Day Eight: Our last day in the "Eternal City"

So we went to sleep yesterday and it was snowing, we woke up today and it is snowing. It finally stopped snowing and Rome has 5 inches of snow on the ground. It has not snowed in 27 years in Rome but we get 5 inches??? Today started off rough, we walked through slushy watery ice trying to find a taxi but we were unable to so we ended up in Piazza Navona. After a brief visit we found a taxi and went to Piazza del Popolo and had lunch. After lunch we walked around Piazza del Popolo (Piazza of the People) then headed towards the Spanish Steps. After a brief visit there and an encounter with two rather friendly snowmen we then visited the Trevi Fountain so we could throw our coins in to ensure our return to Rome. We grabbed some coffee and it was time to souvenir shop. After shopping for a couple hours we took the march down Via dei Fori Imperialli which is the road that Benito Mussolini constructed to parade his forces in a triumphant demonstration with the Roman Forum and the Colosseum as the back drops. After our triumphant stroll we arrived at the Colosseum right as the sun was setting. We took a few pictures and called it a day. We arrived back at our hotel and packed our bags, then went to our final Italian dinner of the trip, and finally sat down in our little neighborhood cafe for a few sips of macchiato. Tomorrow we fly to Portugal where we will be visiting Lisbon for a day before our European trip comes to an end.

 

Snowy Roman Street.

 

 Piazza del Popolo. 

 

 Shandle and a friendly snowman at the Spanish Steps.

Greg and a friendly snowman at the Spanish Steps

 Via dei Fori Imperialli

"Lasting Reflection"

Us in front of the Colloseum, our last picture in Rome!!!

Day Seven: The Renaissance City

 Well we woke up to a bitter cold wind in Florence and were a bit worried about our walking tour of the "Renaissance City", but we braved the wintry conditions and met our tour guide for the day. Our first stop was Piazzale Michaelangelo where we enjoyed a beautiful panoramic of the entire city of Florence and a replica of the famous sculpture of "David" done by the artistic genius Michelangelo. Next was a trek across the Ponte San Trinita bridge which spans the River Arno and overlooks the famous Ponte Vecchio. Ponte Vecchio is the bridge that is so beautiful that even Adolf Hitler wouldn't destroy it. During WWII every bridge was destroyed in Florence except the Ponte Vecchio.


Panoramic view of Florence, Italy

Looking down the River Arno with Ponte Vecchio in front

After all that time in the elements it was time to visit a couple of indoor places. First was the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore were we saw the outside of the Baptistry, the inside of the beautiful Cathedral which also has the famous Duomo created by Brunelleschi and the famous bell tower created by Giotto. After visiting the Cathedral we took a short cold walk to the Accademia Gallery which is home to several great works of art but none more famous than "David". "David" is the 13 foot tall sculpture done by Michelangelo which depicts the boy who faced off against Goliath. It was very strictly enforced that no pictures be taken but the statue is considered one of Michelangelo's greatest works behind only the "Pieta" in St. Peter's Basilica and the painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. After marveling at "David" as well as 2 lesser known "Pieta"s and 4 unfinished sculptures also done by Michelangelo we decided to eat a quick lunch (which consisted of a dessert that featured several different Chocolates and a glass of 27 year old Sherry) and then visit the Basilica of Santa Croce.

 Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with the Baptistry and Giotto's Belltower

A bronze copy of Michelangelo's "David"

Our assorted chocolates and 27 year old Sherry

Santa Croce or "Church of the Holy Cross" is the final resting place of Michelangelo and Galileo, and it holds a few tributes done to the poet Dante who wrote the "Divine Comedy" and created the Italian language. Dante was an outside thinker and the rulers of Florence banished Dante from the city. After he wrote the "Divine Comedy" and established a new language they desperately wanted him to call Florence home so they made several monuments and paintings and shrines to Dante, but he never returned.

Galileo's Tomb

 Michelangelo's tomb

Painting of Dante reading the "Divine Comedy", notice on te left is hell, the top is the ascention to heaven, Dante is in the center, and Florence is on the right. Dante is outside of hell and outside the gates of Florenece but he is placed directly under the ascention to heaven (This was Florence's way of trying to get Dante to come back to the city he was born in)

Us in front of Santa Croce

After finally having enough of the cold we decided to end our time in Florence about 5 ours earlier than originally planned, and it turned out to be a great decision because when we arrived at the train station we found out there was a big snowstorm just south of Florence and north or Rome which was causing havoc on the transportation system. We caught one of the last trains out of Florence before they started cancelling travel. We arrived in Rome to find it was already snowing and it was forecasted to snow throughout the night. We had a nice dinner then ducked into a cafe to escape the weather, who knows what tomorrow has in store for us. I suppose it depends on this wintry mess!!!

Snowy night in Rome

Day Six: Is that tower leaning or have I had too much wine?

Today started on short rest as we headed to Rome's Termini Train Station to catch our train to the Tuscany region of Italy. After a 90 minute ride trough beautiful countryside we arrived in Florence (Firenze) to SNOW!!! After checking in to our hotel we met up with our guide and headed to Pisa, Italy. Once we arrived in the area of Pisa we had to park outside the city limits due to local traffic restrictions. After a short 10 minute walk we were standing outside the city walls.

After meeting with another local guide that resides in Pisa we entered the city and explored "Piazza dei Miracoli" which was laid out to replicate the human life. First we explored the Baptistry (the start of life), then moved to the Cathedral (the center of life), and lastly we saw the Graveyard (the final resting place).

The Baptistry

Inside the Cathedral

The Graveyard

Now, I know what most of you are thinking "What about that tower they have in Pisa?". Well the famous leaning tower of Pisa was actually designed as nothing more than the bell tower of the Cathedral but gained it's notoriety by...well.. um... being a leaning tower. However, all the buildings in "Piazza dei Miracoli" are leaning, yet the tower is the one that gets all the attention... and trust me we gave it plenty of attention too, but we wanted to visit the Piazza as it's creators meant.

After a few hours in Pisa we headed back to Florence and had the best dinner so far. Shandle had Zuppa Toscana, Ravioli Toscana, and Creme Caramel while Greg had Fava bean/Barley Minestrone, Fiorentine Steak, and Tiramisu, and of course we enjoyed a half liter of the house "Vino Bianco". Well tomorrow we explore Florence and get to see Michaelangelo's "David", Brunelleschi's famous Cuppola, Giotto's Bell Tower, and the bridge so beautiful that even Adolf Hitler couldn't bring himself to destroy it "Ponte Vecchio".

Day Five: Moments of True Joy

Today was a day where we had no real plan of what we were going to do and in our wandering there turned out to be a constant theme, "Moments of True Joy". Our day started by taking a taxi to the southern part of Rome and just start walking. Within the first few moments we came upon Shandle's Turtle Fountain, it was the one fountain she absolutely HAD to see, that introduced us to moment of true joy #1.

After visiting the fountain we continued wandering through the narrow streets of Rome and discovered it's true secrets. Rome is known for it's massive monuments and ancient history but we discovered it's quaint churches and inviting lesser known piazzas. It is in this lesser known area of Rome where we found Shandle's sign and thus introduced us to moment of true joy #2.

After wandering for a few hours we decided to stroll along the edge of the River Tiber and that is where we found the only island in Rome and Greg found his "perfect picture". Everybody who enjoys photography knows that when everything sets up just right; the scenery, the lighting, the natural framing...it makes for that perfect picture and thus we had encountered moment of true joy #3.

Sadly it started to rain on our day so we jumped across the River Tiber and ducked into a local restaurant in the Trastavere neighborhood. After a delightful lunch of bread and pasta rigatoni alla'amatriciana we order dessert and Shandle had moment of true joy #4 CANNOLIS!!!

We wandered around Trastevere for a little while longer before jumping back across the River Tiber in search of a taxi to take us to Stadio Olimpico and the football match. We arrived 3 hours early and explored the Olympic Village and track area before heading across the street and grabbing a snack and some coffee before the game. Sitting with the patrons of this restaurant full of Lazio fans was fun but it was time to head into the stadium. Once inside we found our seats and they were right at midfield 13 rows from the players. Now anyone who knows Greg must think this was moment of true joy #5, but that wasn't the case. Moment of true joy #5 came 2 hours later when Lazio broke through AC Milan with some marvelous passing and some fancy footwork and scored the match's first goal. Greg jumped out of his seat with excitement and celebrated. The Italians surrounding us were cheering for Greg after that. Grown Italian men were screaming and yelling about the "Americano" and patting him on the back. It was just one of those indescribable moments of true joy.

After the game we searched and searched for a taxi to take us back to our hotel but could not find one anywhere. So after 30 minutes we were freezing cold and extremely tired when moment of true joy #6 occurred. A Roman man named Marco was driving his taxi on the opposite side of the street when he saw us frantically waving for him. He turned around and picked us up. After having a delightful conversation while sitting in the traffic leaving the stadium we discovered Marco was a truly kind Italian. Once we finally got back to our hotel the meter read 33 Euros and I was going to give Marco 40. He said "no no, only 25 Euros" and gave me the 15 Euro change back. I tried to tip him but he absolutely refused and said "Your kindness was enough". He gave us his business card and drove away leaving us with one of the best interactions we have EVER had in any city in any country with a local stranger. Moment of true joy #6!

Well tomorrow we catch the train to Northern Italy were we will visit the Leaning Tower in Pisa before heading to Florence to stay the night.

Day Four: Vatican City and Works of Masters.

Wow, today was the best day yet! We woke up and grabbed a taxi to the Vatican City. Vatican City is amazing for several different reasons; it is the center of the Catholic Religion, it is it's own country with 800 inhabitants living in a country that is 8 times smaller than New York's Central Park, it has it's own post office and currency... however we absolutely fell in love with the Vatican for it's artistic treasures. The Vatican Museuems are the 2nd most visited museums in the world osting over 10 million people per year, it's corridors would stretch over 7 miles long, and if you stopped to visit every piece of artwork for 30 seconds it would take you longer than 7 years to view it all.

Us in Vatican City.

 Our tour started with a quick view of the Vatican Gardens then moved into the Pine Cone Courtyard. After being briefed on what we would see inside the mueseums we entered full of excitement. We weren't let down, we travelled from Sculpture galleries to tapestry galleries to the Gallery of Maps. We saw The Dogma Room that depicted the Immaculate Conceptcion, Rafael's Rooms which were former Papal residences that Rafael painted from floor to ceiling, and finally we visited Michelangelo's The Sistine Chapel. See it for yourself, it is a true wonder of the world and an artwork only capable of a genius.

 Sistine Chapel (Very center of the picture is the famous "The Creation of Adam.")

 Michelangelo's "The Last Judgement."

 Gallery of Maps in The Vatican Museums.

The Dogma Room "Immaculate Conception."

Rafael's artwork which includes Plato, Aristotle, Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, and other "forward thinkers."

After visiting the Vatican Museums it was time to turn our attention to the center of the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica. We entered the Basilica and immediately saw another famous Michelangelo work "Pieta", then followed the corridor around to find tombs of all the Popes who have been Beatified. After viewing the monuments to all the different Popes we went to the very front of the church and viewed the current Pope's pulpit which lies directly underneath the Cupola which was designed by Michelangelo and built by Bernini. We left Vatican City in admiration of the art, history, and religious gravity that it holds.

 

Michelangelo's "Pieta" depicting the Virgin Mary holding Jesus Christ.

 Pope John Paul's tomb.

Current Pope's pulpit.

There are 3 actual embalmed Pope's bodies that are on display, this is an actual Pope's body with a mask over the face and hands.

Going with the religion and art theme we spent the rest of the day traveling through Rome visiting Castel San Angelo, The Angel Bridge, The Church of Santa Marie Maggiore, and The Church of San Pietro in Vincoli. These different churches and religious places held sculptures by Bernini, Rafael, and Michelangelo as well as the actual chains that the first Pope "Saint Peter" was shackled in before God's divine intervention released him (it should be noted that he was later crucified upside down on a cross before they cut off his feet). As the day was winding down and our senses overloaded with amazing facts and images we decided to have dinner to celebrate our Two Year Anniversary. After dinner we stopped at a little cafe and the owner gave us a special Cafe Latte to mark the occasion.

 Us in front of Castle San Angelo and The Angel Bridge.

 Church of Santa Maria Maggiore.

 Special Anniversary Latte from a Roman Cafe.

 Well tomorrow we visit the Jewish Ghetto, see the Tortoise Fountain (Shandle's must see attraction), eat lunch in the Old Trastavere neighborhood, and attend a European football match between Lazio and AC Milan.