Rome Wasn't Toured in a Day

More walking today. Lot of walking. Maggie and Madeline went to the Borghese Gallery in the morning while Dad did some work. At the Borghese Gallery there were many sculptures by Bernini, as well as the famous painting, "Woman with a Unicorn" by Raphael, which was Madeline's favorite.

We stopped at the Italian Post Office (really long line) and Mail Boxes Etc. (really expensive) and a travel agent to make reservations for our train to Pisa tomorrow morning. Maggie wanted to visit Campo De Fiori, or "Flower Square". We took a rest at the Drunken Ship, which is a bar owned by a young American girl who took a trip to Europe after college and instead of coming home, opened a bar in Rome. That was almost 15 years ago.

Our real excitement for the day was seeing the Vigili del Fuoco respond in force to falling plaster near the Piazza di Spagna. The sidewalk was roped off while Rome's Bravest did their best at repairing the building facade.

We had our last gelato in Rome, again at Piazza Navona, where we received the frequent customer discount today, after our fourth straight visit. At Piazza Navona we went to the Church of Saint Agnes in Agone, it is said that Saint Agnes was martyred at the Piazza when at the age of 12 she refused to marry a pagan. We walked along the River Tiber to Piazza del Popolo, back to the Borghese Park, past the Villa Medici and home to our hotel.

We noticed that many of the street musicians play "Over the Rainbow", and we also tried hot roasted chestnuts from a street vendor. They were not quite as good as the gelato. Madeline is getting used to everyday life and can cross the street (not easy) and has mastered at least 20 key Italian phrases.

After a short rest, along with some schoolwork and business, we went to dinner at an outside cafe on Via Veneto near our hotel. Tomorrow we take a scenic train up the coast to Pisa, then on to Florence where we spend the next several days.

Ciao

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...

Today we went back to the Vatican. We toured Saint Peter's Basilica, rubbed the foot of the Statue of Saint Peter, and went to the Saint Peter's Museum, where we saw many relics, from many Saints, including Saint Peter. A relic is some remains from the person, preserved and displayed.

We enjoyed seeing the Pieta, by Michelangelo, and visited the Tomb of the Popes, where we saw the Tomb of Pope John Paul II. There are 91 Popes buried at the Vatican. Saint Peter's Basilica is 5.7 acres and can hold 60,000 people.

We had more perfect gelato at the Piazza Navona, where a woman from Britain gave Maddie a ballon heart, and our waiter told us that business at their restaurant was down by 50% since last year. We loved wathcing the street performers, but didn't want to get too close.

We watched intently as school let out just steps from the Pantheon. It looked like grades 1-4, and didn't look much different than dismissal at Manasquan. Dismissal was at 4:30pm, but we're pretty sure they have a much longer lunch.

We walked alot and went to several more churches, we saw a class trip of teenagers from Spain who were chanting and singing and lifting each other on their shoulders. That was fun to watch. Maddie finally had McDonalds, cheeseburger and latte for 2 Euros (about $2.75).

Buona Notte

All Roads Lead to Rome

Today we visited the heart of ancient Rome, the Forum and the Colosseum. We learned about Emperor Domitian who was so hated that when he died the Senate declared that all statues and inscriptions of him be destroyed and that the memory of his existence be erased. Everywhere in Rome you see the letters SPQR, which means Senatus Populesque Romanus, or "The Senate is the People". It is written on statues and even on the sewer grates.

The Forum was the center of Roman Life, we went to the remains of the Emperors House at Palatine Hill, and the Curia, where the Roman Senate met. At the Colosseum we learned about common life and the gladiators.

We had "take away" pizza for lunch, and then went back to our favorite gelato store at Piazza Navona, (No Protests Today) where we had gelato in the rain. On the way to Piazza Navona, we stopped at the Church of Saint Ignatius, where we saw the tombs of Saint Roberto Bellarmino, and Saint Luigi Gonzaga. We also got to see a Pope, not the current one, but the tomb of Pope Gregory the XV, also at Saint Ignatius.

We then went back to the hotel to do some school work and to rest up for our night out. We all love Rome and are trying to learn a little bit of Italian.

Ciao

Another Day in Rome

Today we slept late and then headed over to the Vatican Museum. It was founded by Pope Julius II in the 16th Century with the purchase of one statue. Part of the museum is the Sistine Chapel. The walls were painted by Botticelli in the 1480's, the ceiling was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. The mural behind the altar is called The Last Judgement and took Michelangelo 6 years to complete between 1535 and 1541.

We thought we were going to seven countries on this trip, but we forgot to count the Vatican, so we'll actually visit eight countries. Everyplace was more crowded today, but not too bad. When we crossed the River Tiber there were alot of police and a helicopter, and riot police set up. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was at a conference with 6500 political leaders where two of Italy's main political parties were joining into one. This makes Italy's political system closer to having two main political parties, like the United States. There was also a protest about this at the nearby Piazza Navona.

We went to the Church of Mary Magdalene, where we saw the tomb of Saint Camillus who founded an order of clergy dedicated to helping the sick. He is the Patron Saint of Nurses and Hospitals.

After dinner, we stopped at many gelateria's looking for the perfect type of vanilla. We went back to the Trevi Fountain just to be safe.

Tomorrow we plan to visit the Colosseum and maybe the zoo. Later in the week we plan to go back to the Vatican to visit Saint Peter's and the Pieta.

When in Rome...

We arrived in Rome at 7am, which is 2am at home. The pilot of our plane was retiring after this trip, we were his last flight. We missed the first train from the airport to downtown, but only had to wait a little bit for the next train. Once we got to our hotel, which is right next to the American Embassy, we went to the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. We also visited a grocery store, they had small hand baskets, but with wheels that you could pull behind you. The grocery store was much smaller than the ones we have at home, and they had alot of fresh produce, alot of cheese, and not too many snack choices. After the grocery we went to Borghese Park and rented a family style bike for a ride through the park. We had a very busy day, tomorrow we are going to the Vatican Museum.

Ciao

Day 1- Airport

We just got to the airport, and we are all very excited. The plane ride will be very long but tomorrow morning we'll be in Rome, Italy. Madeline is most looking forward to seeing the Trevi Fountain, because if you throw a coin into the fountain, it means you will return to Rome.

We'll post some pictures soon. Thanks for following along.