Month: January 2018

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Arrivederci Roma

Our time in Rome has come to an end.  It’s been a great three months and we’ve enjoyed every minute of it.  We’d love to stay in Italy but since we were refused a Visa we’ll have to get out of the Schengen area for 90 days before being able to come back to most of the EU countries.

If you ever get to Rome here’s some of the things we think you shouldn’t miss…

  1. Best Catacomb: Saint Sebastian (Appia Antica Park)
  2. Best Necropolis: Saint Peter (Vatican City)
  3. Best Museums: Vatican (Vatican City), Borghese (Borghese Park) and Capitoline (Capitoline Hill)
  4. Best Palazzos: Doria-Pamphili and Colonna (Both are Near Piazza Venezia)
  5. Best Gelato: Ciucculà (Near The Pantheon)
  6. Best Cappuccino: Polveriera (Near Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli)
  7. Best Budget Restaurant: Carlo Menta (Trastevere District)
  8. Best Scenic Overlooks: Giardino degli Aranci (Aventine Hill), Terrazza del Pincio (above Piazza del Popolo) and Janiculum Hill (Near Faro degli Italiani d’Argentina)
  9. Best Churches besides the four Major Basilicas (you must see these too): Basilica di Santa Prassede (near Mary Major), San Luigi dei Francesi (near Piazza Navona), Santa Maria Sopra La Minerva (near The Pantheon), Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (near Piazza del Republica) and Basilica San Vitale (on Via Nazionale)

During our stay we learned a lot about this society.  In no particular order here are a few of the observations that we’ve made…

  1. There is no such thing as a schedule.  Any published timetable is really just a suggestion.
  2. All restaurants, including small mom and pop pizza stores, make everything entirely from scratch.  There are no ‘Sysco’ trucks that deliver prepared foods here.  The food ranges from terrific to wonderful.
  3. Smoking is still very popular in Roman society.
  4. Romans uses military time.  Personally, we prefer it.
  5. Latin is everywhere.  Even on modern buildings and monuments the inscriptions are written in Latin.
  6. When exasperated they really do say, ‘Mama Mia’.
  7. Peas are really good here.  They’re firm and sweet.  Even Deborah likes them.
  8. Roman’s eat lunch and dinner later than 12:00 and 17:00 respectively.  Many restaurants will not be fully prepared to serve at those times.  14:00 and 19:00 are much better times for non-tourist centric restaurants.
  9. American style shopping malls don’t exist.  Large department stores are few and far between.
  10. Many common items like vitamins and aspirin are only available in drug stores.  The prices are insanely high.
  11. Much of Rome’s economy is based on tourism.
  12. Beware of ripoffs.  Besides the well known street hustlers and pickpockets store owners and taxi drivers have been known to take advantage of unsuspecting tourists.  You have to be on guard.  We’ve managed to avoid any issues.
  13. Most of Rome observes the siesta.  Many churches, restaurants, shops, etc. are closed from 14:00 to 16:00 every day and most everything is closed on Sunday.
  14. Romans cannot deal with words that do not end in a vowel.  Usually they’ll add an ‘AH’ sound at the end of such words.
  15. There is a massive amount of art in the city.  Some of it is in museums.  A great deal of it is in the churches.  Many of the palaces of great families like Borghese, Colonna and Doria-Pamphili still have incredible private collections.  Fortunately they are open to the public.
  16. Modern Rome has very little in the way cultural arts.  The visual arts are well represented but there is almost a complete lack of performances in music, opera, dance, theater, etc.
  17. Rome is a great place to walk.  Yes, there are many hills and walking on cobblestones can take some getting used to, but most of the main attractions are close enough together to make walking very practical.  In three months we never took a taxi and used the buses only occasionally in futile efforts to save some time.
  18. There’s good gelato and better gelato.  There’s no bad gelato.
  19. Pastries and desserts usually contain very little sugar.  Very few foods are actually sweet.  Roman’s prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate.
  20. Drinking a cup of coffee while standing at the counter will cost about €1.00.  Drinking that same coffee while seated at a table will cost 2-4 times as much.
  21. It is normal for restaurants to add a service charge to your bill so it is not necessary or usual to leave a tip unless you are in a very expensive restaurant.  If you want to show your appreciation leave a couple of Euros on the table.  American’s find it difficult to leave without tipping.
  22. Bernini is everywhere in Rome.  You can find his hand in sculptures, fountains, paintings, frescos and architecture at every turn.
  23. There are no straight roads in Rome.  Most streets are small, winding labyrinths that twist and turn in many directions.  It’s easy to wind up far from where you intended.

Our next stop is Sofia, Bulgaria.  We plan to stay for six weeks before moving on to Varna, Bulgaria.  We’ve never been to either place before and have no idea how we’re going to deal with the Cyrillic alphabet.  It’s going to be a challenge.

We love seeing your comments on the web site.  Thanks for all the kind words and suggestions.

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Just Call Me Sharon

There are quite a few cell phone providers in Italy but the one we went with is called TIM (Telefono Italia Mobile).  TIM is the largest cell service provider in Italy and it has the best coverage.  Because we arrived at our apartment in Rome around 10:30 pm we waited until the next day to sign up for cell phone service.

Before we left for Rome I had researched TIM and found a store in Trastevere that was very close to our apartment.  We arrived a little after 10:00 am and found a helpful sales representative who spoke English well enough to help us.  (In anticipation of our trip we had recently purchased global versions of the new iPhone 8.)  The clerk told us that we could get a monthly plan with 1,000 minutes of phone service and 10 gigs of data for €10.00 per month; SMS texting was not included but since we only use iMessage we didn’t care.  There would also be a one-time charge of €25.00 for the SIM cards.  After we handed over our credit card we were told that subsequent months would be billed automatically.  We explained that we would only be in Italy for three months.  He typed something into the computer and reassured us that everything was setup properly.  He installed the new SIM cards and handed us two cards containing our new phone numbers.  He said that everything should be active within ten minutes.  This was all as expected.  We left the store and continued on our way to find a grocery store.  It was going to be a great first day.

When we got back to our apartment we edited our contacts and put in our new phone numbers.  To test things out we tried to call each other.  Something was wrong.  First of all, we didn’t know how to dial.  We weren’t sure whether we needed to use the country code nor did we know whether we needed to use the city code.  We tried a few combinations and nothing worked.  The Internet service was working just fine so we figured it was just American stupidity.  This all happened on a Friday.  Since that particular TIM store was closed on the weekend we decided to return on Monday and learn what we needed to do.  It didn’t matter – who were we going to call in Italy?

Of course I couldn’t stop thinking about this.  Were we really so unsophisticated that we couldn’t figure out how to dial a phone in another country.  I did some googling and tried calling some numbers but nothing worked.  I went into my phone’s settings and was horrified to find that it displayed a phone number that was different from what was written on the cards we got from TIM.  Deborah’s phone had the same issue.  The number that the phone was displaying was the number hardcoded into the SIM card.  An inspection of the SIM card confirmed this.  This was very weird.  A mystery was at hand.

When we returned to the TIM store the clerk was obviously trying to suppress his laughter at the stupid Americans who didn’t know how to dial.  He took my phone and dialed Deborah’s phone.  The call went through.  It worked the other way around too.  Boy were we embarrassed.  We asked him about the differences in the number written on the card and the number on the SIM.  He didn’t care.  He said our phones worked and that’s all that mattered.  Outside, on the sidewalk, we tried calling one another.  No problem.  Wasn’t this exactly what we did the other day?  We left feeling a little uneasy but at least we could now make phone calls.

A few days later we both started receiving occasional texts from TIM.  Naturally they were written in Italian.  We copied and pasted the messages into google translate and found that they were advertisements for things like furniture and clothing stores.  We ignored them.

Our next visit to TIM came when I decided that I needed to make some international calls.  Our service was not setup for that.  A little wiser and more experienced we decided to try the TIM store in downtown Rome on the Corso, which was not far from Piazza Venezia.  It was a much larger store and we assumed we’d be better served.

I explained that I wanted to dial the US and naturally enough he asked for my phone number.  In response for providing my phone number I received a shocked and amazed look.  It seems that the exchange I provided was not valid for TIM.  Deborah and I exchanged horrified glances.  Finally, after an extended discussion with us and some of the other TIM store people, the clerk took our suggestion and looked up our account on the computer.  The name on the account was not mine.  He informed us that he couldn’t help us and that we might want to return to the store in Trastevere to help sort this all out.  The saga of TIM was only getting worse.  It was time to consider disputing the credit card charge and starting over.  The problem was we were never charged!

During the initial visit we should have been charged for one month of service and one SIM card for each of us for a total cost of about €70.00.  We were never charged.  I don’t think we were passing on our good looks.  What the heck was going on?  Were our ‘real’ phone numbers being used for some illegal drug trafficking or were we unsuspecting pawns in other nefarious enterprises?  Italy is a wonderful place but it’s as corrupt as any third world country with a tin pot dictator.  Our thoughts ran to all sorts of wild ideas.

We returned to the store in Trastevere and had international calling enabled.  I put €20.00 on account to cover these calls.  They had no interest in discussing the name on the account nor the discrepancy in phone numbers.  We decided not to mention that we had never been charged.  I wound up making about €13.00 worth of international calls.  I was told that the remaining credit could be used toward my next month’s bill.

That afternoon I created an account on TIM’s web site.  All that was required was for me to give them my email address and my phone number (navigating a web site that is only in Italian was a bit of a challenge).  Want to know the name on the account?  You guessed it – Sharon!

If you thought that was the end of the story then you are an optimist.  Soon after Deborah and I got text messages from TIM telling us that our accounts had run out of money.  If we didn’t recharge soon our service would be terminated?  This was shocking.  We had paid for the entire month.  How was this possible?  We decided to try a different TIM store.  This one was also on the Corso but it was close to Piazza del Popolo.  On the way we started talking seriously about dropping TIM and signing up with Vodaphone; could they be any worse?

We showed the clerk the texts we received.  He asked for our phone numbers which initiated the same conversation about our phone numbers having an invalid exchange.  Eventually the clerk decided to ignore this issue and investigate.  He called TIM customer service and found out that those advertisements we had been receiving were draining our account.  The monthly charge of €10.00 does not actually pay for the month.  TIM treats that  €10.00 as an account credit and pro-rates your payments on a daily basis.  If you use any other services, that €10.00 will not last for the entire month.  What a great way to do business!  The clerk turned off the advertisements and credited our accounts as if nothing ever happened.  What can go wrong next?

Soon we received a new set of texts from TIM stating that it was time to recharge our account and if we didn’t our service would be terminated.  A full month had not passed.  What new horror was about to be inflicted upon us?  We happened to be near Termini Station when we got these new notices so we decided to visit the TIM store there.

We found out two new and interesting pieces of information.  First, TIM will not automatically charge your credit card each month.  You have to go to the store and recharge you phone in person (or use their web site).  Second: the €10.00 charge is not for a month – it is for 28 days.  We each paid our €10.00 and were on our way.

Soon after I got another message about my account running out of money.  How was that possible?  I had just paid for a new month.  This meant another trip back to Piazza del Popolo; we were running out of TIM stores to use and this one seemed the best choice.  Again the clerk called TIM customer service and discovered that I had been signed up for a voice mail notification system (I’m still not really sure what it was) and that it was siphoning funds from my account.  We had the clerk turn off all optional services from both of our accounts but he was unable to refund me the amount that had been used.  I paid an additional €5.00 to fix things.  It was just graft and corruption.

All of that was several weeks ago.  We’re not going to be in the country much longer so we’re hoping that we won’t be hearing from TIM again.  We may not have paid that €70.00 but we consider that we paid for it in aggravation.

We’ve decided to chalk all of this up to experience and have learned a few things…

  1. Make sure the phone number you get matches what’s on the SIM card (duh!)
  2. Insure that all optional services are turned off.
  3. Know how long the billing cycle is.
  4. Understand how your phone account is paid for each month.

Our next stop is Bulgaria.  We’ll be getting new SIM cards and new service providers.  Wish us luck!

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Bonus Bernini Day

Friday, January 26

In Santa Maria Via Lata we had visited the excavations where St Paul had been imprisoned.  Many of the frescos that had been found there had been moved to the Balbi Crypt Museum.  Today, we planned to go see those frescos.

Along the way to the Museum we discovered that Santa Maria della Consolazione was open so we had a peek inside.  The church is named for an icon of Virgin Mary which was placed on this site to console criminals who were tossed off the nearby cliff.  This cliff is said to be the Tarpeian Rock from ancient Rome.  A church was built on this site in 1480 but the present day structure dates from around 1600.  It was rebuilt in the renaissance style.

The Museum that is built on the ruins of the Theater of Balbus and focuses on the archeological aspects of the area.  Only the lower levels of the theater remain.  You can still see the cisterns, pathways and plumbing from ancient times. We also saw the frescos from below Santa Maria in Via Lata.  They depicted stories from the bible and still retained much of their original color.

(Fresco from St Paul’s House)

After the museum we went over to Palazzo Spada.  This is a private residence that contains an extensive art collection and is open to the public.  On the second floor there were four rooms chocked full of paintings, precious furniture, frescos and sculptures.  The artists included Bruegel, Titian and Guido Reni.  To our surprise we also found a Bernini sculpture that wasn’t on our list.  It was a magnificent piece.

(Head of Laocoon by Bernini)

This Palazzo is also the home of the famous Boromini forced perspective.  It can be found in the garden on the ground floor.  Borormini consulted a famous mathematician of his day to help with the design.  The piece creates the illusion that the subject is larger and father away that it really is.  We found it fascinating.

(Borromini’s Forced Perspective)

We wound up sitting through another mass in order to see the last church of the day: Chiesa dei Santi Domenico e Sisto.  There we saw a large scale sculpture that was designed by Bernini but was executed by his student Raggi.

Distance walked: 10.5 miles and 15  flights

Saturday, January 27

In the morning we dropped by an Irish Pub that doubles as a sports bar.  We wanted to see the Women’s final of the Australian Open.  After that we enjoyed lunch at one of our favorite restaurants.  The owner was happy to see us again and gave us a discount.  We’ll miss him.

Our next stop, on the other side of Town, was the Museo dell’Ara Pacis.  This is a temple that was commissioned by the Roman Senate in 13 BC to honor Augustus’ military triumphs.  The temple is dedicated to the Roman Goddess of Peace.

The temple, originally made of marble, fell into disuse in the third century and eventually was buried by the flooding of the Tiber.  In the early Renaissance period parts of it were found and sold off to locations far and wide.  The temple’s current exterior is made mostly from paster molds of the original marble carvings that have been found in museums and private collections all over the world.  Originally the outside of the temple would have been painted in bright, polychromatic colors.  It must have been an impressive sight.

On the way home we visited Parrocchia Sacro Cuore Di Gesu in Prati.  This church, built in the early 20th century, is in the French Gothic style.  The interior gives the impression of being much older.  As is typical of the style the church has beautiful stained glass windows along the sides.  In the back is a small museum with relics attesting to visits from dead relations.

As we passed Castel Sant’Angelo we saw an ice skating rink.  This rink was supposed to have been opened and operating during Christmas.  As with all schedules in Rome – it was just a suggestion.

Distance walked: 8.0 miles and 16  flights

Sunday, January 28

Our last day in Rome.  This morning we again visited the pub to watch the Australian Open Men’s final.  This time we had lunch there before taking a walking tour of central Rome.

We did manage to find one last church to add to our collection: Chiesa della Natività di Gesù.  It was sad to see that it was badly in need of restoration.

Distance walked: 5.9 miles and 3  flights

Total churches visited so far: 113 and one Synagogue

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Best Restaurants in Rome

There are a million restaurants in Rome.  The food ranges from good, to better to great.  There’s no bad food in Rome!  While we haven’t eaten in every restaurant in the city we do have a few favorites that we’d like to share with you (in no particular order).  We’ve been to most of these restaurants many times.

It should be noted that all restaurants in Rome prepare all their dishes each day on the premises from scratch.  By law the menu must indicate any item that was previously frozen.

1. Carlo Menta on Via della Lungaretta, 101.  This restaurant, just steps from our apartment in Trastevere, is the first place we ate upon arriving in Rome.  We’ve eaten there at least once a week for three months and the food is always excellent.  The prices are amazing.  They have the best pizza crust around.  A mushroom pizza, enough for two people, costs €4.00.  Most pasta dishes are around €5.00.  They have a daily special that includes bruschetta, pasta, a meat dish and dessert all for €10.00.  Unfortunately for us we’ve ordered that a few times.

(Pizza con Fungi)

2. Art Café Via dei Cerchi, 55.  This cafe is adjacent to the Circus Maximus.  The restaurant is decorated with original art that is for sale.  They have greek style food including phyllo dough pies stuffed with meats and vegetables.  You can get a slice of pie along with a quinoa salad for around €7.00.  It’s a great place for vegetarian and gluten free options, too.  Don’t come too early or the pies won’t be ready. 

3. Restaurant Colosseum “Luzzi” Via di S. Giovanni in Laterano, 88.  This place, near the Colosseum, is well known to locals.  There’s often a long line to get in. The menu is extensive and the food is fresh and delicious.  We had the Chicken Romano, chicken stewed in tomato broth with sweet peppers for €5.00 (there is no such thing as pepperoni here; if you see it on the menu it means sweet peppers).  A bowl of pasta was €7.00.  The staff are very entertaining and seem to enjoy their work.

4. Polveriera Via della Polveriera, 18.  This is just down the street from Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli.  The cappuccino here is the best in the city (it’s the best foam).  Unlike anywhere else you can get a small, medium or large.   Don’t forget to try their pastry stuffed with Nutella – yum!  In additional to their regular menu they have daily specials.  An enormous plate of roasted chicken with a side of peas cost €7.00.  A plate of pork loin with rosemary potatoes can be had for the same price.  The owner is a real character – I think I’m now considered his cousin.

(Daily Special: Roasted Chicken with Peas.  I wonder who took a bite of it?)

5. Caffè Canova – Tadolini Via del Babuino, 150.  This restaurant, near Piazza del Popolo, is housed in a sculpture museum.  It is a little more upscale than the others with white linen tablecloths and higher prices.  A giant bowl of clams and mussels in a fish broth cost €11.00.  A salad with a 1/2 pound of smoked salmon was €12.00.  Don’t forget to try their hot chocolate (it’s like dark, thick, hot pudding in a cup) or their desserts (we recommend the chocolate mousse).

(Salad with Smoked Salmon)

(Cioccolato Caldo)

6. Hotel Alexandra Via Vittorio Veneto, 18.  This restaurant, which is near Piazza Barberini, is in front of the hotel of the same name.  This area is very touristy so the prices are much higher but they serve some of the best food we’ve had (we stayed in this hotel in 2016).  The lasagna is amazing.  The carbonara, a speciality of Rome, is a close second.  The meat dishes are wonderful.  Do not leave without trying their panna cotta for dessert.  Main courses range from €15.00 – €25.00.

7. Salotto Palatino Via dei Cerchi, 75.  This place is also near the Circus Maxius.  Mom is in the back cooking and Pop is the waiter.  You can listen to live piano music while sitting on the veranda overlooking the circus.  Several times a week they have a buffet which includes pastas, meats and vegetables all freshly prepared.  A large plate costs about €8.00.  You tell Mom what you want and she serves it up right in front of you.  Mom doesn’t speak English so we have no idea of what we actually consumed.  Make sure you try the pot roast (don’t know what they call it) and the eggplant.

Restaurant owners pack as many tables as possible into the space available.  The tables are small and close together.  You really get to know your neighbors.  Meals are served in a leisurely fashion and it’s normal to sit for quite a while.  Waiters will be surprised if you don’t drink coffee after your meal.  You will need to ask for your check.

A service charge is normally added to the bill so it’s not necessary to tip.  If you wish to leave something extra then a couple of Euros is sufficient.  In touristy areas some waiters may try to trick you into leaving an American style tip so be on your guard.

So, the next time you’re in Rome why don’t you try one of these places and let us know what you think.  We’d love to hear your recommendations too.  Mangia!

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Roman Broccoli

We discovered a curious looking vegetable when we came to Rome.  We first saw it growing wild along the Appia Antica.  Since then we’ve seen representations of it sculpted into buildings and fountains.  It’s called Roman Broccoli or Romanesco Broccoli.  It has a distinctive shape and color that make it easy to recognize.

The species originated in Tuscany.  It was created in the 15th century using selective breading.  When raw it tastes like a hybrid of cauliflower and broccoli.    When cooked it’s texture is similar to American broccoli with a sweeter, more subtle and complex flavor.   You don’t often see it on restaurant menus but all grocery stores seem to carry it.  

Next time you’re in the market see if you can find it.  It’ll be a nice change.

Fun fact: The number of spirals on the head of Romanesco broccoli is a Fibonacci Number.

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Berninis and Churches

Tuesday, January 23

The hunt for Bernini’s (and others) continues.  We went back to Santa Maria Sopra La Minerva to see their Bernini and Michaelangelo.  We had been to this church a few times but every time we went a wedding was in progress, so we really didn’t get to see the church in detail.  We’re really glad we went back because the church is magnificent – one of our favorites.

The church is enormous and is in the gothic style.  As early as 50 BC the site contained several pagan temples. The first version of the church was built in the 13th century.  The interior is cavernous.  It has a rose window at the far end and stained glass windows all along the sides.  In addition to the having chapels all along the naive there are several, older ones, to sides of the apse.

Our first find, just in front of the main alter, was a sculpture by Michaelangelo named, ‘Risen Christ’.  The original sculpture was abandoned because Michaelangelo found a black vein in the marble; it still exists.  The second version is the one on display in this church.  The subject is shown as a strong, muscular figure typical of his style.  The original sculpture depicted Christ nude to emphasize his humanity.  The loincloth was added later during the Baroque period at the direction of the Pope.

(Risen Christ by Michaelangelo)

We found the Bernini tucked away in one of the chapels near the front of the church.  His sculptures adorn the Tomb of Cardinal Domenico Pimentel.

(The Tomb of Cardinal Domenico Pimentel by Bernini)

Our next stop was San Lorenzo in Lucina to see another Bernini.

(Bust of Gabriele Fonseca by Bernini)

We also visited Chiesa di S. Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli before heading back for home.

Distance walked: 5.7 miles and 1  flight

Wednesday, January 24

Today we walked across town and up the Esquiline Hill to get to Basilica di Santa Prassede.  We’d tried to visit before but it had been closed.  Today we were fortunate to find it open.

The groundbreaking for this church was in the 8th century and it has been reconstructed and expanded over the years.  The inside is decorated in Byzantine style.  The main alter and apse are decorated with intricate mosaics and the sides of the church are covered in ancient frescos.  Inside we found an interesting relic: the column that Jesus was tied to when he was flogged in Jerusalem.  It was brought to the church in 1223 by Pope Honorius III.

(The Column of the Scourging of Jesus)

The Bernini, the Bust of Giovanni Battista Santoni, was the very first work he produced.  He was 15 years old.  At the time he worked in the studio of his father, who was also a well known sculptor.

(The Bust of Giovanni Battista Santoni by Bernini)

(The main alter)

On our way home we visited Parrocchia Sant’Eusebio all’Esquilino, a church we hadn’t seen before.

All of the churches we’ve visited are active churches.  In order to explore them we’ve had to wait out services of various kinds.  To date we’ve attended three masses, two weddings and a funeral.

Distance walked: 9.4 miles and 18  flights

Total churches visited so far: 108 and one Synagogue

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The Necropolis of St Peter

Saturday, January 20

One of the first things we did when we got to Rome was to tour the Catacombs of St Sebastian.  There we met another couple who mentioned that they were going on a tour of the tomb of St Peter.  We found this interesting; it was something that we never knew existed.  We discovered that there was such a tour and that it could only be booked directly with the Vatican.  We applied and got a date of January 20 at 9:30 am.  Today was the day we were going to meet St Peter in person.

The entrance to the tour is inside Vatican City in an area that is normally off limits to tourists.  Just being there was a thrill and was worth the price of admission.  In typical fashion the Basilica was built on top of the grave of St Peter and so our tour would take us underground.

Our guide was an archeologist who was obviously very familiar with the site.  She started off by showing us some models of the church that Constantine had built on the site (known now as Old St Peter’s) showing how St Peter’s sarcophagus had been on display near the main alter.  Soon we learned that a large part of Vatican Hill had been covered by a Pagan necropolis (city of the dead or cemetery) that, over the years, became a Christian burial site.

We entered the excavations through the same door that had been the entrance to the ancient Necropolis.  No photography of any kind was permitted.  The structures were incredibly well preserved.  This is probably because they had been covered by a church since the fourth century.  When built, the necropolis would have been at street level but now it was 10-20 meters below ground.  The facade was in incredible condition and was easily the best example we’d seen to date.  Many of the burial chambers had intact decorations and frescos.

Eventually we moved to a spot that was directly underneath the main dome of the basilica where we found the tomb of St Peter.  We were only permitted to see the grave from a distance but we could see the plexiglass box said to contain his bones.  Nearby we saw the remnants of the alter from the church of Constantine’s time.  When the present day St Peter’s Basilica was built the older church was completely destroyed and only a few remnants were kept.  Bernini used some surviving columns and incorporated  them into the design of the ‘balconies’ above and to the side of the main alter.

(Columns from Old St Peter’s)

When the tour ended we were below the church in the grottos where many Popes had been interred.  From there we made our way into the Basilica in search of some Canova sculptures that were on our list.  He had carved a gigantic funeral monument to Pope Clement XIV and a Monument to the Stuarts of Great Briton.  We were pretty sure we had seen the funeral monument but couldn’t remember seeing the one to the Stuarts.

(The bottom half of Canova’s Monument to the Stuarts.  These angels are magnificent examples of his style.)

On the way home we visited Chiesa di San Giuseppe (because we could) and San Giacomo alla Lungara, which contained a Bernini sculpture from our list.

Distance walked: 6.8 miles and 2 flights

Sunday, January 21

We planned a quiet day.  We went out for groceries but made a small detour to see Bernini’s Blessed Ludovica Albertoni, which is housed in Chiesa San Francesco a Ripa in Trastevere.

(Blessed Ludovica Albertoni by Bernini)

Distance walked: 3 miles and 1 flight

Total churches visited so far: 106 and one Synagogue

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There’s Even More to See

Wednesday, January 17

At long last this was the day of our tour of Palazzo Farnese.  Does that name ring a bell with anyone?  Puccini used two real-life places in Rome as scenes in his Opera ‘Tosca’ – one was Castel Sant’Angelo and the other was Palazzo Farnese.  Our tour was at 5:00 pm so we decided to spend the afternoon wandering about the city.

Chiesa SS Nome di María is adjacent to Trajan’s Column.  We’d walked past it dozens of times and it has always been closed.  Today it was open and we got to see it.  The church dates from around 1750 and is decorated in a style that is typical of the transition between the Renaissance and Baroque periods.  After leaving we climbed the Quirinale Hill in search of bigger game.

We’d walked past an Episcopal Church named Chiesa di San Paolo Dentro le Mura (Church of St Paul Inside the Walls) many times.  We were under the impression that it had been converted to a theater.  We were wrong!  The church was open and we decided to investigate.

Inside we found a gothic style church – you don’t see many of these in Rome.  The ones we have seen were built well after the middle ages.  The church was completed around 1880.  The apse is decorated from floor to ceiling with medieval style mosaics.  The back of the church contains a lovely rose window and the walls are lined with beautiful stained glass windows.  The ceilings soared with vaults typical of the style.  It was a lovely sight.  A bulletin board near the entrance displayed a message about a free screening of ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ at 7:00 pm that evening.  It seemed appropriate.  They were even providing free popcorn.  We planned to return after our tour of Palazzo Farnese.

(Gothic Style Chiesa di San Paulo Dentro le Mura)

Finally we visited Santa Maria in via Lata.  The church was closed but the excavation underneath the church was open.  The rooms below the church were where St Paul was imprisoned for two years while awaiting trial.  During that time many people came to visit him at this house and he was free to preach.  A place of worship existed on this site as early as the fifth century.  The present church dates from around 1660.

By then the time for our tour was approaching so we walked over to Piazza Farnese.  The Palace has an interesting history.  It was originally built by the Farnese family in the early 16th century and was eventually inherited by the King of Naples who was part of the French Bourbon dynasty.  It is considered an outstanding example of High Renaissance architecture.  In 1874 the French Government purchased the building for use as its embassy in Rome.  In 1936 Mussolini forced the French to sell it back to the Italian Government.  In return the French received a 99 year lease for the cost of €1.00 per month.  The exterior of the Palace is not that impressive.  The inside is magnificent.

Many of the rooms are decorated with elaborate frescos.  The room done by Annibale Carracci had been recently restored and we were treated to a discussion of the various allegories.  The frescos done by Michaelangelo can be found in the rooms occupied by the ambassador.  Because he was in residence we were not able to see them.   Many of the sculptures seen today are replicas of those that were transported to Naples when the Bourbons gained ownership.  No photography of any kind was permitted.

Distance walked: 10.6 miles and 12 flights

Thursday, January 18

For fun we decided to research all of the works of Michaelangelo, Canova and Bernini in Rome.  We recorded the names and their locations of the works and resolved to see them all – 68 works in all.  Fortunately we had seen most of them already.  Today, armed with our new list, we set out to see how many we could cross off our list.

Our first destination of the day was to be Parrocchia Santi XII Apostoli near Piazza Venzia.  Along the way we managed to visit two new churches near Piazza Farnese.

The first week we had been in Rome we walked past Parrocchia Santi XII Apostoli and noticed a large protest.  For safety’s sake we decided not to enter.  Now, many weeks later, there were still some banners tied to the church’s fencing but the protestors were gone.

The church was originally constructed in 499 but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1348.  It was rebuilt in 1417 by Pope Martin V and has since been enhanced a number of times.

The church is decorated in Baroque style with many frescos, colored marbles and sculptures.  Near the main alter we found an enormous monument to Pope Clement XIV by Canova.  Downstairs, in an older part of the church, we found the crypts of Giovanni and Phillpe.  This part of the church was liberally decorated with frescos from an earlier style.

(Older style fresco from the crypts)

On our way home we visited Chiesa di San Cosimato.  This church, located in Trastevere, dates from the 10th century and is decorated in the Byzantine style.  The property also included a convent that was converted to a hospital in 1870.

(Interior of Chiesa di San Cosimato)

Distance walked: 5.7 miles and 4 flights

Total churches visited so far: 100 and one Synagogue.  It took some doing but we finally reached a milestone.

Friday, January 19

We had previously visited the French Academy located in Villa Medici.  At that time we learned that each weekend the gardens hosted a light show, which was open to the public for free.  We planned to wend our way through the city and arrive at the gardens after dark.

Along the way we re-visited Santa Maria in Via Lata.  This time the church was open.  We were treated to a large and inviting interior decorated in high Baroque style.

While walking up Via del Tritone we happed upon Chiesa di Santa Maria Odigitria.  The church dates from 1598 but was most recently renovated in the 19th century.  Most of the artwork dates from that period.  At one time it was the national church of Sicily.

The display at the gardens was a surprise.  We were simply expecting the gardens to be lit up.  Instead there was a multi-media presentation including light installations, sound generators and smoke machines.  Each section of the garden contained a different presentation.  We had a lot of fun with it.

(A night of lights and smoke)

On the way home we visited San Lorenzo in Lucina.  It seems that many churches are only open in the evening.

Distance walked: 6.0 miles and 5 flights

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Foreign Academies

Wednesday, January 10

A great many of the world’s countries have academies here in Rome.  To attend, one must go through an ultra competitive process that includes application, interview and sometimes demonstration.  If you are one of the lucky few who are chosen it entitles you to room and board and a stipend in a magnificent setting.  These Fellowships can be for art, literature, musical composition, architecture or other creative, non-performance related arts and humanities.  Generally fellowships are open to individuals from any country.  On Wednesday we went to see the French Academy.

Tours are given in French, Italian and English.  They cost €12.00 per person.  English Language tours are given at 11:00 am and 3:30 pm so we left our apartment at 10:00 am with the aim of making the earlier tour.  Naturally, along the way, we found some new and interesting churches to visit which took a bit of time.  We had planned to simply go up the Spanish Steps and walk along the cliff to the villa but since we’d never been there before we decided to follow Google’s walking directions to insure we got there as quickly as possible.

Google instructed us to walk up the Spanish Steps, down the hill near Piazza Barberini, up another hill to Borghese Park and through the park to the villa.  It seemed a little out of the way but we have come to trust Google so off we went.  When we got to the park it instructed us to walk down a road that didn’t exist.  We walked back and forth for almost half an hour determined to find the proper road.  We couldn’t just walk in the general direction we wanted because there is major roadway that cannot be crossed on foot.  Finally we realized that we had missed the tour and, a little dispirited, walked over to some benches inTerrazza del Pincio to decide what to do next.

We sat for a while and indulged in some self pity.  The conversation included some choice words regarding Google.  But, since it was a bright and sunny day, we decided to walk about the park, take some pictures, have some lunch, do some window shopping (Rome’s semi-annual sale is now going on) and return for the afternoon tour.  It was a great decision.  For once we just walked around at a leisurely pace and enjoyed the ambiance.  It was a great day.

At 2:30 we decided to head back towards the Villa Medici.  This time we went the way we thought was most appropriate.  We got there in less than ten minutes 😝.

The Villa Medici is perched high on a hill between the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo.  It commands a panoramic view of the surrounding city.  Cardinal Ferdinando de’Medici, who built the villa and extensive gardens we see today, purchased the property in 1576.  The Cardinal was from Florence and descended from the well known family of that region.  France gained control over the property when it was purchased by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803 with the intention of starting an academy of arts.

(Villa Medici)

The main house is used mostly for administrative offices although it contains  rooms that are available for rent to the general public for €350.00 per night.  The fellows are housed in smaller buildings that surround the gardens.  Each fellow also has access to a studio for their work.  Their rooms have private baths and small kitchenettes.  They also receive a stipend.  The fellows must submit proposals detailing the work they intend to pursue during their time at the academy and they retain full ownership of anything they create.

(Entrance to the gardens from the back of the Villa.  A bronze of Mercury adorns the fountain.)

Friday, January 12

Having learned that there were many national academies in Rome we decided to visit the American Academy, which is located high up on the Janiculum Hill in Trastevere.  It occurred to us that we had already, unwittingly, seen the Spanish Academy when we visited the Tempietto di Bramante – also in Trastevere.  The Spanish Academy doesn’t provide tours but they have an art gallery that is open to the public for free.

Unlike all of the other academies the American Academy in Rome is not funded by the government.  It is sponsored by fundraising events and endowments.  The original endowments came mostly from wealthy families of the Gilded Age including such notables as Morgan, Carnegie and Rockefeller.  The campus includes a number of adjacent properties that have also been donated.  Tours are open to the public for free but require advance reservations.

The main building, in the shape of a typical Italian villa, contains a courtyard, function rooms, a dining hall (fellows and their families eat free), a cafe, meeting rooms, administrative offices and a few residences.  Most of the fellows are housed in adjacent buildings.  We were told that the rooms were comfortable but rather spartan.  Each has its own bathroom.

(Courtyard in the main Villa)

While walking the gardens we spotted several other villas that also belonged to the academy.  One them is rented by the U.S Ambassador to the Holy See.  Another is the Villa Rustica.  Galileo lived in this villa during his time in Rome shortly after the invention of his telescope.  There he introduced the device to the intelligentsia with great success.  In fact, the device was given the name ‘telescope’ during this time.

 

(Villa Rustica)

The academy boasts many famous visitors and alumni.  Aaron Copland and Lukas Foss were fellows there.  Ralph Ellison wrote ‘The Invisible Man’ during his time there.  Claude Debussy performed concerts while visiting; his piano is on display in the public rooms.  The main building also contains a lecture hall where events that are free and open to the public are held, usually once a week.

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The Last Week or So

Friday, January 5

Our plan for the day was to explore the area of Rome between the Qurinale and Esqualine Hills.  Also, Rome has sales twice a year so we thought we might do some window shopping as well, to take advantage of the Winter sales.

Along the way we noticed a number of plaques embedded in the road.  They commemorate the people who lived in these buildings and were killed and/or deported to concentration camps in World War Two.  We’ve come to realize that they are all over the city.  When you see them it gives you pause to think and remember.

(Commemorative Street Plaques)

We found a number of churches we hadn’t previously seen.  After visiting Chiesa di Santa Maria ai Monti, a very pretty church, we visited The Basilica San Vitale.  This church is found below street level and gives the impression of being very old.  It fact it dates from the early 500s.  Inside you will find a warm and inviting place filled with magnificent frescos.  This church is somewhat off the beaten path but it deserves to be featured in the guidebooks.  It will go down as one of our favorites.

At this point we were wending our way towards the top of the Esqualine Hill in search of a camera shop.  I finally broke down and decided to buy a tripod.  More on that later.  There’s always a story associated with these things!

Along the way we encountered some other new things to see.  Chiesa San Bernardo alle Terme is an unusual place.  You walk into a rotunda with a very dramatic dome.  Most of the inside is white, which gives it a rather spacious feeling.  Hidden away in the back is the older part of the church.  In stark contrast this part is laden with warm, dark wooden panels and is highly decorated.

(The Dome in Chiesa San Bernardo alle Terme)

Across the square is a famous fountain (Fontana dell’Acqua Felice sometimes referred to as the Fountain of Moses) that served as an aqueduct terminus for the area.  It features sculptures from the old Testament and contains a larger than life size figure of Moses.

On the other side of the Piazza we found Santa Maria Della Vittoria.  This church is well know for containing a Bernini sculpture named St Teresa’s Ecstasy.  Most people go directly to that chapel and ignore the rest of the church – but they shouldn’t.  The church is heavily decorated in Baroque style and contains many beautiful paintings and sculptures.

(Bernini’s The Ecstasy of St Teresa)

We did manage to find a camera store.  There we purchased a small set of binoculars and a tripod for my camera.  The store was not participating in the citywide sale 😥.  We departed and headed towards the Trevi Fountain to attend a free concert.

Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Fontana di Trevi was hosting a concert featuring singers performing classical and holiday music.  They were accompanied by pre-recorded music in a karaoke style performance.  The singers had nice voices but never seemed to have practiced with the recording.  It was pretty bad and we left before the intermission.  You get what you pay for!

By the time we left the church it was dark and I took some more pictures of the Trevi Fountain.  After dinner in a nice little restaurant we went home to rest up for the next day’s activities.

Distance walked: 7.4 miles and 4 flights

Saturday, January 6

This morning we were on our way back to the camera store to return the tripod.  While walking home from the concert the previous night I stopped along the Ponte Garibaldi to try to take some pictures of St Peter’s, which is always beautifully lit at night.  I attached the camera to the tripod and tightened one of the screws.  It broke.  I noticed that all of the knobs were made out of rigid plastic and were probably of poor quality.  The shop was closed for the weekend (that’s not what their web site says).

Our next destination: a hat store.  In 1983, the first time I was ever in Italy, I purchased a high quality Borsolino style hat from a lovely little shop in Modena.  If I remember correctly it cost about $25 (this was long before Italy was using the Euro and shopkeepers preferred dollars to Lira). I no longer have that hat.  It went missing in one of our many moves over the years.

Since arriving in Rome I’ve been visiting hat shops to see if I could find something nice at a reasonable price.  Today we were going to visit a Borsolino Brand store near the top of the Spanish Steps.  We hoped that they were having a sale.

Well, there’s nothing like the real thing.  The Borsolino Brand hat looked great and fit very well.  I now have a new hat.  It appears that the prices went up since 1983 but at least it was on sale.  Deborah tried on a few hats as well and was very tempted.  In the end we only bought the one.

(Sporting my New Borsolino)

The Obelisco di Montecitorio deserves honorable mention.  It is installed in the Piazza di Montecitorio and has a hole near the top that is supposed to illuminate the nearby meridian.  Since we were there just before noon we waited to see what would happen.  Nothing did.  Afterwards we did a little research and found that the entire setup was an homage and had never really worked.  We’ve wasted more time on meridians on this trip than you can imagine – quite ironic: wasting time on time telling contraptions!

Distance walked: 6.5 miles and 5 flights

Sunday, January 7

Free museum day!

We began our day at the Coliseum.  We had taken a guided tour last year and wanted to return and see it in more detail.  Besides, the price was right.  It’s the Coliseum – it’s awesome.  What more can we say?

(Selfie at the Coliseum.  It was too hot to wear my new hat – it was 60 that day.)

The Palatine Museum was still closed (this time we asked someone so we didn’t have to climb that hill again for nothing) so we headed over to Trajan’s Market.

On our way we found some new churches.  Parrocchia Ss. Quirico E Giulitta: a lucky find.  The basement contains a wonderful museum that features Nativity Scenes from all over the world.  The museum is free and is open whenever the church is open.  It is definitely worth a visit.

Adjacent to Trajan’s Market we found Chiesa di Santa Caterina da Siena a Magnanapoli.  We’ve walked past before and it had never previously been open.  Today we got to see it.  Another beautiful Baroque style church with a fresco’ed ceiling and an ornate organ loft.

To our surprise Trajan’s Market, a shopping mall, wholesale market and series of administrative buildings built my Emperor Trajan, was not free on the first Sunday of the month.  The cost to enter was rather high compared to other museum.  It cost us €16.00 each.  It is reputed to be the premier museum for the entire Forum.  It wasn’t.

The museum is housed in the actual buildings of Trajan’s Market.  There were many rooms with a variety of exhibits on at least four levels.  What we saw was mostly fragments of marble, recreations and scale model displays.  There were very few actual artifacts and most were in poor condition.  We were a little disappointed.

Distance walked: 8.5 miles and 24 flights

Monday, January 8

The forecast was for a bright, sunny day so we decided to amble our way toward Borghese Park and take some pictures.

Near The Pantheon we stumbled across a new church.  It was Chiesa Santa Nicola Di Bari.  From the street it hardly looked like a church but we managed to ferret it out.  It was small inside but contained a number of lovely frescos and well executed paintings.  It was a happy encounter.

We tried to visit the Villa Medici but found that it was closed on Mondays.  We resolved to return the next day and see it (we wound up going on Wednesday). We had a very nice, quiet day walking around the park.

Distance walked: 9 miles and 3 flights

Total churches visited so far: 90 and one Synagogue