Rome - Day 2
This day. This day we walked. This day we walked everywhere! I can't believe how much we walked, I wish that I could calculate the miles we ate up, because they were a lot. But I'm glad, walking is one of the best ways to see a city. We started out with a cappuccino near Piazza del Popolo. The Piazza was the first glimpse of Rome that people would see when heading into the city.
Next we headed into a beautiful park with many museums and benches to rest. We went to the modern art museum where we saw some famous art pieces, but I have to tell you, modern art isn't my favorite. Most of it I don't understand, and some I feel like I could do on my own. Inside this park is the Galleria Borghese, a wonderful gallery that was started by a great art lover, Cardinal Scipione Borghese. The gallery itself was used as a party villa, and it is incredible. There are many great pieces of art here and it was a joy to see them all.
After walking through the park we decided to keep walking, where we would go, we weren't quite sure. But that was part of the fun. We stopped in a local bookstore and I perused a copy of Rick Steve's Italy guide. He mentioned that one of his favorite places to eat was near Campo de' Fiori, so I thought what a great idea to head over that way and find some dinner. By the time we got over there I was so tired and hungry, which equals a cranky Emily. Alas, we did not find a place to eat there, for some reason. I should have looked at the actual restaurant recommendations, perhaps that would have helped to make up my mind.
We continued our trek over to the Circo Massimo. This is a large track where chariot racing used to take place. The track could hold 12 chariots, and over 1/4 of Rome's inhabitants would come to watch. Chariot racing was extremely dangerous, with the contestants racing at outrageous speeds. Often there were spectacular crashes as a result, and deaths of one or more of the competitors. Now the track is used by joggers, and people walking their dogs. In summer there are often outdoor concerts here. My, how times have changed.
Up the street from the Circus Maximus is the Colosseum. We were there in time to watch as dusk turned to night. As we were walking through the area we must have seen at least 6 brides and grooms. I would imagine being a wedding photographer in Rome would be a bit repetitive and not too fun. I'm sure that most people want their pictures taken at the same places. When I think about the history of these ancient ruins, such as the Colosseum, romance and love is certainly not the first thing that pops into my mind. But I suppose that after a few hundred years the original purpose of these places is repressed.
By this time I was not a very happy camper. Patrick was taking photos every ten feet and I was having a hard time being patient. I really tried my best over the course of the weekend to remember that Patrick was seeing everything for the first time. I think that most of the time I'm a pretty good sport, but not when I've been walking for nearly 9 hours and my last meal was an insubstantial panino. When I'm tired, I get cranky. When I'm hungry, I get cranky. When I'm both? Watch out world!
As luck would have it we decided to explore the area above the Colosseum metro, and we found a great little restaurant. It had a wonderful view of the Colosseum, and food wasn't too bad either. After dinner Patrick treated me to a chocolate rainbow sprinkle cone with delicious gelato. We headed back to our hotel and fell into a coma until the next morning.
Next we headed into a beautiful park with many museums and benches to rest. We went to the modern art museum where we saw some famous art pieces, but I have to tell you, modern art isn't my favorite. Most of it I don't understand, and some I feel like I could do on my own. Inside this park is the Galleria Borghese, a wonderful gallery that was started by a great art lover, Cardinal Scipione Borghese. The gallery itself was used as a party villa, and it is incredible. There are many great pieces of art here and it was a joy to see them all.
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| Galleria Borghese |
After walking through the park we decided to keep walking, where we would go, we weren't quite sure. But that was part of the fun. We stopped in a local bookstore and I perused a copy of Rick Steve's Italy guide. He mentioned that one of his favorite places to eat was near Campo de' Fiori, so I thought what a great idea to head over that way and find some dinner. By the time we got over there I was so tired and hungry, which equals a cranky Emily. Alas, we did not find a place to eat there, for some reason. I should have looked at the actual restaurant recommendations, perhaps that would have helped to make up my mind.
We continued our trek over to the Circo Massimo. This is a large track where chariot racing used to take place. The track could hold 12 chariots, and over 1/4 of Rome's inhabitants would come to watch. Chariot racing was extremely dangerous, with the contestants racing at outrageous speeds. Often there were spectacular crashes as a result, and deaths of one or more of the competitors. Now the track is used by joggers, and people walking their dogs. In summer there are often outdoor concerts here. My, how times have changed.
Up the street from the Circus Maximus is the Colosseum. We were there in time to watch as dusk turned to night. As we were walking through the area we must have seen at least 6 brides and grooms. I would imagine being a wedding photographer in Rome would be a bit repetitive and not too fun. I'm sure that most people want their pictures taken at the same places. When I think about the history of these ancient ruins, such as the Colosseum, romance and love is certainly not the first thing that pops into my mind. But I suppose that after a few hundred years the original purpose of these places is repressed.
By this time I was not a very happy camper. Patrick was taking photos every ten feet and I was having a hard time being patient. I really tried my best over the course of the weekend to remember that Patrick was seeing everything for the first time. I think that most of the time I'm a pretty good sport, but not when I've been walking for nearly 9 hours and my last meal was an insubstantial panino. When I'm tired, I get cranky. When I'm hungry, I get cranky. When I'm both? Watch out world!
As luck would have it we decided to explore the area above the Colosseum metro, and we found a great little restaurant. It had a wonderful view of the Colosseum, and food wasn't too bad either. After dinner Patrick treated me to a chocolate rainbow sprinkle cone with delicious gelato. We headed back to our hotel and fell into a coma until the next morning.
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