L’Italia, Il Mio Cuore - 2022

september - oktober 2022
  • Debi Shaw
Italy is calling us home. And home is where the heart it. It has been way too long. Les mer
  • Debi Shaw

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  • Mouth of Truth, Rome

    6. september 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Next stop was the Mouth of Truth, where superstition has it that if you place your hand in the mouth of this ancient carving of a pagan god and tell a lie, your hand will be chopped off. Thankfully Brad and I passed the test.

    While no one is exactly sure when or why the frieze was created, there are a number of theories dating back to the 1st century. While the origin is up for debate the legend surrounding the stone carving biting the hand off a liar seems to have originated during the Middle Ages when the disc was supposedly used during trials. The accused put their hand in the slot and if found guilty a hidden axe man would lop off the appendage. And to think we put our hands in that same spot.
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  • Skull of Saint Valentine, Rome

    6. september 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The Mouth of Truth sits at the entrance of the Basilica Di Santa Maria in Cosmedin, home to the skull of St. Valentine. In actual fact it is uncertain if this is the skull of St. Valentine, with at least 10 other places around the world claiming they have the saint’s relics.

    The church itself is very old, standing on the site of an ancient Roman temple that dates back to the second century B.C. Most of what is standing today dates back to the 8th and 12th centuries. It is simple and beautiful, with intricate mosaic floors and stunning altars.

    The church also contains Pope Hadrian’s Crypt. Constructed in the 8th century to store the relics taken from the catacombs of Pope Adrian I. While not as impressive as many we have seen, it was still worth seeing.
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  • Temple of Hercules Victor and Portunus

    6. september 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Across the road from the Basilica are two temples, the Temple of Hercules Victor and the Temple of Portunus.

    The Temple of Hercules Victor is a small Roman temple constructed around the year 120 BC, making it the oldest still-standing marble building in Rome, and the second oldest building in Rome. It is known as a tholos, a round Greek temple encircled by a Greek marble colonnade.

    The Temple of Portunus dates back to the 1st century and was dedicated to Portunus, the Roman god of doors, keys and livestock. It overlooks the port of Rome, watching over the goods entering the city.

    While we couldn’t go into these it is still amazing seeing these structures in such good condition, standing strong against the beautiful blue sky.
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  • Stumbling Stones of Rome

    6. september 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    One thing I was on the look out for while walking the Trastevere district was the Stolpersteine, German for “stumbling stones”. These are brass-plated cobblestones inscribed with the name of a Holocaust victim and the details of their death. They mark the specific place where the victim lived or worked before being forced from their home and sent to extermination camps.

    There are more than 200 of these mini memorial plaques in Rome and more than 30000 around Europe. They are part of a larger project by German artist Gunter Demnig who created the project in hopes that those that stumbled across them would take a moment to pause, look down in respect and reflect on those dark years.

    They certainly made us once again be thankful for the lives we have. It is so far out of our imagination that things like the Holocaust could actually happen, that people could be so strong in their beliefs that they would think their actions were the right actions, that trying to wipe out a whole race of people was acceptable. So hard to comprehend and so sad to be standing in the spot where that happened.
    Les mer

  • Er Faciolaro, Rome

    6. september 2022, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    We ended today by catching up for dinner with my Auntie Jenny and cousin Catherine. We can’t manage to catch up in Australia so why not catch up in Rome. We enjoyed an unbelievably delicious dinner at a restaurant we visited last time we were here, er Faciolaro, a family run restaurant in the Pantheon district. While we are always advised by travel sites to avoid the tourist area, this place offers authentic Italian food served by authentic charming Italian waiters. They definitely add to the whole experience, making this place one we would hugely recommend.

    And we love the welcome Prosecco to start the meal and the limoncello shot to end it with. It was a wonderful night of family and food. The perfect end to our first full day in Rome.
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  • Colosseum of Rome

    7. september 2022, Italia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    After another restless night for me and a great night sleep for Brad, Brad was up early and off to see the sunrise over the Colosseum. He returned very happy with his photos (they are amazing) and the experience, and he even brought me breakfast in bed.Les mer

  • Sant’ Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso, Rome

    7. september 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Another big day today with the heat making things a bit harder as we did a lot of walking! First stop this morning was Basilica dei Sant’ Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso, one of Rome’s grandest Baroque churches. Fun fact - Brad and I love churches. When we first started travelling, visiting a church was not on our agenda but after stepping into our first one, we now love a good church. For us it isn’t about religion, it is all about the history, the artistry, the construction, the decoration, and so much more. And this one had all that.

    Dedicated to Saint Ambrose and Saint Carlos Borromeo, the patron saints of Milan, we both agreed that this church is one of the most brilliant and amazing churches we have been in. With such a simple exterior we were so surprised by the interior. It is bold, bright, intricate and interesting. There was so much to see, from the expected to the unexpected. We loved it.
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  • Il Babuino, The Baboon, Rome

    7. september 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    On our way to our next destination we passed by a very ugly looking 16th century statue. Known as Il Babuino, the baboon, it is one of six famous “talking statues”, collectively known as the Congregation of Wits.

    Beginning in the 16th century, the people of Rome would leave criticisms and witticisms at these statues. The unfriendly remarks were often about the Pope and the government authorities. Various Popes tried to stop the spread of such messages by either moving the statues or having them guarded, although their efforts were in vain.

    Il Babuino was originally meant to depict Silenus, a half-man, half-goat satyr from Roman mythology. However, people decided that the statue was so ugly, it actually looked more like a baboon. After so much beauty, it was surprising to see an ugly statue being preserved.
    Les mer

  • Piazza del Popolo, Rome

    7. september 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We continued walking through the Piazza del Popolo, Rome’s landmark square in front of the city’s northern gate. This was the traveller’s first view of Rome upon arrival. For centuries it was a place for public executions, the last of which took place in 1826. Surrounding the piazza are three churches, two fountains and a portico, with an Egyptian obelisk in the centre.

    Surprisingly we only visited one of the churches, Basilica Parrocchiale Santa Maria del Popolo. Dating back to 1099, the church was a popular burial site for the aristocracy, clergy and literati, and was built on top of Nero’s grave. There are many tombstones set in the floor of the church, though many are now illegible from centuries of being walked on. It has a much darker appearance then the church we visited earlier, and it had some interesting features.

    This is a church of superstition and history. A walnut tree had grown right above the tomb of the notorious Emperor Nero, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, and locals feared the area and considered it to be infested with demonic spirits evoked by Nero. Pope Pasquale II ordered the tree cut down to make room for a church in attempt to override the area’s terrible history. I do love the stories associated with these ancient sites.
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  • Villa Borghese, Rome

    7. september 2022, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We then made our way to Villa Borghese, Rome’s largest public landscape park. Covering 148 acres, it contains many historic buildings, a lake, a temple, statues and museums. While we didn’t walk the entire 148 acres, it certainly felt like it. The views overlooking Rome from the gardens are expansive and the various structures are elaborately adorned with amazing stone and marble sculptures.

    We made sure to check out the Hydrochronometer, a type of water clock. It uses the force of water to move the pendulum and wind the clock and there are only two of these extremely rare clocks located in Rome, one in the Villa Borghese, and the other in Piazza Bernardino. Father Giovanni Batista Embriaco created this hydrochronometer in 1867, and after its completion, it was sent to the Paris Universal Exposition, where it received several awards. The clock returned to Rome in 1873 and was placed in the Villa Borghese gardens where it still stands today.

    While it was hot, it was worth the stroll - we think. We don’t know that we would strongly tell people that they must rush out and visit the Villa Borghese, but it was a pleasant way to send the morning. Unfortunately, I hadn’t pre booked tickets to the Gallery Borghese and that might have made all the difference.

    After a well-earned lunch in the park we decided to head home for an afternoon siesta. We totally get the concept and are embracing it, and it was that hot we needed it.
    Les mer