Easter Saturday. 20th April. Rome, Italy.
HUGE DAY.
We started early for our day trip to Rome. We docked at Civitavecchia – about 2 hours away. The drive was lovely through super rich farm land with many market gardens, super crops and many old ruins.
We arrived in Rome and started our walking tour at Quartiere Aurelio, a hilly suburb with views of St. Peter’s Basilica from the park. Byzantine-style frescoes, Russian Orthodox church of Santa Caterina Martire, with its gilded onion domes. And lots of hills and cobble stones.
The Spanish Steps. So called as they are near the Spanish Embassy.
Very beautiful.
The cobblestones were horrid as normal. So uneven and deep set. Our guide called them “Italian ashtrays” and they were full of butts.
He also told us that Roma was like a lasagne – many layers. Down below us was an ancient aqueduct.
Trevi fountain was beautiful. The way it just pours out of the building.
And then The Pantheon. Insanely beautiful. A giant round building with a huge forecourt of massive pillars. Stunning. I’ve been to Rome before, but somehow missed seeing this amazing building. Turns out Sarah and I ate lunch one day just a block away and didn’t find it.
Inside the marble work was sensational. A former Roman temple built in 113 AD. One of the most stunning buildings I’ve seen.
The walk to our lunch spot was past amazing building. Nothing special. Just every day buildings – with sensational mosaic floors. And so much more. We sat in Caffe Barocca in Piazza Novana and ate pasta and drank Aperol Spritz. A very bitter orange drink. Buskers performed acrobatic feats and musicians played. The piazza has three lovely fountains that are seen in many movies. The fountains are fed by the Aqua Virgo aqueduct. Lovely.
Only problem was that it was a 90 minute break and after a drinks and food and a long sit it really hurt to get going again. Those damn cobbles.
Then off again toward the Vatican City. Past many incredible buildings and places. We crossed the Tiber River. Amazing buildings, then the Vatican. More amazing buildings. ‘Stone Pines’, AKA Umbrella pines or Parasol pines are native to the Mediterranean area. As well as being stunning they produce pine nuts. And shade. The area by the river was a huge recreational area. Hire boats, ice cream stalls, buskers booming out ACDC.
St Peters Square was amazing.
There had been Saturday morning mass for Easter Saturday and they were setting up for Easter Sunday mass. Huge groups of school students on excursion, groups of nuns and so many people.
In the square was an ancient Egyptian obelisk – stolen of course and erected in 1586. The square was built around it. There was a massive colonnade – four columns deep, totalling 284 columns and 8 pillasters (rectangular columns), which embrace visitors in the “maternal arms of the Mother Church”. Stunning looking.
All pretty amazing – and extravagant. I guess they decided that building multi-million dollar structures was more important than ministering to the poor.
Then the walk back to the bus and back to the ship. Amazing tour. 12.1 kilometres were walked on this day.
Next Page – Amalfi Coast – click below