|
Hello Dear Family & Friends!
Ciao!"
"La Dolce vita"
(Hi-goodbye
Italian The sweet life.)
“Life should not
be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a
pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a
cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly
proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
(Hunter S. Thompson )
Roma. La Dolce Vita!
Rome is all about inhaling the
dolce
vita lifestyle into your very soul. It's
about relaxing into the area's Mediterranean rhythms and wandering
around the picturesque streets. It's about people-watching on
pretty piazzas, and whiling away hours at sidewalk cafes.
Wherever you go you are totally immersed in art, culture, exquisite
cuisine,
architectural wonder, history and, fountains, flowers and
Love!
Toss a coin in
the Love Fountain (Trevi Fontana) and make a wish. Wishes do
come true in Roma.
Rome is the home of the Coliseum where the gladiators fought and
lions snacked on any poor soul forced into the ring. This
birthplace of modern civilization certainly has roots in violence,
especially with the decline of the Roman Empire and the dark history
of the Catholic Church. This
fearsome hub of the
Roman
Empire, the
caput mundi
(capital of the world),
has many tales to tell. Modern Roma seems to have evolved into a lighter phase of loving
life, loving food, loving beautiful and fine arts, and simply
loving.
Feeling like an
Emperor or a Queen climbing the Spanish Steps we retraced chapters
in history. We walked miles every day, thrilled to be standing
in front of magnificent, iconic places such as the Pantheon, Piazza Venezia,
The Forum, Fontana de
Trevi, Vaticano and the Sisteen Chapel. Michelangelo's
paintings and carving were exquisite. Story has it that
Michelangelo saw the figure, such as "David" in the marble. It
was his job to chip away the excess rock, allowing the figure to
come alive. The Vaticano Museo has treasures removed from
around the world and artwork unparalleled. The ceiling of the
Sisteen Chapel alone, decorated by Michelangelo, is spellbinding.
We made a point to walk to the
Bocca della Verità,
asking
secret questions in hopes of an all knowing answer. Between
walks we would while away our time having a slice of pizza or a cup
of tea or a glass of red wine in one of the many piazzas or plazas.
Never a dull moment as we watched people or entertainers parade by
the famous fountains or statues. People out and about, simply
enjoying what life has to offer!
Founded:
April 21,
753 BC, Rome, Italy’s capital, is a sprawling,
cosmopolitan city with nearly 3,000 years of globally
influenced art, architecture and culture for your
viewing pleasure. Italy's Eternal City is one of
the world's most enchanting and inspiring capitals.
For these
world globetrotters, who
enjoy eating their way
around the world, Roma
is a perfect choice.
Eating out is one of
Rome's great pleasures
and the combination of
romantic al fresco
settings and amazing
food is a guarantee of
good times. There
are many refined
restaurants, but for a
truly Roman meal search
out the city's
boisterous pizzerias and
lively neighborhood trattorias. These are
where the locals go to
dine with friends and
indulge their passion
for thin, crispy pizzas,
simple but delicious
pastas, and a glass of
fine local wine.
Although Naples is the
capital of pizza,
everywhere in Italy
boasts
Salsa di pomodoro with
all the trimmings.
Pizza paradiso.
The Fall weather had been
cold and rainy for 2
days. This
prompted me, out of
sheer survival, to join
the women of Rome
shopping for clothes in
a fun frenzy of fashion
with the girls.
The women here like the
finer things in life and
although my nomadic
lifestyle doesn't demand
it, it was fun to pick
up a few new clothes to
wear in Rome. A
former model, I hadn't
lost my touch for
fashion because of years
of dusty, functional
travel attire.
Away I went with stylish
pants, tops, boots, and
my new necklace, hand
created in the castle of
Dubrovnik. I was
ready for Roma.
Buon Compleanos. 60 years young!
Wow! What better
place on earth to make the jump into a new decade than Roma, the
city of Love and Romance? The first small
pizzeria we stopped
by on my birthday, the handsome young man behind the counter
declared in Italian, (in front of all the customers gathered along
the counter; all drooling at the mouth watering pizza displayed),
"You are very beautiful. How may I help you?" I replied, "You just did! I'll have 2 pieces
of your delicious mushroom and capsicum pizza."
My birthday
started with my usual meditation. I had a deep thankful
silence followed by a 'happy attack'. We all have so much to
be thankful for! Just then the sun broke
through the grey sky and sunlight flooded our bedroom, ending 2 days
of cloudy/rainy Fall weather in Roma. Joseph started
playing Pharell William's "Happy" song and we danced and laughed our
way into the day. Fast forward. Just wandering through
the tiny side streets of Roma is the best way to see, feel and
experience a culture full of history, excitement, passion. Bottom
line most people spend their time eating, tasting, appreciating the
pride of Italian chefs.
First
we stopped at an outdoor market and bought fresh orange juice and a fruit
cup with blueberries, raspberries, giant blackberries and red
currants. It was almost too pretty to eat. Next a daily
must, a slice of toasted fresh pizza. Needing a dessert for
strength and endurance to cover the over 5 miles of walking daily,
we wandered past the Santa Maria de las Animas Church and discovered
a quaint sidewalk cafe, Santa Lucia. There we committed sins
in the form of a heavenly piece of fresh tiramisu and herbal tea.
In the next church I was absolved of the afore mentioned discretion,
because it was my birthday. Whew! Off to our favorite
Piazza Navona to stroll by the infamous fountains and just sit and
watch the world go by. All of a sudden we heard Bob Marley
singing. Too eclectic; this is the city of strolling musicians
playing accordions, violins, guitars! No really, that's
reggae! Down at the other end was a Rastafarian singing his
heart out to a gathering crowd. Next he was replaced by a
professional clown who had everyone rolling in laughter on the cobblestones.
Around the corner and down the lane we embarked on a gastronomical
delight at a little trattoria: salad, fresh wood oven baked bread, pasta with tomato, basil, fungi and a glass of deep red vino.
Have to admit being 60 years young looks, tastes and feels like a
phenomenal decade in the making!! Bring it on! I intend
to 'slide in sideways' - proclaiming, "Wow! What a ride!"
And so it
goes.........................................Next Tunisia, a busy
trading center on the north coast of Africa. Until then let's
remember
Life isn't an orderly, planned journey to the grave. Let go.
Experience life,
so when your time comes you can say, "Wow! What a Ride!”
How are you doing with that??
Take care and
Keep in Touch!
Love, Light & Laughter,
xoxoox Nancy & Joseph
Turkey to Croatia to Greece to
Rome.
Travel
notes:
1 US
Dollar equals .94 Euro
Roma:
We ended up in Rome
because if you spend a little time looking you can get
cheap flights throughout Europe. It was cheaper to
fly through Rome to Tunisia than to fly directly from
Greece. And so we had this wonderful adventure in
Rome.
There are
shuttle buses from the center to the airport for 6 euro. One
company is Terravision, which operates shuttles in 20 major European
cities (5 Euro from the termini center to airport 8 euro return).
We booked a lovely little apartment with www.airbnb for about $40
but it was further from the center than we realized. We did
enjoy shopping at the little local grocery store - like going to a
fine Italian deli - they demand good quality food. The room we
chose in the center - the owner smoked so we cancelled. We would recommend trying to stay near the center, possibly on www.airbnb , otherwise too much time is spent on buses and taxis are
expensive.
Highlights:
Piazza Navona - church and fountain and entertainers! Pantheon
a must, of course.
Piazza Venezia,
with the Colosseo (buy tickets at the Paletine Hill, line is shorter
or online), Forum, nearby Bocca della Verità, Plaza Colona,
Castel S Angelo, Fontana de Trevi
The Vatican-
reserve online for Museo de Vaticano and Sisteen Chapel St Peters
Basilica - wear pants and cover shoulders, Michelangelo's Pietra is in
the right wing when entering
Stroll
Trastevere if you have the time.
A
few street performers in Roma.
|
` |
Fine art graces the walls of Roma!
It can be said that
citizens of Rome aren't angels, but instead live
life to it's fullest!
La Pietra is a Renaissance
sculpture by
Michelangelo, in St Peter's Basilica,
Vatican City.
The impressive interior of St
Peter's Basilica.
Old world masterpieces.
Craftsmen created a stunning interior and ceiling.
Swiss Guards are the Swiss
soldiers who have
served as guards at foreign European courts since
the late 15th century.
Swiss Guard meets Flying Nun.
Vatican City, a city-state
surrounded by Rome, Italy,
is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.
It's home to the Pope and iconic art and architecture.
Note the thousands of chairs set out for the Pope's
Mass. Census 2012: 454 residents.
A pleasant way to see the city center.
The cobblestone streets are a pleasure to
explore. Tired? Just stop at a sidewalk cafe.
Roma, a city
of fountains, flowers and Love!
Budding artists display their work
in the piazzas.
Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, a fountain
featuring an Egyptian obelisk and muscular
personifications of the rivers Nile, Ganges,
Danube and Plate; in
Piazza Navona.
A city of details.
The Panteon.
Pantheon oculus—a round
open space in the middle
of the roof. It is surprising to find rain water on the
floor inside this impressive historical building.
Roman guards still protect the
Pantheon. Well
actually they were busy watching the girls.
The Coliseum where the
gladiators fought. This
birthplace of
modern civilization certainly has roots in violence,
especially
with the decline of the Roman Empire and the dark history
of the Catholic Church. This fearsome hub of the
Roman
Empire,
the
caput mundi
(capital of the world),
has many tales to tell.
Rome is even impressive at night.
The Vatican Museum houses ancient Roman sculptures,
paintings and the Sistine Chapel, famous for Michelangelo’s
ceiling. (see top left of page) In fact all the ceilings are
spectacular.
Covered from ceiling to floor, there isn't a
blank spot in
the whole museum.
Unique, amazing hand painted maps.
Roman Catholic treasures. Vatican City is one of the
wealthiest nations in Europe.
Peaceful times.
Ancient ruins throughout the city.
The Mouth of Truth is a
13 ton marble mask that stands in
the portico of the
Santa Maria in the Cosmedin Church. It
most likely depicts the face of the sea god
Oceanus. Bocca
della Verità is known mostly from its appearance in the 1953
film
Roman Holiday. The film uses the Mouth of Truth as a
storytelling device since both Hepburn's and Peck's
characters are
not initially truthful with each other.
Rome is full of enchanting parks and plazas.
It is easy to walk for miles each
day.
The Santa Maria de las
Animas Church.
We discovered a
quaint sidewalk cafe, Santa Lucia.
There we committed sins in the form
of a heavenly piece
of fresh tiramisu. In the next church I was absolved of the
afore mentioned discretion, because it was my birthday.
Just Married!
Strolling through the park.
Italy is famous for it's hand blown glass.
Buon Compleanos. 60 years
young!
Back to Homepage
|