#3057 The Trip: first night in Rome

ussie at the Trevi Fountain

On Wednesday 10 June we said good-bye to Spain and hello to Italy; Rome to be exact. We flew from Barcelona to Rome and arrived in the Eternal City around 2:00 PM. We met our driver at the airport and he dropped us off in front of the hotel Lizzie and I stayed in when we were there a couple of years ago. Our apartment was just a three minute walk from that hotel. We met our host very easily and she took us up to the apartment. Curiously, the apartment was on the fourth floor, but you had to press "7" on the elevator to get to it. The elevator was tiny and slow and I was a little bit scared of it, but it always worked. I usually took the stairs going down (there were 75), but I always took the elevator up. Another curious thing was that our apartment did not have a number. That's a good reason to take the elevator. I knew exactly where the apartment was when I got off the elevator. All the doors by the elevator on the other floors looked just the same as our door. The apartment was two bedrooms, one bath, a nice kitchen and big living room. The bed MT and I shared was weird, but the AC worked well and I loved the location of the apartment. 

Once we got settled, T was planning to nap, but MT and I wanted to go walking around. We convinced T to come along. It wasn't a hard sell. He's been wanting to come to Italy for a long time, ever since he played "Assassin's Creed." 

As we were staying on Via Pantheon right off the Piazza della Rotunda, obviously the first site was the Pantheon and its obelisk.

MT and T in Piazza della Rotunda

MT was eager to go to Piazza Navona, and on our way there, we passed a church sign that said "Caravaggio." A little history: the first time MT and I came to Rome, we somehow became fascinated by the artist Caravaggio, and we decided the next time we came to Rome, we would go on a Caravaggio Quest to see as many of his paintings as we could. I know there are several churches with free entry where there are Caravaggio paintings, and this was one of the, San Luisi dei Francesi. 

There are three paintings by Caravaggio in this church. Sadly for me, a professional photographer was set up in the chapel where the paintings are so my view was partially blocked. Here's what I saw:

The Calling of Saint Matthew (1600)

The Inspiration of Saint Matthew (1602)

The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (1600)

Caravaggio is such an interesting person and his art was remarkable in the way he used light. I'm fascinated by his paintings.

Feeling extremely happy, we went on to Piazza Navona where we stopped at a cafe for an aperitivo. I didn't take many photos of my meals or food on this trip, but here is a pic of T in the piazza.

T in Piazza Navona

I knew we weren't far from Largo di Torre Argentina, the ancient site where Julius Caesar was stabbed on the Ides of March in 44 BC. Now it is a cat sanctuary in addition to having these ancient ruins.

Largo di Torre Argentina

From here, it wasn't a long walk to the Trevi Fountain, so that was our next stop.

the Trevi Fountain

If you want to get near the water so you can throw a coin in the fountain which is supposed to mean you'll come back to Rome, you now have to pay two euros to go down there. We did not do that, but I'm pretty sure I'll get back to Rome someday. I really love it. 

On our way back to the apartment, we passed the Basilica of Saint Mary of Minerva. Outside there was a big sign that there was a Caravaggio painting on display not in the church but in the building right next to it, and we could see it for free, so we had to! This painting was on loan from Palazzo Barberini. It was a treat to see it. 

Portrait of Monsignor Maffeo Barberini (early 1600s)

Four Caravaggio paintings in one day! I was stoked!!

When Lizzie and I were in Rome, we ate a a lovely little enoteca not far from Piazza della Rotunda, and I wanted to eat there again, so I'd made a reservation before we left the U.S. I recognized the woman who seats people and at least one of the waiters. Of course they didn't remember me, and I wouldn't expect that anyway. I was delighted to see them, though, and to be in the restaurant. Such good food! 

 a nice little restaurant

We ended our night with a gelato in the Piazza della Rotunda, then it was time to get some rest because the next day was our tour of the Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum. I'll tell you all about it on Wednesday.

xo