Her morning classed ended early, and she met us in front of the Vittoriano. We walked around the Forum, got the Art History take on it, the Colosseo and Constantine’s Arch. Then went to the Piazza Navona to see more Bernini fountains and have lunch. We snaked our way through the street-art booths, junk vendors, crowds, photographers and had pasta and caffe in the piazza. After lunch Anna took us to an outdoor market in Piazza Campo dei Fiori and we left her near there at L’Universita for her afternoon classes. Her whole school group goes the Ravenna this afternoon.
We went on to the Piazza Farnese and the French Embassy, but the lines were too long to wait for the art tour, so we went to the Pantheon, peeked in and went back to the hotel, passing the Parlamento building on the way.
The center of Rome is glorious. Almost every building would be a standout in a small city. People would stand around admiring it and taking pictures. In Rome, it’s just another building on a block of them in a city built of such blocks. There are churches everywhere. The government has so many buildings in Rome, one has no trouble understanding how they perform so efficiently. Rome’s history stalks you at every turn, the guidebooks explain the complicated stories of palazzos and piazzas, and even our hotel has a booklet of its ‘tales’. The sidewalks are blocked by clots of tourists getting lectures. The scooters and ‘cycles are zooming everywhere, the traffic eternal. Getting around on foot is pretty easy and fun, at least in the center city for all the stuff we want to see.
Trevi Fountain.
Roman triumphal arch.
Piazza Navona. North Fountain.
Piazza Navona. South Fountain.
Open air market, Piazza Campo dei Fiori.
Pedestrians Beware!
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