Let's Play Who's Going to get the Boot!

Where's the rain? We've had a light shower pretty regularly at the end of the day, it helps cool things off. Today it was just clear and hot. We replaced our Pompeii trip with a short trip back to the Vatican (west edge of Rome) to attempt to see the crypt (closed, oh well) and a trek west to east across Rome.

Tina's favorite activity in the vicinity of St. Peter's is to watch the staff turn away men wearing shorts and women with off the shoulder blouses. There are huge picture signs that make it perfectly clear you cannot go in wearing anything that leaves shoulders through knees exposed. Even after passing three separate places along the way, including a rather hot crowd trying to get through metal detectors people in shorts and with bare shoulders try to go in, only to be turned back. Tina shared her fun story with a British lady who immediately joined in the game of trying to spot people in the crowd who were going to get the boot.

After leaving St Peter's Square we walked along il passeto, the passage built for the pope to escape to Castle Sant' Angelo during sieges. Once there we toured the cool (literally, very thick walls kept it comfortable) castle. The round structure includes a very handy ramp that spirals up 410 feet. Originally built as a tomb by and for Emperor Hadrian (later used by other emperors), Castle Sant' Angelo got around a zoning law that said thou shant be buried inside the city of Rome. Hadrian snapped up a sweet piece of real estate right across the river, and technically outside the city, and built himself a nice little burial spot. Apparently over time it became a bit passe to be buried there and through the dark ages the castle was used as a fortress and prison. Finally the Pope tapped into it as a little escape pad and a very nice little apartment and terrace were established on top. We toured those, a subtle and easy way to see a former pope's bedroom (not an option over at the Vatican) and enjoyed the view, breeze, and a light lunch from the roof of the castle.

After coming down from the castle we walked to the middle of Ponte Sant' Angelo (the ped bridge crossing the tibre river in front of the castle) and peered over the edge into the river, where nearly 200 people fell to their death in 1450 during a Jubilee Year festival.

We then caught a bus across the river and to get us close to Piazza Navona, where we started our west to east walk. We wandered through the piazza admiring the art vendor's goods and made our way east to the Pantheon, a slight detour a block south to see the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva (a quattro treat; 1-it is the only Gothic church in Rome, 2-plaques outside mark the depth of water during previous floods, 3-it was built over (sopra) the pre-Christian pagan Temple of Minerva; and 4-under the alter is buried St Catherine of Siena who in the late 1300s is credited with persuading the pope to return from France to Rome, saving Italy from some hard times. Not yet worthy of a stop? Throw in an incident in 1634 when Galileo (then 70 years old) knelt at the alter in this church on his way to his trial before the Inquisition.

From there we kept going east, to another Egyptian Obelisk (Rome reportedly has 13, more than any other city in the world-some are fake), Piazza Colonna (which, surprise, has a column), and on to the Trevi Fountain. Alex declined the opportunity to throw two coins into the fountain (one promising a return to Rome, the second indicating he would find his love here). Judging by the way some young teen girls were oggling him on the train yesterday he doesn't need the coins. Must be the haircut. Tina and I think one of the girls snapped his picture on her camera phone, Alex was oblivious.

After Trevi we continued east to Piazza Barberini which is home to (maybe you recall) our Internet Cafe!

Internet Cafe Tip of the Day: The hyperlink "Top Up" on the home page is used to add credits to your current session.

Have a good one!