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Rome





Our first stop was the eternal city of Rome. A city we wanted to visit without a van… A city full of ancient ruins, amazing artworks, formal gardens and cathedrals.

We stayed at a pensione (small apartment hotel) near Stazione Termini, the main train station. From there we walked approximately 20km each day taking in the Vatican, the Colosseum, Caesars Forum, Palatine Hill, Borghese Gardens, Vittoriano, various museums and too many cathedrals to mention.


Our highlights in no particular order were:

1.       The Vatican Museum, both the buildings and the artwork. The scale and diversity of both grossly exceeded expectations: huge rooms of marble sculptures, wings of Etruscan artefacts, the map room, and all the greats in terms of romantic and religious art.  Where else would a Rodin sculpture or a Dali painting be considered almost unremarkable and hidden away in a side room?




2.       San Giovanni Basilica – Rome’s second largest cathedral behind St Peter’s. It has ornate ceilings and tiled floor and amazing marble inlay.

3.       Villa Doria Phamphili and its surrounding formal gardens. It is set in Rome’s largest public park of 184 hectares.



4.       The ancient ruins where we literally walked the same cobbled streets as the marching sandalled armies from Caesar’s day and imagined being orated to in the Forum. 


5.       Gallery of Modern Art on the edge of the Borghese Gardens. This was an unplanned lucky find as we happened across the building with bronze lion statues on the front steps.  Inside, the building was filled with diffused natural light and the art was exceptionally well curated. The space between each piece was unlike other galleries, in that there was time to reflect and ponder each display. The art was largely Italian and ranged from the 1800’s to now.


6.       Food. Deep fried artichoke with its crispy chip-like outer tips and smooth, creamy heart.  Zucchini flowers stuffed with cheese and anchovies then tempura battered. Also the classics of pizza, pasta and arancini:  simple, only a few but full flavoured ingredients is best. Make sure everything is fresh and you can’t go wrong.


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Comments

  1. Emma4 June 2019 at 01:24

    That looks amazing! I want to go there - I didn't realize the art would be so good.

    ReplyDelete

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