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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