I easily made my way to the main train/metro station this morning. I bought a 2 day ticket for the Hop on/Hop off double decker bus (I paid E20 and then, when I was looking at the brochure while on the bus, I saw that over 65 is only E18. Had to return to the termini where I bought the ticket later and they gave me back my E2! Gotta have some advantages to getting old(er)!) J
Since I had gotten a late start, I stayed on the bus for a complete loop around town. We passed the Coloseum (unmanageable crowd!), the Forum, past the Piazza del Verite (big crowd here waiting to get into this church. Turns out that huge round medallion face, called the Bocca della Verita, or mouth of truth, that was shown, I believe, in Eat, Pray, Love. I think it was also in Roman Holiday where Audrey Hepburn stuck her hand in the mouth (it’s supposed to bite the liar!).
(Roman Forum)
Then the “Wedding Cake” or monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of a unified Italy, is off the Piazza Venezia. Another building nearby this piazza has the balcony where Mussolini was frequently shown rousing the crowds.
As we passed all these sites, there are Roman ruins hidden among the more recent buildings, some even blended the ruins into newer buildings. The tour tape said many buildings used stones from the coloseum after it fell into disuse.
We crossed the Tiber past Castel d’Angelo, that has a passageway so popes could escape (as one did when French king attacked). Then arrived at St. Peter’s square and that magnificent St. Peter’s cathedral, originally begun in 300 or so by Constantine, the converted first Christian emperor, but then completely redone in 1500s with Bernini, Michelangelo and Raphael, among some of the great artists, having a hand in it. Crowds also here at mid-day were huge so I stayed on the bus.
I finally came around again and got off at Piazza Verite (had NO interest in waiting in that long line to see the mouth!) and walked along, past the wedding cake and around looking for St. Peter in Chains church where Michelangelo carved Moses for the tomb of Julius II. I had remembered it from 20 years ago. It was closed for midday and so waited awhile with the crowd and then wandered around. It was beautiful as ever, then went below the altar to see the “chains” which I guess bound St. Peter.
I found a place for a lovely lunch almost across the street, it turns out, from where we had eaten with the archeologist on our tour on Monday. I’m starting to get the layout of the land. So many of the tourist sites are right in this downtown area on either side of the river. Those bus tours are very helpful, I find, in giving a great overview, without so much walking and wandering, of a place. Hopefully they will have this in Athens later on my trip.
Since I didn’t fall asleep last night until after 2 a.m. for some reason (could be the good book I’m reading!) that I was tired by midafternoon and made my way back to Anna’s apartment around 4.
Anna had to work today and then came home for maybe an hour and headed off to pick up 3 of the nuns arriving at the airport, which is an hour away. She didn’t think she’d be back until 10:30 or so. I think I’m going in to work with her tomorrow – she’s going to let me ride/drive a motorbike a bit!! I’m excited! Been on my bucket list! I’m sure it’s just around the parking lot but it’ll be fun! She is so helpful and gracious!
Tomorrow is the Walking Meditation somewhere at 5:30 p.m. so I’ll have another day to see a few more sites.
Ciao!
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