Rome

Monday October 13, 2008

Sometimes, we actually apply lessons learned in our previous experiences, and this was one of those times. We were planning to go to Ostia Antica, which I described yesterday, a 45-minute trip by train. Our guidebook book said “Open daily”, which we now know means open every day but Monday. So we changed our plans and headed for places we knew for certain were open Mondays.

Our first stop was the Baths of Caracalla, which is a massive structure in a residential area of the city. These were public baths erected by one of the cruelest emperors. (He killed his brother so he would not have to share power with him; you get the idea.) The place is immense and its interior spaces are not intact, due to looting in earlier centuries (especially by one of the powerful local families in need of decorations for their various palazzos), but you can easily get an idea of the scope of the enterprise. The building is more than 300 yards on a side and contained hot-, warm- and cold-water pools in addition to exercise rooms, saunas and areas for sunbathing. There is some restoration work going on (a given, pretty much anyplace in Italy!) and we counted ten stories the scaffolding being used! The highlight, of course, was the fact that the complex contained libraries. Mary Ellen wondered if patrons were given same admonition she gave students about not bringing books near the pool!

We made our way across town and back to St. Peter’s for a look inside the great basilica this afternoon. It is quite possible that the dress code check there is more rigorous than the security screening, but we passed both without any need to give up sharp metal objects or cover our shoulders with Kleenex! The interior of St. Peter’s never fails to impress and we used downloaded audio guides on our MP3 players on our initial pass and then just wandered around on our own. We decided to take the elevator to the gallery at the base of the dome, but we passed on making the climb up to the lantern. We have done that in the past and know that the views are truly the best in the city, but it’s a long, hot, claustrophobic climb and will remain a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. The gallery above the altar provides spectacular view of its own; the top of the dome seems near, while the floor of the church seems far, far below. In contrast, the rooftop views are disappointing. Access to large areas of the roof has been restricted over the years and it’s impossible to get a large, sweeping view of the great piazza below. Ah, the good old days!

We did climb the Janiculum Hill, which runs between Vatican City and Trastevere, and has a lovely promenade and great views across the Tiber to the centro storico and beyond. At the base of the hill, we found ourselves in “our neighborhood”, after stopping to pick up wine and other essentials, made our way home for happy hour and blog writing before heading out for dinner.

Ciao!
Mel and Tom