When In Rome
We could’ve done with some booming church bells this morning to help with our early start. We had a walking tour of Rome booked in for this morning and had a half hour walk to get to our meeting place at the historic Spanish Steps. Initially we had booked a cycling tour for this morning but when Toby broke his leg, I emailed to enquire about the possibility of a tandem bike for him and the next day I had an email saying they’d refunded our money and cancelled our booking because they weren’t prepared to take someone with a broken leg cycling. I was a bit miffed they hadn’t contacted me first. As it turns out, now Tobes is out of his boot, cycling would have been easier on his recovering limb than all this walking.
Anyway, walking it was. Our guide, Gastone – “please call me Gas” – was a young bloke, probably in his late 50s and he was a fountain of information. From the outset he confessed that Rome was the love of his life (though he was wearing a wedding ring so I’m not sure how his wife felt about that) and he intended to show us her magic – Rome’s that is. Gas assured us we’d see all the big things in Rome but told us to be on the look out for all the little things. He encouraged us to ‘look up’ because there was a lot to miss by staring straight ahead and to be curious. “If you see an open door”, he said, “push on it and go in! You never know what magic lies behind every door”. Hopefully that ‘magic’ wouldn’t lead to a break and enter charge.
As we were setting off, Ross dunked his hat in the Fontana della Barcaccia, which sounds a lot better than it’s translation: ‘Fountain Of The Ugly Boat’ and caught the attention of the moustachioed Policeman on duty. People constantly drink from this fountain, filling up their bottles and slurping straight from the spout and the constable was explaining that Ross dipping his dirty hat in there was going to contaminate their fresh water source. Just when we thought we’d have to erect our own selfie stick stand to raise enough money for Ross’ bail, the policeman gave a loud guffaw and a with a friendly slap on Ross’ back he’d admitted he’d been pulling his leg.
Gas was right. He did show us some of Rome’s magic. His passion for his city and excitement in sharing it with us was contagious. He’d prepare us for something and then get a kick out of seeing the looks of amazement on our faces when it was revealed. On one occasion he sad: “As we turn this corner, you will look up and see it”. We turned to see the sun reflecting off an ancient bell tower, incredibly beautiful and visible only from this vantage point. When entering one church Gas explained that the esteemed ceiling painter had a special stone inside the building from which to view his work, making us promise not to look up until he gave the signal. On ‘uno, due, tre…’ we all looked up with a collective gasp. From this particular spot, the painting seemed to pop out in 3-D. It was incredible.
The Pantheon, like the Colosseum, was suddenly standing before us, just in the middle of the urban sprawl as we turned a corner. Built in the FIRST century AD, with all its original columns, walls and interiors, it was so enormous and fantastic! Standing in the centre of the exquisite marble floor, surrounded by this immense concrete dome, we could look way up through the hole in the ceiling and watch the clouds float by. It really is a phenomenal building!
Gas, a former architect, schooled us in the differences between Renaissance and Baroque buildings and gave us the rundown of who owned, designed and built most of the buildings we saw. By the end of the tour we knew all about architect and sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini and could pick his work in a line-up. There are ancient looking bubblers all over the city. Made of metal, like a tall fire hydrant, they constantly pour water from a little pipe. They look a bit dubious but Gas assured us the water was as fresh as a daisy, showing us how to plug the pipe with our fingers so that through a hole in the top, a little spout protrudes, at perfect drinking height. The water was ice cold and delicious, even if I couldn’t quite master the technique and ended up a bit soggy around the edges!
With all of Rome’s cobbled streets, we’ve noticed it is sometimes hard to discern where a footpath ends and where a road begins. Often we’ve been walking with a bunch of other pedestrians, in what we are sure is a car-free zone, when suddenly a car turns up. Drivers here have oodles of patience, especially in the maze of back streets and laneways where foot traffic seems to have priority. Dawdlers hold cars to attention as they wander mindlessly in front of oncoming traffic yet not a curse word, horn honk or stray finger features in any of these saintly drivers’ repertoires. On bigger roads there are crossings with lights but as we’ve experienced first hand, no one takes any notice whatsoever of the little green man. Safety in numbers becomes your best bet and once a group is gathered and ready to cross, it doesn’t matter how many cars are driving through, they will all happily stop to let the sightseers get to the other side. Zebra crossings are the same. Any hesitation by a pedestrian will be read by the driver as permission to plough on through but if you leave the curb, head held high, with purpose in your stride, they will just automatically come to an amicable halt. Magic.
Toby scared the locals today by accidentally relieving himself in the women’s toilet. It was only when he exited the cubicle that he read ‘Donne’ on the door, saw the horrified faces of his fellow-wee-ers and realised his faux pas. Ross also took a detour to the Donne by mistake. Let’s face it, it’s hard not to mix your Uominis with your Donnes. When in Rome…
Today’s post is brought to you by the gelato flavour of the day: pistachio and white chocolate (for you Deb) and courtesy of Rome’s oldest gelateria, Giolitti. With hundreds of flavours to choose from we were served by friendly men in Thunderbirds hats and the cool down was a welcome relief.
Tonight we walked around the Colusseum – all lit up looking spectacular – and across to the Tiber River. The whole riverside area was hosting a moonlight, outdoor cinema with pop up restaurants along its banks, alive with people and such a great atmosphere. We had a great dinner at a pop up place and I had an interesting conversation with the waiter when I was asking for clarification of something on the menu. I thought he said it was “chicken boats” and said “oh, chicken boats” as if I had some kind of deep recollection of what they might have been. He looked confused and said, “No, chicken balls.” I exclaimed, a bit more loudly than I’d intended, “Chicken BALLS?!” He looked at me, realising what he’d implied and we both got the giggles. As he tried to explain, complete with hand actions, that in actual fact they were chicken meat balls, neither of us could stop laughing!
Oh and I finally did get to see the Trevi Fountain!
