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Italy 2019
  • Nancy and Doug Trips

Italy 2019

Our trip to Rome and Sorrento May 2019 Leggi altro
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  • Inizio del viaggio
    6 maggio 2019
    Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Bonosa 31, our home in TrastevereVia di Santa BonosaPiazza & Monumento a Gioacchino BelliBelli transit stop

    Arrival in Rome

    6 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Got in at 19:30 and just made the 20:12 train from FCO Leonardo Da Vinci Aeroporto via Train #FL1 to Trastevere station. There we found a tabacchi shop (look for a T which at times might be placed high up on the corner of the block it is located in) at the corner across the street in a little nook of a store to buy bus tickets (€1.50 gets you anywhere in Rome on the public transit system) for Tram #8 which took us to GG Belli stop. One block up into an alleyway and we were here - 31 Bonosa. We could not see a bell, but just as we were looking up their number, a couple buzzed up on a scooter and introduced themselves! It was Elisa, the daughter of the owner, As it was now dark and we were pretty tired, we unpacked and tucked in. The apartment is basic, clean, comfortable and proved to be quiet given we are pretty much right in the middle of things across from Tiber Island. We will soon get quite familiar with the square of GG Belli and its bus and tram stop!Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Panetteria Romana e Spaccio di Paste
    Opere & Caffe on Via della LungarettaPiazza in PiscinulaChiesa di San Benedetto In PiscinulaPiazza In Piscinula1alley off Piazza in PiscinulaMedieval synagogue now restaurant Spirito di VinoBasilica di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

    Breakfast & our immediate neighbourhood

    7 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Kitty corner to our street is a little panetteria -- Panetteria Romana e Spaccio di Paste -- which sells croissants and cornettos (croissant containing fillings, in our case custard). We had this along with (to Doug's disappointment) a Nespresso coffee in a paper cup. Up the street there were tiny stores selling milk and fruit as well (pricier than the local Conad Supermarket).

    We then followed Rick Steves audio-tour of Trastevere, stopping in Piazza in Piscinula to admire a buiding where the wing on the right was built in medieval times and added on. Many buildings are built on to earlier ones and incorporate old building materials. Later that week we had an excellent ravioli at the trattoria in the square.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere
    Portico of Basilica di Santa Maria in TrastevereNave of Basilica di Santa Maria in TrastevereBasilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere

    Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere

    7 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Santa Maria dates back to about 350 AD when Contstantine recognized the Christian faith and it is said that the first public mass took place here. In the 1200s columns from the Baths of Caracalla were used inside and are mismatched. It is the first church to depict Jesus and the Virgin Mary; thus the name. I lit a candle for and said a little prayer for Mom here.

    Legend has it that 38 years before Christ's birth an oil-like substance unexplainably spurted out of the ground. It was later thought to have been a sign of Christ's coming and the site was chosen for the church to commemorate this event.

    The church includes a strip of the original 3rd century paving, the Romanic bell tower and a 17th century mosaic of Madonna and child. Other mosaics from the 12th and 13th century adorn the interior and exterior walls. The church has a gilded wooden ceiling which is painted with incredible frescoes and an authentic Cosmatesque marble floor.

    The spacious Piazza itself is the main 'heart' of Trastevere where people hang and it and the streets leading into it are full of stores and cafes and really come alive in the evening as we were to see later during our food tour.

    Article at:
    https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/Santa_Mar…    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    along Via della Lungara to Porta Settimiana
    Porta SettimianaPorta Settimiana

    Museo di Roma in Trastevere

    7 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    This building was once a monastery and now is a museum. We spent a short while inside mostly interested in the depictions of Rome inhabitants of the 1700-1800s. This is done from a series of ?clay lifelike scenes depicting the 1800s and some watercolours from the period by one artist. The “Roman Scenes” show a chemist’s, a room where a wine cart is stored, the courtyard of an inn where dancing is taking place, the inside of an inn, a square with a public scribe, and two pipers in front of a votive kiosk.The overall appearance of the buildings had not changed much. The street scenes "typico" of the time do provide an interesting view of the conditions prevalent at the time of the great wave of immigration to America and how the Lower East Side of Manhattan was accepted by them. Overall would not rate this museum highly enough to suggest for inclusion.

    Museum site:
    http://www.museodiromaintrastevere.it/en/il_mus…

    We walked along a narrow street through the gate of Porta Settimiana in the old Roman walls to Villa Farnesina    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Villa Farnesina entrance
    Raphael - Loggia di Psiche in Villa FarnesinaSodoma - "Magnanimity of Alexander the Great"Sodoma - "Alexander and Roxane" frescoVilla Farnesina

    Villa Farnesina

    7 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    This was definitely worth a visit both for the fact that the Chigi and Farnese names come up repeatedly (eg chapels financed in churches by wealthy families) and it is the first of many impressively decorated and art filled places we are to see. In fact, by the end, seeing ruins and one amazing sculpture or painting after another almost became commonplace. One begins to recognize the perspective and refinement of the 1500-1600 Renaissance artists and the "big names": Caravaggio with his use of light and dark, Raphael with his flowing style, Bernini, the prolific sculptor and Michelangelo, the "jack of all trades".

    This grand villa was built and decorated in the 1500s by Agostino Chigi who was a successful Vienese banker, then bought by a cardinal in the 1600s, renovated by the Ambassador of Spain in the 1800s and has since been owned by the Italian State. It has beautiful inlaid marble floors, painted scenes on the ceilings, walls by famous painters of the Rennaissance and a lovely garden.

    Article:
    http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/villafarnesin…    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Campo di Fiori
    Campo di FioriCampo di Fiori statue of Giordano BrunoCampo di FioriCampo di FioriSanta Barbara dei Librai on Via dei Giubbonari

    Campo di Fiori

    7 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Short stop at Campo di Fiori which still had the market open. A lot of people and action going on, nice just to sit and watch. Nancy bought a peeler which makes zucchini and carrot spaghetti.

    The southern section of the Centro Storico, Campo de' Fiori is another neighborhood of narrow streets, small piazzas, and ancient churches. Its main focus is the piazza itself, whose workaday fruit and veg stalls are a real contrast to the cafes and street entertainers of Piazza Navona. The open-air food market runs Monday through Saturday from early in the morning until around noon (or whenever the food runs out). From the center of the piazza rises a statue of the severe- looking monk Giordano Bruno, whose presence is a reminder that heretics were occasionally burned at the stake here: Bruno was executed by the Inquisition in 1600.

    Article:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campo_de'_Fiori    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Colonna di Pio IX & Piazza S. Bartolomeo on Tiber Island
    Trattoria Da Enzo al 29, Via dei Vascellari, 29Carciofi alla Giudia - Jewish ArtichokesWine cellar at Spirito di VinoBiscottificio Artigiano Innocenti, Via della Luce, 21La Norcineria Iacozzilli, Via Natale del Grande, 15Suppli Roma, Via di S. Francesco a Ripa, 137Suppli on the goCasa Mia in Trastevere Roma, Via della Renella, 88Fatamorgana, Via Roma Libera, 11

    Twilight Trastevere Food Tour

    7 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    This was really fun although, like any group tour, pricey at about €100 each. We felt in the end it was worth it as it lasted almost four hours and was a walking tour, history tour, food tour, snacking and dinner all in one. We met on Tiber Island and each stop in this seven course moveable feast is described. There were 3 other couples on the tour with us from Australia and the USA. Our guide Rish grew up in Trastevere and had decided to return to do this work although he had been trained in sociology and had a good desk job at the United Nations. His mother was from India, his father from England and he grew up hearing Hindi, English and Italian. He was greeted warmly by every establishment we went to and things were perfectly timed.

    Trastevere's ivy-coated, cobblestone streets come alive at night, earning it comparisons to Greenwich Village and Paris's Left Bank. This is where Romans eat with their families and where young Romans go for nightlife. This old quartiere features some of Rome's best loved foodie places, run by the same local families for generations.

    Da Enzo Al 29
    Started the evening like all Romans do with an aperitivo at one of Trastevere's most adored trattorias. Very unpretentious and small, booked up for dinner in 5 days already. It is the end of artichoke season and there is a particular type of artichoke that is deep fried hole, sprinkled with salt and then cold water producing a very light, nongreasy treat (yes you eat stem and all). Served with a glass of Prosecco.

    Ristorante Spirito di Vino
    Spirito di Vino is an award winning slow food local favorite perfect for a wine tasting in their ancient wine cellar. It is housed in a medieval building once used as a synagogue and the Hebrew letters can be seen on the pillars. The cellar dates back to 80 AD. We had "Caesar stew" following a recipe from Roman times and said to be favoured by Julius Caesar himself. Doug was a bit bummed out as he had the carrot soup instead of the stew given he had listed shellfish allergy and it had some fish paste in it. However he was wowed by the 5000 bottles of wine we were surrounded with and the cellar itself which is an archaeologically protected site. We had a "a young red Sangiovese wine" which was quite light and enjoyable.

    Biscottificio Artigiano Innocenti
    Next, we got dessert in early at a bakery in operation since the 1950s - a 16 foot oven was installed at that time. Wonderful cookies and cakes and we bought some to take home with us.

    Antica Norcineria Iacozzilli
    A "norcineria" is a store when has "everything to do with pig" and the specialty is their porchetta - delicious. It is the belly around another part of the pig which is slow roasted for 7 hours with garlic and rosemary. Then put on high heat so the outside becomes crackly. Served on pizza blanco - delishioso. A small glass of beer with that.

    Suppli Roma
    Rome's favourite street food snack, a rice ball with cheese centre fried to perfection.

    Trattoria Casa Mia
    Run by Donatella and her nephew Fabio, this cozy trattoria serves up real cucina romana. Their pasta specialities include handmade tonnarelli cacio e pepe and amatricianea which was served to us with a red wine.

    Fatamorgana
    We ended our meal with tips on gelato and going to a spot in business since the 1970s. Rish told us about 75% of gelaterias sell 'fake gelato' distinguished by too intense a colour and being able to heap it above the top of the pan where it would melt if it was made without additives. So now we will need to limit ourselves to these!!    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore

    Day 2 Travels

    7 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    Mostly in our neighborhood and just across the river.

    We did two walks.

    In the day from about 8:30 to 14:30 starting and ending in our apartment.

    We then went out again for the food tour in the evening starting at 17:00.

    Distance: 17,594 steps; 17.1 km.
    Weather: 19 degrees mostly sunny.

    Live map link:
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=1c2KQjqRkuO6fL…    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    View from the ColosseumView of Forum entrance from ColosseumForum entrance and Temple of Venus and RomeTemple of Venus and Rome

    Colosseum

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We had booked tickets for skip the line at the Colosseum for first opening at 0830 hrs so had a coffee and croissant at home and were out the door. We were not the first in line though! However, despite a lack of clear signage and the crowd scene we made our way in when the gates opened and took in the sight. It is huge and just a start to the ongoing appreciation of the engineering marvels of the Roman age, the construction techniques, the incredible grandeur of this, the palaces and baths which we were about to see in their heyday. The basic time line to remember is Rome grew as a Republic 500 BC to 0, there was peace and prosperity 0-200 AD and then decline 200-500 AD due to too big a machine and poor leadership. After the barbarians (everyone other than Romans) sacked Rome in the 550s it ushered in 1000 years of dark dreary times in Europe until the light of the Renaissance. Rome fell into ruins, was silted up and then pillaged and dismantled and incorporated into the rebuilding. Everywhere in Rome you see this, even in the smallest of buildings - the taking of Roman items and incorporation into current structures. This "lasagne" effect as it is called is seen everywhere - if something was structurally solid, reuse, repair, recycle - they were way ahead of their time and it makes for the iconic alleyways, stucco repaired, paint faded and added, plants mixed with stone. Right away you see that cobblestones are not a thing of the past. Major roads are constructed this way, filled in, hardly ever a smooth pavement. Best to wear running shoes, even sandals are not all that safe and watch where you are going! If you don't twist an ankle you will be run over. Despite the fairly constant blare of ambulances we didn't see any injuries or accidents but there is definitely a constant chaos to the intermix of Vespas, cars and pedestrians everywhere you go!

    The Colosseum is the most recognizable and iconic monument of Rome. Under Vespasian much of Nero's private property was returned to the people and the construction of a grand amphitheatre began (71-72AD) on part of the property. The amphitheatre was completed during the reign of Titus in 80AD and by 81AD a third level had been added.
    The colosseum was used for bull fights, gladiator fights, chariot races, official events and various public forms of entertainment. At its peak, the most popular event was the Ludi Circenses, the chariot races, there were also naval battles reproduced with complex stage effects. The Colosseum also hosted staged hunts, using live animals and often involved feeding convicts to the beasts. Mythological dramas were staged in the arena among scenic woods complete with forest animals. Rome had a strict class system and there were 5 levels of seating within the audience according to your social status. At capacity the arena could hold 50,000 to 80,000 spectators on the marble benches.

    Article:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Arch of Constantine and The Colosseum
    Arch of Constantine

    Arch of Constantine

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    The arch is not a visit so much as a 'view' but is very photogenic. It was erected by the Senate in A.D. 315 to honor Constantine's defeat of the pagan Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (A.D. 312). Many of the reliefs have nothing whatsoever to do with Constantine or his works, but they tell of the victories of earlier Antonine rulers (lifted from other, long-forgotten memorials). Historically, the arch marks a period of great change in the history of Rome. Converted to Christianity by a vision on the eve of battle, Constantine ended the centuries-long persecution of the Christians, during which many followers of the new religion had been put to death in a gruesome manner. Although Constantine didn't ban paganism (which survived officially until the closing of the temples more than half a century later), he espoused Christianity himself and began the inevitable development that culminated in the conquest of Rome by the Christian religion.

    Article:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_of_Constantine    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Stadium of Domitian on The Palatine
    Stadium of Domitian on The PalatineView of Circus Maximus from The PalatineDomus Flavia on The PalatineDomus Flavia on The PalatineFarnese GardensView of the Roman Forum from the PalatineView of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum from the Palatine

    Palatine Hill

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Across the street from the Colosseum is a hill covered with ruins. Similarily to the area we just visited, the Romans built a frame of bricks, internally filled it with concrete (a lot of large stones used within) and then this was faced with either stucco, marble or travertine. Tufa (a volcanic rock that is soft to carve but hardens with exposure to the elements) or travertine was mostly used for foundations. One at first notices just how large these ruins are and how impressive these would be today, never mind 2000 years ago.

    This is one of the famous seven hills on which Rome was founded and is the most centrally located. Archaeological findings show that the site was inhabited as far back as the 10th century BC. Traditionally it was the site of the Lupercal Cave where Romulus and Remus were nursed by a she-wolf and so it would have been where Romulus began building the city (754BC).

    During the Roman Republican Era the hill was a fashionable residential area due to the hill's height and spectacular views it afforded. The great leaders of the Roman Empire chose this hill as their home and the site was wall-to-wall palaces at one point. And so the word "palace" is derived from "Palatine."

    Article:
    http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/palatinehill.htm    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    The Roman Forum
    Arch of Titus in The Roman ForumBasilica of Maxentius in The Roman ForumSan Lorenzo in Miranda in the Roman ForumHouse of the VestalsArch of Septimius Severus & Temple of Vespasian and Titus

    Roman Forum

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    As you come down from the hill of ruins and vegetation and shade you enter the Roman Forum, the "mainstreet" of Roman city life so to speak. Down the main road would run chariots, Roman citizens of all walks of life and there would be vendors lining both sides of the road. The large basalt stones were under a smoother layer at the time and the Romans were quite the road builders.

    The area was originally marshlands which were cleared with an ingenious system during the reign of the last Etruscan kings (until 509BC). The Cloaca Maxima canal was constructed to drain off the land into the Tiber River.The area's central square, called Foro, was where the Romans would gather for meetings, trials and trade, the Forum was the center of life in Ancient Rome. Also in the Forum there were markets, temples, government buildings, stores and inns.
    Several structures remain in the Forum from different periods in history. The 70 foot high Arch of Septimius Severus, (203AD) to commemorate the victory over the Parthians. Statues remain from the House of the Vestal Virgins (Atrium Vestae), which was a 3 story, 50 room residence which accommodated the virgin priestesses. Several of the original 20 Corinthian columns from the Temple of Vesta remain, built on a podium 15 meters in diameter. The Curia Julia was where the Senate would gather and the Curia which remains was constructed under Diocletian in 283AD.
    The Rostra was a platform where speeches were made. The present platform was commissioned by Caesar and made out of marble.

    Article:
    http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/forumromanum.htm    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore

    Lunch L'Angelo Derrick Panino

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Feeling a bit pooped and tired after that hill walking, we made our way up Via Cavour and sat down on a table outside of a café for a basic bite and rest. Is Nancy contemplating something? At the time, she was wondering about the paradox of Roman ideology. The expansion of the empire was based on a warrior attitude, they idealized fitness, strength, aggression, being "top dog" so to speak and as long as you complied with it all, worshiped the head of state and army as a God you could benefit from the civilization. However, if you did not fall in line you'd be executed, sometimes in very gruesome ways. Tossed into the Colosseum to be killed along with other animals and people while the crowd roared on for example. How such beauty and intellect could co exist with this is difficult to fathom. As Doug points out Christianity was a populist movement and when Constantine made it legal and it replaced the pagan tradition in the mid 300s, the violence as entertainment at the Colosseum came to an end. Eventually the Goths cut aqueducts, raided and Rome went from 1 million inhabitants to about 10,000. It was the end of a civilization that I am sure the Emperors could never imagine given the riches, however, one that has left many things behind - our alphabet, the basic format of Christian churches, the inspiration behind the Renaissance sculpture and art (credit as well to the Greeks whom the Romans admired greatly).Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Market of Trajan
    Forum and Market of TrajanMonumnt Vittorio EmanueleTrajan's Column & Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro TraianoInsula Dell'Ara Coeli - Roman tenements

    Fori Imperiale

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Alongside the Roman Forum to the east is the street Via dei Fori Imperiali from which you can view the so-called Imperial Forums of Caesar, Augustus, Trajan and Nerva as well as the Trajan's Column. At the end of the street is the massive monument to Victor Emmanuel and the very ancient brick remains of a 5-story tenement.

    Articles:
    http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/imperialforum…
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insula_dell'Ara_C…    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Capitoline Wolf
    Replica equestrian statue of Marcus AureliusCesari - frescoes in Hall of the Horatii and CuriatiiLaureti - "The Battle of Lake Regillus" in the Hall of CaptainsSpinario - Roman bronzeLucius Junius BrutusEquestrian statue of Marcus Aureliusda Cortona - "Rape of the Sabine Women"Michelangelo BuonarrotiView of the Forum from the Capitoline Museum

    Museo Capitolino

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Next, a walk across the Piazza to another hill with a stairway called the Cordonata designed by Michelangelo (thanks Mike for the shallow steps) to get to the Capitolino Museum. The lowest floor houses information about the Romans that would have been interesting and useful such as construction, legal system etc but we ran out of time, The upper two contain notable pieces you see in guidebooks plus the foundation of an Etruscan building (they predate the Romans and were absorbed by them). Overall worthwhile but we were tired - it was almost too much to add on.

    Pope Sixtus IV began the collection when he donated a number of bronze statues with strong ties to the city, like the bronze of Romulus and Remus being nursed by a she-wolf (Lupa Capitolina); the colossal head of Constantine and the Camillus. In the 16th century Pope Pius V ridded the Vatican of all art depicting pagan images and so the collection grew. It was in 1734 that the museum was opened to the public.

    One of the museum's prized pieces is the statue of Marcus Aurelius on horseback; this is the only surviving bronze equestrian statue from Ancient Rome. The highlights of the museum include Lo Spinario; Caravaggio's Fortune Teller; Rubens' Romulus and Remus; Dying Gaul; Cupid and Psyche and the Capitoline Venus.

    Article:
    http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/capitolinemus…
    Official Site:
    http://www.museicapitolini.org/en/mostre_ed_eve…    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore

    le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We had booked tickets to this and it was very interesting and worthwhile. Basically you walk through an archeological dig after descending to the Roman era. It is dimly lit although the pathway is level. First you explore the home and spa of a wealthy noble. going through the various stages of the Roman bath houses - first sauna, the caldarium (hot), then tepidarium and frigidarium. All manned by slaves burning wood. Next to this palazzo they discovered huge granite columns and further that Tiberius's column just outside was previously the centre of a temple of very substantial proportions. Rome's current elevation seems about 15 feet above the level where Roman Rome was built.

    On top of the toppled Rome ruins a Renaissance era palace had been built that’s been the seat of the Province of Rome since 1873. The archaeological remains of several lavish ancient Roman houses have been turned into a fascinating multimedia ‘experience’. Descending down, you walk through the ruins, often on glass floors that let you look down to the foundations and floor and view on the walls and ceiling a virtual reconstruction using light, sound effects and projections of “reborn” walls, rooms, peristyle, thermes, salons, decorations, kitchens, furniture of the patrician “Domus” of imperial age.

    Official site:
    https://www.palazzovalentini.it/domus-romane/in…    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    The Public House

    Dinner at The Public House

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    It was getting windy and starting to spit and we were tired so opted for this American-Italian pub to while away two hours before the show. Food fine, nothing special (Nancy - lasagne so-so and Doug spaghetti carbonara) but atmosphere and warmth were perfect for our mood that night and the server was pleasant and happy to have us just relax. In fact, everywhere in Roma no one was ever in a rush to deliver the bill, most of the time we had to ask for it.Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore

    Foro di Augusto

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    This was interesting but it was getting late after a busy day. It was a bit cool as well so would just take a chance and book it if the weather is good and you don't have an otherwise heavy day planned.

    The Forum of Augustus evening show is an interactive experience that catapults you back to Ancient Rome. Combining lights, projections, music, effects, and history as a multimedia, visual spectacular projected on the walls of the ruins.

    More entertainment than education, but learned about the history of Rome and Augustus’ reign in the time of Rome’s imperial expansion with commentary written and arranged by noted journalist Piero Angela. Augustus is arguably one of the most important people in Roman history as the first emperor (Rome's 'George Washington?" and this show shows his accomplishments very well.

    Official site:
    http://www.viaggioneifori.it/en/    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore

    Day 3 Travels

    8 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today's theme was 'Ancient Rome'

    We took the #8 tram to Piazza Venezia, then Bus 81 to past the Colosseum and began our walk from there. After the show, we walked back to Pz Venezia for the tram back home.

    Distance: 20,355 steps; 12.1 km

    Live map:
    https://drive.google.com/open?id=1c2KQjqRkuO6fL…

    Weather: Sunny and warm, high of 18 in the day. Cooler and windy in the evening    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Bar L'Ottagona in Piazza del Risorgimento
    Our guide SabrinaThe "Skip The Line" lines for Early Entry!!

    Meet for Vatican tour

    9 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Purchased the Walks of Italy "Pristine Sistine" early entry small group tour. A bit of a tough start - alarm went off at 0630 hrs and we thought it was 0600 hrs so had to leave by taxi in a mad dash to get to the Vatican for our tour meeting start of 0700 hrs.

    Luckily the rain held off and we grabbed a cappuccino and croissant (€10 - yikes!) at the nearby tented patisserie. You see these all over serving coffee, sandwiches, cornettos, sometimes fruit, sometimes souvenirs.

    Very good tour guide Sabrina who would adeptly handle our group of 10, mostly Americans. Doug met a woman from London ON who was on a cruise and said a one day stop in Rome was not enough! Absolutely true - one needs really a four night stay to see the "main" Roman sites.    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Raphael - “School of Athens” fresco
    Vatican Rotunda - Statue of Hercules, Porphyry basin from Domus Aurea"Resurrection of Christ" in Gallery of TapestriesGallery of MapsMatejko - "King John III Sobieski"Raphael - "The Fire in the Borgo"Rodin "The Thinker"‘Laocoön and His Sons’‘Belvedere Torso’

    Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

    9 maggio 2019, Città del Vaticano ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    We waited with the masses and were efficiently escorted to the Sistine Chapel for the early opening. Still quite a few people there and it was annoying they were not going with the signage and the guide's request for silence during the viewing. You get 20 min to look at this incredible set of paintings on the ceiling that took Mike M four years to paint. The rest of the tour was a bit of a blur, a walk with the crowds stopping momentarily for some highlights and then on. With 30,000 people a day going through they have to keep it moving! If I went back again, I would go later in the day and just spend time going through some of the amazing galleries and collections there. From 500 AD to 1800 the popes were both the religious and government head so had tremendous power and resources which they used to collect many precious arts, do interior decorating and sponsor great works of religiously themed art. They also saved a lot of treasures from being destroyed as they appreciated the value of antiquities.

    The Vatican Museums are within Vatican City and comprise several exhibitions housed within several museum galleries. The collection began with the purchase by Pope Julius II of the statue of Laocoon and his Sons in 1506.

    The Sistine Chapel is named after Pope Sixtus IV (pope from 1471 to 1484). Each surface of the chapel is covered with exquisite art, the Last Judgment is painted on the wall opposite the entrance; the story of Christ is featured on the North Wall and the stories of Moses on the South Wall. However the main painting which visitors come to see is the ceiling fresco by Michelangelo. Michelangelo was originally commissioned to paint 12 apostles and ornamental motifs however he was not too enamored with this idea and eventually was given a free hand to plan the ceiling painting as he pleased. He painted 9 important events from the Book of Genesis down the center of the ceiling, the most famous being God giving Adam life with the touching of their two finger tips.

    Offical site:
    http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivatica…    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Nave of St. Peter's
    Michelangelo - 'Pietà"Altar and dome of St. Peter's

    St. Peter's Basilica and Square

    9 maggio 2019, Città del Vaticano ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    The Square is a very impressive sight and beautiful setting for the Basilica. One reflects how large and impressive this is and what it must have been like for those from the 16th century who were not accustomed to such grandeur in their day to day lives. Designed by Bernini with 13 meter columns topped by 10 foot statues. The obelisk was taken from Egypt by the Romans, placed at the centre of Nero's chariot race course which was there before the square and eventually topped with a cross to befit its new use.

    Inside the Basilica is amazing - the largest church in the world filled with so many things and stories. Interestingly, Christians mummified their important people - saints, popes and the ones that are especially loved are on the main floor. The chapel housing one of the recent popes (the "Polish Pope) had quite a few people in it who were praying.

    Article:
    https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/St_Peter's

    Short article:
    http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/sanpietro.htm    Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore
    Piazza Adriana beside Castel Sant' Angelo

    Lunch at Be.Re

    9 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Via Vesppasiano, 2
    Trapizzino

    Italian fast food - a trapizzino is a bun cut on a triangle and filled with a warm filling. Nancy had chicken cacciatore (chicken, rosemary, garlic, vinegar and white wine - no tomatoes - very good) and Doug had a beef meatball. He splurged €6 on a filtered cofee (no refills!) and Nancy had a cappuccino. Adequate, food reasonable, drinks crazy expensive!Leggi altro

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  • Nancy and Doug TripsItaly 2019Viaggiatore

    Castel Sant' Angelo

    9 maggio 2019, Italia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    From the Vatican area we walked back home. We viewed Castel Sant'Angelo and did not go in here but it is an impressive sight. As usual, many Roman buildings were saved by Christians putting the structure to use for their own purposes and then things evolving as time went on.

    The Castel Sant'Angelo, also known as The Hadrian Mausoleum, was constructed 130AD-139AD on the edge of the River Tiber by Emperor Hadrian for himself, his family and his successors' internment. The mausoleum has a cylindrical colonnaded drum, 64 meters in diameter, on top of an 89 meter wide square base which was covered with lush planted gardens and trees.

    Over the years the function and appearance of the Castel Sant'Angelo changed. In the middle Ages additional towers and fortified walls were constructed. It became an impenetrable defensive bastion and was incorporated into the city walls (270-275AD). For the protection of the papal community a secret, fortified passage way, Passetto di Borgo, was constructed (14th century), connecting to the Vatican.

    Article:
    http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/castelsantang…    Leggi altro

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