THURSDAY
Cheryl Hanson suggested we have turkey pizza for Thanksgiving. Didn't see any, however. Instead, because it was such a long walk, we took bus #3 to the top of the Borghese Gardens to visit the Etruscan museum housed in the 16th Century Villa Giulia (villa of Pope Julius III). There isn't much of the villa left in its original form, although the “porch” around the court yard was still beautifully decorated. The museum itself was modern and covered the mysterious Etruscan civilization from around the 6th Century BCE onwards, especially its interaction with the Greeks. I had not realized how rich the culture was, and I'd thought, incorrectly, that it had no written documentation. By the time we'd finished our tour, it had begun to rain. So, instead of walking home, as I'd planned, we took the old #3 back to the flat.
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| PORCH OF VILLA GIULIA |
For dinner went back to the place we ate on the first night: Il Cantione. Stew had lasagna al forno and Bob had tortellini alla carne. Desert was tartufo for Stew and pann cotta fruittoi di bossco for Bob. Along with a bottle of wine and a limoncello and coffee, it was an Italian Thanksgiving!
FRIDAY
Rain and heavy winds predicted, so we took the metro to a pilazzo that Maffeo Barberini, later Pope Urban VIII, commissioned for himself in the early 17th Century. It's noted for its layout; amazing rooms with elaborately painted ceilings, use of tromp d'oeil for baseboards, ceilings, and hallways; a staircase designed by Bernini; and a collection of paintings that include (along with an exhausting number of religious ones) Franz Hals' portrait of Henry VIII, a portrait of a woman by Raphael that looks amazingly like the Mona Lisa, and several Caravaggios. By the time we left, the sun had come out, so we walked back to the flat via the Trevi Fountain and Colosseum and took pictures of both for Cheryl and Eva since they mentioned that they might like to come to Rome. We've been to many of these places before so find taking pictures is not a priority. Nice to think about our friends coming and seeing the things that we are currently seeing. Hope this helps make up their minds.
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| VILLA BARBARINI |
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| BERNINI STAIRCASE |
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| VIEW OF COLLOSEUM |
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| TREVI FOUNTAIN - THROW IN A COIN, YOU WILL RETURN TO ROME |
Dinner tonight was at Pizzeria de Remo. Had two supllis, two pizzas, a bottle of aqua minerale fizzante, a liter of wine and a cafe. Sat next to a couple from New York who had been here for two days. Felt like old hands. Wild and crazy local place that was PACKED.
