Nov 20 Day 48 Rome in the Rain

Taking off for the Vatican Museum seemed to be the most logical first stop, considering the weather forecast predicted a day of rain.  However, getting there proved that the decision was not the best either for the Museum or the Cathedral, with both the Pope's special mass (thereby closing St Peter's Cathedral) as well as arriving without pre-reserved tickets (and thus requiring at least a 2 hour wait).

St. Peter's Square was beautiful, despite the weather and the millions of tourists.

A detour to the Castel Sant' Angelo was a better choice - and it was well worth it, with fabulous views, an interesting walk through an ancient castle, artwork, weapons, and round meeting rooms.

The views from the top of the castle were just impossible to ignore and I probably took a million pictures.

The views of the Tiber River were also spectacular, not to mention the lovely old bridges that cross it.

The early 16th C Piazza Del Popolo, with its gorgeous church, Santa Maria del Popolo  - containing art and architecture of Caravaggio, Raphael, Pinturicchio, and others - its 3,200 year old obelisk as well as its Egyptian lions in the fountain was a special treat.

Yes, this is the famous Trevi Fountain!  The shots from the Spanish Steps were not so clear, and I will blame the poor light for that, but the throngs of people between these two tourist favorites were huge - and it is mid/late November!

The moon is almost full - I believe it has one more day to go - but it was a lovely sight outside of the Trevi Fountain and up the hill.

Needed a change from Italian food, so had Thai tonight, which was quite good.  Hopefully tomorrow will not be as rainy as they predict, and the old Roman ruins might not be a wash-out after all.

Nov 3 Day 30 Exploring Florence

 How can it possibly be that I have been in Italy for 30 days?!  The time has flown and the country continues to astound me.




Today was a busy day, between visiting Basilica di Santa Maria, the Accademia, the Basilica di Santa Lorenzo, taking my wine appreciation course and then testing it in an Enoteca (wine bar), then shopping all along the Mercato Centrale, and meeting Jen and her mom Caroline for dinner at Cibrero, the most delicious restaurant (Jen is a friend of Sarah - a cousin from the Bender side but a cousin nonetheless), where the waiters are adorable.



This is from the side of one of the many churches I visited today:

Ok, so here is the odd thing of the day... in the garden of the convent, next to the beautiful statues of Mary, there are the Seven Dwarfs, and here is proof (see Heidi, these gnomes are fashionable here too!):

At the Accademia, David is, of course, astonishing.  He stands 13 feet tall, has look in his eye that says "Take THAT, Giant," and  - ok I'll admit that I had to take off my sweater.  Not that I had a hot flash or anything, but I think that the hall was overheated...

The other statues were nice too, especially the one of the young prince who loved his pet deer and accidentally killed it and was so overwrought with grief that the god Apollon took pity on him and turned him into a cypress tree. There was another especially beautiful one that was the plaster mold for a cemetery tomb where the folds of the fabric were perfect - how in the world can a sculptor do that with marble??  


Here is a picture from our dinner, which really was so fun, from the drinks at the cafe to sitting in the formal restaurant alone for 30 minutes because I was mixed up about where to meet, to having a lovely dinner along with a fun couple from (where else?) Australia (though they are not pictured here).

Whew, this city is exhausting!