August 6 - Rome, Italy

fountana dei libri

The weather here continues to cool a bit and there continues to be a breeze. I saw a sign today that said 34 degrees. As Chris said today…even a little jaunt out for lunch and a drink kicks your ass – truer words…

We took full advantage of the hotel room’s black-out blinds and slept until 9:30 and then didn’t leave the room until 1…we are on vacation after all. We are definitely getting our fill of Italian music videos…and plenty of English ones. We like having some background music in the room and the Italian pop music is very interesting!

Our main objective for heading out today was for

the 'big salad'

lunch…we’ve had some hits, but definitely some misses as well, so we are becoming even more discerning than ever. Still the top priority is the heat, fans and misters are a must! The place we finally settled on was a hit! The location was great for people watching, the servers were party, food and drink were great and the price was good too. We were right in front of a fan/mister combo – good, but I was still in a lather…not sure when I’m not in a lather here. Chris had lasagne – delicious and I had what was described in the menu as the ‘big salad’ – definitely as advertised, for once it took me longer than Chris to finish my meal…eating a salad is hard work, maybe that’s how I worked up the sweat I was in.

The Piazza de Maddelena looked too inviting to pass by, so we stopped for a drink. This was a great spot…a beautiful church to provide the backdrop for tasty drinks, but not nearly as frantic as many of the other piazzas/squares – and they had fans/misters, of course.

Rome’s “fountain of books” or the “fontana dei libri” is right around the corner from our hotel. This is one of Rome’s many public fountains that are safe for drinking – this is one of the most elaborate ones we’ve seen, many are simple cast iron fountains about the size of a fire hydrant. Obviously, they are super popular during

St. Maddelena...Chris drinking beer

this heat wave.

August 5 - Rome, Italy

St. Andrew the Apostle church

Weather is actually a bit cooler, and cooler means not in the 40s…likely it was 37/38 and there was a bit of a breeze

We have a tour of the Coliseum and the Forum today at 4, so until then our day is unstructured. After breakfast we decide to wander a bit and go into St. Andrew the Apostle church that is at the end of the street our hotel is on. It still amazes me at how many of these ‘random’ churches there are, that in any other city would be the entire focus of a tour. This place had a audio-guide for a donation…it was really well done for something that could be free.

St. Andrew the Apostle

Then we headed back to the hotel to cool off – the breeze is nice, but it’s still a sweat-box.

Palazzo Venezia

We booked a tour for this afternoon, so we thought it a good idea to find where we needed to meet ahead. We found it no problem, and also found the Irish pub we thought might be in the area. After an indoor pint (Strongbow again!) and a snack we were back in to the heat and met our tour guide and the rest of the group of about 15 – nice small group.

Coliseum

We first visited the Coliseum. This place is huge and I’m glad we booked a tour – we intentionally booked this tour as it included parts of the Coliseum that aren’t normally accessible with or without a tour. First we visited the dungeons, this was where the gladiators and animals hung out prior to their battles – not man on animal (this we learned didn’t happen), but animal on

Coliseum, inside

animal, or man on man. We saw the reconstructed pulleys that would

have been used to get the animals and gladiators to the stadium floor. One thing that

fascinated me about this bit was that this would have been the first time the spectators would have even seen the animals fighting here – tigers, panthers, snakes, crocodiles etc. This idea of these battles was pure entertainment which the unique animals added to – wild. I have to say I didn’t really know much if anything at all about all of this and it’s really crazy to me. For example, I’d like to know how exactly they got these not exactly native to Italy animals here.

Next we spent some time (pretty much 100% more than we should have) on the stadium

floor. There was NO shade and we were there for about 15 minutes in the blazing sun. The guide was great and the info was interesting, but, come on!!

Finally, we visited what they describe as the ‘third tier’. This area only accessible by appointment, is the highest level of the Coliseum. Here we had a fantastic view of not only the Coliseum, but also the surrounding area, with ancient buildings as far as the eye can see.

Our visit continued to the Palatine Hill which is where Rome was apparently founded by Remus and Romulus.

Basically, it’s an archeological site on the centre hill of the seven hills of Rome.

Lastly, we visited the Forum. This is another

Roman Forum

archeological site, where we see the ruins of ancient Roman government buildings.

building with story column

Once the tour was over and we were thoroughly beat and drenched we headed for home. We were torn between bee-lining straight or stopping for a drink…we knew there was a pub on our way, so we stopped. We could have eaten here, but we were in desperate need of a shower so a quick shower before dinner and we were back for bed.

While we at the pub prior to the tour we heard a song that brought me back…waaaaaay back. “Flowers on the Wall” by the Statler Brothers. I started singing (it’s amazing what you can remember as if it was yesterday and then remember nothing this morning) and asked Chris when the last time he heard that song "Smokin' cigarettes and watchin' captain kangaroo" hearing that was pretty awesome.

was. He looked at me like I was crazy…I guess not everyone grew up "

ard that song was. He looked at me like I was crazy…I guess not everyone grew up ‘

triumphal arch

August 4 - Rome, Italy

fountains are everywhere

Weather is a repeat of yesterday…HOT – again

Today our destination is the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna or National Gallery of Modern Art. Once we are there it is great…cool, calm, not crowded – all good. Getting there is another story…it is HOT. As usual we are shade hunting, but there are always expanses of space where shade is not available…HOT.

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna

Most of the art here is Italian and we aren’t familiar with much of it, but some we are. There also are some non-Italian artists that we know. I’m still surprised at how little security there is. Today we didn’t really even have to go through any at all – we went though a metal detector as part of the door, but it beeped and no one cared – no bag check, no anything. Even in each room of the gallery we were basically alone. There were a few rooms with an attendant, but pretty much nothing

Chris contemplating Andy Warhol

compared to other museums.

This place has the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Italy. I realize now that I took no phots of Italian art...There here was a cool outdoor garden/terrace area that we considered for a second before Chris suggested that it might be a bit ridiculous – just a bit! Our thing is definitely to sit outside and people watch when on vacation, but this heat makes that usually fun pastime, not so fun – an no fans or misters here.

 

Van gogh

Our path away to and from the museum took us through the Borghese Gardens, the largest park in Rome – fountains, a pond, a bunch of museums, sculptures, monuments…and on and on. We grabbed a water and coke and cooled off as much as we could – although only 5 minutes out of the museum we were already a bit ‘warm’.

Monet

After the park we found ourselves in a bit of a residential / higher end area. This is an interesting change from the touristy areas we are usually in. At one point we notice a military truck and couple of soldiers, so we figure there must be a significant monument or building around…sure enough, American embassy. We’ve noticed this security a lot and it seems very typical around significant monuments or buildings.

Eventually we spotted a sign for an Irish pub and we

were sold! The prospect of an airconditioned spot for a pint or 2 was too much for us to pass up. Well, not as airconditioned as I would have liked, but after a few minutes out of the blazing heat, it was A-OK. And…they had Strongbow! Heaven. We had lunch here too…CHICKEN FINGERS AND FRIES – did I say heaven?? I know…we are in the land of wine and all kinds of Italian foods, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And…if I may discuss the wine for a moment, the red has been a bit on the warm side…Chris described it as being boiled…yeah…it’s a
million degrees outside! I know it’s not just our North American preference…the whites have been as cold as I would like and the

priest couture

Strongbow also.

 

Then a stop for some snacks and water and we were back to the ACed oasis of our hotel. I did manage to find some interesting chips at the store…salami – of course!

column of Marcus Aurelius

August 3 - Rome, Italy / Vatican City

Weather is a repeat of yesterday…H…O…T – not much more to say

St. Peter's Basilica

We started off early today because we had a tour booked for 9:15. This was excellent because the heat was only about 28 at that time of the day and the crowds were no where to be seen. It was also nice to go to the hotel breakfast before most people. Chris decided against breakfast this morning, so at one point I was there all alone with the workers. This would be the first time today when someone would point to my Rome soccer shirt and tell me how great it was - funny.

outside the Vatican offices, pre-tour

Today is all about the Vatican. Months ago we booked a tour of necropolis under St. Peter’s Basilica, where the tomb of St. Peter is. This tour was only 13 euros, and was limited to 12 people (there ended up being 14 on our tour) so both of those things were good. They only let a certain number of people in which is why we had to book this a long time ago. Apparently, they only let in 250 a day compared to the 30 000 that visit the Vatican. After being met by 2 Swiss Guards, going through security and being told for the second time today that my Rome soccer shirt was great we started the tour.

All of this tour is under St. Peter’s Basilica. We walked

over dirt floors, had to duck our heads and could only walk single file due to the narrow passage ways. When we booked the tour months ago, it was described as not good for those with claustrophobia and the humidity will be high. It certainly wasn’t spacious, but I never felt confined…the air was humid, but compared to the humidity combined with the heat outside, this was pleasant. We also had to dress conservatively…knees and shoulders covered…no problem, Chris wore pants, but could have gotten away with shorts, people were allowed with long knee-length shorts – it’s good to just follow the rules. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed. Of course I would

have loved to have take a shot or 2, but there wasn’t much to take a photo of.

We were 2 levels directly below the main alter in the current St. Peter’s church where the original St. Peter’s church with his tomb was. This area was originally an open-air cemetery. In the 40s Pope Pius XII ordered the excavations to find Peter’s tomb, which was known to be there, but not known where exactly. It was super cool to be down there. In addition to Peter’s tomb (which by the way, is a very small thing to see and had to be pointed out) we saw

mausoleums from the same time as Peter-ish with frescos still visible.

Michelangelo’s Pieta

The tour ended with where tombs of other popes are. Then we were able to skip the line to St. Peter’s Basilica – nice. Just like last time we were here, it strikes me that this place is HUGE – and packed. Not nearly as packed as the Trevi Fountain yesterday, but there are many people here. Michelangelo’s Pieta (behind a big piece of glass) is a pretty big attraction for me here, so we spend a bit of time in front

of it.

Next we visited the Vatican Treasury museum. This wasn’t packed at all and was very interesting. The wealth of this place when in your face is incredible. Huge jewels cover much of what we saw – papal rings, crowns, broaches. Then there were the Eucharistic ‘items’ covered in gold or made of solid gold – all this with very little security. Again..no photos.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t skip the line for the Vatican museums which include the Sistine Chapel, but we’d seen that before, so not a big deal.

not much lunch left

By now it is about noon, and we are off to find lunch. By now I am drenched, but once again, the perfectly good air conditioned indoor spots weren’t good enough for us…we had to find a place outside…of course this is more atmospheric, but not as ‘climate-controlled’. We find a place with misters, which cool the air a bit. We both start with bruschetta, then I had ‘strips of beef with arugula, pecorino and tomatoes’ – it was great! Chris had spaghetti vongole (clams) – that too was great! All washed down with a bottle of wine and water.

Chris doing what Chris does best...

Next was back to the hotel for a siesta…not sure what the Italians call it.

August 2 - Rome, Italy

art in the Pantheon

Pantheon's oculus

Weather is a repeat of yesterday…H…O…T

We nothing scheduled at all today – that is very nice after 2 weeks of very scheduled. We sleep in a bit, take advantage of the hotel’s included breakfast – it’s quite good…everything we could possibly need…I could use a bit more of anything with fiber…this old lady’s body NEEDS its fiber! Of course there is espresso, which of course we have!

Trevi Fountain

Our first stop is the Pantheon. I have to admit I know very little about most of Rome’s monuments, but am learning as we go – a guide would be great, but we can’t always have a guide. We considered on for a walk around Rome, but we have a tour scheduled for tomorrow and another one for Saturday, so we thought that would be enough. What I did learn is that this is a former Roman that is now a church. The architecture of the place is a big deal – apparently the dome is still the world’s biggest, unreinforced dome. It’s very well preserved because it’s always been in use. This place was pleasant both because it wasn’t overly crowded and was quite due to it being a church (what wasn’t quiet was the announcements to be quiet.)

crowd!

Next we found the Trevi Fountain – this place was CROWDED! Wall to wall people! Somehow we made our way to the front of the fountain and even found some shade. This thing is pretty impressive…big, beautiful and draws a crowd. Apparently, there are 3000 Euros thrown in every day and 1.5 million USD was thrown in last year! WOW! One of the photos shows the crowd.

Of course there was a church (Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi!) across the street (they really are everywhere) and we check this out. Even the random church that isn’t on the tourist route is beautiful and completely decorated. This one impressed me more

Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi

than many we’ve seen, all of which are beautiful. This one had decoration EVERYWHERE. I was able to just point my camera anywhere and get a shot of something interesting.

We are a bit spoiled for choice for what to do, so we find a monument a bit far from where we are and head there figuring we’d find some interesting surprises along the way. What we found was the shopping area…and as we do all cities that have

soccer, the soccer shop for AS Roma. Firstly, being in a shop means AC! The shopping is secondary to the cooling effect, but we were able to pick up a few things.

Then we found the monument in the piazza we were headed to – monument in the middle and fountains on either side. We read before we arrived in Rome that they were going through a drought and that the fountains were turned off. We’ve found all of the fountains before the 2 here full, but these 2 a dripping a trickle of water.

Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi

On the other side of this piazza is a Leonardo da Vinci museum…sounds promising, right? NOPE, another bamboozling by the Italians. It wasn’t terrible, but nothing was original. It was very educational, but I want WOW and education. A copy of his inventions that I was encouraged to play with didn’t do it for us…and there were no facilities and the AC wasn’t great. Until today I thought I could always count on at least a loo and usually climate control – I guess I learned more than just about da Vinci.

Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi

We next saw the Spanish Steps…not really sure about the allure of this place…a wide, set of stairs, long ago connecting the

By now we had worked up a serious thirst and were also a bit peckish…the hotel breakfast was long gone. We needed to find somewhere to get a drink and a bite, but not just anywhere would do. The place we were looking for had to be in the shade (of course) and with fans AND misters. These big fans with water mist sprayed in front of the fan, do an alright job of cooling the air. Once we do find this we are served olives and chips, so we decide to forego the food as we were quickly in the sun as the shade was disappearing.

deciding what to have for dinner

Piazza Del Popolo

That was a nice break, but we figured we were about done with the heat. What do you know…as we made our way back to the hotel we ran right into a shoe shop. Chris bullied me into at least looking

dinner

to again get some AC…as I said – the shopping is secondary to the cooling effect. After trying on a few pairs, I decided on one.

Sant'Andrea della Valle

After relaxing, napping, and cooling off for a while at the hotel (the AC is great!) we headed back out into what was supposed to be less heat as the sun was down. It wasn’t at all hot (relatively speaking…it really was hot, but with a bit of a breeze and the psychological effect of no blazing sun it wasn’t so hot) that is until we sat down at what was a great, simple, local-ish place completely sheltered from the breeze. WOW was it hot, I can’t remember the last time I actually had to find a loo to actually relive myself…what I need the facilities for is for the reprieve from the heat. I’m not sure why we insist on sitting in the heat when there are perfectly good tables inside in the AC…I’m not the only one…the tables outside are PACKED!

After dinner we wander a bit…that spot we chose for dinner definitely was sheltered from the little breeze, once we got up, the breeze cooled us down a bit – I was still melting, but not as quickly! An after dinner beer and then to bed.

random ruins...can expect around every corner

even at night I was melting

Spanish Steps

overlooking Piazza Del Poplol