Judy and Ray, Jim and I have been to Rome before. The draw this time, aside from just being in The Eternal City, was to visit areas not covered before, so this morning, we chose four destinations.
First on the list was a climb of St. Peter's - the dome, that is. Of course this was Jim's cruel idea. Soon I may be forced to " keel" him! My quads and legs, at this point in our trip, don't know whether to scream or just go along with another day of pure torture!?!? To beat the massive crowds of tourists, we headed out early and were actually the first to begin our ascent. Because of the tight and confined corridors in the upper levels, my claustrophobia told me to remain at the first, which both Judy and I did. At this level the views down into the altar area and up into the cupola are stunning. The workmanship in the cupola mosaics is in plain view. The massive size and intricacies of these are even more remarkable when you realize the era in which construction took place. My mind continues to be boggled with the "how's". Jim and Ray were rewarded for their climb with the ultimate view over Rome and St. Peter's Square on a clear day with not a cloud in the sky.
As a Bernini groupie, I was more than a little disappointed during our last visit to his Four Rivers fountain in Piazza Navona, to find the fountain covered by cleaners' scaffolding. So...we now headed off for Piazza Novona. There are actually three fountains in the piazza,
but the Four Rivers is the draw. At the time of Bernini's work, only four continents were
known; they are represented by four rivers - The Ganges, The Nile, The Platte and the Danube. Well, there she was in her full and clean glory. This groupie is satisfied!
Rome's market - Campo de' - was next. Unlike Venice's market which is restricted to fresh produce, meats and fish, Campo de' Fiori is about as crazy as the drivers in it's city.
Everything is for sale. Stalls sell inviting looking foods, clothing, jewelry, cooking
gadgets...........Hawkers in their stalls yell out deals. This is Rome - chaos on the roads
and chaos in it's open market. I love it! At one stall, an elderly Italian gentleman was
selling wonky gadgets for slicing, dicing and whatever preparation you can dream, food. His
sales spiel was hysterical and before we knew it, Jim was his pitch man demonstrating gadgets.
Looks like our Jim may have found a new career!
Trastevere is a 17th C. area of Rome characterized by ochre-colored buildings covered in ivy, narrow cobblestones streets and even the typical Italian laundry hanging between buildings. We decided to wander through on our way back to the hotel. The area was so bewitching that our consensus was do do a walking tour of the area tomorrow.
Arriving back at the hotel around 4:30, we asked our hotel owner for a ristorante recommendation. This is when staying at a smaller Italian hotel truly pays off. Their owners are usually well acquainted with the local neighborhood. Peter sent us to a little hole-in-the-wall (and I am not exaggerating) called Gilberto's which he said serves the best fish in Rome. We enjoyed the most extraordinary meal. Gilberto's serves no meat, but every conceivable type of fish or seafood is available. The osteria was tiny, the diners chatty, while Italians (there is the key!) lined up outside waiting for a table.
A domani!
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