How We Spend Our Days

Early on during this trip another tourist told me she and her husband had slept until 11 am their first morning in Italy. So, they started setting the alarm clock so as not to miss half the day. Not feeling like there are sights we MUST see is one of the joys of being back here for the twenty-somethingth time.

Our days are rather more relaxed. Most mornings we wake up when we wake up. That is usually between 8 and 9 no matter what time we fell asleep. We shower and dress and leave the apartment by 10. Our first stop is always one of the coffee bars on or near Piazzale di Ponte Milvio. One, Bar Farnesina, has become our regular and the pretty young woman barista knows our order without us having to tell her. We like to sit at one of the little tables for perhaps 10 minutes and read the papers that are always there for customers.

After colazione (Italian breakfast) we head off to catch whatever bus takes us to wherever we are headed for the day. Usually this means the #2 Tram that runs from the far side of Ponte Milvio to Piazza del Popolo or the #32 that runs from Piazzale di Ponte Milvio to Piazza del Risorgimento near the Vatican. Using public transportation has been one of the best things about this trip. Only once have we been on the subway and we are really coming to understand how the different areas of Rome fit together.

We always have some activity in mind when we leave the apartment. For instance, yesterday we went to Piazza del Popolo and caught the #119 bus, got off at Piazza Colona and walked to Piazza Navona. After confirming the museum we want to visit there is not open on Mondays we set off into the nearby rabbit warren of streets to visit two churches and four Caravaggio paintings. This was another short walking tour from our box of 50 Walks in Rome. The churches and the painting were delightful but I actually enjoyed the first church’s Rafaello fresco better.

There was still time after that to do another walk which took us to the very interesting street Via dei Coronari. Its name comes from it being the street of the rosary makers (coronari in Italian) but now it is the street of the antique shops. We walked down it and ended up having lunch at a restaurant at the end.



Piazza Navona



Alter at S. Agostino near Piazza Navona

The restaurant was obviously a destination for German tourist groups. Two of them (about 40 people each) joined us for a lovely meal. Dom and I especially enjoyed the vegetable antipasto and his lamb chops.

After lunch we walked back to Piazza Navona and then on to Piazza della Rotonda where the Pantheon is located. One of the things we have noticed the past few days is the large number of German tourists including lots of children. Is there some sort of holiday there this week?

We eventually made our way to Via del Corso, caught the #119 bus back to Piazza del Popolo. At the latter they were still breaking down an exhibit that was there over the weekend celebrating the anniversary of the Corpo dei Forestale (Italian Forest Rangers). The large piazza was filled with a grandstand for seating, information booths, chainsaw sculptures, a large helicopter and a small one (both trucked in because we saw them without their rotors), and large areas of lawn. On Monday afternoon about all that was left was the helicopters and the lawn was once more rolls of sod.

Today we headed over to St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time since we arrived in Rome. I wanted to go up to the top of the dome but the line was so long that we just strolled around the church before heading off for other activities. We ended up going to Castel Sant’Angelo, the Papal fortress located on the Tevere not far from the Vatican. Neither of us had ever visited it and it was quite interesting. The views from the top are wonderful although one is not as high as up at the top of the dome.

We ate lunch at a nearby restaurant where we sat at a table outside and watched the people go by. There were a lot of tourists but also lots of students, priests and nuns. Even though our table was in the street and it was supposed to be pedestrian only there were occasionally cars and delivery trucks going by. The man seated on the outside of the table closest to traffic looked awfully worried every time a vehicle came by.



Inside St. Peter's



Castel Sant'Angelo



View from top of Castel Sant'Angelo



Via dei Borgi and a view into Vatican City

Upon arriving back at Ponte Milvio we made what has become a daily stop—Il Pelicano Gelateria. My current favorite flavors are straciatella (chocolate flake) and caramel and meringue. They also will dip your cup or cone into chocolate and nuts and add whipped cream. I have started going for all of it except the whipped cream (not my thing). Dom is still a purist.



Gelato - YUM!

Back at our apartment we have been spending time on the internet, working on the blog, watching TV and reading. About 7:30 pm I make a light dinner. Last night we watched the latest Indiana Jones movie on television. Action films seem to be the most enjoyable to watch given the inadequacies of our Italian. Usually we are in bed reading by 11 pm and it is lights out before midnight.

As you can no doubt tell, for us this is a pretty relaxed vacation. It feels like the first one in a long time. Previously, we have had loads of chores to accomplish while in Italy and eight weeks has not seemed like nearly enough time. Right now we are really enjoying the lack of any pressure to see or do anything that we do not want to see or do.