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