Roman Wonders Part 1

What better place to end our trip than the city of Roma? Granted, given the wonderful clean air in Switzerland, that could be an arguable last stop, but for air travel Rome definitely wins. One would think that given we allowed a few days in Rome, we would take it easy and have a relaxing meander through the city, allotting a few sites for each day, but no, hand me the tourist map and I take us all over the city the first full day.

We happened to be in Rome over Easter weekend, being a bit unsure about building openings and restaurant availability when we first arrived, but luckily we didn't have any problems. Most museums are closed on Mondays except for the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill, so we slotted that for Monday.

The first stop of our visit was Castel Sant'Angelo, offering fantastic views of the entire city and the Vatican. Outside the castle was a funny moving statue dressed like a cowboy and a stunning bridge of angels. Inside there were statues and a few darker pieces of art, plus a rather expensive gift shop. The weather was beautiful, so we enjoyed the views from the landing a bit before continuing on our journey for the day.

Next up was wandering down to Piazza Cavour and Piazza del Tribunali, complete with a merry-go-round and a few outdoor stalls selling various souvenir supplies. Wandering across the bridge, I thought we were going to the mausoleum, but instead we happened upon Piazza Navona and plenty of churches. Inside the piazza there were plenty of statues, still and moving, plenty on the fountain and around it.

The desire for lunch hit us around the time we were leaving the piazza so we ventured to Campo de Fiori, just a few streets below, passing by Piazza Andrea on the way. Continuing our walk after a lunch of artichokes and polenta, we saw Area Sacra, a few more churches, Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II, and some how ended all the way at Santa Maria in Cosmedin with the park nearby. I still don't know how I managed to get all the way down there, when I thought I was walking up on the map. It all worked out alright, showing a new area of the city; however, by this point both of us were rather tired and ready for a rest.

After relaxing, we hopped on the subway and ventured to the Piazza del Popolo, found the Mausoleo Augusto, and ended at the Spanish steps; getting gelato along the way. The steps were filled with people, almost beyond belief. Dinner that evening was at a nice family run restaurant, recommended by the front desk attendant at the hotel; he was always filled with lovely recommendations for food.