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Published: September 23rd 2008
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Rome - September 21
(Geoff) Today we went exploring again. We knew there was a whole lot to see in our area that we hadn't found yet so we checked a couple of books that are in the apartment, got our bearings and headed out on the town. Mind you this was after a very leisurely start at 10:30 am.
We have a tour of the Villa Borghese galleria and gardens this afternoon so we were particularly interested in finding out our bus options - where, when, etc. We think the 116 will see us to our destination this afternoon so after working that out we head towards the Pantheon and several churches nearby. We are amazed that the churches here are not just museums but are working churches so, being Sunday, a large number of them are open but not the parts that have priests and congregations in them (as you would expect). They will be open after noon.
After noon, we visit the Pantheon - a beautiful 2000 year old temple/church that has survived the centuries very well. I am impressed by the subdued grandeur of it - beautifully simple and elegant in contrast with the
opulence that we have seen over the last few days. It is a really beautiful ancient building but we didn't stay very long as the crowds are already starting to build. We also visited some of the nearby churches and the art work on the walls is exquisite, some by Carravaggio, others by equally famous 16th and 17th century artists - the ceilings here are really ornate with 24 carat gold paint applied to them to offset the paintings on the walls and on the roof of the nave.
We had lunch in the apartment, and a well-deserved ½ hour rest, before working our way along the Tiber to Piazza Navona to catch the 116 bus to Villa Borghese. We checked and double checked the bus routes and were really happy to see a 116 bus pull into the stop. We hopped aboard and proceeded to bounce our way along the cobbled streets. I now understand why Rome doesn't have a roller coaster - you don't need it as a small electric bus bouncing along cobbled streets makes passengers as sick as any roller coaster can. I'm sure all four wheels left the ground on some occasions!!
We were a bit perplexed as the the bus crossed the Tiber and end up in the bus depot. In my very broken Italian, I asked the driver if the bus was going where we needed to go and he tells me 'Si, undeici minute” - I think this means yes, in eleven minutes (fingers crossed). By now it was 2:10 and we were sitting in the depot when we needed to be at the Villa by 2:45. Sue was getting just a bit fidgety by now but we were in the lap of the (bus) gods and were mightily relieved when the driver kicked the go pedal and we headed towards our destination.
We kept checking our map but all indications were good that we were going where we needed to go. We passed several important landmarks for Rome, including Marcus Aurelius' column and the Triton fountain and drove through what was obviously the top end of town (Versace et al) before finishing up at the Via della Museo de Borghese (the road leading to the Galleria). We caught up with our guide with 10 minutes to spare.
We followed the guide, Tiffany, into the building and had to deposit our bags, cameras, etc before continuing our tour. This building has heaps of artworks from all sorts of famous painters and sculptors - all commissioned in some way by the then nephew of the Pope, Scipione Borghese. This is a veritable treasure trove of renaissance/baroque works as well as ancient works that have bee moved from archaeological sites to find a new home in the Galleria. It was fabulously impressive - especially the sculptures of Bernini and the paintings of Carravaggio. Our guide was very enthusiastic and this helped with the tour. After the Galleria, we meandered through the many hectares of gardens and ended up at Il Pinchio, overlooking the centre of Rome. Amazing views with the Piazza del Popolo below. Interestingly, there was some sort of concert going on in the Piazza and the amplified sound was quite incongruous with the peaceful gardens we had just visited.
Our tour was finished so it was time to find our way home. We tried to work out the buses but it was all too hard so we found the Tiber once again and walked. By gee we have done a fair bit of that today! Eventually we get back to our apartment and get ready for a good night sleep before we head to St Peter's and the Vatican tomorrow.
BTW, I should tell you where Sue has found us an apartment. We are on the east side of the Tiber, about 200 metres from Castel Sant' Angelo and about 500 metres from Piazza Navona. A fantastic location that is really central to all the sites of ancient Rome. The only drawback is there is no excuse not to walk, if you can't find a bus!!
So tomorrow, if you are still following our blog, is the Vatican - I'm told it's a sight to behold! Ciao.
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