After my first good night's sleep, it seems I'm getting used to the time change. Rising at 7:00am, I was out the door by 8:30 following a great complementary breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
Hitting Rome early was good idea, as the temperature was considerably more moderate than later in the day. Before I left Greensboro, I downloaded an app called
maps.me and downloaded a map of Rome to my iPhone. It has worked perfectly! There is no need for an internet connection and it works just as well as any of the navigation apps that need to be online. I highly recommend it for travel outside the US.
I set my destination for the Spanish Steps and headed out. For some reason I was getting a very roundabout heading, which I decided not to follow and quickly found myself floundering about in the wrong direction. After several tries of comparing the app map to the one that the hotel had provided, I figured out that I had it on the car driving setting, rather than the walking setting. Once, corrected, I reoriented and found my way.
With the temperatures rising above 90 each day, I found that I was in need of a hat. So, as I approached Trevi Fountain, I stopped at one of the may souvenir shops and picked one up. I also needed a small pair of scissors and a new luggage tag. My luggage tag got ripped off my bag on the flight from Atlanta - I can only imagine what terrible abuse luggage must endure at the mercy of airport baggage handlers!
After Trevi and the Spanish Steps, I decided to continue on to the Borghese Gardens and the Borghese Museum. It turned out to be a bit further than I thought! I passed through
Piazza del Popolo on my way. The name literally means the plaza of the people and it was the first entry point to Rome for folks traveling from the north.
Although the there was a nice breeze and lots of shade in the Borghese, it was a rather warm hike up to the Museum, which was booked for the next three days, so I couldn't get a ticket! I spent some time in the airconditioned bookstore and was able to make a pit stop, so all was not lost. One of the things I loved about walking through Rome was the opportunity to just stumble on amazing ruins. One near the Tiber and one in the Borghese.
I decided to head back to the hotel by way of St. Peter's and the Trastevere area that I visited last night. My path took me down a series of escalators located in tunnels down to the Spanish Steps in the
Piazza de Spagna. This piazza is probably one of the most famous in Rome. Surrounding the piazza are the Spanish Embassy, for which it takes it's name, as well as the homes of the writers Shelly and Keats. People love to come and sit on the Spanish Steps, although I've heard that sitting has recently been forbidden. A recent news article explains:
"Visitors are not allowed to sit on the steps. They are also forbidden to eat or write on the stairs. Besides, some behaviours are also banned, such as selling goods without permission or dressing up as an ancient Roman officer to take pictures with tourists. We are here to make people follow these rules," said Antonio Di Maggio, director of the municipal police of Rome." Yikes! But, I didn't see this rule being enforced when I passed by. Perhaps the locals are ignoring it...
I made my way to St. Peter's, but chose not to fight the crowds and go in. Besides, many years ago (40?!) on my first visit, I had been inside both the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. But, I was curious if the bone of St. Peter's finger was still there...Tonight I'm off to Addis! We will see what the short Italian occupation of Ethiopia left there.
Ciao Roma!
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