Day 2 From Colossimo to Clam Sauce

Galleria Borghese Afternoon of Day 1 Rome

The Museo Borghese itself. "The Villa and its park were designed in 1605 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V. An extravagant patron of the arts, he amassed one of Europe's finest collections of paintings, statues, and antiquities, many of which are still displayed in the villa which he built especially to house his antique sculptures."

We enter at the top of the stairway and exit out the small doorway underneath, transformed by what we have seen! Of course we are not allowed to take pictures, so I will just mention that I LOVE the Bernini sculptures, especially the one he did at age 11, APOLLO AND DAPHNE, Proserpina, and the sculpture of the daughter of Borghese, reclining on a settee. For me, sculpture took on new appeal. More about that later...There is also great Baroque and Renaissance art work by Caravaggio, Correggio, Pinturicchio, Barocchi, Rubens, and Titian. One of the most memorable for me is of a tall slender red headed woman wearing only a necklace and large hat. She looks so much like Corinne!! I drag Corinne all the way back through the rooms to show her.
We leave the Palace/Museum with our heads full of the art and sculpture we have just seen. It is thrilling and I welcome some time to think about it.
Part of what is so great about this trip is the opportunity to do it with great friends with similar interests. We take turns reading the maps, pamphlets and guidebooks to each other, sharing ideas and information. Now where are George and Corinne?

We see excellent examples of the Umbrella Pine trees, very tall and with that characteristic shape that would repeat itself in other memorable places throughout Rome.
Strolling the gravel pathways through the extensive grounds. The vegetation and scenery change as we go. There are lakes and pavillions along the way. It makes me think of Paris here.
More Umbrella Pines.




Even after seeing so many other places with incredible art work, the Borghese Palace and grounds still remains one of my favorites. The gates as we leave are magnificent. It doesn't hurt that it is such a beautiful day, and our first day in Rome.

Approaching the Piazza del Popolo, where the famous landmarks are the two identical looking churches with domed tops, and the obelisk situated between the two of them. The streets are filled with tourists. I love the architecture everywhere I look.

A breath-taking fountain is on our left as we walk down the street. The spaces are large, grandiose passing from one piazza to another.

Looking down the Piazza di Spagna, at the Colonna dell Immacolato, a monument to the Immaculate Conception. The Piazza de Spagna is the most famous square in Rome, and has every big name store you can imagine...Gucci, Prada, Armani, all in these incredibly old buildings! We restrain our inclination to shop, but this is where we buy our first gellato. Mine was lemon in a chocolate-dipped cone.
Straight ahead is the home of the poet Keats, at the base of the Spanish Steps, and a different view of the same monument.
So many tourists--not exactly like the flower-laden pictures in the guidebooks, and no sign of Gregory Peck... Audrey Hepburn has all the luck!

The Steps again, but also a great shot of the Trinita dei Monti, the church at the top.
The Steps get narrower as you ascend, and less crowded!

We enjoy the late afternoon sun at the top of the Spanish Steps. I'm still pinching myself. Is this real?
The inside of the Trinita dei Monti, the 16th Century French church at the very top of the Spanish Steps, is so beautiful. How could the Sistine Chapel be any better?

As we walk back toward the Hotel Oxford, we look for a place to get some dinner. A pizzeria along the sidewalk catches our attention with its advertisement: "large back room", and we ask to see it. It is perfect! I have mushroom and ham ravioli with cream sauce--diliciosa. Miles has minestrone soup, also delicious, and the waiter gives each of the women a yellow rose to take with us at the end of the meal. On the way home, one last stop at a pharmacy for some moleskin for Miles' feet, and a picture at the Fontana del Tritone in the Piazza Barberini. Miles has the sack with the moleskin, and I have the yellow rose. What a great day!

Mosaics, Frescoes & Gellato

Determined to stay awake, we headed out on foot the first day in Rome to find the National Roman Museum. The sky was blue, temperature pleasant, views fascinating, and company wonderful!

We passed the ancient Diocletian Baths! Diocletian was an Emperor of Rome in 300 A.D. Everywhere you look there are remnants of past civilizations. It is an odd sensation to be looking at something that was used so very long ago, and imagine how it would have been then.
We saw street markets in Rome and Florence, mainly in the many Piazzas, or large squares in the middle of sections of the city. At this point I was still pinching myself to see if it was real!
The National Roman Museum was full of frescoes(painting on wet plaster), mosaics(pictures made by putting thousands of little pieces of stone together on the wall or the floor), sculptures, mummies and gold coins.
Some of the colors in the frescoes were so rich. At her feet it says virtue, honor, and I can't remember what else!

Amazingly intricate mosaics.

Look for this tree top in the next mosaic of the Gods fighting. So many tiny little pieces--it took years to create these mosaics.

The gold coin collection was impressive--rooms full of them~

In this mosaic there is a design I have been drawing all my life: the inter-twining ovals! These remnants of full walls of mosaics were inspiring.
This fresco, covering all four walls of the room, came from a Roman villa, and was a forest-garden scene with animals and vegetation that strongly reminded me of a garden room I have been in many times. It is one of the best preserved Roman frescoes still in existence.
The Discus Thrower is famous, and interesting from any side or angle. In those days, artists met secretly to study the human form to learn all the bones and muscles. I went to Italy with lukewarm feelings about sculpture--and returned with a new appreciation and love for this artistic medium. Sculptures like this one, several at the Borguese Palace, the Pieta in St. Peters Basilica, and the David in Florence were some of the artistic highlights of Italy. I get a lump in my throat thinking about them!
A sarcophagus with intricate, detailed carving all over it, depicting the battles fought and won by the man buried inside. He is in the middle of this carved side.

We took a taxi to the Borguese Museum next, stopping at McDonalds for the one and only ice cream sundae we had in Rome. After that it was gelatto only for us! My first one was Lemon in a cone dipped in chocolate.

All Roads Lead to Rome

Milano, Italy September 22, 2010

Four years ago Miles and I discussed travel. He wanted to go to Italy, and I wanted to go to Netherlands. We couldn't come to a decision. One day he said, "I have an idea. I think all roads lead to Rome, but our road happens to go through Amsterdam." What a smart guy!! Before long, we were traveling to Netherlands, to small cities on my geneology, and I was in heaven. That was two years ago, and another story.

Finally, our road has taken us to Rome! We left on Sept. 10th, and returned on the 23rd, 2010. What follows are some day by day highlights of our travels.