Rome - January 3-7, 2024
On a whim, we decided to head to Rome. In all of the times we’ve been to Italy, Rome was not on our list of favorite cities to visit. We had heard all about the crowds, the lines to the attractions, and the heat. The winter months are not supposed to be as crowded, and obviously not as hot. Rome was an absolute delight. We saw most of the major attractions, the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, the Forum, Vatican City, Leonardo da Vinci Museum, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. Our hotel, Colonna Suites del Corso, were within about 3 minutes walking distance of the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, so that made it easy to visit those sites.
We stayed at Colonna Suites del Corso. It was a great hotel, next to the one of the government buildings, on a quiet side street. There was a lot of police presence, because it was so close to the Ministry building. A big plus. Our first dinner was at a restaurant right around the corner, Raviolo d'Oro. Blaine had pasta, and Jeri had a small pizza. On a side note, there is a Starbucks right around the corner as well!
The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, and since AD 609, a Catholic church, Basilica of Saint Mary. It was built on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC – AD 14), then after that burnt down, the present building was ordered by the emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated c. AD 126. Its date of construction is uncertain, because Hadrian chose not to inscribe the new temple but rather to retain the inscription of Agrippa's older temple.
Upon entry, visitors are greeted by an enormous, round room covered by the dome. The oculus at the top of the dome was never covered, allowing rainfall through the ceiling and onto the floor. Because of this, the interior floor is equipped with drains and has been built with an incline of about 30 centimeters (12 in) to promote water runoff.
The interior of the dome was possibly intended to symbolize the arched vault of the heavens. The oculus at the dome's apex and the entry door are the only natural sources of light in the interior. Throughout the day, light from the oculus moves around this space in a reverse sundial effect: marking time with light rather than shadow. The oculus also offers cooling and ventilation; during storms, a drainage system below the floor handles rain falling through the oculus.
The Trevi Fountain is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762. Standing 86 feet high and 161.3 feet wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world. The fountain, at the junction of three roads marks the terminal point of the "modern" Acqua Vergine, the revived Aqua Virgo, one of the aqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome. In 19 BC, supposedly with the help of a virgin, Roman technicians located a source of pure water some 8 miles from the city. (This scene is presented on the present fountain's façade.) However, the eventual indirect route of the aqueduct made its length some 14 miles. This Aqua Virgo led the water into the Baths of Agrippa.. It served Rome for more than 400 years. The name of the fountain derives from the Latin word trivium (intersection of three streets). The statue is located right in the center of Via De' Crocicchi, Via Poli and Via Delle Muratte
Evan’s friend Flavio had given us a few restaurants to try while in Rome, so we decided to visit Baja, a boat restaurant on the Tiber River. Blaine requested a taxi on his app, and off we went. The taxi driver had a heck of a time trying to drop us off, as there was construction preventing him from taking us to the boat. It was not the easiest to get to, even if there was no construction. We eventually found it and had a wonderful lunch.
On the walk back to our hotel after lunch, we came across the Leonardo da Vinci Museum, so we decided to explore. The museum is filled with exhibits, stories and pictures of his paintings and inventions. The man was truly a genius.
Since we had not planned in advance, we had a tough time getting any tours scheduled. We managed to book a Colosseum tour, only to have the operator cancel on us the night before. Undaunted we grabbed a taxi early in the morning and got into line to buys tickets for general admission. As we were standing in line, we were told that the tickets being sold were for the 1:00pm admittance. Right after that, a man came up to us and asked if we wanted to book the 9:30 tour. We leaped at the chance, still very wary of being scammed. Fortunately everything worked out. To learn more about the Colosseum click here
On Saturday we took a taxi to Vatican City. We were going to try to visit the Museums, but they were closed. Very odd, we thought. After admiring all the beautiful architecture in St Peter’s Square, we noticed a parade starting to assemble. From what we could gather, this parade was a pilgrimage to St Peter’s Basilica to celebrate the upcoming Jubilee Year in 2025. No wonder the Museums were closed.
