Rome

We took it slow and steady after we left Pompei so that Mike did not overdo it.  About fifty kilometres a day. We had perfect weather as we rode along the coast, beaches here were more like we were used to, golden sand and rolling waves. Many yachts out on the bay. We rode around the outskirts of Naples but did not go into the city, the traffic was dense and the roads difficult to ride on as they were paved and we had to be careful. Narrow streets and high rise apartments, just as we imagined the back streets of Naples to be. Pizza stalls everywhere and we use them for lunch. There are campsites along this route but many have already closed for the season.  As we got closer to Rome the traffic got denser with more multi lanes to cross as we found our way through which was a bit scarey but the cars we good to us and gave way to us readily so we arrived safely.  We had a warm showers host in Rome, a lovely family Luca, his wife Rosanna and their three young sons who made us very welcome.  Rosanna cooked us  a traditional northern Italian dish which was delicious and Heather tried to cook them a pavlova but it was a dismal failure.  We caught the bus into the City of Rome the next couple of days and visited the Vatican where we stood in St Peter’s Square lining up to enter St Peter’s Basilica where we marveled at larger than life sculptures and Michelangelo’s Pieta, sculptured when he was only 25 years old which is preserved behind glass. The Vatican museum holds treasures of gold and jewel studded objects and tapestries gifted to the church, the Vatican grottos below the church contain the tombs of numerous popes.  Next was the Cistern Chapel, a truly amazing place with corridors and rooms with tapestries, murals and ceiling frescoes adorning every wall and ceiling. In the main room housing Michelangelo’s famous ceiling paintings it was standing room only with hundreds of people in hushed silence we gazed up at this incredible piece of art.  Unfortunately our camera stopped working this day so we have only a few photos of this day. We purchased a new one. Our next trip into Rome included the Trevi Fountain, where we threw coins in the fountain with the hope of returning to this wonderful city again. Map in hand we found our way to the most elaborate Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and then the Colosseum. The Colosseum was as grand as its’ reputation with high walls, underground tunnels where gladiators, prisoners and animals were kept before entering the arena.  I was here gladiators fought in mortal combat and condemned prisoners fought off hungry lions. There is not a lot of the seating preserved, but enough to give a good impression of the number of people this place could hold, 50,000.  Next we went to see the Pantheon, ancient Rome’s best preserved building, the dome is largest masonry vault ever built with a perfect semisphere with a nine metre opening in the dome.  We finished the day with a walk along the Tiber River.  Rosanna was not impressed with our ignorance of ancient Roman art and decided to join us on a walk through Rome the next day when Luca was going to show us lesser known churches but just as impressive as the famous ones. Previous days we struggled to get around Rome with the aid of a map, this day Luca look us from site to site, ducking around alleyways while getting a running commentary. We started from the hillside looking down on Rome then descended across the river Tiber. Luca showed us the cannon ball stuck in a wall from civil unrest centuries ago. Along the way we visited Chiesa di Saint Agastine to see Caravagio’s  Madonna of the Pilgrims, which caused controversy as he used a prostitute for his model. Then on to Chiesa di dan San Luigi to see the trio of Caravagio’s paintings of St Matthew. We are not art buffs but could appreciate the magnificenc of the works and appreciate why Caravagio is Rosanna’s favourite artist. He did not produce a lot of work as he died at 36, he was a career criminal and bought his freedom because he was such a brilliant artist. We visited numerous churches known for their frescoes, paintings, sculptures and domes with Luca pointing out important features. Most also had impressive marble floors. Bernini’s
Fountain of the Rivers with larger than life sculptures representing the Nile, Danube,Ganges and Plate Rivers.  As night fell we revisited the Trevi Fountain to see it lit up then climbed the Spanish Steps for a great view over the city. What a wonderful day, and Luca tells us we have now seen 5% of Rome. Luca and Rosanna and their young sons have been great hosts and we are sorry to leave Rome, what a fantastic place it is perhaps one day we will be back to see the remaining 95%.