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Published: June 23rd 2006
Piazza Navona
Starting our first day in Rome off right at La Dolce Vita Cafe in Piazza NavonaSo much to see . . . this city is like tourist eye candy. And busy! But overall, Wow is all I can say. The fountains, the piazzas, the ruins and of course the vatican.
After a long day of travel and hotel hunting (our first four star choice looked like a prison cell), we found our home base between the Pantheon and Campo de Fiori. Our first day we walked around to get our bearings and enjoy Roman culture. We headed off to Piazza Navona and found our new freind Max, a painter who is friends with Mikele, owner of Capannina restaurant on Union street in San Francisco (if you haven't been, go!). Mikele told me Max's place was next to La Dolce Vita Cafe. I thought I'd be looking for a gallery or something but when we got there the Piazza was actually filled with artists selling their works. I asked a man if he knew Max and it was in fact him (he showed me his name on his painting so I would believe him!). And he was right outside of La Dolce Vita Cafe. The one thing I've learned about directions in Europe is that there
Where's Max?
I found Max and his beautiful art just where Mikele said he would be, in front of La Dolce Vita Cafe. are a lot of things that cannot be found with GPS.
Our sight seeing days began with the Victor Emanuelle area, the Colloseum, the Roman Forum, and a break on the open air double-decker bus (yes, it rained while we were on it). Another day of the Piazzas, Spanish Steps, and shopping (well, looking in all the fancy shops anyway). And our last day was a full day of touring Vatican City.
Walt wasn't kidding when he came up with "It's a Small World After All". As we were waiting for our tour to start at the Vatican, we wanted to take a photo of Val and I together in front of St. Peters but with all the stories of theft, we were hesitant to hand our camera to a stranger. Right then I turned to my right and saw this guy posing while his girlfriend took his picture. I realized I knew this guy, but how? When I asked him and he said "Really" with his Aussie accent we both realized we met two weeks earlier walking the cliffs in Santorini Greece! And that is how Val and I got our photo together.
St. Peters was
Max's Art
Val checkin' out the goods. breathtaking as was the Vatican Museum. Our day finished off with the grand daddy, the Sistine Chapel. What one man could do with his bare hands and some paint brushes. Genius, and truly using his gift and living his passion. I was told Mighaelangelo created the Pieta sculpture (in St. Peters) when he was 23 years old. And then went back to Florence to work on his David statue at 27. I think about what I was doing at 23 and 27 and I'm even more amazed by his creations.
Note: at a less than par internet cafe so please excuse any mis-spellings etc. ;-)
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Michi
non-member comment
La Dolce Vita!
love the pics! piazza navona is one of my favorite spots! i'm so envious...have a glass of vino for me!