(Just a reminder if you click on the photo’s you will see a caption, and/or get the full sized photo)
Onward to Rome. The high speed train trip was quick and comfortable, so we arrived in Rome about 10.30 am and had a full day to hike around. After Florence, we were expecting Rome to be a bit “grittier” ( OK we thought it might be less safe and dirty..), but it was a pleasant surprise to find out that it was neither. The AirBnB would be available after 3 pm so we found a luggage storage place a few minutes from the Trevi fountain and set off on the 40 minute walk. This was a good plan as Rome was pretty busy and the day was a warm one. Trevi fountain was impressive, and there was a bit of jostling with the other admirer’s to get to the edge in order to toss your coins in..apparently they collect a few thousand euro a day from it!
I think we stopped to rest on a step in front of a shoe store soon after, and scoffed a baguette, cheese, and water before the fashionable gentleman who’s shop it was suggested we enter to look at his wares, ..or perhaps move on. The next stop was the very interesting Capuchin Crypt and Museum. You weren’t allowed to take pictures inside but there were fascinating arrangements made from the bones of some 3,700 monks that were creatively displayed. Shoulder blades used as wing’s, sacrum’s made into arches, jaw bone flowers..it wasn’t gruesome, but rather mortality as art and another unexpected highlight of the trip like the apothecary in Florence.
I think we headed off to the Spanish Steps (which we actually approached from the top first, on a stroll past the Villa Borghese gardens on our way to Piazza Popoli), and this was the second spot with lot’s of fellow tourist’s. After locating our meeting area in the piazza for the bus tour the following day, we walked back through the vibrant streets near the piazza, passing Pucci and Gucci stores, lot’s of restaurants and cafes, and ended up at the bottom of the Spanish steps.
It was getting to be time for a coffee so we headed back towards the locker and had a sit-down coffee (4.50 euro, eek!), and split a pastry to sustain us for the trek over the Tiber river to the Trastevere district where our accommodation was.
We knew this apartment was a far cry from Max’s place in Florence but it was in a cool neighborhood which made up for it..we dubbed it “the cave with pluming”. The host suggested that we could see the best view of Rome from the hill behind the apartment, a 5 minute walk away at Piazza Garibaldi. After unloading our bags we set off in hopes of watching the sunset but we arrived too early and the cold wind made up our minds that a beverage and early dinner was a better option. The “Ugo” spritz was a hit and after a basic but tasty pasta, meat and salad dinner we finally headed to the apartment and called it a day. So far from what we had seen of Rome, there were piazza’s, obelisks, fountains, and churches in abundance, not to mention stunning buildings everywhere you looked.
