Leaving Rome and travelling to Varenna II

We went to our favorite café near our apartment for cappuccinos and croissant this morning before leaving Roma. Then we went back to the apartment for breakfast and finish packing. Headed to the taxi stand near via del Corso but a taxi stopped and picked us up on the way. That was very lucky!! It is so hard pulling the luggage on cobblestone streets.
The train ride was very enjoyable - on the Eurostar. We traveled through Tuscany to Florence and then on to Bologna, finally arriving in Milano. The Milano station was crazy!!! Luckily the Varenna train was already there and we were able to board right away.
The trip to Lago de Como was uneventful until we reached the lake. It was beautiful and everything we expected. We arrived in Varenna at 1823 right on time. (The European trains are amazingly on time). What a great city!! There are staircases leading to all sorts of nooks and discoveries around every corner. The lake is very choppy tonight because it is quite windy. We had a fantastic meal at Vecchia Varenna right under where we are staying. We could not eat at our hotel because they are having a wedding tonight. Dan had lake trout, caught today and I had pumpkin gnocchi. It was all fabulous - plus a bottle of Italian wine, and of course, dessert.
Our room is up 4 flights of narrow stairs with French doors leading to a balcony overlooking the lake. We are posting pictures. Yes, those are the Alps in the background!!
Unfortunately it is suppose to rain tomorrow but no worries, we are prepared!!

Traveling to Varenna

Took the 12:30 train from Rome to Milan and changed to a commuter train to Varenna. The lake is beautiful and so relaxing after the hectic but wonderful atmosphere in Rome. Our room on the lake is up 4 flights of stairs and Dan had to carry both bags so we are now rethinking how much clothes we brought. We are sending some back by post on Monday.
We arrived in Varenna last night at 7 pm and freshened up then went for dinner at a very nice restaurant right on the lake. We drank a whole bottle of wine and I didn't have any allergy problems - must be those sulfites in the US. The wind was really whipping on the lake and our room looks out over the lake with french doors leading out onto our own private balcony. We will post pictures soon but right now I am having to use the hotels' computer and there is no way to upload them. Maybe tomorrow.

Day 3 in Rome

Day 3 in Rome

Finally got to sleep in today - nothing pressing. We had bought breakfast items last night on our way home so we ate breakfast in our apartment. We can not figure out the coffee maker in the apartment so each morning after breakfast we go around the corner to the little café and have our cappuccinos. The waiters and waitresses now recognize us. It is quite nice!!
Today was ancient Rome! We visited the Roman Forum, Palentine Hill and the Coliseum. Beautiful views of the city from Palantine Hill. It is amazing to see the ancient ruins right in the middle of the city. You can just imagine what life was like in ancient Rome when you are walking through the Forum.
Dan is amazed by all of the scooters and motorcycles in the city. And the amount of polizia here is astounding. There must be 5 on every street corner. We have not seen any theft at all. I am sure they pumped up the police support because of the big soccer match last night. In fact, they closed all bars and did not sell any liquor at all last night. We could not even get wine with dinner!!
We came home after the Coliseum today and had our siesta, then headed out for our last walk through Rome. We went to the Spanish steps and sat with about 500 other people - mostly young students. It was a beautiful evening!! The we walked over to Piazza de Popolo which is the plaza of the People and along the Villa Borghese. We had our last dinner in Rome at a cute little Tratatoria near the Pantheon. We ate outside, of course, along the street under the stars!! It is truly amazing to see the throngs of people out in the city at midnight - even on week nights. All ages, from 15 to 75. Walking, talking, sitting in cafes or sitting in the piazzas around their monuments. They are truly proud of their city! After only 3 days in Rome we feel like we are already immersed in their culture and have adapted to their customs. We have our cappuccinos in the morning, then a little breakfast, then a very long stroll and sit in the piazzas, then lunch around 2 and a little siesta, then another stroll and then dinner at 10 with an even longer stroll. Truly the “Dulce vita“!!!
Off to Varenna in the morning via Milano!

We got up early today and headed for the Vatican to take a guided tour of the Vatican Museum, Vatican Gardens, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Before our guide arrived we got to see Pope Benedict come out and greet the crowd for his Wednesday blessing. Our guides name was Gabriel (as in the Archangel J) - he has a Masters in Art History and was getting his Doctorate in Theology. What a wonderful tour guide for the Vatican!!! The museum was amazing - the largest collection of Roman antiquities in the world. In the picture gallery (the Pinacoteca) we saw works by Raphael, Caravaggio and Michelangelo. In the statuary, the Belvedere torso inspired Michelangelo in his depiction of Christ in the last judgment on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
The Sistine Chapel was smaller than I had imagined. The custodians kept yelling silence to everyone so that we would not talk Sistine chapel and we were not ugly Americans. At
St Peter’s basilica was breathtaking! Michelangelo’s Pieta is right as you enter on the right and it is behind glass because a mad Turk tried to destroy it about 15 years ago with a hack saw. Bernini’s bronze baldocchino above St Peter’s tomb was very beautiful.
The tour lasted 7 hours so our feet were quite ready for a rest so for dinner we just stayed in the neighborhood and ate outside at Le Cave Ristorante behind our building.
There are so many outside cafes and restaurants here. There are at least 4 on every block!!! The weather has been hot and humid but at night it cools down and is wonderful for sitting outside with great people watching!!

Rome Pictures

Vatican Tour

Hall of Emperors

Michaelangelo's Pieta

Laocoon



Pope Benedict giving the blessing


St Peter's Basilica




St Peter's at night

Castel St Angelo at night


Piazza Navona - our favorite place to be in the evening!




Trevi Fountain


Raphael's tomb in the Pantheon

Dan at the Pantheon

Rome Day 1

Hello to all from Rome
Our internet connection has been quite sketchy in our apartment so they gave us a mobile broadband set up and that does not work in the apartment either (the building we are in is from the 17th century and the walls are 18" thick). So, we are sitting at a tratorria in front of St Ignazio church in Piazza de Pietra having dinner. They are probably going to kick us out soon since I am on my computer at the dining table.
We arrived in Rome yesterday morning at 7:05 without getting any sleep on the airplane. We took the train to the termini train station and caught a cab to the apartment. Our driver's name was Benedict "like the Pope" and he was very friendly and liked teaching us new Italian words. The drivers are crazy here and half of them are on scooters. The drive on the sidewalks, the pedestrian only zones and anywhere they can get their scooters.
After getting into our apartment, which is not near as nice as the pictures, we took off sight seeing. First we went to the Pantheon which is only 1 block from the apartment. We bought paninni's and ate them on the steps of the Pantheon. There are people everywhere since they are playing the soccer finals tomorrow night between Manchester United and Barcelona here in Rome. The Spaniards are a crazy bunch!!!!
The Pantheon is beautiful inside and impressive on the outside. We will psot pictures very soon.
We still were not tired so we decided to walk to Trevi Fountain, which is AMAZING and there were so many people. Everyone taking pictures and throwing coins in the fountain. I can't imagine how crowded it must be here in the summer months. The water in the Trevi fountain is so blue and the carvings are really amazing.
Everywhere we walk, we see ruins and statues from 1000's of years ago. There are obelisks that the Romans stole from the Egyptians and brought to Rome. Every corner you turn there is some form of antiquity. It truly is the Eternal City.
We went back to the apartment and slept for 4 hours!!!! That felt so good!!
On to Piazza Navona! What a place. There are 3 fountains here and the church of St Agnes which holds her skull in one of the naves. The largest fountain is the Fountain of the 4 Rivers. The piazza is filled with cafes and entertainers until the wee hours of the night. We ate at Cafe Bernini while being serenaded by strolling musicians.
After dinner, we decided to go for a little stroll. 3 hours later we had been all the way across the Tiber to the Castel St Angelo and the Vatican. They were all lit up and absolutely beautiful!!! The Vatican is quite a spectacle at night. Pictures coming soon.
Back to the apartment to sleep and prepare for our Vatican tour in the morning!!

Boston

Boston - 1st leg of the trip. Got in very early this morning (1 am) and got to the hotel. We were upgraded to a deluxe King room so that was a nice bonus. Slept in till 1000 and met up with Amanda at Boston Gardens. We toured the historical part of the city and had lunch on Newbury street at Charleys. Ate outside on the patio, it was a great day. Took Amanda back to the hotel so she could rest and Dan and I headed out for a Harbor boat ride over to see the USS Constitution and the Boston skyline from the water. We walked over to the North End of Boston and did part of the Freedom trail. Saw Paul Revere's House and the Old North Church. Had dinner at a great Italian restaurant called Papa Razzi's with Amanda. Good start to a great vacation!!

2 more days!!

Dan has completed his last Italian class and now we can at least ask where the toilets are when we need them in Rome!! We signed up for Italian cooking classes when we are in northern Italy - 5 hours of wine drinking, cooking, speaking Italian and eating!!!
It is getting very exciting being this close to our departure after months of planning.

Change of Plans

We have been reading very poor reviews of the B&B that we reserved in Rome so we decided to rent an apartment just 1 block from the Pantheon in a beautiful area of Rome. It is very close to Trevi Fountain and the Roman Forum and just over the Tiber from the Vatican. Much more central!! Here are some pictures of the apartment!