Rome in the Heat

June 23:  We were in Lecce until 4:30 pm before catching a late afternoon train to Rome.  The day was not too eventful.  We packed up our luggage, moved it into the Oster's room, since we were "checking out" mid-afternoon, and walked around the southern half of Old Town Lecce.  We saw more churches, narrow alleys, eroding limestone block buildings, and the last of 3 city gates.  We also toured an archeological museum, which contained lots of pots (Grecian in style) and other finds from the Puglia area.  Much of the artifacts were found in old Roman cities and in "grottos," or caves.

We idled in the B&B courtyard for the first part of the afternoon, reading and socializing with the 2 cats.  Mid-afternoon, we walked slowly (it was hot) about half a mile to the train station dragging our luggage.  We waited an hour at the station and caught the 4:30 pm high speed train to Rome.  "Due to technical difficulties on the track," we were delayed about 30 minutes getting into Rome.  Most of the ride was anything but fast.  However, the last hour into  Rome, we attained speeds of 247 kph, or 151 mph.  

The Osters walked to their hotel which is a few blocks from the Rome station.  Betsy and I grabbed a cab to take us to our hotel, about 2 miles away, on a quiet lane near the Pantheon.  We arrived at 11:00 pm, after check-in time, but the receptionist was still on duty and expecting us.  We have a spacious, air-conditioned room with modern plumbing.  It's on the first floor and overlooks an unused courtyard.

June 24:  We slept in today, before venturing out.  We went first by the Pantheon, around the corner from our hotel, but didn't go in.  There were guards holding automatic weapons all around it - probably just routine security.  We next arrived at Campo de Fiori and its street market, which had lots of local produce, pasta, and other things "all made in Italy - trust us."  

Pasta sales in the market

We found a restaurant for breakfast on one edge of the market.  It seems that 10 euros will buy different forms of breakfasts.  We opted for juice, coffee, vegetable omelettes, and fresh fruit. The day was already plenty warm for sightseeing, and it got hotter (90 degrees or more).

We next wandered around the Jewish area of Rome on our side of the Tiber River before crossing at the island of Isola over the Ponte Fabrico and Ponte Cestio.  

Frog Fountain just before crossing the Tiber

Over the Tiber River, which looks to be full

We were now in the Trastevere section, which was originally Jewish, a little seedy, but lately trendy.  We passed several churches and spent some time in the ancient church of Santa Maria in Trastavere, which has 12th and 13th century mosaics (lots of gold leaf) along with richly decorated baroque chapels.  

Santa Maria

Santa Maria's mosaic floor 

We wove our way up to high points overlooking the city in the Janiculum Park.  We went by a war memorial (or a memorial dedicated to 1849 independence), the Fonte Acqua Paola (a large ornate fountain), a huge statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Faro al Gianicola (a column with a light fixture on top like a light house) and the Bambin' Gesu Pediatrics Hospital.  We took a short break in a park by the Garibaldi statue and tried to cool down.  We had a panini, cold tea, and fresh cherries from the market.  We continued toward the Vatican area, possibly passing a gate into it, before crossing back over the Tiber on Ponte Principe Amedeo di Savoia.  

Fonte Acqua Paola

The view, with Pantheon in the middle (low dome)

We walked the main road to Piazza Navona, then back streets to the Pantheon and to our hotel.  We are cooling down and drying off in our room.

Piazza Navona

Rome feels like both a living, working city and a tourist museum, full of people with purpose.  Some buildings have been cleaned and restored, others seem to have centuries of grime.  The height restriction that no building should be taller than St. Peters still seems to hold - there are no high rises in sight.