the artist Rafael is buried. Finally we visited Piazza Navona where the fountain of four rivers resides. We tried some great gelato at Tre Scalini, recommended by Aunt Renee. The gelato was the best we’ve had so far. Better than the place we tried and hour before : ). Eventually we walked back to the other side of town to where we are sleeping. We knew we found the right street when we saw the car accident marking the location. There was a car accident on the same cross streets the evening before at about the same time. Crazy Rome! It’s off to Vatican City tomorrow morning.
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Happy Halloween!!! Glad you guys made it to Rome. When in Rome...Eat lots of Gelato. :) Love you two!
ReplyDeleteHey guys: I am so glad you enjoyed the gelato at Tre Scalini. Yummmm! There is also a really nice little cafe close to the Coliseum on the main street with an arbor roof ove the patio w/grape vines growing all over it. One of the places we did not get to see either time we were there were the gardens on the north side of town. They apparently are worth seeing, but aren't as easily accessible by foot. And, we were told it was not safe after dark, so maybe a good place to visit in the a.m. Also, we (I) had wanted to talk a bus up to Tivoli (Villa d'Este & Villa Adriana). Will you get to see Pompeii (awesome historically) or Capri (incredibly beautiful and romantic)?
ReplyDeleteWasn't the Parthenon incredible? Amazing how things have not changed throughout history. People still get up in the morning, get dressed and go to work. We have families, fights, and feasts. There indeed is nothing new in the world.
Well, enjoy. Love you both.