Friday and heading home

Thursday 27 September: Again my final meal was thwarted. I obviously have some issues with meals the day before I travel. I went out to dinner to a very nice restaurant recommended by the hotel. I ordered an antipasto and pasta dish and I managed to eat about half the antipasto, which was huge, and a few mouthfuls of the pasta, which was just too rich - gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce. Next trip I think I will save my money and have a sandwich for my last dinner in a city.

The restaurant was quite large, with a number of rooms, all made to look cave-like.

Friday 28 September: I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown. This morning is my last day in Rome. I have packed - what a nightmare - my clothing seems to have multiplied and even though I am leaving some things behind it was a tremendous effort to squeeze things in. Fortunately, as my suitcase is so small I do not think I will be over the limit. It is lovely and cool in the hotel but I am sure outside is hot and humid again. Even the Romans complain. The hairdresser yesterday said, "Basta caldo." Enough of the heat! So, this blog is short as I really don't have much to add. I'm at the point where I am just waiting. I'm home Saturday evening and then back at work Thursday, that will be hard.

I leave you with a photo of the main altar at Santa Maria Maggiore and the night sky from my balcony. I have no idea how the sky is so blue late at night.

Ciao a tutti. Thanks for following my Italian story.

 

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Thursday and shattered

After breakfast this morning I set off up via Quattro Fontane to Santa Maria Maggiore basilica. A huge church with a lot of decoration and a massive main aisle.

The beautiful rose window.

After spending some time admiring the basilica, I took a taxi back to via Santa Sabina to have another go at the keyhole view of St Peter's. Well, I almost wore my camera and myself out trying to find a setting that would pick up the view. People with good cameras were taking fabulous shots and I just could not get it. Finally, I got one that faintly shows the basilica in the background.

Get out your magnifying glasses.

Then I headed down hill to Santa Maria in Cosmedin again and got a photo of me with my hand in Bocca di Verità.

After this I followed the river until I saw the synagogue, then I walked through some back streets of the Ghetto. Onwards and upwards, I reached the Pantheon region absolutely exhausted. So I stopped for an aperol spritz before forcing myself homewards. So, I had walked from the Aventine area and when I finally got to the Piazza di Spagna and saw the sign for Babbington's tea house I stopped. It was lovely, clean, cool and quiet. I sat next to a charming English couple on a cruise and up in Rome for the day. But, a jug of iced tea and a chicken and salad muffin cost €29 nearly as much as my ill-fated meal at del Sole in Perugia. I know I have missed seeing a lot but I think I am done. Rome is exhausting - it is 28 today and very humid, not really the right temperature to be traipsing around.

I must say though I don't know what all the talk about traffic and crossing the road is about. Cars stop at crossings and traffic lights and even the widest street is okay to cross. Do not think I would like to drive though as that is truly awful, not really any lanes, you just make up your own.

So almost time to say farewell to Italy. I have to start thinking about the dreadful task of packing. I leave the hotel about noon tomorrow for my 3:25 flight to Dubai and then home to Perth.

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Still Wednesday...

I had great plans to visit Santa Maria Maggiore but on the way I called into Il Convento dei Cappuccini museum and crypt. Unfortunately, the church wasn't open. Well, the crypt is downright - mmm cannot think of a word - bizarre maybe. I have a couple of postcards of the skull and skeleton art of some monks from a few centuries ago. I can only say someone was bored and had a lot of time on their hands. Creepy really and musty and dusty in the crypt too. Next I headed up the wrong street to Santa Maria Maggiore and ended up on one of those open hop-on hop-off buses, except mine was a round trip with no on or off. Well, presumably I could have got off but then would not have been able to reboard later. Nevertheless, I managed some photos of places I am not visiting. Most of the time though it was impossible as the bus didn't stop, didn't actually get close to the site or something was in the way.

Santa Maria Maggiore

Of course, the Coliseum.

The Vittoriano - aka wedding cake

A rather gloomy look at St Peter's Square

And so ended my trip, as the next few stops didn't pass anything and I have already done them ad nauseam.

I needed some more face wipes to clean off my makeup and eye makeup so I popped into the little erboristeria and asked her for fazzoletti and mimed cleaning my face. She had sold out and sent me up the street but not before I found out what to call them. So if you are ever in Italy and this is what you need then you ask for fazzoletti struccanti. The young girl at the beauty shop also talked me into buying a hand cream, a small tube, which was on special and gave me a couple of perfume samples. So I am back at the hotel to rest and charge my batteries as well as the camera and then the iPad. I gave the perfume samples to the lovely Serena who works at reception and is so very nice and helpful.

I have plans for tomorrow, so I trust you to keep me on track. Back to Knights of Malta, visit Santa Maria Maggiore and go to some of the little streets in the Termini, via Nazionale area. I seem to have wandered for miles but I haven't even got close to some places. Rome is just the hugest city ever!

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Galleria Borghese and more

Tuesday evening I had dinner at La Scala. It was very nice. I heard a New Zealand accent behind me and, as usual, started chatting. He is a catholic priest whose diocese is the cathedral of Auckland. He has been travelling with a Franciscan and they spent time in Assisi. My meal was excellent. I had maccheroni alla matriciana and finished with panna cotta, not quite what I expected. The wine was also very nice.

Wednesday 26 September: I slept badly last night because someone set off the fire alarm and it rang on and off for more than an hour. In the end, I came downstairs to find out what was happening. This morning a quick caffè doppia then off to find a taxi to take me to Galleria Borghese. Well, what a palaver...even though you have booked and paid online, you queue to get your ticket, queue to check all your bags, queue for the audio guide. Finally, in the marvellous museum. You are allowed 2 hours but I was done after one hour. It is enormous and so much to see. I concentrated on the good paintings - Raffaello, Perugini and Caravaggio - superb, and then spent a lot of time with the Bernini scuptures: Daphne and Apollo, David with his slingshot, the rape of Proserpine and Aeneas's flight from Troy, saving his father and son. The sculptures are simply divine, you cannot believe that they are of marble so fine is the work. After staggering out of the museo I walked a bit in the gardens. So huge and quite beautiful.

Eventually, I took the little treno and got off at Pincio for the view and my long way home.

So down to Piazza del Popolo, down to Piazza di Spagna -

The boat-shaped fountain in the piazza.

Then up the million steps at Trinità to via Sistina then finally home to tidy up and shoot out again. I walked up the via Veneto and stopped at Cafè de Paris for a spritz aperol.

Back to the hotel via the bottom of via della Purificazione and popped into a little erboristica and bought some soaps. My positively last purchase, no room in my luggage, will have to squeeze them in somehow. Then back to the hotel and booked a hair appointment for down the street for tomorrow about 4 to prepare myself for home.

I think I have to go back to The Knights of Malta to try once more for the photo. Will do that tomorrow.This afternoon I head down via Sistina to Santa Maria Maggiore and a look around the Termini area. Have I said that Rome is defeating me 'cos it is - it is truly exhausting. Thank God it rained last night so it is marginally cooler. PS even though I was disappointed with my room allocation, the staff at the hotel are charming and helpful.

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Tuesday continued: Rome defeats me

I took breakfast this morning in the lovely garden area.

Then I took off to Piazza Barberini for a taxi to Santa Maria In Comedin. A lovely church. I didn't visit the bocca di verità 'cos the queue was very long.

Then I headed for Santa Sabina, a truly lovely Dominican church. There must have been something special going on as there were heaps of nuns, priests and monks all getting dressed in their robes, preparing for what?!

Then I head up to the Knights of Malta. I took lots of photos through the keyhole and not one showed St Peters, even though I could see it clearly. So cross. I am not going back this trip, it is miles away.

This is the best I could get - no St Peters in background. Maybe it is just the camera, but I tried about four settings and none came out. After this I sat in Parco Savello for a little. The orange grove would be stunning when in blossom, but only a few green oranges now. At least here I got a photo of St Peters.

Then I walked down a long steep path, with the old walls on the side, towards the river. By this time I was shattered but came across Isola Tiburtina so walked down a million steps to look at the Tiber.

By the time I climbed up the other side I could hardly move. Bought some water and then saw the boat trips, so bought a ticket but they only have two stops. I was going to get off at Sant'Angelo on the return trip to be on the same side, but when we got back to Isola Tiburtina they stopped for lunch, so I went walking again.

The Sant'Angelo castle

The rather stunning hospital on the island.

I walked up via Arenula and saw a little cafe behind bushes so stopped for lunch. I had a rather nice tomato bruschetta. Then struggled on to try to find Piazza Navona. I came a across the Pantheon first, so called in again. It is stunning and so different to the one in Paris. This time I got a picture of the oculus in daylight but again my camera and I gave it no justice.

Blue sky through the oculus

The tomb of Umberto I

So onwards to Piazza Navona...a trial. I stopped for gelato at Groms - vaniglia e caffè espresso. Nice. Finally...

The fountain is huge, impossible to capture it all.

I called into the little bar at the Rome museum to try to use the loo. I asked in Italian where there was a public bathroom and she pointed to their toilet. When I came out I went to order and some else asked about the toilet in English and she sent them up the street to the public toilets. She spoke beautiful English. So, go figure! Rome is definitely defeating me and maybe I just looked as though I was about to expire. I had the nicest spritz - some sort of sparkling wine with aperol and tonic. It was very nice and I also got nibblies. Now I went looking for Chiostre del Bramante - no luck. I asked at the tourist office and they said there was an exhibition on but I didn't think that would be a problem but it is only open Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings...so missed that one. I popped into Santa Maria Anime another huge lovely church in the process of being cleaned so lots of scaffolding. Oh, in Piazza Navona I visited the truly magnificent Sant'Agnese in Agone - it said no photos so I didn't but it was simply amazing. Okay, now my body and spirit are broken, so jumped in a taxi to Piazza Barberini and home to my hotel. Safe at last from this cruel and exhausting city that refused me a photo of the one thing I truly came to photo. Sigh!

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Rome: un casino

Tuesday 25 September: I left lovely Umbria Monday morning after a disastrous dinner Sunday evening. Del Sole was recommended to me but I wish instead I had gone to a smaller friendlier restaurant for my last meal. I felt extremely unwell after having my antipasto and when my main meal came I could not even eat it. I had to apolgise and go. So €36 for an antipasto, main, wine and water of which I only had the antipasto, which was too rich, and the water. But fortunately I slept reasonably well and Eva came to take my luggage down in the lift. I walked down. Then Marcello drove me to Rome. He didn't speak any English and my Italian cannot sustain a conversation so I kept dozing. It was embarrassing 'cos I felt my head jerk and I would try to stay awake. Woke up properly as we left Umbria and entered Lazio. What a shock to the system Rome is after Umbria. It is hot, humid, noisy, crowded and quite dirty. The hotel is quite lovely although I didn't get the room I was expecting, which is disappointing. The view from my balcony is buildings, still I have a balcony.

I left the hotel and found the Spanish Steps easily. I came to the top part at the Trinità Monti church but it doesn't look as though it is open. I wandered down all the stairs and walked around. Went down via Condotti the street with all the expensive brand names. Oh to be a millionaire. I don't even dare go in the shops as I know I could afford nothing. Though I did notice through the window a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choo sandals. I kept walking around the block and came to a quiet little street with a cool outside bar and stopped for an aperitivo. The bar was Ciampini.

Everything is much more expensive in Rome than Umbria so now I have to be careful of the cashflow. When I was in Piazza Spagna I saw the shop Frette where I had intended to buy my sheets and towels, so glad I bought in Perugia as the prices are five times more. But I did buy two linen facecloths at an exhorbitant price because I did want something from Frette.

I headed back to the hotel to tidy up a bit before going back to Piazza Spagna to do my walking tour. This was good but quite exhausting. The walking was okay but when we stopped oh that was hard work standing, he ticked us off if we tried to sit. But we covered a lot and I saw places I will go back to and he was informative. We saw the amazing Sant'Ignazio church, the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain. I asked how to get back to via Sistina and he said go down this street and turn right. Well I did up to a point and veered left instead and eventually found myself back where I started at Piazza Spagna, which was good. But going the easy way to via della Purificazione to my hotel was through very dark quiet streets at 7:30 at night so a little disturbing.

Spanish Steps - really Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti with church at the top.

Man selling roasted chestnuts - in this weather!

Pretty via Margutta

The amazing ceiling of Sant'Ignazio, a truly stunning church.

The Trevi fountain

I went to Osteria dei Barberini last night about 9:00 for dinner. Sat next to four Australians, very pleasant and friendly. I ordered bufalo di mozarella for antipasto not realising I would get an entire ball. Only managed to eat about one quarter - too much cheese. Next I had beef fillet in wine and peppercorns so delicious. Then I had dessert - panna catalan, yes, crème brûlée. I had the house wine, a nice red, and water too.

And so to bed about 11:00 and slept until late. Came down to breakfast about 8:30 and had it in the lovely garden.

Now I need to plan my day. I met a nice couple from Gloustershire at breakfast and they said to take taxis everywhere, less stressful and tiring. So I shall follow their instructions.

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Sunday 23 September: in giro

Today I got up at 5:30 to skype Bron. I got her on her phone at the shopping centre. We managed a brief conversation but was great to see her. Once I had showered and got dressed I got a text from Daniela to meet in Piazza Matteotti at 10:30, she was off to Assisi for a tour. We had coffee and long chat. Finally, we said our farewells. I gave her the regolo and a long thank-you note in Italian hope it was okay. Eva said my note to her was good, no mistakes. I am sad that I won't see her again. She has been so extremely helpful to me while in Umbria. A wonderful person and extremely knowledgeable.

The lovely and kind Daniela, tour guide extraordinaire and me.

The person who took the photo was with someone from Rome and he recommended a restaurant, so will have to try it. After coffee I went wandering down little streets, looking for new places to visit. I found the sweetest, small but unnamed church near Casa Sorbello. It was completely packed for mass. It is very tiny but still has masses of paintings and a rather impressive crucifix. I popped in briefly but he was at the sermon and I thought I would have a long wait until mass was over. I then went to San Lorenzo to donate my small change and light a candle. After this I saw the end of the alzheimer's fun run, heaps of people around and much applause. I had a spremuta arancia with ice as it is now very hot. From here I went home again to recuperate for a little while. I had an email from someone in Rome and I am hoping to get a tour organised with someone who is very knowledgeable but is just staring out as a guide, which is fine by me. Waiting to hear back.

I read you could walk through the street, via Volte della Pace, the covered street, so I gave it a go - bit smelly and lonely. I don't know I would like to do it at nighttime.

I ended up in areas I recognised and, basically, just did a huge trip around the block; naturally, this included climbing up a steep street - my poor legs still have not got used to all the climbing after three weeks of solid exercise.

Following my meandering, I decided to brave Hotel Brufani. When I got there I had a peek inside. They were set up for outside with big umbrellas, extremely comfy seating, peaceful and with a slight breeze, I didn't want to leave. I had a prosecco with nibbles (chips, small bruschette and mixed nuts served with a tiny spoon; this is usual when getting nuts as nibblies. As I seemed to be glued to the seat, not wanting to move yet and so I had another prosecco. I spoke to the waiter who then became my second best friend. Don't know where he learnt English but he kept calling me "my dear", oh dear! We discussed the region, unemployment and the economy. He studied economics but is working as a waiter. He is at least 40-45 and is learning German so as to work there. He speaks some French, Spanish, then English and Italian of course, puts me in my place with only English and a teeny bit of Italian. He said in Umbria not a lot of people speak English. Mmmm, I know. I had to move on or else just lie down on their sofa chair.

The very peaceful 5-star Brufani, behind the shrubbery are wonderfully comfortable chairs and a very obliging waiter.

Heading off again I thought I would try Sant'Ercolano church, down the steps; unfortunately, only open Friday and Saturday, so missed that one. Then up the very steep via Sant'Ercolano stairs. Next I went to Del Sole restaurant to book dinner for tonight. Daniela thought this was a good restaurant and a safe area, she said some of the areas close to me are quite dangerous at night. I was attended to by a grumpy waiter, perhaps they don't like single diners; well, tough! It is my last night in Perugia and I'm going and I'm going to enjoy a good meal.

Home James, up the exhausting six flights and resting. Might have a late lunch. It is 2:30 but usually you can get lunch til 3:30. Dinner is at 8:30, but I seem to be starving the last couple of day. No idea why.

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