Italy
San Luigi dei Francesi

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    • Day 17

      Luigi’s Church, eats and more Elisa Blu

      May 26, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

      After seeing the Pantheon, I went to Luigi Francescos church. Mario could make it but I thought Luigi did a good job as the main character for once. It was very pretty and lots of things were covered in gold. The detail all over its inside was quite nice and I could stare at it for hours. I actually did sit down and stare at it for quite a while. There were some school groups and some youngsters who talked quite a lot so got shushed by the megaphone which got progressively more passive aggressive. There’s only so loud you can go when shushing though so I think they got a bit louder but also came with a bit more intensity each time.

      I saw a cute ferry going under the bridge I was walking on across the Trastevere (which me and sara sigh when we find out we have to go to when we plan to go places- refer to the steps that are currently the bane of our existence in the 2nd and 3rd last slide (the pictures don’t even begin to do the stairs justice though)), and when stopping to take the photo I noticed just how many tourists I was surrounded by as 3 other people/ couples also stopped to take one.

      Sara and I got lunch with her Nonna and her Nonna’s niece so here are some photos of the restaurant and our food that I guarantee is better that the food you are having for dinner. Sorry. I have also included photos of our lunch today to reinstate that fact. Sorry. Today, we had this lunch with Susannah and she showed us her (or I think her husbands) art studio which was so so cool. They do stop motions and some more cartoony works and teach at the illustration school down the street. She is a children’s book author and we saw one of the ones she had written in the book store also down the street. They are preparing for a art festival coming up just after we leave :(( at the start of June and the photos from the one they were part of before covid looked amazing.

      Last but very not least, here is a photo of Elisa Blu’s drawing she did last night. It is her with her boyfriend kissing. She is 5. She told us about him at dinner. Pietro was not impressed 🤌 I read her (or tried to read her) a picture book. Something about the fact that she can’t read and I can’t speak Italian worked quite well when I tried to pronounce certain words. For the most part, we pointed at animals and colours and went from there. I guess we both taught each other 🤷🏼‍♀️
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    • Day 23–33

      Roma, day2

      September 19, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

      The moment I booked my flight to come to Rome, I also booked myself a tour of the city by Vespa. I figured that it would be a great way to hit the big sites but also acquaint myself with the layout of the city for my coming week. What I didn't know was it was THE BEST way to cover a lot of ground with minimal contact with both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. I highly recommend doing this if you ever come.

      I hopped on a bicycle at 9am to arrive at our meeting point at 9.30. There were 2 other couples (sharing Vespas) and myself, riding with our tour guide. We began with circling around the Colosseum and making a quick stop by the Circo Maximo (Where Chariot races were once held). After that we wound up and down the 7 hills of the city while our guide pointed out important notes of architecture & notes on day to day culture. We stopped by the Trevi Fountain, Giardino degli Aranci, Janiculum Hill and Piazza Navona (all in photos). The information I received from our guide about the history of the city as well as details of how the city worked (neighborhood paths and tourist traffic) were a gem of knowledge to have on my trip. I can't recommend a tour by Vespa enough. I got to wonder and marvel at the scenery while in the trusted throttles of a local.
      The tour ended at 1pm at the Chiesa di Santa Maria ai Monti (beautiful church with Frescos from the 1500s) so I went in for a meditative sit, to de-stimulate and center myself before heading out to find some lunch in the thick crowds. It was the right move, I could feel the excitement of all the views, information about the city and chaos of Rome traffic settle to the bottom as I sat in silence and reverence for my experience.
      I was STARVING once I got up, having only a banana in the morning and an espresso at a pit stop. The crowds in this area were insane and I just wanted to leave the area but I was a 0 on my energy scale and quickly ducked into the 3rd pizza-by-the-slice shop that I saw. I got something loaded with tomato, zucchini, arugula and balsamic reduction. I asked for one slice and they grabbed one giant square, cut it into 4 regular square sizes and baked it. It was good, not great but I didn't care. I had sustenance!
      Now I was off to my long walk home. On my way, I couldn't help but dip into two thrift shops (clothing, shoes, handbags) and made a shoe purchase. I wandered thru alleyways, stopping at fountains and to marvel at details of architecture but I had to get back to rest. I had a string quartet concert that night!
      It was nice to get back to take a bath in the jet tub, yoga, do laundry and set it out to dry, unpack properly and take a small rest on the couch while I decided where to go to dinner on the way to my show.... and how to get there as it was almost an hour walk away, or 30min bike ride! But this is a Violin concert and I wanted to wear that long dress I had just gotten. So I called an Uber. Taking a car into the center of the city is pure madness.
      I arrived at Canova Tadolini, a spot I chose because it's just a half block away from my event AND it was known for being the studio location of baroque sculptors Canova & Tadolini. But that's what they're known for, NOT their Bolognese.

      Afterwards I walked over to my Vivaldi Strings concert at The All Saints Anglican Church and that was INCREDIBLE. I cried almost 3 times during that show just because of how beautiful the music and SPACE was. Arts was one of my main aims to experience while in Rome and I was feeling why now. Witnessing this level of art, INSIDE of more art shook my center to the surface of my being. These kinds of experiences remind me of who I am. I was alive again!

      I left this show on cloud 9 and ready to walk the hour home. On my way back, I ran into a fashion show happening in front of the Spanish Steps which was a lot of fun to watch even if high fashion isn't my thing. After that, I was right by Venchi Cioccolato e Gelato. Score! They treated me with a sample of their melted chocolate and I was in heaven. I collected myself a bag of chocolates and ordered a coffee gelato on a chocolate-filled cone. HEAVEN. I enjoyed this cone while I wandered the streets on my way back, taking in the opera singers in the streets on my way back, the live band in front of The Pantheon and later even more music in the small streets of Travestere.

      At this point, I was DONE walking and tied my long dress up into a knot and hopped onto an electric bike to get me the rest of the way home. This was a truly full day and evening in Roma and I slept like a baby!
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    • Day 78

      Rome - Food

      October 17, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      How have I been in Rome so long without a food post?! I think Rome had my favourite food choices of anywhere on this trip, especially when you consider price (Paris also had some great food but it was much more expensive). Most of these places were in the area around Piazza Navona, but you had to hunt for them (preferably online) to avoid the expensive tourist trap places.

      Here are some of my favourites/notables:
      Pizza at Baffetto (#1), was recommended by our walking tour guide. The place was packed, with a line to get in, and the pizza was excellent and reasonably priced.

      I averaged at least one gelato per day in Rome (so good, so cheap - usually 3.5€ for 3 scoops), and right beside Baffetto was the 2nd best gelato place I found, called Frigidarium. The best gelato had to be Giolitti, where the blueberry sorbet was just amazing (#2). And free whipped cream on top. Very Roman system: pay at one counter, order at another, no free seating inside or outside.
      I also tried a "cannoli siciliani" (#3) at Dagnino. It's a hard biscuity tube filled with chocolate chip ricotta. Although Dagnino apparently makes these well, I just thought they were weird (also, expensive).

      At a place called Il Fico I had an excellent lasagne (#4), which was much more about the pasta than the meat/cheese compared with other lasagne I've had. Also here I had an AMAZING parmigiana di melanzane (eggplant parmesan) that I ate too fast to take any photos - probably my favourite dish in Rome.

      Basically every pasta dish I had was very good, but these ones (#6) from Osteria Della Suburra, along with the huge antipasti dish (#5) was probably my favourite combination of price and taste (PS. I'm not that much of a glutton, that's Gyurme's food too!).
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    • Day 5

      San Luigi dei Francesi

      May 10, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      The next church was a couple blocks from the Pantheon. It was fortunate that a funeral service had just finished and it was open. The interior has so much gold in it, but the feature was certainly the chapel with the three huge paintings by Caravaggio.

      The church of San Luigi dei Francesi is the seat of the Cardinal of Paris, Rome's French National Church, and the heart Rome's French community. The church is named after Louis IX King of France. Construction began on the church in 1518. The plans for the church were made by Giacomo della Porta and architect Jean de Cheneviere began work on the structure, later Domenico Fontana took over the project and saw it through to the church's completion in 1580, and consecration in 1589.

      Giacomo della Porta is responsible for the church's two level façade which bears white travertine marble carvings. Thanks to the immense wealth of the Medici family and the French kings the church interior is lavishly decorated. The ceiling fresco was painted by Joseph Natoire; Domenichino painted the cycle of frescoes in the Polet Chapel; a painting by Francesco Bassano hangs above the altar and three paintings of the life of Matthew by Caravaggio are the church's main attractions.

      Article:
      https://romanchurches.fandom.com/wiki/San_Luigi…
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    • Day 14

      Italien-Bari bis Rom

      July 22, 2021 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

      Morgens um acht ankern wir im Hafen von Bari. Bis wir endlich von der Fähre und durch den Zoll sind,vergeht eine weitere Stunde. Wir staunen über die im Vergleich zu Albanien schöne Umgebung, genießen ein Frühstück in einem kleinen Café und sind verzückt vom leckeren Kaffee, dem Croissant und vor allem der Freundlichkeit der Menschen.
      Unser Weg führt uns heute auf Wunsch von Janina zuerst nach Rom . Es hat 39° und man kann kaum atmen vor drückender Hitze. Wir absolvieren zumindest die Haupt Sehenswürdigkeiten.
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    San Luigi dei Francesi, Сан-Луіджы-дэі-Франчэзі, Сан Луиджи деи Франчези, Σαν Λουίτζι ντέι Φραντσέζι, Iglesia de San Luis de los Franceses, Église Saint-Louis-des-Français de Rome, סן לואיגי דיי פראנצזי, Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi, サン・ルイジ・デイ・フランチェージ教会, 산 루이지 데이 프란체시 성당, Ecclesia Sancti Ludovici Francorum de Urbe, Црква Сан Луиџи дел Франчеси, Igreja de São Luís dos Franceses, Сан-Луиджи-деи-Франчези, Kostol svätého Ľudovíta Francúzov, ซันลุยจีเดย์ฟรันเชซี, Сан Луїджі деї Франчезі, 圣王路易堂

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