Weekend Walking Adventures in the Eternal City

Saturday, day numero quattro, began with an errand to the electronics store for a straightener.  The same errand ended with a visit to St. Peter's Bascillica.  So began another ordinary day in Rome.

That afternoon we decided to explore our new city.  We strolled through Campo de Fiori, where there happened to be a Communist party rally (don't be alarmed-- the polizia were on duty).  Campo is a piazza very close to Piazza Navona.  It means, "field of flowers" because it was originally a flower field in the middle ages; it later became the location for capital punishments.  In the center of the Piazza is a statue of Giordana Bruno, who was burnt at the state because of his scientific work that dealt with heliocentricism.  Ettore Ferrari dedicated this monument to him in 1887 on the spot of his death: he stands facing the Vatican in defiance.

Next we stopped at Piazza Navona.  It was originally a site of Rome games.  Here's a picture of us in front of Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers.  The church is Sant'Agnese.  The Statues represent the four major rivers of the time: the Nile, the Danube, the Ganges, and the Plate.  Of course we couldn't do all this walking without eating some gelato so we stopped at Giolotti's; definitely awesome!  One thing to remember: Amarena, though it looks red, is not raspberry, but bubblegum.  Lesson learned.

The Piazza Colonna was our next stop; it's named for the marble column of Marcus Aurelius which has stood there since 193 CE.  The figure of St. Paul was stuck on the top by an order of the pope in the 1600s.  

Next we hit up the Spanish Steps.  They are a lot taller than they look but the view from the top is definitely worth the climb.

Our walking expedition did not end here but instead continued to the Fabulous Villa Borghese, a giant park that's so quiet and peaceful.  It's filled with shady glens, sunny meadows, lakes and temples.  In "Eat, Pray, Love", the author talks about her favorite statue of a family sort of juggling their child.  

    

During our walking adventures, we stopped by the Monument of Vittorio Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy.  

Probably one of the coolest places we stopped was the Trevi Fountains.  The Fountain is at the meeting of three roads (Tre Vie) marking the terminal of the Acqua Vergine, a revived aqueduct that brought water to Rome.  This fountain celebrates the revival of the Aqueduct, which broke in the middle ages.  Tritan, Abundance, Oceanus, and Salubrity are the main figures in the fountain.  The fountain is also famous as the site of the scene where Anita Ekberg dances in the fountain in "La Dolce Vita".      

Legend says that if you throw a coin in the fountain, you'll come back to Rome.  If you throw two coins, you'll have a new romance and if you throw in three, you'll be married or divorced.  It's estimated that 3000 euros are thrown in the fountain each day!  

Rome: Giorni Uno, Due e Trè

Roma!  Finally here!  The first two days went by so fast; the plane ride was grueling and we hit the ground running.  We arrived in Fummaciano, and we driven to Rome.  Road lines seem to be more of a suggestion than a rule; we learned this quickly.  I'm living in an apartment-style residence called Gianicolo in Trastevere, a neighborhood/ area of Rome along the Tiber river.  I'm in an apartment with seven other girls from Notre Dame; it's a lot of fun.  The apartments are all furnished so we didn't have to buy anything except food and some cleaning supplies.
The second day, we explored Rome a little and found the two John Cabot campuses, Guarini and the Tiber.
Everyday so far has been filled with gelato and pizza; I can't complain!

Today was definitely my favorite day so far.  Our program took us on a tour of Odescalchi Castle, in Bracciano, about an hour outside of Rome.  The castle (which happens to be where Tom Cruise married Katie Holmes) is situated on a beautiful lake.  The Lake and the beach are sort of Black because of a nearby volcano.
The Castle had some interesting owners, among them, Paolo Giordano Orsini, Duke of Bracciano (1542-1576).  He married Isabella Romola de'Medici in 1560, which might have been a mistake because she wasn't very faithful to him.  Legend says that she took a different lover every night and then sent them through a trap door in the corridor, where the lovers perished in a well of lime and blades.  When the Duke fell in love with Vittoria Accoramboni, he accused Isabella of adultery and strangled her.  He then married Vittoria after having her husband killed.  Unfortunately, the Duke's cousin ordered Vittoria killed so no one wins in this legend.  Maybe not a lucky place to get married.

After the tour, we had lunch at a restaurant called Le Papere.  It was a great Italian meal, with antipasto, pasta, fish, salad, desert, and espresso.  delizioso!!

After lunch, we went swimming in the Lake and rented paddle boats (only 2 euros!).
That's all for now, ciao!