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One thing about Rome is the noise. From earliest morning till late evening, Rome has a constant background of noise, heavy engines, rolling wheels, roaring mufflers and shifting gears. If there is one thing the city could benefit from it would be cutting off all motor traffic to the major areas of the city.
We saw yesterday in Florence, much of the tourist district benefited from restricted traffic. In fact, a truck was making the rounds of the tourist district, collecting unattended bikes and motorscooters. Apparently, if a car went into the tourist zone without permission, it is fined about €100.
What will the first time tourist see in Rome that he may not have seen elsewhere? For one thing, there'll be no clear distinction between government buildings and other buildings except for a couple of policemen and European Union and national and regional flags over the doorway. Administrative offices for the city and for the national government are spread throughout the neighborhoods, as are schools, colleges and universities, as well as an endless supply of churches, many of which are marked as basilicas.
In the US, a basilica is often the oldest or the biggest or the
Tivoli--a cascade
Not the one you see from the train, but while you go through the first Villa area. newest Catholic church in a community. Of course, not every community in the US as a basilica. Most US communities however, have a plethora of churches, one or two of which will be a Catholic church. In Rome, a church or chapel, may be found in the unlikeliest of places. A small chapel to the saint of comedy, next to a theater. Behind an old wall you may see a cross and a dome, but no special marking indicating that this is a tourist worthy site.
If it is a tourist worthy site, you can be sure that there will be an approach lined with beggars, musicians and trinket salesman. If you happen to be going through the halls of the Vatican Museum leading up to the Sistine Chapel, under the glorious ceilings, among the fabulous treasures, will be ranks of souvenir stands selling authorized Vatican and papal souvenirs.
I think I remember reading about Martin Luther, objecting to the sales of indulgences and papal flavors, leading to the Reformation. Alas, the more things change, the more they remain the same. In fact, all approaches to the Vatican and every other souvenir stand in the city -- and
Italian actress
They were making a movie for TV at the Villa D'Este. This brocaded young lady is one of the stars. they amount to about one third of all businesses in the city -- do a big business in images of the pope, deceased popes, various and sundry saints, madonnas and Christs on a cross.
There was a street named straight in old Jerusalem, there is no straight street in Rome. Well, maybe for a short distance. Certainly the only flat streets are those in the old Roman forum, everything else seems uphill or downhill and around a curve.
In Rome, it is getting hard to find Romans. You will find Chinese and Koreans and a great number of displaced Bengalis from Bangladesh, in addition to Gypsies, both modern and tribal. Nearly all street vendors are from the Indian subcontinent. About half of the beggars are tribal Gypsies from the Indian subcontinent.
Roman ruins are everywhere. Some well marked and highly regarded such as the Coliseum and the Roman forum, the Palatine Hill and the Pantheon. Others, such as the old city walls that can be seen as you're leaving Termini station are unmarked and may be in danger of future development. Fortunately, Rome is still so dominated by the church that nothing new can be built to
A thousand fountains
In the opening of "Three coins in a Fountain" this scene appears, even though it is 40 miles from Rome rise higher than the dome of St. Peter's.
Tivoli.
This can be verified by a visit to Tivoli, a delightful hill town about an hour by train from Rome. First-time visitors should be watching to the right of the train as they approach the town for a view of a cascade plummeting 100 meters or more into a river far below. This cascade is created by artificial tunnels dug from the river beyond the town to divert normal flow and seasonal floods from destroying the villas and other historic buildings above.
With its constant source of water and a commanding view of Rome in the distance, Tivoli was a favorite place for Imperial Romans and, later, princes of the church to build villas. The old town, of course, for the common folk appears now as a nearly medieval village. It is ringed by three historic villas. The Gregorian Villa is actually a public park, but run by national trust, which requires a fee to enter. The whole of the artificial cascade and the remains of the ribbon falls from the natural water flow are within the park and visible from various viewpoints. For the older tourist, there
Villa D'Este--another fountain
The Cardinal who ordered up this fountain must have been broad-minded are sufficient toilets, but the pathways are steep and full of stairs with uneven footing. For instance, near the entrance there is a handicap toilet which may be reached from the street by a handicapped person, but certainly not from the path.
In fact, there is no way for a handicapped person to easily enjoy the park because of the numerous steps and the distance to the bottom as well as to the top. I recommend this site for the physically able. However, if you can take the walk and climb stairs, this is one villa you should not miss -- even though no villa still exists intact. You will however, have an excellent view, from point to point, of a still standing temple to Diana. Seeing that through the trees, you could almost believe you are back in pagan times.
We also toured the Villa D’ Este. This villa is the location from which one can see the dome of St. Peter's in the distance. In addition to a princely palace built by a cardinal of the church, the gardens of the villa may have had at one time more than 1000 fountains. I did not count
An Olympic Shooter
Met of the train to Florence, A champion shooter from Italy's Olympic Team. the fountains that remain active, but it would appear that there are more than a hundred. For those with long memories, these fountains appear in the opening sequence of a Hollywood movie filmed in Rome, titled “Three Coins in a Fountain.”
Although there are dozens of fountains all around Rome, including the Trevi fountain, which was used as a central setting for the movie, the director apparently chose to go 40 miles away to find real excess in fountains. And there is no excess like the excess of a cardinal and prince of the church. Tivoli is a good day trip from Rome, not one of Rick Steve's suggested stops, but one I thoroughly recommend.
After a few days wandering around Rome, one thing becomes clear. The excesses of the fascists in building monuments is nothing compared to what the Catholic church has spent over the ages, and still spends today in maintaining its buildings, grounds and treasures. In the US, reading the news, one can feel sorry for the church, because it has to spend money compensating people for being molested by pedophile priests. Poor church! But after Rome, I will never feel sorry for the expenses
Catholicism must endure for the excesses of its priests, because they are nothing compared to the excesses of the princes of the church yesterday and today.
If the church truly needs money, all it really needs to do is sell a couple of baubles from its treasury.
Florence.
Now here's a city. You can walk in an area practically traffic free. Wonderful sights and plenty of museums. It has a medieval bridge over the river lined with silver and gold smith shops. It has gelato shops at nearly every corner. It has great shopping, and the restaurant prices are less than in Rome.
Between touring different museums, we stopped for lunch at a small café close to the Academia Museum. To our surprise, our selection from the menu of one dish came with a variety of vegetables, unlike any one dish we have purchased in Rome. In fact, the one dish was a meal in itself.
Another thing that Florence has is a tourist district that is virtually flat. If you are footsore and your back aches from carrying a pack, Florence is a good place to visit. Perhaps even to stay.
There are
Florence--the most famous (copy).
Since the real David was attacked, this copy now stands where the original was. You have to pay to see the real David in a museum. sights in Rome that should never be missed. You will see better preserved ruins elsewhere, but you will not see a greater collection of ruins in as compact an area that will give you an idea of the magnificence of Imperial Rome, or its importance in the ancient world.
Other cities such as Florence and Venice had commercial empires that were established in medieval times. But Rome, while certainly commercial then and now, was politically and philosophically important to Western civilization -- to the values that we hold today, both good and bad.
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