Tourist Rome

Saturday October 11, 2008

This was the day to catch up with all those things we had hadn’t yet done on this trip that everyone comes here to see. We even started it by using public transit, the nearby tram that goes only about half a mile into the old city. From there we made our way, stopping at a few beautiful churches, including Il Gesu, the Jesuits’ home in Rome, to the Pantheon. As our downloaded audioguides described, this is the oldest continuously used building in Rome. It is about 2000 years old and has a dome, which is beautiful on the inside, as well as an engineering marvel; it is the model for all the domes we now see on churches and government buildings. This type of architecture was lost for over 1000 years until they studied the principles embodied in this building in the middle ages.

From this gem we headed to the center of tourism in Rome, the Trevi Fountain which, even in October, is mobbed with people. It is beautiful but hard to enjoy. The next (brief) stop was the Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps and from there we walked up to Piazza del Popolo and the Pincian Hill in Borghese Gardens to enjoy the city views and the relatively quiet surroundings.

After our usual lunch in the shade, we walked over to the Tiber and followed it down to the Castel Sant’Angelo, near the Vatican. Much of the walk was along a quiet stretch of the quay and, when we began to encounter large throngs again, we descended to the river level and walked on quietly, taking in the wonderful views of the dome of St. Peter’s.

We then followed the Via Gulia, which was once the longest and straightest street in Rome, and is now celebrating its 500th birthday. It is lined with churches, palazzos and lots of history. After a few more piazzas and glimpses into alluring courtyards, we headed home for happy hour on the roof, accompanied by church bells, a few helicopters, and the last of our drying laundry!

Tonight, we returned to the centro storico for a concert of sacred music by a German choir in the very baroque Church of St. Ignatius, another Jesuit bastion.

Ciao!
Mel and Tom