The Borghese Gardens

Visiting the Borghese Gardens was a way to see how the Roman people relax and renew themselves.  It was similar in size to New York's Central Park.

Everywhere in the city, nuns are a gentle reminder of the importance of the Catholic faith.

In addition to people walking, jogging, or simply strolling and enjoying the scenery, some folks were involved in elaborate roller-blade contests and dances.

The signs, statues, and flower gardens were all so photogenic that it was had to stop taking pictures and just walk.  This water-bearing woman was a favorite of mine.  If I were a resident of the city, I would need to come and pay homage to her again and again.

I recognize how this style of signs have been emulated and copied around the world.  So inviting.

And even though I became statue weary in the Vatican, I couldn't help but to marvel at the intricacy of this lace collar on this statue.

The raw power of this statue also caught our attention.

 We happened to catch a tourist adopting a lotus pose for her photo-op.

Many pavilions and buildings for restaurants and museums are part of the great Borghese Gardens.

This old lion seems so at home here.

The gardens themselves are filled with color and to my surprise I spotted a few palm trees too.  

The bright colors in the children's play areas brought joy.

More Roman Adventures

It was so enjoyable not to have a car in Rome and just wander the streets or hop on a bus.  Everywhere are grand buildings with a history all their own.

With safety concerns about travel being what they are today, we were actually comforted to find the presence of the Italian military, called the Carabinieri, stationed prominently throughout the city.

One evening, though, we were in one of the many beautiful piazzas and we unexpectedly came across a free concert from a Carabinieri band.  We imagined it would be a somber affair but were pleasantly surprised when their first song was "Dancing Queen" by Abba.  Always fun when expectations meet reality in travel.  Wandering through the streets in the evening was so enjoyable.

I particularly like the way the evening light added to the drama of this photo.  By the way, these photos are a combination of both Terry's and mine.

When nighttime fully descends, most of the buildings are illuminated with spotlights.

So many photo opportunities that it could take a long time to travel a short distance.  We wanted a photo from every angle!

Terry found it so fun to visit the famous fountain from the movie "Three Coins in the Fountain."  It was definitely one of the most popular tourist attractions.

Here's the old-fashioned trailer for the movie that made this tourist spot such a popular destination.  And, of course, we threw in our three coins along with wishes and prayers (mainly of gratitude.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bienKPcoZgU

Discovering Rome

The problem with having a history-buff for a husband is that what he finds fascinating and of interest often leaves me yawning.  For example, the Colosseum.  Terry could have stayed all day.  Whereas, knowing that it's opening ceremony included the slaughter of 5000 animals and it's barbaric history of gladiators and blood and gore is something that I just assume avoid.  However, to be a good sport, I did go along and amuse myself with the latest selfie craze.  Everyone, everywhere is preoccupied with taking selfies!  A few years ago, this would have seriously disturbed me but I found myself enjoying the ridiculousness of it all.    Love this girl with her red lipstick and red beret.

Also Terry begged me to take selfies too!  What's the saying, "When in Rome..."? Actually I did refuse at the Colosseum but relented on many later occasions.  The funny thing is that my selfie-enthusiasm went down with every progressive shot until I'm practically scowling at the camera.

Also I remember in Paris the street hawkers who would try and sell little Eiffel tower replicas and how they could be very aggressive (and annoying.)  In Rome, everyone is selling "selfie sticks."   It's like a metaphor for our entire world.  Look at me!!!  I found this the most disturbing in Venice while watching people on their gondola rides.  They didn't seem to enjoy the experience at all!  They only enjoyed taking selfies of it.

I relished all the times I could find families enjoying time together or flowers growing amidst the ruins.

After visiting the Colosseum we walked around the Circus Maximus which was the sight of chariot races and contests of all sorts with many spectators.  The sense of living history was remarkable.  I only wish every high school student could visit these spots to make their history lessons come alive.  

After a full morning of sight-seeing and much walking we strolled over a famous bridge into an area called Travesty.  This is an authentic Italian neighborhood and had the feeling of being lived in and well-loved.    

We got to experience going back in time and could settle into the rhythm of daily life in this ancient city. It was heavenly. We could have wandered the charming little lanes for a happy lifetime.

And what a relaxed and elegant sense of style both the men and women have.  

Coming across children playing was always a highlight and I often lingered to savor the moment.  

This old bookstore seemed to epitomize the old-fashioned life of simple pleasures.  Also what's easy  about traveling in a European country is the familiarity of traditions.  Whereas, when I was in China, things were often so vastly different that I had no way to understand them.  But a bookstore on a quiet and winding lane with children playing outside made me feel right at home. 

Travesty is an area that I could see moving to.  In fact, we met quite a few elderly women who were living their dream in Italy.  So tempting to leave the hustle and bustle of life in the U.S. behind and return to a culture that truly appreciates the good life.  

When we finally settled on a place to eat, we ended up having an amazing meal.  Terry, of course, had a classic pizza.  I ordered "seasonal vegetables" and was surprised and delighted to find they were sautéed dandelion greens.  They were beautifully bitter.  I ordered a rice ball to go with it and asked for a side of marinara sauce on the side.  I might be the only person in history to ever visit Italy without eating any pizza, pasta, lasagna, meat, tiramisu, or other outrageous desserts. Fortunately, I was delighted with my lowly and lovely dandelion greens.  

After they were all mushed together they were my best meal ever!!! Perfection!  

After eating we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the lanes before heading back to our flat.  

Here a master craftsman carries on the tradition of carving wooden Pinocchios.  

Stopping to enjoy all the specialty shops is definitely one of the highlights of this vacation. 

Here's an example of a pasta made into a bowtie shape with green and red stripes.  So beautiful!

Visit to the Vatican

Visiting the Vatican requires purchasing tickets in advance and each visitor is given a time of entry.  Ours was 11 am.  You can imagine our surprise when we overslept and woke up at 10 am!  We had to jump out of bed, wash our faces, and dash off to catch the bus across town.  Fortunately, we arrived just in time to join in the queue to enter the same doors thousands of pilgrims have entered before.

I couldn't help but to think of all the visitors, from all the different countries, from every walk of life who passed through the entryway over the years.   But I was especially happy to see all the Catholics for whom this might have been the pilgrimage of a lifetime.

The size and scope and grandeur of the Vatican is hard to convey in words.  This is a piece of stained glass window that is brightly lit from behind.

The sheer quantity of statues put me into statue overload pretty quickly.  So much better to be able to enjoy one piece at a time.  In many ways, this is the pleasure of creating this blog to revisit these amazing pieces and take the time to enjoy them.

Ceilings are especially beautiful. 

And this ceiling in the hall of maps was my favorite.  For some reason that I can't explain the art of the ancient map making appealed to me the most.  

Upon returning from our trip, I've ordered a book on calligraphy and have been inspired to learn the art of beautiful writing.  

Here's a close up of the writing.

I long for the days when an ordinary task like writing was elevated to an extraordinary work of art.  

  

The gardens and grounds of the Vatican were worthy of a trip all by themselves.

This garden sculpture was especially touching. 

We were able to take many lovely photos from the Vatican windows.  Rome is such a beautiful city.  

What exquisite views!

An unexpected aspect to the Vatican was its wing of modern art.  Love this Marc Chagall in red chalk.

This painting was a favorite of mine.  

Also the simple devotional nature of the Henri Matisse drawings touched my heart like no others.    For all the opulence of the art in the Vatican, isn't it interesting that the pure delicacy of the Matisse drawings are a favorite of so many?   Surprisingly they are huge, quite possibility 30 feet by 10 feet.