Italian Trip Diary -- Day #22 -- Rome to New York

Wednesday, July 4, Rome to New York:

On our final morning at the Jolly Via Veneto we decided to splurge with breakfast on our terrace overlooking the Borghese Gardens.  It was a sybaritic way to enjoy our final hours in Italy with the pines of Rome swaying in the breeze.

View of the Borghese Gardens from our terrace at the Hotel Jolly Via Veneto.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Through the concierge we had arranged for a van to take us to the airport.  We arrived in plenty of time for our flight to London and our connection to New York.  (Carl’s direct flight to New York was cancelled and he ended up on a later plane that got him to JFK about the same time as us.)  The flights were uneventful, but unfortunately at JFK our checked luggage did not appear.  The overwhelmed baggage service person eventually located one of the two pieces after about 90 minutes.  The other bag arrived on a later plane from Heathrow and was delivered to our apartment the following day.

As our taxi climbed over the Triboro Bridge to Manhattan in a light drizzle and then down the FDR Drive we were aware that there were people waiting for Macy’s fireworks to go off.  We settled for just getting home – exhausted from the long and frustrating day of travel, but exhilarated by our memories of a wonderful trip to Italy.

Here are some tips for travellers that were scattered throughout my diary of our 2001 Italian trip:

• Keep track of your luggage.  Count the number of pieces and make sure that they are always with you when you move in or out of hotels or go from one means of transport to another.

  

  Doug McClure & George Blomme on the ramparts of Orvieto.  Photo by Carl Koivuniemi

• Keep your medications in your carry-on bags and always have a list of medications with their generic names and copies of prescriptions from your doctor or pharmacist.

  

  Doug McClure & George Blomme at the Piazzale Michelangelo overlooking Florence.
  Photo by Carl Koivuniemi

• Keep your wallet in your front pocket or in a zippered, double-handled bag.  Carry copies of the contents of your wallet -- credit/debit cards, drivers licenses, other I.D. cards -- either in your luggage or on your mobile phone.

  

  George Blomme & Doug McClure atop the unfinished west facade of Siena Cathedral.
  Photo by Carl Koivuniemi

• Be aware of your surroundings and avoid being jostled on public transportation or on crowded streets.

George Blomme & Doug McClure in Siena's Piazza del Campo.  Photo by Carl Koivuniemi

• Always act like you know where you are going.  Use a map to plot the route for your day's itinerary over breakfast at the hotel.  Try not to stop on the street to consult a map or guidebook -- it draws attention to the fact you're a tourist who's not familiar with the area.  Instead, stop for coffee or a snack to consult your guidebook or map.

  

  Doug McClure & George Blomme atop the tallest tower in San Gimignano -- no elevator.
  Photo by Carl Koivuniemi  

• Try to figure out when tour buses are likely to arrive at a museum or an attraction.  They'll usually visit the most important attractions (the Vatican Museums or the Uffizi Gallery, for example) early in the morning.  You're better off going at a different hour or at least visiting less important sections and then doubling back to the prime attractions (the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican is less crowded after an early lunch in the museum cafe).

  

  Luca Tura, Doug McClure & George Blomme under an arcade in Bologna.  Photo by Carl Koivuniemi

   
• Don't carry lots of cash.  There are ATMs everywhere in Europe that will take debit or credit cards for cash.  My dad used to say 'Never carry more cash than you can afford to lose'. 

  

  Doug McClure & George Blomme at Villa Morosini XXV Aprile in Merano.  Photo by Carl Koivuniemi
• Check the internet for opening and closing hours when you plan your day's activities .  In Italy, you'll find that churches are often closed for one or two hours at midday.  Museums may not be open every day of the week.

  

  Doug McClure & George Blomme at top of Campanile San Marco in Venice.  Photo by Carl Koivuniemi
• Get admission tickets via the internet for popular museums and attractions prior to your departure to avoid long lines.  You can do this from home and arrive with reservations in hand.  You'll usually walk right by the lines directly up to the ticket taker with an internet reservation.
• Learn at least a few words of the local language.  Shouting 'Police!' when you're in trouble is great, but shouting 'Carabinieri!' is even better.  Most workers in the travel industry know some English and are often eager to practice on Americans.

  

  George Blomme & Doug McClure at the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola on the Janiculum Hill in Rome.
  Photo by Carl Koivuniemi

• Avoid packaged tours.  With a few key websites (TripAdvisor.com is our favorite) you can assemble your own tour which allows you to move at your own pace and avoid activities that you dislike.  We hate shopping for souvenirs; going to watch glass blowers or lace makers (and then visit their showrooms and wait while the shoppers on your tour browse and buy 'stuff'); only hitting the high points in a museum; eating set menus in tourist traps; being on the bus 'bright and early'.  We love finding charming cafes and restaurants; visiting out-of-the-way churches and galleries; getting started when we want; having some down time for a nap; taking extra time to seek out less familiar art; wandering the quiet streets of a town long after the tour buses have moved on; visiting a place that's off the beaten track. 
• Contribute the knowledge you've gained to fellow travelers with a review when you get home.  If you've had a memorably good or bad experience at a hotel or restaurant write about it on TripAdvisor.com.  I've been doing it for years and over 35,000 travellers have benefited from our insight on nearly 80 hotels, restaurants and attractions. 

  

Italian Trip Diary -- Day #21 -- Rome

Tuesday, July 3, 2001, Rome:

For the last day of our trip, we began by walking down the Via Veneto to Piazza Barberini

'Fontana dei Tritone' by Bernini in Piazza Barberini.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

and then up the Via delle Quattro Fontane,

Row of Telemones (male Caryatids) on Via delle Quattro Fontane.  Photo by Blomme-McClure  

'Goddess Juno' fountain at the intersection of Via delle Quatro Fontane and Via del Quirinale.
There's a fountain on each of the four corners.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

and on up the Esquiline Hill to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (we missed the fourth major basilica, San Giovanni in Laterano, on this trip).  The basilica is the largest Marian church in Rome.  Based on the 1929 Lateran Treaty it is wholly owned by the Holy See and has the same status as a foreign embassy.  

East facade of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore with circular stairs leading up to protruding semi-circular apse is on the Piazza dell' Esquilino.  There is an Egyptian obelisk in the center of the piazza on the axis of the church.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The Romanesque bell tower is the tallest in Rome.  The huge Baroque façade faces a large square, the Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore.  The façade consists of an elaborate central section with five bays in the base rising above a shallow podium surmounted by three bays in the upper story with a triangular pediment rising above the center bay.  The central composition is lively but it is somewhat deadened by wings on either side. 

Baroque west facade designed by Ferdinando Ferga and the 14th century Romanesque campanile
 of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

The interior contains a long nave with mosaics from the fifth century. the side aisles separated by Doric colonnades, at the end a semicircular apse covered in mosaics enclosing an elaborate baldaquin and altar.

Nave of Santa Maria Maggiore.  Thirty-six of the columns are marble and four are granite.
The nave ends with a triumphal arch with mosaics depicting the lives of Christ and the Virgin.
The coffered ceiling is thought to be gilded with gold brought back from the New World by Columbus.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Off of the south transept is the square Sistine Chapel (aka Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament) designed by Domenico Fontana for Pope Sixtus V (the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican was created for Pope Sixtus VI) under a splendid dome. 

Dome of Sistine Chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore by Domenico Fontana.  It contains the tombs of Pope Sixtus V
and his patron, Pope Pius V.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

It is focused on a group of four angels holding a model of the chapel done in gilded bronze which is directly under a very high dome encrusted with gold and frescoes. 

Four gilded bronze angels hold the ciborium -- a model of the chapel -- by Sebastiano Torregiano.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The chapel's proportions are exquisite and despite the sumptuous ornamentation it provides a lesson in the effective use of space.

From Santa Maria Maggiore we walked to the church of San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains) which houses the famous sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo. 

'Moses' by Michelangelo, marble, 1515.  It is part of the tomb of Pope Julius II.
Photo by Blomme-McClure (from a 1985 trip to Italy)

Unfortunately, by the time we found our way up the Esquiline Hill (one staircase was closed for construction) we got there just as the church was closing for siesta.  This was the one time where we ran into a problem with opening/closing times, but it is worthwhile to note that travelers should always check schedules when deciding on an itinerary.

Instead of Moses, we settled for tramazinni at a sidewalk café across from the park surrounding the Domus Aurea – the ruins of Nero’s “house of gold” on the hill above the Colosseum. 

The Colosseum from the park surrounding the Domus Aurea on Palatine Hill.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

After lunch we walked down through the park to the Colosseum and then took a taxi to San Pietro in Montorio on the Janiculum Hill above Trastevere.

Church of San Pietro in Montorio on the Janiculum Hill.
It is considered to be the site of St. Peter's crucifixion.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

We climbed past the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola

The Fontana dell'Acqua Paola designed by Giovanni Fontana and Flaminio Ponzio built in 1610-1612.
It marks the end of the Acqua Traiana aqueduct originally built be the emperor Trajan and restored by
Pope Sixtus V to provide fresh water to people living on the left bank of the Tiber River.
Photo by Blomme-McClure  

to the American Academy in Rome. 

The front court of the American Academy in Rome.  It is on the Janiculum Hill.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Some years ago Carl had worked in New York for the American Academy and was able to get us into the complex for a quick tour of the facilities and a gallery containing the work of some of the residents. 

Interior courtyard of the American Academy in Rome.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

It is a beautiful, tranquil complex and the showing of projects the fellows had developed was fascinating.

From the American Academy we found a café where we stopped for drinks.  Then we walked through the park along the brow of the Janiculum, savoring the views of Rome and the Vatican through the pines of Rome,

The dome of St. Peter's Basilica from the Janiculum Hill.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

eventually descending into St. Peter’s Square. 

St. Peter's Basilica from the edge of Piazza San Pietro.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

It was a lovely way to spend our last afternoon in the peace and sunshine of the park high above the domes and spires of the city below.

For our last evening we dined at Ristorante Le Sans Souci (Via Sicilia 20, Rome, 06.42014510 or 06.42013557) just off the Via Veneto.  It is like a time capsule from the 1950’s 'la dolce vita' – grandly appointed with intimate banquettes where middle-aged roues snuggled with gorgeous 'starlets' – we expected Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg to stroll in at any moment -- still dripping from a dip in the Fontana di Trevi.  We had a delicious meal with excellent service.

Italian Trip Diary -- Day #2 (part 2) -- Rome -- St. Peter's Basilica

Monday, July 2, 2001 Rome (continued):

After the gelato break, we walked along the Vatican walls and on around to St. Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro).  The arms of Bernini’s colonnades are always impressively, grandly welcoming.  They really are a wonderful invitation to come inside the basilica.  

St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro) as seen from the steps of the Basilica.  The piazza was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1656 and 1667.  It consists of two semi-circular arcades of Tuscan columns four-deep bracketing an oval plaza centered by an Egyptian obelisk installed in 1586 and flanked by two granite fountains.
The Pope would be celebrating his last open air mass of the summer in the piazza before heading to
his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

However, a note of caution to visitors – be properly dressed.  This is the one place in Italy where the “propriety police” are strictly enforcing the signs about proper dress.  People in shorts, tank tops, and tight clothes were being turned away.

Young man being turned away from the Basilica -- his pants are too tight and too short to meet the strict
dress code of the St. Peter's 'propriety police' (see the pictogram behind him).  Photo by Blomme-McClure

We saw women tying on wrap skirts over their shorts and people zipping on the bottoms of their convertible shorts.  Several people pulled out light weight trousers and tops similar to those worn in operating rooms to slip on (it was hot).

St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the grandest churches in Christendom.  Nearly every part of it is done on an enormous scale that is overwhelming and ultimately oppressive.  There is so little human scale to the place that the throngs of tourists seem like a busy ant colony. 

Nave of St. Peter's Basilica looking west from the altar.  Successive architects included Bramante,
Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Bernini.  The barrel vault is supported by four giant arched bays
with transverse barrel vaults over the side aisles.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

This is probably the impression that the Roman Catholic builders wanted to convey to “the faithful”, but for those of us simply interested in the art and architecture it is a building that you respect, not one that you love.  Michelangelo’s dome

The interior of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica designed by Michelangelo rises over the main crossing.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

sits grandly above Bernini’s baldaquin

The baldaquin designed by Bernini is reputed to be the biggest piece of bronze in the world.
The twisting columns are decorated with bees (the symbol of Pope Urban VIII) and laurel leaves.
Bernini's 'Cathedra Petri' which houses the 'throne of Peter' is visible on the back wall of the apse.
In front of the baldaquin, two marble staircases behind the balustrade lead down to the tomb of St. Peter.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

covering the altar over the tomb of St. Peter.  Tombs and monuments for popes and famous Catholics are scattered everywhere.

Monument for Pope Alexander VII designed by Bernini.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Tomb of Queen Christina of Sweden, a devout Roman Catholic who abdicated the throne and moved to Rome.
Greta Garbo played her in a movie.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Michaelangelo’s “Pieta”, kept behind bullet-proof glass, is a mob scene and virtually impossible to see. 

'Pieta' by Michelangelo, marble, 1498-99.  After a madman attacked the sculpture with a hammer in 1972
it was placed behind bullet-proof glass.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

We stood in a line   

Line (heavy on nuns) to view the sarcophagus of Pope John XXIII.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

to see the body of John XXIII which lies near a famous statue of St. Peter.

Body of Pope John XXIII in a glass coffin.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Although everyone is dressed properly, the behavior of the mob seems more appropriate for a carnival than for the center of the Roman Catholic church.  Flash bulbs are going off everywhere – a young man takes a picture of his girl friend making a mock confession – nuns have their picture taken with the body of the Pope.

We left the church somewhat dispirited by the experience.  Fortunately, the sun on the square with the enclosing colonnades is somehow more inspiring. 

Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter's Square) with canopy and chairs for outdoor papal mass.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

This is in spite of the fact that much of the square and the steps leading up to the church are obliterated by chairs, barricades and a temporary stage which we learn will be used for the Pope’s final mass of the summer before his retreat to Castel Gondolfo. 

Tourist seeking directions from a member of the Swiss (papal) Guards.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

We found the taxi line on the far side of the square and headed back to the hotel.

Piazza San Pietro with trees on the Janiculum Hill rising behind. 
 The colossal statue of St. Paul from 1847 is in the foreground.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

After a nap break, we took a taxi to Trastevere.  It’s advisable to carry a good map of the area because most taxi drivers will not take you into the maze of narrow streets which are often for pedestrians only.  By trial and error and with the help of an Italian couple with a map who spoke some English we found Ristoranti Sabatini in Trastevere (Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere 13, Rome, 065812026, http://www.ristorantisabatini.com/
) where we dined outside with the lively street life of the square as entertainment and the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere as a backdrop across the square.  The food was delicious, but our waiter was the most obnoxious we encountered on our trip.  He seemed to be the only surly waiter in Italy, including all of the others at Sabatini and we decided that it was just bad luck.  We did manage to beg him to call us a taxi at the end of the meal.  The taxi could only come to the edge of the square and then had to back up several blocks before he even had enough room to turn around.

Italian Trip Diary -- Day #20 (part 1 of 2) -- Rome -- Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel

Monday, July 2, 2001 Rome:

Monday was Vatican day.  We got up early in order to be in line for the Vatican Museums by 7:30 a.m.   Fortunately, our taxi driver was smart enough to take us to the end of the line, which saved us about a 10-minute walk back from the entrance.  The museums open at 8:45 a.m. and we got to the front of the line about 9:25 a.m.

The Vatican Museums are vast – divided into separate areas for painting, antiquities, books, maps and archeology (at least).  Nearly everyone, though, is headed for the Sistine Chapel.  We discovered that there are at least two ways to get to the chapel, one (a longer and more crowded route) through the Raphael Rooms and one (a faster and less congested route) through the modern art galleries.  Doug and Carl took the Raphael, while George decided to try the modern art route.  The apartments in the Stanze di Raffaello (Raphael Rooms) painted by Raphael and his students are wonderful.  The frescoes in the first of the four rooms, the Hall of Constantine, were actually created by three followers of Raphael after his death in 1520 AD. 

'The Battle of the Milvian Bridge' by Giulio Romano, fresco, circa 1525 AD.
The fresco depicts the battle between the Emperor Constantine and his rival Maxentius in 312 AD.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The ceiling of the Room of Constantine by Tommaso Lauretti  is an allegorical depiction of the triumph of Christianity over paganism with the classical statue lying broken at the foot of the Crucifix.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

The Room of the Fire in the Borgo (Stanza dell'incendio del Borgo) depicts scenes from the lives of Popes Leo III and Leo IV.  It was painted by Raphael's assistants using designs of Raphael.

'Fire in the Borgo' by Giulio Romano, fresco, 1514 AD.  This fresco depicts an event in 847 AD when Pope Leo IV (in the window right of upper center) stopped the fire in the Borgo with his benediction.  
The fresco was executed by Romano from designs by Raphael.  Photo by Blomme-McClure 

The Room of the Signatura (Stanza della Segnatura) contains the most famous of Raphael's frescoes, 'The School of Athens'.

'The School of Athens' by Raphael, fresco, 1509 AD.  This fresco shows the search for truth through knowledge.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Still, everything in the Vatican is overwhelmed by the splendor of Michelangelo’s work in the Sistine Chapel.  This was the first time that we had seen the Chapel's frescoes since the completion of the controversial restoration and cleaning in 1994.  The difference from the mellow, smokey look we first saw in the early 1970's and the vivid look we saw in 2001 is incredible.  The brighter colors clarify the shapes of the hundreds of figures and make all of the frescoes much more three dimensional.  The panels in the Creation sequence on the ceiling seem more sculptural and the sibyls and prophets in the surrounding lunettes are magnificent -- vigorous and muscular.   

The Sistine Chapel with frescoes by Michelangelo on the ceiling, 1508 to 1512 AD,
and the west (altar) wall, 1535 to 1541 AD.  The frescoes on the walls below and between the windows are by a who's who of famous Italian Renaissance artists -- Perugino, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, and others.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

Unfortunately, viewing the chapel is like trying to meditate in the middle of a three-ring circus.  You know that you are in the presence of great art, but you are constantly distracted by the hubbub of tourists around you jostling for position.

'Creation of Adam' by Michelangelo, fresco, 1508 to 1512 AD.  This is probably the most famous panel from the 'Genesis' series of frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Photo by Blomme-McClure

'Expulsion from the Garden of Eden' by Michelangelo, fresco, 1508 to 1512 AD.  This panel from the 'Genesis'
series seems newly vivid and three-dimensional following the 1984-1994 restoration.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

'Delphic Sibyl' by Michelangelo, fresco, 1508 to 1512 AD.  On the arches supporting the ceiling of
the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo painted in heroic scale the prophets who foresaw the coming of Christ.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

We actually circled back to the Chapel again after lunch at the Museum’s café.  While there were less crowds in the early afternoon the light on the frescoes made them seem somewhat more prosaic.  Let’s just say that they are awesome under any lighting conditions and that the controversial cleaning and restoration has left them more vivid and more exciting.  We were particularly taken by the enormous 'Last Judgement' fresco covering the entire altar wall.  

'The Last Judgement' by Michelangelo, fresco, 1535 to 1541 AD, detail.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

In addition to the Chapel, the Vatican painting collection (Pinacoteca) was also worth visiting – a lovely Raphael “Transfiguration” 

'Transfiguration of Christ' by Raphael, oil on canvas, 1518-1520.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

and Caravaggio’s “Descent from the Cross” in particular.  And among the ancient statues in in the Octagonal Courtyard of the Pius-Clementine Museum, the Apollo Belvedere

'Apollo Belvedere', Roman copy of a Greek bronze original, marble, circa 130 to 140 AD.
Photo by Blomme-McClure

the Venus Felix, 

'Venus and Her Son, Cupid' aka 'Venus Felix', Roman, marble, circa 170 AD.  Some scholars have
suggested that the placement of the arms might approximate the missing arms of the Venus de Milo.
Photo by Blomme-McClure 

and the Antinous as Hermes in the Octagonal Courtyard of the Pius-Clementine Museum are also extraordinary and beautifully displayed.  

'Hermes' formerly known as 'The Belvedere Antinous', Roman copy of Greek original, marble,
circa 2nd century AD.  Antinous was the Emperor Hadrian lover.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

Nearby, the early Greco-Roman Belvedere Torso was sketched by Michelangelo and is supposed to have inspired much of his later works.  

'Belvedere Torso', Roman copy of an earlier original, marble, circa 1st century BC or 1st century AD.
Michelangelo made sketches of this sculpture and it is believed to have inspired figures in his'Last Judgement' in the Sistine Chapel.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

You certainly sense the connection between this piece and the muscular bodies of the Sistine Chapel's 'Last Judgement' and also the unfinished Michelangelo 'captives in stone' at the Accademia in Florence and the Louvre in Paris.  

Everywhere you look there are opulent ceilings and paneling and beautiful and significant objects.

The Sistine Hall of  the Vatican Library.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

There is a lovely outdoor terrace with views of the Papal gardens and the dome of St. Peter’s which offers a respite from the sensory overload of the museums.  

View of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica by Bramante and Michelangelo as seen from a terrace of the Vatican Museums.  Photo by Blomme-McClure

We staggered out of the museum into the mid-afternoon sun and stopped along the walls of the Vatican for ice cream.

(I'll continue with our visit to St. Peter's Basilica in my next post on Italy:  Italian Trip Diary - Day #20 (part 2) -- Rome -- St. Peter's Basilica.)