(Note: I found this short post, dated 2007, unpublished for some reason. Here it is now.)

“Ponte Vecchio” means “Old Bridge”. In Rome and Florence, the old is much more prevalent than the new, so to call something “old” is somewhat ironic. In this case, however, one of the most well known landmarks of Florence wears its name well.

It was originally built in roman times, one of the first of five bridges spanning the Arno today. (Ever read E. M. Forster’s A Room with a View? Seen the movie?) It was destroyed several times by floods, and the wooden construction was eventually replaced by a five-arched stone bridge in 1171. When the bridge fell victim to a flood again in the fourteenth century, Taddeo Gaddi (dal Vasari) or Neri Fioravanti designed the three-arched bridge (a height/width ratio of 1:6) with a passage flanked by artisans’ stores–originally butchers and fishmongers.

The bridge begins at the celebrated Galleria degli Uffizi and ends at the Palazzo Pitti. It was in 1593 that Ferdinand I decided he wanted something more upscale around him and ordered the bridge to open to jewelers and goldsmiths. The gold artisans have been there since.

Not only is the bridge’s exterior quite distinctive, with its shops hanging over the water, but the inside corridor literally drips with gold and jewels. It would make salivate even the most ascetic of shoppers. Even if gold and stones the size of a goose egg aren’t your thing, it’s amazing to see so much of it in so short a space. It’s also incredibly amazing that some of the stores there have a tradition that can be traced back to the fourteenth century.

There is a scene in the movie American Dreamer, in which JoBeth Williams and Tom Conti are on a boat floating along the Seine in Paris. A man beside them tells his wife “I know, dear, but when you’ve seen one church, you’ve seen them all.”

I’ve always loved that line, because in a way it’s true. Most older churches (the catholic ones, at any rate) were built in a similar way: there is at least one nave, a transept, and an apse, in the shape of a cross. But that’s pretty much where the comparison stops. The case is point is our tour of the Aventino, where we visited four very different churches, all with their own appeal.

Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone who visits Rome wants to see Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Many are not aware, until they arrive, that the famous chapel is not part of St Peter’s but part of the Vatican Museums–and a very small part of them at that. The Vatican Museums are one of the most popular museums in the world, with over 4 million visitors a year and more than 17,000 a day.

The Vatican Museums are huge but their enjoyment can be seriously curtailed by the number of organized groups that fly through them to get to their exclusive goal: the Sistine Chapel. The first time we were there, three years ago, we estimated that, in the four hours we were there, at least 25,000 people went through, most of them in groups of 20 or 30 people with a guide ushering them on (“Come on, come on, people, we only have xx minutes to do this…”). People would take pictures while walking, not even stopping to enjoy or admire. We were herded like cattle–there were rope corridors and the museum guards were exactly that: guards with guns who blankly refused to let you backtrack to see again something that you liked . In the Sistine Chapel, the noise was deafening. It was impossible to feel any kind of reverence for this place where new popes are elected. Guards would scream “Silence!” every now and then and the noise would abate, but it would start again a few minutes later.

It was hell. Read the rest of this entry »

Halfway through our month-long stay in Rome, we decided to head out to the fabled Tivoli Gardens. I had heard of them as a wonder of beauty and elegance and was curious to see if the reputation held true. We’re also planning on visiting the Villa Hadriana, one of the most elaborate villas ever constructed during the Roman Empire.

The town of Tivoli is about an hour east outside of Rome. We take the bus to Termini, then the Metro (Linea B, direction Rebbibia) to the Ponte Mammolo station, where we take a Cotral bus to Tivoli. Unfamiliar as we are with the bus system, we take the first bus that indicates Tivoli; we end up on a “milk run” with stops every few minutes to let passengers in or out. The bus is full; people are standing in the aisles. (We realized coming back that there’s a bus that takes the highway and does the trip in 20 minutes instead of 45). The country and small towns we pass are uninspiring but soon they make way for groves of olive trees, full of fruit, and an increasingly tortuous and steep road. Tivoli sits on the Monti Tiburtini and surveys the valley below. The locals are used to the tourists and urge us (about six of us) to leave the bus at the right stop with good-natured instructions: they look at us and gesticulate, saying “Villa d’Este, scende qua!” (Get off here for the Villa d’Este!)

As with any Italian town, Tivoli has incredible appeal and it would take more than one day to explore it, so we head directly to the Villa d’Este (built in the mid-1500s) where the gardens are situated. The villa and its gardens is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was commissioned by Ippolito d’Este, the son of the famous (or infamous) Lucrezia Borgia. The first floor of the Villa is opened for visits and we spend an hour admiring the beautiful frescoed walls and ceilings by Pirro Ligorio. Often, not one inch of wall or ceiling shows. A lot of it is decorated in the grotesque style, one that I find charming and that we saw at the Galleria Dora Pamphilj and at the Vatican Museum.

We exit onto a stone balcony with two wide side staircases and look out onto the gardens. With the absence of traffic sounds, the gurgle of water, the luminous light filtering through the tall trees and the sight of small villages in the valley, it feels like we’ve entered another world. The gardens seem to swoop down in an almost vertiginous slope to a cliff. Standing here on the balcony, it feels like you could touch the top of the cypresses jutting up to the sky.

But the gardens are really set into a series of terraces, each level hiding several treasures: fern-covered pools set in mosaic grottoes, large staircases with water cascading along the banisters, tree-covered alleys, loggias with a view on the gardens. In additon,

We go down the stairs to the left and walk along the gravel-covered alley up to the end where we find the Fontana di Pegaso (Pegasus Fountain). The winged horse looks so real, it might take off at any moment. We walk the opposite way until we arrive at two impressive fountains the Fontana di Rometta (Fountain of small Rome) and the Fontana di Proserpina (Fountain of Proserpine). The Rometta sports the major monuments of Rome at its top (Pantheon, Colosseum, Constantine’s Arch), while Proserpine, dressed as a warrior, surveys the boat Charon uses to carry the unfortunate souls to Hades.

Going down  again, we stroll to the opposite side until we reach the Fontana di Tivoli (Tivoli fountain) with its Grotta di Venere (Venus’s Grotto). This is an enormous fountain with a half-moon basin that makes the falling water cascade into a larger one. Above, a stone railing fronts a stone grotto with Venus–although the figure looks much more like the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child.

The material inside the grottoes, as well as bordering some of the paths, is strange until we realize it’s some type of coral somehow glued together.

We then direct our steps towards the Fontana di Nettuno (Neptune’s Fountain), a huge fountain–about 80 feet high–with, in its center, a cave with Neptune inside. The water cascading over it hides him and gives the impression of his hiding in an ocean cave. Water geysers from immense spouts almost to the edge of the Fontana dell’organo (Fountain of the Organ). Water flows into a two-tiered basin, then goes underground until it reachers Le Peschiere (Fish Tanks), three long basins that hold thousands of red carps (koi).

Maybe the most impressive and delightful of all the fountains here–twenty in all–is the alley of Le Cento Fontane. On one side of the alley, great trees provide wonderful shade; on the other side, water spouts, peacock tail fountains and other water features hug an ivy-covered wall. The water spouts have anthropomorphic and mythical features, like a lion’s mane with a man’s face, a man with rabbit ears, a monkey face with human ears. Towards the center and below the fountains is another very impressive fountain, the Fontana dei Draghi (Fountains of the Dragons) commissioned by Pope Gregorius XIII, whose emblem was the dragon.  We’ve seen that emblem in other places as well, such as St Peter’s and other papal basilicas.

Everywhere we turn, it seems we encounter another fountain: the Fontana della Civetta (Owl Fountain), where we sit on a marble bench to eat our lunch; the Fontana della Madre Natura (Mother Nature’s Fountain), with its multiple breasts spouting water, the Fontana dell’Organo, which uses a water system to play organ music, the Rotonda dei Cipressi (Cypresses Rotunda), a charming fountain surrounded by massive cypresses that give a peak of the Villa way up above. Not all the fountains are large but they all have their unique charms.

Despite the serene beauty of the gardens (planted in the Renaissance Mannerist style) there were very few tourists, maybe because it was a Wednesday. It’s easy to imagine myself wearing a floor-length silk dress with a square bodice and puffed sleeves, bedecked in pearls and diamonds, on the arm of the Duke d’Este (of course, he was a Cardinal, too, but hey) and strolling along the grand alleys, listening to the sound of water gurgling and the birds singing. It was also easy to imagine that 16th Century life has continued on undisturbed and that a generous “spirit” has frozen time to not only keep the atmosphere but also the grandiose nature of the gardens as they were.

But of course, it’s not the case. It takes an army of gardeners and engineers to maintain them. In several places we could see scaffolding where restoration was going on.

We spent so much time at the Villa, we decided to return to Rome instead of going on to Hadrian’s Villa. It’s quite far from the city and not obvious where we needed to find the bus to get there.

Doesn’t matter. I had heard and read often of the famed Tivoli gardens. They lived up–no, exceeded–our expectations. A definite must for the traveller who wants to make a short excursion out of Rome.

This wonderful museum is easily overlooked among the bustle and madness of the Piazza del Cinquecento, just beside the Termini train station and a major “capolinea” (end of line) for many buses. Add to that double-decker tour buses and hundreds (I’m not kidding) of taxis vying for customers at the exit of the train station, and you have mayhem.

The Palazzo is very unprepossessing at the corner of  the Largo di Villa Peretti, with it 19th century facade of yellowish stucco and travertine window casements. It was a Jesuit college until 1960 and was closed for several years. It has now been completely restored and is now a modern, well-appointed, eruditely organized museum that houses portrait busts and statues from the antiquity as well as the most extensive, and beautifully restored, mosaics in the city.

The museum also has brought and professionally curated several frescoed rooms that were excavated from the 20BC Villa Farnesina, most of which is now under asphalt when they built the Lungotevere della Farnesina, as well as the garden room from the House of Livia on the Capitoline Hill, which was half underground to keep the room cool in summer.

Each of the three above-ground floor have huge windows that bring natural light into the rooms. The interior is arranged by theme.

On the ground floor are busts, statues, urns and basins from the Republic and Imperial times.

One of the most impressive statues is of  a Greek Niobid, dating from 440BC, which was found in Julius Caesar’s gardens. It portrays one of Niobid’s daughters trying to remove an arrow the arrow embedded into her back.

The art is exquisite, and reminds us how talented sculptors of the time were. And how cool is it that there we were, standing in front of this superb statue, looking and admiring it in maybe the same way Julius Caesar once had? Even though it is set in a museum inside four walls instead of a garden, you can still feel its timelessness and admire its beauty, and imagine her as part of a Greek temple surrounded by greenery and men ambling around dressed in togas and discussing war or Socrates.

There are many more wonderful busts and a wonderful cortile that lets in the light and shows off the pieces. In the rooms are also bronzes, travertine basins and some mosaics.

The first floor is dedicated to Rome’s love of Hellenistic statuary around the fifth century BC, when they began to copy the Greeks in their art, as well as in their sculptures and buildings. One of the most famous is the Discobolus, which was discovered in the 18th century, and is a marble copy (dating from 200AD) of a bronze original.

The movement, the musculature, the pose, all make you feel like he’s going to come alive at any moment and throw that disc. You hold you breath and wait, just in case.

The first floor also holds a beautiful sleeping  Hermaphrodite. She is naked and sleeping on her stomach, her head in her hands. It is impossible to determine the sex of the sleeper yet the pose is languidly sensual and so real the marble seemed to be alabaster skin, shining with perspiration in the sun.

The second floor is, as far as we’re concerned, the most marvelous and awe-inspiring: a most impressive collection of mosaic floors and frescoes, especially from the villa Farnesina and the House of Livia.

Many rooms of the villa (20BC) were transported and reconstructed in the museum. they still retain their incredibly vibrant colours: reds, blues, blacks, yellows, with themes varying from  country scenes to  Egyptian motifs.

The frescoes in the garden of the House of Livia show a variety of trees (pine, blue spruce, quince, palm), fruits, grasses, as well as dozen of bird species, looking as alive as when they were painted. Together, they form one of the most accurate records of the fauna and flora of the time.

Apart from the frescoes, it is the grandiose mosaics that fascinated us. The detail can be exquisite and extremely intricate, reminding us that there was once the Celtic influence in the design. Some are simpler but no more impressive for their size (some easily 30ftx30ft) and the minuscule stones that covered the space to form pictures.

We could imagine the artisans getting the commission from a patron to cover the floor of the atrium or the dining chamber with these tiny pieces of  marble or stone, sometimes in black and white, sometimes in colour, then spending months working on them to, maybe, never see them again because they were not of the same class as the owners.

And to think, this art is almost forgotten–who has the money to spend on such a work?

Finally, if you’re a coin collector, get down to the Basement where there are literally thousands of coins from the very beginning of money exchange in the Empire to today. There is also a very interesting exposition (mummy included) on the body they found at the bottom of a well, perfectly preserved.

Another Rome jewel, which, if you have time, should be included in your visit.

Most tourists coming to Rome (and us included the first time we visited) want to fit in St Peter and the Sistine Chapel–which, by the way, is not accessible from St Peter but is almost at the end of the Vatican Museums, so you must go through these incredible museums (oh, what a hardship) to arrive at the Chapel. But there’s another superb museum that is a must: the Villa Borghese, which I’ve talked about in an earlier post.

Piazza del Popolo

The park of the Villa Borghese is delightful, so we walked through it to go back to Piazza Fiaminio where we would take the metro back to our place. Instead of sinking back into the underground, we strolled down the viale Washington and passed through the Porta del Popolo, which was initially part of the Aurelian Wall and was reworked in the 1500′s  based on the Arco di Tito. It marks the entrance to the Piazza del Popolo, a harmonious oval piazza flanked by two enormous fountains. In its center, and Egyptian obelisk surrounded by water basins into which lions spout water, designed by Valadier.

Two churches, Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria di Monte Santo, hug the start of the Via del Corso. Branching out in a Y, on each side of these churches, are two streets, the Via di Ripetta and the Via del Babuino. As a whim we take the latter and find ourselves in the middle of high-end hotels, designer stores (Dior, Armani, Gucci, Tussardi) and crowds of extremely well-dressed men and women. We definitely feel out of place on that street but we soldier on (with me drooling at the store windows all the way) until we arrive at the Piazza di Spagna, where we are stunned by the amount of people there.  It’s as if a giant had disturbed an ants’ nest, and they were scurrying everywhere.

Piazza della Fontana di Trevi

From there we make our way to the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain) where I want to throw in a coin. Legend says that if you do, you will return to Rome. It worked for me the first time so I want to hedge my bets. When we get there, there are so many people I’m not sure I’ll reach the edge of the fountain. It’s as beautiful as ever but impossible to photograph without having a dozen of more tourists in front of it. We want to make another stop before we go back to the apartment and escape this mass of people: the Piazza Navona, with it’s three beautiful fountains by Bernini. Last time we were here, the centre fountain was being renovated and I wanted to see it.

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is not one kilometre from Fontana di Trevi so we walk around the larger streets to the piazza. Here, too, is tons of people, most of them sitting around the middle fountain or around on the restaurant terraces with grossly overpriced, uninspired menus. The fountain is worth it, though, and we’re pleased we’ve come.

A Roman friend of ours, Franco Ravelli, told us that if we wanted to see the “real” Rome of thirty years ago when there were fewer people around, we must walk around the city before 10am. This we promise ourselves we’ll do. I want to have those gorgeous monuments to myself — and the Romans.

An off-the-beaten track tour.

Rome has been built on seven hills. Its most famous are the Capitoline Hill, the focus of political power for centuries and situated just behind the monument to Vittorio Emmanuele II and home to the Campodoglio and the Capitoline Museum, and the Palatine Hill, where Romulus, after having broken with his brother, established Rome in 753BC.

Remus established himself on another of the seven hills: the Aventine Hill. The Hill is circumscribed by Via Marmorata on one side and the via del Circo Massimo on the other, then by the viale Aventino and the Lungotevere Aventino on the other sides. It spills a bit from these boundaries but not by much—it’s only a few square kilometers.

During the height of the Empire, the Aventine was were all the rich Roman who were not part of the reigning families (who lived on the Palatine Hill) lived. The quarter was so rich that it was the one that was first looted by Alaric’s Goths in 410AD. The Aventino is now a quiet, affluent, exclusive residential quarter, where luxurious houses sit side-by-side with ancient structures.

We start from the church Santa Maria in Cosmedin (mostly famous for the Bocca della Verità), going up the hill along the Via del Circo Massimo (by way of via della Grecca) up to the Piazzale Ugo La Malfa where the patriot Giuseppe Mazzini’s monument sits. The sculptures on three sides of the monument are quite impressive and allegorize Mazzini’s exploits. Along the way there are incredible views of the back of the Palatine Hills and Augustus’s House. Under the trees on a bench, three nuns in full black habit sit, talk and eat McDonald sandwiches.

To the right of the monument we climbed the via di Valle Murcia with Rome’s communal rose garden, where they grow fairly rare roses. Already we feel we’re leaving the touristy bustle of the centro. The sounds are more muted

We continue on the via San Sabina until we arrive at the Parco Savello, or the Orange Garden (because of the orange trees planted there), right beside San Sabina church. The parc is an oasis of tranquillity and freshness with its white gravel walks and parasol pines. Kids from the nearby kindergarten school come play here during recess under the parents’  watchful eyes. At the back, a marble terrace overlooks the city. The view is magnificent: you can see the Tevere, the dome of St Peter’s, Vittorio Emmanuele’s monument, the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere and the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill). We sit there for a while, watching children run and play soccer and wash peaches larger than their hands in the running water of the fountain. There are maybe ten tourists here; mostly it’s people living their day-to-day lives. They ignore us, as if, by having entered there, we were part of the life. And when a tour comes in, it’s a small one led by a priest. We check the time; they’re obviously waiting for the San Sabina church to open at 3pm. Only a few minutes left. Most scatter or sit on the granite benches, quietly. It is so quiet, here, it’s impossible to hear city traffic.

Going out of the garden onto the piazza Pietro d’Illiria, we find a fountain made out of a basin and a stone face that comes from Roman baths.

In the portico before the entrance stands the wonderful statue of Santa Rosa da Lima, illuminated by the soft light coming from side windows.

We enter San Sabina church from a small wooden door into near total silence. This is a very different church than we’ve seen so far, less adorned but no less impressive. The main nave separates two smaller ones by twenty-four Corinthian columns that sustain arches, above which runs a multicoloured marble frieze dating from Roman times.

In the center of the marble floor in the main nave is a funerary plaque, a rare example of mosaic work dating from the 14^th century, of Muňoz de Zamora, Master General of the Dominicans.

In the left nave, a chapel dedicated to Saint Catherine of Siena. Above the altar, which is illuminated by a window from the side, hangs a picture from G. B. Salvi (Sassoferrato) from the 17^th century showing the Virgin with Saint Dominic (mu patron saint) and Saint Catherine of Siena. Close to the entrance there is a small column with a roman weight, as well as a small chapel, which signals the spot where Saint Dominic used to pray.

Most of the church is empty, its chairs for service stowed on the sides, and it gives this church a feeling of grandeur. The many windows near the ceiling flood the church with light but it is soft and seemed to be absorbed by the walls and floor rather than being reflected by them.

Coming out of the church, we turn right again on via San Sabina to arrive at Piazza San Alessio (about 100 steps) where the church of the same name sits and which houses the relics from San Alessio (Saint Alexis) and San Bonifacio (Saint Boniface).

San Sabina’s exterior was all brick and offered its side to the street. San Alessio offers its facade through an wrought iron gate. The church is closed for lunch and will re-open at three-thirty. We wait, and finally we can go in. The portico with four arches leads to a courtyard where a small fountain covered in ivy bubbles happily. The facade is of neo-renaissance style while the campanile from the 13^th century rises to the sky.

The interior has three naves. The largest divides the church with Corinthian pillars. The coffered ceiling is 19^th century and mainly trompe-l’oeil. The colours are surprising: there are a lot of blues and pinks, colours we haven’t seen in that way before. The church is obviously used often for marriages—the courtyard is full of confetti and the prie-dieux are draped with blue velvet, as if they were waiting for potential newlywed.

The floor of the church is obviously much older than the ceiling with similar marble mosaics in green, white, and deep red.

The superb altar cupola is held by four porphyry columns. At the back of the left nave, through a wrought iron door, we can see a charming garden with a view of the dome of St Peter’s.

Even though the church is much fancier than the first one, San Sabina, there’s not the same feeling of almost being able to touch the divine that we had before. Maybe it’s the colours, or maybe it’s because of the way the church is used. There has been too much joy, too much elation, too much hope and excitement with all those weddings going on and the church has absorbed that energy. Then again, it may only be because the church is much younger, and we couldn’t feel the weight of time in the same way we did at San Sabina.

Outside the church we turn right again and walk about 100 paces to the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta (Knights of Malta), which has, on one side, a wall carved with the order’s emblems and the other the entrance portal to the Priory of Malta. The portal has the famous “keyhole,” through which you can see St Peter’s dome framed by garden hedges. The view is very surprising and delightful. The dark green hedges, through which is filtered sunlight, seem to funnel the eye to the end where the luminous cupola of St Peter’s shines like a diamond.

Behind the piazza’s wall is San Anselmo’s church, which can be reached by ambling a short walk. The brick church is quite recent. You can reach the church by crossing a cortile where a statue of Saint Anselm stands in front of a small fountain and a garden. St Anselm eventually became the archbishop of Canterbury. Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the church due to a conference being held inside.

We continue to the right on the via di Porta Lavernale, past the piazza di Tiempo di Diana (no temple there, only a parking lot) to the piazza San Prisca and the church of the same name. This is a fairly long walk through very expensive houses. It’s very quiet here; the only sounds are the rare car passing through or kids playing at recess. It’s difficult to imagine that the Porta San Paolo and Piramide are only a few streets below.

San Prisca’s church is locked tight so we continue to go down the hill, crossing the Piazza Albania (very busy) to climb the via San Saba to reach its eponymous church, which was originally a monastery, one of the oldest in Italy, dating from 768AD. We can still see inside a portion of the original monastery with parts of the frescoes still on the walls.

To get to the church we must climb several steps then pass under a covered arch, dating from the 13^th century. The facade has six columns that supports a gallery, which forms a portico leading to the interior of the church.

The inside is simple and austere and, once again, we are struck with reverence and barely dare speak in whispers. At the back, behind the altar, three frescoes. The art is more naive than what we’ve seen so far. At the top, the larger one depicts Christ with Saint Andrew (San Andrea) and Saint Saba. In the center, the Pascal Lamb, flanked with a procession of lambs; below, the Virgin Mary with the Child and the twelve apostle. The dome overhanging the altar is quite ugly and appears to be made of cement. The ceiling is surprisingly made of wooden beams, blackened with age.

While we were visiting, several men in suits carrying suitcases—obviously coming from work—came in separately to pray. It is obvious that San Saba calls for contemplation and devotion.

Coming out of the church, we turn left and follow via San Saba around the church to arrive at the Piazza Lorenzo Bernini. Rare two-story duplexes circle the piazza. Each duplex is separated by a small garden. It is a complex of houses that was built between 1906 and 1923 and is a fine example of urbanization of the times. The piazza has a wonderful park in its centre with great trees that provide a lot of shade. It’s cool here and it’s nice to sit on a park bench and rest our feet.

We go back down via San Saba to piazza Aventia, where we stop for espresso. Once fortified, we decide to walk home (the Ponte Testaccio is very close) although we could have taken a bus at piazza Aventina or a bus or metro at Piramide, which was about five minutes walk from where we were.

We left the apartment at 14:00 and  came back at 18:00, but since we took our time and sat down several times, we found the tour quite manageable. All told, it’s less than 5 kilometres, and it was more than worth it. Even discounting the churches, which were completely different—and more striking in their own way—than  the grandiose ones we’d seen before, we were able to see another slice of Roman life, this one affluent and luxurious. Very posh and upper-class. I must confess, I was envious.

If you want to see how the Roman elite lived, you must go to the Palazzo-Galleria Doria Pamphilj (pronounced Pamphili). It is close to Monument Vittorio Emmanuele II on Via del Corso just off Piazza Venezia. It is the largest palazzo in Rome (ambling toward Piazza della Minerva from via del Corso makes you realize how big this palazzo is) and the most important privately owned art gallery in Italy. It has been owned and inhabited by the same family since the 17^th century (the family still lives there). Due to an obscure law from the 17^th century, the palazzo and the art cannot be sold, so it has stayed intact since then. (Photo taken from the Galleria Doria Pamphili website)

Once you cross the portal of the palazzo, it’s like entering into complete peace. The insane traffic is muted almost to nothing and the sun shines onto a cortile sporting a gracious fountain surrounded by a tranquil garden. The high windows of the two floors above look down serenely onto the greenery.

The palazzo showcases painted ceilings with trompe l’oeil and frescoes, sculptures from antiquity to the 18^th century, paintings, furniture, mirrors, curtains, chandeliers, wall coverings (often velvet or silk). The family has not only opened the major rooms, which were used for audiences with dignitaries around the world, but also the smaller, more intimate rooms where the family used to live up to the 19^th century. The mix of styles reminds us that the Doria Pamphilj actually lived in the palazzo, prayed in its chapel (housing the sepulchres of two saints), rested in the library, had servants dress them in the dressing room before they danced at the ball in the chandelier-studded ballroom.

The palazzo contains four galleries, three of which are most impressing. The first one contains works by Tintoretto, Titian, Raphael and Veronese, as well as Caravaggio’s Flight into Egypt. Gallery two has the largest collection of Flemish artists in Italy, including several Brueghel, including a series of four paintings relating, in incredible details, the four elements (air, fire, earth and water). The third gallery is the mirror gallery, containing dozens of huge (over 10 feet) guilded mirror interspersed with antique statuary. It also contains a masterpiece of Diego Velasquez portraying pope Innocent X.

It’s all well and good to visit palazzos and churches, but it’s also fun to be outside. On Sundays, you can go to Rome’s most famous flea market in Trastevere, at Porta Portese, which has over 2 kilometers (1 mile) of  vendors selling kitsch, clothes, antiques, toys, books, and lots of junk, too. It’s open from 06:30 to 1pm and is usually packed with people. Bring lots of cash because credit cards are not accepted. It’s a high energy, busy market. Don’t buy the first thing you see—it’s  abet you’ll see the same thing several times and maybe at a lower price. It’s a blast to watch women going through mounds of clothing selling for 1€) or vendors yelling “Prego, prego! Un Euro!” to call people to their stalls. If you speak some Italian, there are wonderful cookbooks for 3€. If you’re taking the bus, beware that it will be packed. You don’t know the meaning of sardines until you’ve hopped on a bus or the metro in the morning. When you think there can’t be any more room, ten more people squeeze in.

If you’re into open-air markets, there are two that are very cool. The market at Campo dei Fiori is fairly central and sells vegetables, spices, and flowers. Around the piazzas are stores for pasta, meat, fish, and formaggii (cheese) as well as wine. The one at Piazza San Cosimo in Trastevere is smaller but more intimate and has fewer tourists. Because of the lack of papparazzi everywhere, it has a more genuine feel and you’ll mostly hear Italian spoken there. Women market there every day. At San Cosimo there is also a store with specialty foods, including organic dry food. The markets are open from 07:30-1pm every day.

While you’re in Trastevere at the market, you might want to visit Santa Maria in Trastevere, a rare medieval church, smaller than others but no less beautiful. Legend has it that a fountain of oil spurted on the site of the church and pope Calixtus built the Taberna Meritoria on this spot in 217AD. There has been a church on this spot since. This particular church was built in the 12^th century by Innocent II, who used materials from the baths of Caracalla. Twenty-two columns lead to the altar and the incredible mosaics of the domed apse, which are adorned in gold and designed in a Byzantine style.  A side chapel, the Altemps, contains a Byzantine representation of the Virgin Mary, the oldest in existence.

The atmosphere in the church is reverential, amplified by the Gregorian chants piped into the sound system.

The exterior facade has a beautiful mosaic representing the Virgin Mary enthroned, with statues of saints in front of her, as if they were guarding her from harm. They have stood there since the 17^th century.

This church is well worth the visit and, if you decide to walk from it from the Via de Trastevere, you’ll also get a taste of the neighbourhood, which has a different tone and level of energy than Rome itself.

In the past few days, we’ve gone to museums and galleries few tourist who are there for a short time will visit, and I must say it was a great experience.

First was the church Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome’s Basilica, close to the Piazza del Esquilino off Viale Cavour. The front is imposing, designed by Fernando Fuga; it faces a fountain and another obelisk. Inside, you realize right away that this is a working church. The sounds of an ongoing mass echo throughout, although the celebration isn’t occurring at the main altar at the end of the imposing nave, flanked by 40 ancient Roman columns. On the ceiling, there are 36 mosaic panels dating from the 5^th century. The nave is surrounded by chapels, some regularly used for devotion. Unfortunately, the beautiful Borghese chapel, with one of the famous two domes of the church, was being used for mass, while the Sistine Chapel which has the other dome and is supposed to rival the Vatican’s, was closed for renovations.

Nevertheless, the main altar, with its gilded baldachino with porphyry columns, also by Fernando Fuga, is quite impressive. On the right is Bernini’s tomb, the sculptor who designed and created most of the fountains of Rome, and has created more beauty than can be expressed through his innumerable creations. Below the altar, is a crystal and gold container by Giuseppe Valadier, inside its own confessio; it is the “sacred crib,” supposedly containing pieces of the Christ child’s crib.

As interesting are the beautiful mosaics of the floor, in several colours and intricate antiquity-style design, called comatesque. It’s well worth looking down rather than up.

At the back of the church is the baptistry, with a high-relief by Bernini and the porphyry font by Valadier. The font is so large, four grown adults could fit in it.

Next (not on the same day, of course) we visited the Museo e Galleria Borghese. This has to be the most beautiful museum in Rome, if not Italy. It is set in a huge park (free entrance) with countless Bernini fountains, some of the oldest trees in Rome, and long, shaded alleys with plenty of benches to sit. It’s an ideal place for a picnic, and many Romans go there to do just that.

The museum is in a 17^th century villa and is relatively small (two floors) but is chock-full of treasures. The first floor contains, among others, sculptures by Bernini: David, just as he is about to throw the rock that will deliver the death blow to Goliath; the Rape of Proserpine by Pluto with Cerberus, the three-headed dog at their feet; Apollo and Daphne, he chasing her while she is changing into a tree; Aeneas’s flight from burning Troy with his father, Anchise, on his back.

Detail of Bernini's Rape of Proserpina

Bernini’s skill was so great that, in looking at these sculptures, you forget that they are made of marble. In a short time—seconds—marble becomes flesh, the muscles roll, the skin gives against pressure. Lips become red, tears real; the eyes, anguished or angry or in total concentration. They are simply awe-inspiring.

The first floor also contains a room full of Caravaggio’s paintings, luminous, full of colour and emotions. Among the best known is his David with the Head of Goliath. He used his own face for Goliath, after he was accused of murder and fled Rome. He died before he heard a pardon had been granted. The painting is luminous and haunting at the same time.

On the second floor is the Pinacoteca, or the picture gallery, with works by Guercino, Caracci, Raphael, Perugino, Pinturicchio, and Cranach, to name a few.

If you are staying more than a few days in Rome, the Borghese is a must. There are a few things you must consider before going:

1. Buy your ticket online; the lines are really long and they let in only 360 people every two hours. You can make a reservation instead of buying a ticket, but you might get bumped if the ticket buyer quota has been reached. Without a reservation, you might not even get in that day.
2. Bring the minimum with you. Pretty much nothing is permitted inside the museum, except your wallet. You must check everything else: bags, cameras, purses, cell phones.
3. Reserve time to visit the park. Before or after your visit, it’s worth strolling down the wide avenues and sit in the shade, especially if it’s a hot day. The park is several degrees cooler and there’s always a nice breeze.
4. Public transportation. The metro (Flaminio station) will get you there easily, then you can take a bus or walk to the villa. Be aware, though, that if your visit is early in the day, the metro will be packed.

But the city itself is so very beautiful. Everywhere you look there are sights, large and small, that are impossible to ignore. Here’s one from the top of the Vittorio Emmanuele II Monument:
There are surprises in the small streets, although some of them are not always fun. Around the Pantheon, the city has “funnelled” pedestrian traffic to direct it towards a series of small streets filled like dominoes with restaurants and trattorias. The waiters wait outside and assault you (they can smell a tourist at 300 paces) with their menu, trying to strong-arm you into stopping for a bite –overpriced and americanized food. It’s the business of tourism and I don’t begrudge them wanting a piece of it (they, too, have been affected by the economic difficulties) but it’s a real turn-off for us who are looking for the more genuine.

Yet, after a frustrating few turnaround streets, we came to this: It was all worth it.

Monument Vittorio Emmanuele II from the Via dei Fori Imperiali

Today is officially our seventh day in Rome. It’s just amazing how fast it goes. I can’t imagine trying to visit the city in three or four days. The line-ups at most of the main attractions are long, sometimes hours long, so if you’re not with a tour, you have to factor these waiting times into your itinerary.

Yesterday, we walked over 10 km and that did the trick. I now sport a blister on my right foot. We’ve been walking almost everywhere. Even though we have a good idea of the layout of the city, we’ve been getting lost in the small vie (streets) that wind around so much you have no idea where you are, unless you end up on a major artery. We’ve been concentrating our exploration around the Vittorio Emmanuele II monument for now, although we have plans to go further out. In a few days, I’ll write a post about out-of-the-way exploration, not necessarily because they’re far from the centro but because they’re not as visited as the “must-see” places of Rome like the Colosseum or St-Peter, but they have incredible treasures and very few people get to see them.

A viale in el centro

However, if you’re in Rome for only three or four days, there are two ways you can enhance your visit:

1. Take a hop-on/hop-off bus tour. Many companies offer, for around 30 euros, a tour of the city; you can climb off and on anywhere the bus stops for the entire day. You get to see all the major attractions from a seated position (most of these buses are double-deckers) then decide what you want to see that day and the next.
2. If you don’t mind taking public transportation, the city of Rome has a three day bus-metro-tram ticket that includes entry to two major museums. It’s quite a bit cheaper than the bus tour and may make you feel more part of the bustle of the town. We love taking public transportation and the bus system in Rome is super easy. Buy yourself a map that also indicates the bus and metro routes and you’re in business.

Tevere at Isola Tiberina

Despite our taking public transport, the best way to explore Rome, to get a feel for the city, is on foot. The centre of Rome is only a few square kilometres, if you discount the Vatican (which isn’t in Rome, anyway, but on the other side of the Tevere), and you can easily walk from the Colosseum –which means the colossal, rather than coliseum—to the Monument Vittorio Emmanuele to the Panthon to the Spanish Steps to the Trevi fountain; it’s a trip of about four or five kilometres.

It’s worth the walk but make sure you take water with you. The roads in the centro are made of black stones and the sidewalks of some kind of asphalt. The sun does pound and you can get overheated. Nevertheless, it’s difficult not to fall in love with those beautiful pine trees against this blue, blue sky.

We’ve had pretty good weather so far but today they’re forecasting thunderstorms. Another adventure awaits.