Viva Roma!

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Trip Start Apr 13, 2011 Previous
Entry Trip End Jul 11, 2011 Next
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  Rome, Lazio, Italy
Thursday, April 14, 2011

     Benvenuti, we heard in our minds as our big bird rolled to a stop and the familiar "ding" sounded, prompting everyone to stand up on top of everyone else.  The adrenaline was in charge! It was Thursday morning in Rome, so we had the whole day in front of us.
     A very well- dressed shuttle driver whisked us to the Panda Hotel, near the Piazza Espagna (Spanish Steps) Thanks for the great suggestion, Tom and Elvira. We quickly settled, then hustled off to the Villa Borghese, at where we enjoyed hundreds of 16th century paintings and sculptures.
     Jet lag finally caught up with us,so we dropped ourselves back at the Panda, pounded down some pasta and fell asleep early, to be sure we woke in the middle of the night.
      Morning finally came and we were among the first to arrive at Vatican City.  Saint Peter's is beautiful and absolutely cavernous, especially when you're there before the tourist crowds.  We attended one of several simultaneous masses and Kathy took communion.  We lit numerous candles, so we hope you are all enjoying periods of good fortune.  By the time we reached the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, many tour buses had arrived.  The multi-lingual choir distracted from the sanctity of the church but seeing Michelangelo's restored ceiling was worth the trip to Rome.
      We stopped at St.Sabina, an 800 -year -old church, on our way back to the hotel.  It is phenomenal to see this well-preserved, ornate religious art.
      But tourists must eat, and we did at the Enoteca (wine bar) Antica.  We ate what we judge to be the best antipasti in the world and were introduced to Orvieto wine, an experience that would alter our driving route to Assisi.
       Walking around Rome at night was magical.  Its lights, lights, lights and people, people, people.  We ended up at the Trevi fountain where hundreds of people, some seeing it for the first and only time, and some nightly visitors mix to celebrate life and wish for good luck.
       Our Roman experience was short but a great beginning to this year's experience.
       Saturday morning we picked up Kermit the Kar and headed straight to Orvieto to buy a case of wine and a beautiful ceramic platter, before continuing to Assisi. 
      Assisi is a charming old city.We enjoyed a great dinner at a local restaurant, La Fortessa, and witnessed a small-town political rally.  Palm Sunday morning we were given olive branches, the tradition here since they're a long ways from palm fronds.  We will always remember the high, hand painted ceilings in our huge hotel room.
        Sunday afternoon we hopped into Kermit and headed for Florence and the Hotel Bretagna,
located on the Arno, close to the British Consulate and looking onto the Ponte Vecchio

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Tulips in Borghese Garden	Spanish Steps	Keats Shelley Library	Pope's symbol at entry to St. Peters
Pieta	Some Pope in St Peters	Nuns at prayer, St Peters	Kathy with holy water, St. Peters
Typical floor mosaic pattern	St Roman de Malegarde made Vatican map!	Big Roman foot	Illegal Sistine Chapel ceiling shot
Another Sistine Chapel ceiling shot	Ron and Kathy in Vatican Museum	St Sabina	Chestnuts
Trevi Fountain	It's all about accessories   Comments!	Locals at Enoteca Antica	Orvieto ceramics
Kathy's new friend   Comments!	ceiling at Assisi hotel	Red Vespa   Comments!	Pax on church lawn

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