5C's Que Pasa

The next morning, about 5 1/2 hours later.

Colin stitched five photos together to get this panoramic photo.  The Colosseum was built in just eight months, an amazing feat.

We made it to the top. Well Colin climbed while I took the wheelchair elevator.  Try to imagine a canopy over the entire area.  They had an intricate way of holding a cloth canopy.  Amazing technology way back then.

The tour was great in that we heard many details that we might have missed otherwise.  The oval area at the base of the seats was covered with a floor.  What you see here are a series of narrow tunnels under the floor which had had openings like a trap door raised with an intricate pulley system placed randomly.  The entire floor was covered by straw so the audience never saw where the next door hatch would open.

There were games scheduled perhaps monthly ( I can’t remember ) and the public was invited to come with the incentive of free meat.  Gladiators fought against gladiator often not fairly matched, they also fought animals and exotic animals were brought in to fight each other and so on.  The highlight was at noon, it the time to kill  criminals or those that had been falsely accused.  The methods included burning, hanging and beheading.  Hence the reason for the straw floor covering, an easy way to clean up the blood.

We are now in the Forum which are buildings built over buildings over the centuries.  Remarkably the buildings in the Forum are well persevered.   Note the door of the church so high up.  During excavations they discovered that there were ruins below at ground level.

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I was proud of myself but I have to admit that my left knee area was sticking out 3 inches with a huge hematoma. A PT specialist on the tour asked me what had happened to me and was shocked that I was on the tour when I should have been in bed.  I had no pain and despite being tired and slow moving I was doing well.  I had come to Rome to see this and I saw it.

The new way of selling tours.

We got back to our lovely huge apartment where I rested, finished packed and we headed down the street for a quick dinner which I mostly did not eat. The wine was great though.

These are parked everywhere in Rome.

Next stop was the Trevi Fountain.

If you throw a coin in with your left hand over your right shoulder you will return to Rome, so says the legend. Apparently every night the coins are vacuumed out of the fountain.  Three thousand euros are scooped up each time and the money goes to charity.  Note Colin’s snazzy new shoes.

So wonderful to be here in person after seeing this in so many movies.

Close up of the Trevi Fountain sculpture.

Talk about a Smart car.  Always able to find a parking spot.

From the Trevi Fountain we took a bus up to the Piazza del Campidoglio.  But first we had to climb the stairs to the top of Capitoline Hill.  These stairs were designed by Michelangelo.  No matter where we go or what we do stairs are involved.

Just around the corner from the Piazza was the most remarkable view of the Roman Forum. We feasted our eyes for awhile before descending the hill.

Just next door some sort of military parade was taking place.  Many officials, much pomp and circumstance but we had no idea what it was all about.  We did later see two wreaths with two flames burning nearby and just a few soldiers guarding the area.  Everyone else had left.

Finally we stopped for a Spritz and to rest.  It would turn out that the happy hour snacks they gave us would end up being our dinner.

Of course we had to stand all the way, change Metro lines and do several more stairs. Not all Metro stations have escalators.

Colin’s new organic shoes made in Spain.  We have noticed how many vegan places there in Italy as well as what they call BIO grocery stores where everything is organic including the wine and we even saw a store selling vegan shoes.  Even here in Nice there are BIO stores.

I had a cut over my right eye that would not stop bleeding.  Finally Colin got a look at it and we both knew that I would need stitches.  So our host was called.  He first offered to have a doctor come to the apartment but I was not sure that our insurance would cover that and thought that we should go to the hospital.

I was pushed into a hallway where there were other beds with patients in them.  I believe that because I was a tourist I was brought to this area, otherwise I would be outside in the waiting room.  There was no place for Colin to sit, eventually he sat on the floor.

A special panorama stitch by Colin of the Trevi Fountain.

We took the bus into town as it was located just outside our condo and we wanted to see some of the local streets. I regret not taking more photos of ruins that are scattered throughout the city.  They are lying everywhere, some are fenced off for protection while others just become part of the street area.

Everyone lives in apartments, one of top of the other, side by side. So different from all the space we have in Canada not to mention the greenery.

Our first stop was Campo de’ Fiori, a large square area serving as a daily morning local market.  The market is surrounded by dozens of restaurants, cafes and bars.  At night the tables and chairs fill the market space.

For centuries public executions took place at Campo de’ Fiori.  We had read that Julius Caesar was stabbed to death here.

It is a limoncello delight if you are interested in doing some tastings.  Guess what we had for breakfast?

Limoncello Viagra! Now that is going too far.

So many residents going about their daily business among us tourists.  I expect that these are two old friends who dress up and meet for a morning coffee several days a week.

We were going to stop for a coffee and late breakfast near the market but walked on to Piazza Navona.  Sadly in the last week or so my beautiful black and white hat tore in two.  The stitching in the straw came apart.

The Piazza Navona is symbolized by 3 fountains, the Fountain of the four rivers, the Fountain of Neptune, and the Fountain of the moor. In the past, in addition to the market, processions and spectacles where held here including mock naval battles when the square was flooded with water.

There are many other facts about this area but today it is mostly a lovely gathering place surrounded by restaurants.

Good friend and world traveler Suzanne emailed me that her favorite restaurant in Rome was Tre Scalini so we decided to stop in for lunch.

First we had a coffee and then shared a famous ‘Tartufo’ as described above.  I could detect several different chocolate tastes but not all 13 of them.  Truly a decadent lunch.  What day this was turning out to be considering what we had already had for breakfast.

An expensive but delightful stop as we relaxed and watched the activity on the square. Grazie mille mi amiga.

Things are close in Rome so we walked over the Pantheon.

The word Pantheon is a Greek adjective meaning “honor all Gods”. In fact the pantheon was first built as a temple to all gods.

“The most fascinating part of the Pantheon is its giant dome, with its famous hole in the top (The eye of the Pantheon, or oculus). The dome was the largest in the world for 1300 years and until today it remains the largest unsupported dome in the world! The diameter of the dome is 43.30 meters or 142ft (for comparison, the United States Capitol dome is 96 feet in diameter) and is in perfect proportion with the Pantheon by the fact that the distance from the floor to the top of the dome is exactly equal to its diameter.”

Taken with Colin’s camera.

Taken with the iPhone.

“The hole (oculus), 7.8 meters in diameter, is the only source of light and is the connection between the temple and the gods above.”  Taken with the iPhone, it was difficult to get the light on the floor ( which is the original marble ) without people in the shot.

He found this place while browsing and it offered 50% off all food but not drinks. So we booked it.

Again we sat inside because of my cold and chill.  This was the view from our table if we crouched down a bit under the canopy.

Lightly breaded zucchini flowers is the official name of our appetizer.  The bread, olive oil and vinegar were so good.

I had the seafood pasta which included fresh lobster, crab, shrimp and perhaps more, which was 24 euros but at 50% off was a great deal.  Colin had we think a salmon pasta dish.  They were both excellent.

Meanwhile the sun was setting and the lights were coming on.

We took our time finishing our wine and  then went outside to take some photos. It seemed that this was the corner to take the photos.  Colin didn’t bring his tripod this evening so he leaned up against a streetlight to steady the camera.

This was the result.

We walked up some steps to take a few more photos.  The first photos were taken with my camera and here we used for the first time ever my iPhone. It did a very good job with the lighting.

The iPhone camera definitely has its uses.

Soon it was time to head home and get me back to bed where I did have a very good sleep.  The rest during the day and that night helped me regain some energy.  I know that I can do a lot in a day but not day after day without a break.

The Metro in Rome is always busy but during rush hour it was beyond crowded. Twice while there a younger woman stood and offered me her seat.  I didn’t think that I looked that old!

This is the famous spiral staircase the many miss as it is located in the gift shop just as you come up the escalator.  It is an exit but most of us leave the Vatican in a much different area.

The first area you see with museums to the left and to the right.  My research incorporated the top 10 Vatican must sees as well as other areas I wanted to visit plus we used some of the Rick Steve’s info.  Of course that is St. Peters Basilica behind me.

Some museums have a dozen or more rooms. So we knew to head directly to Room VIII in the Pinacoteca Museum ( housing things from the middle ages to the 1800’s in chronological order ) in order to see Raphael’s masterpiece, ‘ The Transfiguration ‘.  This was his last work before he died and it is said to be one of the most iconic paintings in the Vatican Museums.  If you want more information about this or other photos below please check on your own as time does not allow me to be your tour guide.

We are in the Pinecone Courtyard named for this 13 foot high bronze pinecone which dates back to Ancient Rome, 1st century BC.  It is flanked by two bronze peacocks.

The Laocoon is a sculpture group from 30BC.  It was found in 1506 on the Esquiline Hill in Rome.  It is housed in the Pio – Clementine Museum and is also said to be one of the most important pieces of art in the Vatican collection.  The sculpture depicts a Trojan priest Laocoon and his two sons losing a battle with to the death with two sea serpents.  This would be a good one to look up as it relates to the Trojan War when the Greeks leave a giant wooden horse outside the gates of Troy.

The Apollo Belvedere is a marble Greek sculpture from around the first century BC.  It was once considered the ideal of classical male beauty.  I prefer my own piece of human art 🙂

The Porphyry Basin set in the Rotunda Room.  Its circumference is 13 meters/forty feet.  About 2000 years ago Nero ordered a special bath for his Domus Aurea/Golden House.  Someone had to go to Egypt and get this giant rock from the porphyry quarry and haul it back to Rome and carve it.  Now that is an awesome bathtub.

As we walked along we did look at many other things but I am just sharing what we think were highlights.  We are now in the Gregorian  Egyptian Museum.  Lovely gold bracelets.  There were also gold perfectly round wedding bands, beautiful brooches complete with clasps, chariots, etc.

But the highlights were the mummies.  Sarcophagus of Imhotep, 26th Dynasty ( 664 – 525 BC

He still had finger nails.

As well as hair.  An amazing collection.

We are now in the Tapestry Hall.  The tapestries on the right were made in the 17th century and the ones on the left such a this one were made in the 1500’s.  Each of these tapestries, made of wool and silk and gold and silver thread, took years to make by the best weavers of the day who were from Flanders or Belgium.  This particular tapestry is called ‘ The Resurrection of Christ “.  As you approach it and look at Jesus’s eyes and keep walking all the while watching his eyes, you will see that his eyes have followed you as you walked left to right.  The masterful stitching provided a moving perspective.  Definitely one of the top ten in the Vatican must sees.

The Gallery of Maps Hall and its beautiful ceiling.  This hall contains the largest collection of geographical paintings ever created.

These wall – size maps depict Italy and Italian provinces and were commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII in the 16th century.  The maps are well detailed and amazingly accurate considering when they were made.

We passed through the Papal apartments of old, the Pope lives in another wing.  Here we are in the Raphael Rooms looking up at ‘ The School of Athens ‘.  This is one of the most famous paintings in the Vatican Museums besides Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The painting is fantasy gathering of the greatest philosophers, mathematicians and thinkers from classical antiquity.  They are all together in one painting even though they came from different places and different moments in time.  Raphael had fun with this painting and as he used the faces of Plato, Aristotle, Leonardo Da Vinci, Donato Bramante, Euclid and Raphael himself.   Michelangelo was front and center in the purple coat, brown pants and his working boots leaning on the desk.  The others are barefoot or in sandals but Michelangelo is wearing his signature leather boots.

The Basilica has a very long and interesting history.  There are so many pieces of art inside that I just can’t mention them but it was very moving to be there. The dome that Michelangelo started working on in 1547 when he was 71 is above the dark brown alter in the middle background.

He never saw his design completed as he died in 1564.  The dome is the tallest in the world at 136.57 meters/448.1 feet.

As we were heading to St. Peters Square we saw some guard activity.

We ended walking in circles trying to find a specific restaurant that I had planned for us to dine at but it was no longer there.  We walked a bit without finding anything appropriate.  Finally I decided to just eat anywhere as we had to sit, drink wine and eat.  Guess who has sore feet?  The pizza was good as we both ate it all.  What better have for ones birthday while in Rome 🙂

I was still chilled which is why we sat inside but we were still able to enjoy the very good music that those on the patio were enjoying.

Reluctantly we got up and and began our walk to the nearest Metro station. Cute little  enclosed patios set up here and there.

I bought myself a bracelet for one euro which I have actually worn a lot.  Still four more blocks to the Metro.