October 31, 2005
Topic: Rome
Our last day in Italy. I could stay another week, but work calls. After breakfast, we packed and checked out. The nuns let us leave our luggage down by the office and even allowed us to keep the outside door key so we could get back in without having to ring. We hadn’t been over by the Forum, so we headed in that direction. On the way we stpped at the Gesu. Built between 1568 and 1584, this is an amazing example of Counter Reformation Baroque architecture. There are chapels to St. Francis Xavier (his right forearm is here, the rest of his remains are elsewhere) and St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits. There is also an elegant Bernini tomb for San Roberto Bellarmino. Read More...

October 30, 2005
Topic: Rome
Nice to get an extra hour of sleep last night. The opera didn’t get over until nearly midnight and it was 12:30 a.m. before we were back in our hotel room. Things were running a bit late here this morning though. Didn’t get breakfast until almost 8:30 a.m.

We went to mass at All Saints, the Episcopal church near the Piazza del Popolo. Anglicans didn’t have permission to even hold services in Rome until the early 1800s, and the church was actually built until the early 1880s. Mass was sung (including a choir from Essex that was visiting, and because the feast of All Saints is this week, the other Anglican congregation in Rome (St. Paul’s-within-the-Walls) was there for a joint service. We had briefly discussed going to St. Paul’s instead—good thing we didn’t! All Saints also sponsors a mission about 4 ? hours from Rome, which primarily serves Nigerian immigrants and several members of that mission were there today for a baptism.

Read More...

October 29, 2005
Topic: Rome
Time for some shopping. We started on the Campo de' Fiori where we picked some more espresso spoons. The vendor wasn’t happy that I paid mostly in 20, 10, and 5 cent coins, but hey, have to dump them somewhere! Steve needed stamps for some post cards and I still needed post cards. Theoretically, you can buy stamps at any Tabacchi, but that’s not the case. One did send us to the Largo di Torre Argentina, where she said there was a Post Office. We couldn’t see it, but the owner of a coffee bar took pity on us and walked outside to point it out. We got the stamps and I found a gift for Lindsay right across the street.

Steve wanted to go to a bank and also look at some print shops near the Piazza Navona before we headed off to the Spanish Steps, so we backtracked a bit. The shop he’s liked in the past has gone very high end, so nothing there to buy. We detoured briefly to visit San Luigi dei Francesi where there are three of Caravaggio's early paintings in a chapel dedicated to St. Matthew. Then we struck out for the Pantheon and another print shop we saw Thursday evening. Unfortunately, it was closed today.

Read More...

October 28, 2005
Topic: Rome
Business to deal with this morning. We needed to do some banking and lay in a few more snacks for those late afternoons before any restaurants are open. Then off to the Palazzo Altemps. This palace was originally built for a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV in 1480. However, when the pope died, his family fell into disfavor and the palace was sacked. It was purchased by Cardinal Marco Sittico Altemps. Interesting story here. Altemps had a son, Roberto, who committed a crime and was sentenced to death. Altemps prostrated himself before Sixtus IV to beg for mercy for Roberto, but the pope had him executed anyway. So, buying the palace and eradicating all traces of Sixtus IV’s family was a bit of revenge for the cardinal. The palace now houses an extensive collection of Classical sculpture and an exquisite chapel.

After a couple of hours in the museum, we headed out for St. Peter’s. We crossed the Tiber on the Ponte Cavour near the Palazzo di Guistizia and went up Via Crescenzio. This actually takes you through a fairly upscale neighborhood, and is much quieter than the main route. We found a nice bar and had lunch then walked on to the Vatican.

The square still had chairs set out from earlier in the week. And, in order to get into the basilica, it’s now required that you go through a security screening. I hate that! It took a while to move through the line and into the church. Once inside, we found that chairs were also set up—I guess getting ready for All Saints Day, but it limited what we were able to see because many areas were roped off.

The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament was open and we were able to go there to see Bernini’s work. We also saw the Throne of St. Peter in Glory and the Monument to Pope Alexander VII, but the ropes made it hard to get a good view. The Stuart Monument by Canova was easily accessible, and I think I appreciated it more, having seen Canova’s work in Venice and Florence. I know that there’s a need to protect things, but it’s unsettling to be so restricted in movement around the basilica now.

On the way back to the hotel, we checked out the laundromat and had a gelato. Couldn’t resist picking up an international Herald Tribune to read about Miers, Rove, and the World Series.

Dinner at Da Giovanni al Galletto again tonight; outside, this time. He does a hopping business. We went looking for Pompey’s Theater afterward, but didn’t bring a map and didn’t stumble across it. Will have to look tomorrow in earnest.
Photos: Rome 10-28-05

October 27, 2005
Topic: Rome
We had dinner at Antica Trattoria Polese last night. One of my favorite restaurants in Rome. It’s on the Corso near the Chiesa Nuevo. We’ve eaten there every time we’ve come to Rome and it’s always a treat.

This morning we we off in search of opera tickets. La Traviatia is being performed on Saturday night near the Pantheon. We found the ticket office with no difficulty, but it wasn’t open until 10 a.m., so we walked over to Tazza d’Oro for coffee and then visited Santa Maria in Aquino.

There are some things going on in Rome related to the elections. There was a manifestation on Tuesday where the papers claimed up to 100,000 students were protesting. It appeared that another protest was in the offing today. There were several kinds of police in the piazza where we bought the opera tickets and a fairy large group of people who appeared to have some purpose for congregating there. A helicopter was buzzing overhead as well.

Tickets in hand, we went off in search of bus 23 to go to the Centrale Montemartini, south of the city. This was originally a temporary exhibit put together when the Capitoline Museum was being renovated. However, it was so popular that the installation has remained. It’s in an old power station that was left intact during World War II because the workers flew a Vatican flag over it and the Germans thought it belonged to the Vatican City. The exhibit shows ancient sculpture within the power plant—very striking.

From there we walked to the basilica of San Paolo, Outside the Walls (stopped for lunch along the way). The basilica burned in the early 1800s, but was rebuilt in a faithful replica. It’s quite an imposing building. The cloister was not burned and is a lovely example of 5th century work. We also saw bits of the necropolis in the area.

We bussed back to the hotel around 3 p.m. and caught a siesta before heading out to the Quiranale. We took bus 62 (a compromise because I hate bus 64). We were going to overshoot our mark (Santa Maria della Vittoria), but the bus driver got into a road rage situation with a van driver. The van pulled over and the driver confronted the bus driver. He got out and the shouting match was on. Fortunately for us, this all happened exactly where we wanted to get off the bus, not a regular stop. So while they were hunting for a police officer, we jumped off the bus and headed for the church.

Santa Maria della Vittoria is home to Bernini’s St. Teresa in Ecstasy. I love that chapel. We spent a little time there, then walked down Via XX Settembre. We were also able to visit San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (Borromini) and Sant’ Andrea al Quirinale (Bernini): two of my favorite Baroque churches in Rome.

We went down to the Trevi Fountain and had coffee, then walked back to the hotel via the Pantheon. We tried a new restaurant right between the Campo di’Fiori and the Piazza Farnese. Called Da Giovanni al Galletto. It was quite good; may take the place of Grappola d’Oro which has been sold, renovated, and is now way overpriced for what’s on offer.

Photos: Rome 10-27-05

October 26, 2005
Topic: Rome
When we got back to the hotel last night one of the sisters asked if we’d be interested in seeing the Pope today, so first thing this morning we headed out for St. Peter’s. This was his regular Wednesday morning audience, but it was held in the square rather than inside.

What a huge crowd. We ended up not venturing in too far, but had an opportunity to see the Pope very close when he rode into the piazza. I’m glad we were able to be there.

I’d wanted to go into St. Peter’s, but the crowd was too big, so we decided to visit some old haunts instead. We crossed the Ponte Umberto (the one with the Bernini angels) and wandered through the side streets behind the Corso. The Via d. Governo Vecchio has really changed. It used to be mostly second hand stores, but now seems to be almost all clothing shops. The restaurant where Steve and I had New Year’s Eve dinner on our honeymoon also seems to be gone.

But, Tiempo Bar in the Piazza della Rotunda is still going strong. We had lunch there and then visited the Pantheon. Tazza d’Oro is nearby, so we stocked up on espresso beans and then went to Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Except for the fact that they’ve tarted up St. Catherine’s altar, this was like visiting an old friend. Works here range from Medieval times through Baroque, and Bernini’s elephant with the obelisk on it’s back is in the square.

We visited another coffee bar on the Piazza S. Eustachio—great coffee, but grumpy wait staff today. Then we decided to find a restaurant recommended by a friend. What a fiasco! It’s supposed to be right by the Campo di’ Fiori. First we looked along the wrong end of the Campo. Then we got the right end, but it wasn’t where the guidebook showed. Finally, we decided to just go back to the hotel and forget about it. No sooner had Steve said, “I guess we’ll jus have to stumble across it,” when there it was, right in front of us. Not at all where the book led us to believe it would be. Oh well. We have reservations for Sunday night—it will be our ‘special’ dinner in Rome.

Our 'visit' with the Pope: Rome 10-26-05

October 25, 2005
Topic: Rome
We now understand the breakfast routine in holy hotels that actually serve it. We knew enough to ask before sitting down and were shown the right table. Breakfast here includes yoghurt (yum!), huge rolls, cheese and meat; also a passable version of regular coffee.

We decided to take a new walk suggested in the guidebook this morning. We started on the Via Giulia, which is very close, and headed out toward the Tiber River, which we crossed on the Ponte Sisto. From there we walked several back streets to Santa Maria in Trastevere. One of the earliest churches in Rome, this basilica has columns taken from Roman buildings and mosaics from the 12 century. There is also an icon of the Madonna from the 7th century in one of the side chapels.

Read More...

October 24, 2005
Topic: Florence to Rome
We leave Florence this morning. Of the two cities we’ve visited so far, I’ve liked Venice best, but I find that I’m a little sad leaving here. The nuns at St. Elisabetta have been very gracious and the holy hotel itself is very nice. We had a large, airy room and enjoyed both the gardens there as well. I think I also have a much better understanding of how things developed in Rome, based upon what I’ve seen here,

We cabbed to the train station and got there way too early. The Florence station is a madhouse and, unlike Venice, once you’re there, it’s not easy to go anywhere else, unless you want to cab again. We did explore a bit and find a quite coffee bar along one concourse. So, we nursed our coffees and relaxed. We also picked up sandwiches here, having learned from our last trip that food is scarce on the train.

This train wasn’t as modern as the one we rode from Venice. That one had folding tables and even an electrical outlet. This one was pretty basic. But, the scenery was interesting once we got out of the city and it was direct to Rome, so we couldn’t complain.

We didn’t have to queue up for a taxi like we did the first time we arrived at the Rome station, so we were at St. Brigida in no time. The convent is on the Palazzo Farnese, and the first thing the nuns warned us about was the pickpockets. Some things never change! Our room is fairly large and overlooks the Via di Monserrato. There’s a rooftop terrace overlooking the Piazza. Very nice set-up!

Riding a train is pretty tiring, so we took advantage of the Italian siesta tradition!

Early in the evening, we walked to the Piazza Navona to check out our old haunts. St. Agnese is in scaffolding again. The piazza was filled with vendors selling toys and bad art. We had coffee and walked around the outside edge of the piazza to make sure the old print shop that Steve favors is still there. We also walked by Grappola d’Oro. One of my favorite restaurants in the past. Sadly, the old man who started the restaurant has retired. The new owners have remodeled and raised the prices significantly, so I think we’ll pass on having dinner there. After walking around Campo d’Fiori, we found a restaurant called Sergio’s on a street just off the Piazza Farnese. Their specialty is grilled meat—had some great veal steak.

View from our new digs in Rome: Off to Rome 10-14-05

October 23, 2005
Topic: Florence
We finally made it to the Academy to see David and several other works by Michelangelo. Our reservation was for 10:15, so we made sure we got to breakfast right on time and then made the trek back to Piazza San Marco. We took a slightly different route, but it’s still quite a hike. We were a few minutes early, so we had time to stop at a bar for coffee. The nuns serve Nescafe and warm milk at breakfast. Just isn’t the caffeine jolt we crave first thing in the morning!

The reservation thing worked pretty well. We were allowed to go through the metal detector about 10 minutes before our scheduled time and then to buy our tickets. There are security screenings now at most of the major museums—I guess this started with the bombing of the Uffizi in 1993. How sad…

Read More...

October 22, 2005
Topic: Florence
More rain! Showers off and on in the morning, but clearing later in the day.

We decided to take another run at the Accademia today, so we walked there right after breakfast. The line was much shorter than on Thursday, so we thought we’d hand around a bit to see what happened. Two guys from near Sacramento got in line behind us. We started talking, and next thing we knew, one of them pulled out his cell phone and we all had reservations for tomorrow morning at 10:15. Much better than hanging out and hoping for the best.

Off for coffee and to find the bus to Fiesole. This hillside town is about 25 minutes north of Florence. It was settled by Etruscans nearly 400 years before the Romans founded Florence. It was actually part of the ‘Grand Tour’ in the 19th century because of the views and because it was a cool place to escape to during the summer.

There’s not a lot going on here, but there are Etruscan and Roman ruins. We wandered through an amphitheater that once held 2000-3000 people (depends on which guide book you read). There are also ruins of Roman baths, temples (Roman and Etruscan), and a necropolis. There’s also a museum that’s very interesting, showing items found in Fiesole during various digs.

The Bandini museum was closed, so we visited the Chapel of St. James instead. Very small, but has a beautiful fresco and a number of artifacts from the cathedral. We were both stilled pretty tired from yesterday, so we bussed back down to Florence.

Steve wanted to visit the open air market at San Lorenzo to buy a scarf, and I wanted to visit the church, so we killed two birds with one stone. The market is packed, and most vendors are selling scarves, purses, or shoes. Many guys wandering around hawking counterfeit watches and sunglasses as well.

San Lorenzo was the first church in Florence (393 AD). Later, when the Medicis came into power, they spent a lot of time (several generations, actually) and money on renovating San Lorenzo. There’s work by Donatello (and his tomb), Michelangelo, Lippi, and other well known Florentine artists. Brunelleschi designed the interior using mathematics, so everything is symmetrical. It’s a beautiful church.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a supermarket and picked up snacks. We also decided to brave the bus system and figure out how to get a ride back. Very good idea, especially with a sack of groceries in tow.

A couple of photos from Fiesole: Florence 10-22-05