Rome!

As you would have seen in my previous post, it ended with a super photo of my Dad, Margaret and I celebrating my Dad's 84th birthday with a bunch of dear family friends. My cousin Claudia and husband Eberhart joined us as well so it was a great afternoon of catch ups, eating, drinking and making merry! It is good to see my father in such great spirits, despite his 3 times a week kidney dialysis treatments!

After his birthday there were some 3 weeks to Christmas.......hmmmmm! WHAT TO DO!!! Our dear family friend Friedl suggested I go somewhere and do some more discovering! The short story is that I found a return flight from Munich to Rome on Alitalia for $16 plus taxes....after rubbing my eyes to do a double take I immediately pressed the "book now" button and off I went! I found a fabulous B&B right at the top of the Spanish Steps in the middle of old Rome also at excellent rates. My room was spacious, clean, elegant with excellent wifi, tv and a mega large ensuite with a bidet! The walls and heavily carved antique doors were some 12ft high and the house was filled with stunning Roman antiques. The owner Giancarlo, was an amazing host and served fabulous breakfasts and booked any sights I wished to see! I will definitely be going back there one day!

Roma! What do I say! Those who have been there know how I feel......my week there was just AWESOME! I had the best time anyone could on their own! Every day was filled with incredible sights of history, stories, Italian food to "die for" and glasses of local red chianti! My eyes were filled with constant visual delights, from cobblestoned piazzas like the fabulous Piazza Navona, ancient churches built on top of each other or over Roman villas over the centuries, ruins from the greatest empire all over the city, gelato shops where "looking" was enough, I went EVERYWHERE! Old Rome is quite a small area, it doesn't take more than 25-30 minutes to walk anywhere. The grand river Tiber winds its way through the city with islands of ancient buildings.
I walked the Spanish Steps daily, I visited the Colosseum; the Forum; the Pantheon; the ruins around that area; the famous Jewish quarter and its synagogue and stayed for an amazing Jewish/Roman dinner; I awed at Castel Saint Angelo; the incredible court house; the Trevi Fountain and yes, I threw a coin in and made a wish with all the other 1000's of tourists there!!.........I wandered through the huge white monument, the Vittorio; through endless churches and basilicas until I felt my neck would break from looking up. I spent a day at St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum. I sat in awe in the Cistine Chapel and marvelled at the incredible painters who spent years labouring it's walls and ceilings.
I shopped for some Italian dresses but not in Via Condotti - that street is for the fashionistas with a large budget only. It was lined with every designer on the planet.....I noticed Dior had a stunning bag in the window and "just for fun" went in to look at it. When the lady told me the bag was over 30,000 euros, I gasped, laughed and told her one could buy a house for that money!! I don't think she got it!

I walked silently over the grass where the gladiators rode their chariots for their lives; I visited the villa from that infamous family, the Borgheses. Its rooms were filled with opulant paintings and statues in white marble I swore would come to life..........and most strangely of all, I saw the Pope in person TWICE! Once from the window of my B&B as he came in his pope mobile to bless the Virgin Mary statue in the Piazza Espagna every 8th December (the day I arrived) and the one time I was in St Peters. He came into the basilica filled with 1000's of people and protected by the Swiss Guards in their colourful uniforms. I stood no more than one metre from him as he was carried down the main aisle. Unfortunately my arm was bumped and the picture below is blury. It was an amazing experience!

When I had enough and exhaustedly wandered home, I would stop for an evening apertif and laugh with the waiter who spoke a bit of English. I would fall into my lovely bed only to wake up the next morning and do it all over again! If you haven't been, you MUST go!
Excuse the pun, but there is no place like Rome.....

Thank you my darling Becky who wrote out a "7 days of Roman things to do" - all was so well combined. It saved me so much research! I did it all plus some.......
I took so many photos but here is a selection of my visit.........most are self explanatory!

Remember! If you wish to see any photo in full screen, just click on the photo!!