Rome, Italy Day 15

We enjoyed a great breakfast buffet of meats, cheeses, rolls, croissants,
yogurts, cereal, juices, coffee, and tea.

We took a taxi to the Borghese Gallery where we had morning reservations.
Steves describes the Borghese as “Europe’s most sumptuous art experience.”

We signed up for a live tour guide and she was excellent. I was particularly
moved by the works of Bernini, especially the sculpture Apollo and Daphne.
Every side one looks at, one has a different perception of what is happening
and it is only after walking around the whole sculpture that the story is revealed.

Throughout our time in Rome I was impressed with Bernini who was a skilled
genius with a sense of humor. To be so close to his work was to be close to
something truly special.

In the afternoon we met our Ancient City Rome walking tour, pre-arranged through
Roman Odyssey. Our guide was Morgan and she did an excellent job walking us
all over the ancient center and filling us with lots of history and information
for over three hours. On the tour was a couple we’d met on the Florence walking
tour and afterwards we enjoyed a happy dinner with them at Il Fico near Piazza
Navona.

We noticed how extremely crowded Piazza Navona was and learned it was especially
festive due to All Saint’s Day. Lots of street music, artists, flirting,
and outdoor dining, right alongside Bernini’s Four Rivers Fountain.

Flickr Tag Error: Bad call to display set '72057594072508966'

November 1st,2005 Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Siena to Rome, Italy Day 14

We took the bus to Chiusi. This allowed us to see more of the Tuscan hill
towns to the south and east of Siena and it was a very picturesque drive. In
Chiusi we got on the train to Rome Termini.

The Rome Termini station was very sleek and state of the art. Walking to our
hotel from Termini was a delight—very easy to find with the map and a couple
questions. We enjoyed the energy of Rome and the ambience from the first second.

Our hotel was across the street from the Ministry of Defense, so there were
police standing in front of it and our hotel 24/7, a nice feeling of security!

Our 1st floor room was exquisite, large, and very business classy, with a
free internet point right around the corner from our room. The front desk personnel
were very professional and savvy.

We went on the open tour, double decker bus where we sat on top. It was Rome
at twilight, dusk, and dark and it was breathtaking to see all the famous monuments,
such as the Colosseum, lit up with well-placed recessed lighting. Historically
it was incredible to see all our years of studying Latin coming to life.

Afterwards, tired from traveling, we just ate at an Irish place, Flann O’Brien’s,
down the street from our hotel which filled us up and was actually quite good.

Flickr Tag Error: Bad call to display set '72057594072508532'

October 31st,2005 Uncategorized | No Comments