After leaving our ship, the Noordam, we took a car and driver from Citivecchia to central Rome around the Trevi Fountain. We have a nice apartment on Via Arcenio but funny WiFi. Allora! We go to the sidewalk café outside or to The White Hotel and I am able to post.
We had lunch on the street in the small café and later that evening dinner alfresco on a small square near our apartment.
Today, we woke had breakfast and went for a morning to lunch walk. First up to the Spanish Steps and Piazza Spagna which was, like Trevi, closed for cleaning and repair.
The Spanish Steps at Piazza di Spagna which is under repair just like the Trevi Fountain.
I am on the middle part of the Spanish Steps. Above me on the left is the Hassler Hotel where my Dad has stayed. He says it is a very special place to have breakfast and watch Rome wake up from its rooftop restaurant.
We then walked up to the Villa Borghese and its beautiful park. We needed the shade and peace and quite before walking back down to Rome at the Piazza di Popolo.
Up in the park is the Villa Borghese now used for special functions and weddings.
I was hungry and in the park there are many snack trucks. I got a ham and cheese pizza sandwich from one of them.
Here I am dropping off a tip to a guy playing the same song over and over again in a Soprano Saxophone in Borghese Park.
Looking down one of the streets below Borghese toward St. Peter’s in the far background.
Here is Fred Hollywood on location at the overlook from Villa Borghese down to the Piazza di Popolo where according to Mauro Lucentini, Rome begins.
We walked down the steps to the Piazza di Popolo and the DaVinci Museum.
Standing in front of the DaVinci Museum on Piazza di Popolo
Its pretty neat inside the museum because they took his sketches and notebooks and replicated a lot of his inventions, contraptions, and imagination. I like DaVinci since he was way ahead of his time. We are just now catching up with him.
One of DaVinci’s inventions that they have reproduced in the museum
Then we went over to the Café Rosati for lunch. Our waiter asked me what whiskey I wanted with my lunch. He was funny.
Getting ready to order lunch at the Café Rosati on Piazza di Popolo
After lunch, we walked down the Via Corso to window shop and stop in the churches for prayers and candle lighting.
The main street down from the Piazza di Popolo is Via dei Corso that is open to traffic but also walkers. Lots of shops and churches.
On the Corso is the Church of Jesus and Mary where we went inside to pray and light a candle to Santo Giovanni Paulus II for my deceased grandmothers.
At the corner of Condotti and Corso we found these 3 headless street performers.
Behind me are 3 street performers without heads.
We like to have lunch then walk for awhile then have dulci (desert) at another place. This time we went down the famous shopping street Via Condotti to the Antico Café Greco where my Dad had been before. He had a Café Viennese and my Mom a Macchiato coffe and Napoliane pastry but I had a special lemon sorbet.
In the café were an older couple who were regulars and sat at the same little corner everyday and had their drink and little bites to eat. My mom said it was a special slice of life in Rome.
This is a “regular” couple in the Antico Caffé Greco on the Condotti. Drinks, some olives and bread. A little conversation. Very roman!
This is Frederick back on the Arcenio and enjoying all of the eternal city. Tomorrow is mass at Spirto Santo near the Vatican at 10am then the Angelus at St. Peter’s with the Pope. Look for it.
