Well the time has come for me to say addio a Roma ... I can't believe that I have been in this glorious city for six weeks already - and I haven't seen all the sights - there are still several museums, gardens, palaces etc to visit - plus I had planned to visit Pompeii whilst here - but that never eventuated ... all this means that I shall have to return another day ...
Rome's history spans more than two and a half thousand years - that's most likely why it is called the "Eternal City" ... and I think in these short few weeks I have probably walked two and a half thousand kilometers exploring a small portion of that history ...
This is the most "photogenic" city I have visited during my 12 month wander and I hope my images have done it due justice ... there is much that I have seen here but have not blogged about, so here are a few farewell impressions ...
Pope's Wednesday public audience ...
that's Himself - the tiny white dot on the steps of Saint Peters ...
First and foremost - what hit me on arriving here were the huge crowds ... Greater Rome has a population of over 3million, add to that thousands of tourists and you'll get an idea of the people-crush and traffic chaos - particularly around the more popular sites / sights ...
Sit-in on the Spanish Steps ...
Trinita dei Monto wrapped in scaffold ...
there's that group following me again ...
lazy tourists ...
Not the most comfortable way to see the sights when
the temperatures get up to 33 degrees in the shade ...
Not the most comfortable way to see the sights when
the temperatures get up to 33 degrees in the shade ...
My most favourite vehicle ever ...
I wish I could fold one up and put it in my suitcase for back home ...
- and the "M" stands for Metro, not that fast food mob ...
... and on a Sunday when everyone is at home,
this is what a street in my neighbourhood looks like ...
One of the best facilities provided by the city council in this hot dry metropolis are the water fountains found on just about every street - constantly running with icy cold fresh water ... wonderful to quench the thirst, wash your hands and refill the waterbottle ...
In the Vatican - but don't think it was especially holy ...
my local watering trough ...
And a constant source of enjoyment for me was to idly wander the hundreds of paved laneways that zig-zagged their way throughout the city. More often than not discovering a deserted church to explore or a quiet cafe to enjoy a peaceful lunch or a cute antique shop to swoon in - all far away from the crowds ...
A "green" hotel ...
I think I could happily live in this palace - over-looking the Tiber ...
Beautiful Oleanders in full bloom everywhere ...
the intoxicating scent reminding me of growing up in the Australian bush
where every homestead garden had at least a couple of these trees ...
Then I found the Quartiere Coppede - an amazing cluster of Art Deco architecture - named after the architect who designed the buildings - which I stumbled on when trying to find an antique flea market ( never did find it ... ) ...
The Aurelian Walls - a series of fortifications built around the Seven Hills as a defensive barrier against the barbarians in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD - sections are still visible in many locations around the city ...
The Pyramid of Cestius
built around 12 BC as a tomb for Gaius Cestius ...
and now undergoing restoration ...
The Palace of Justice - ( Supreme Courts )
and the Ponte Umberto I over the Tiber River
Throughout Rome - on just about every street and certainly outside every popular venue - are the street vendors - Asians selling cheap clothing from China - black Africans selling everything from sunglasses ( when it is sunny ) to umbrellas ( when it is raining ) to fake designer-label handbags ( when the police aren't around ) ... and of course pontiff souvenirs by the bucket full everywhere ...
My favourite flea market at Trastervere ...
rows and rows of cheap clothes and foot wear and all sorts of bling -
and also dozens of great antique stalls - and lots of people ...
Souvenirs along the Tiber ...
Original artworks ... well, kinda original ... !!! ...
better quality than the vendors in the other Italian cities I visited ...
Wonderful panorama from atop the hill behind my apartment ...
Altar to the Fatherland in the centre ...
Piazza del Popolo
Dome of Saint Peter's in the background ...
interesting graffiti ...
maybe Capitoline She-wolf without the twins ( see previous blog ) ...
maybe Capitoline She-wolf without the twins ( see previous blog ) ...
And speaking of art - this is a city overflowing with stunning artworks everywhere you look ...
including the magnificent statues on the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II ( 1911 ) ... made of travertino marble and symbolizing “The Unification of Italy”, “Freedom”, “Oppression Conquered” and “Loyalty to the State”. ...
And then of course there is the Tiber River ( Tevere in Italian ... ) rising in the Apennine Mountains in the north east and flowing 400 kms through Rome and out to sea at Fiumicino 25 kms to the west ... I counted 13 bridges over the River - some ancient and glorious - others, more recent and rather ordinary ...
Rome boasts over 2000 fountains ( only 900 churches ... ) ... I can't say that I saw them all, but those I did enjoy were quite special ...
Fontana del Moro
1870s copies of the original Bernini statues
Bernini's fountain under the Agonale Obelisk
Fontana della Dea di Roma
the famous Trevi Fountain
bone dry and covered in scaffolding ...
so I couldn't make my wish to return to Rome ...
The Romans seemed to have had a lust for stealing obelisks from conquered Egypt - in fact there are eight such monuments taken from the lands of the Pharoahs and re-errected throughout Rome - here are just two ...
Saint Peter's Square ... originally from Alexandria
Piazza del Popolo
originally from Heliopolis
Piazza Navono
manufactured in Egypt as commissioned by Domitian
manufactured in Egypt as commissioned by Domitian
and placed atop the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
by Bernini in 1650 ...
Trajan's Column - 113AD
built to commemorate Emporer Trajan's war victories ...
There are 56 registered museums in Rome all of which contain vast quantities of priceless treasures - wonderful treasures - I can't imagine that I have visited more than a dozen of those in my six weeks here - so I will definitely have to return to Rome to see the rest ... !!! ...
In the meantime excavations / restorations continue in and around the greater city and new discoveries are constantly made as modern Rome grows ...
But now it is time for this wanderer to pack his bags, run the broom around my apartment, take one last look out the window at my stunning dusk view of Saint Peters - and after a final kip, head out to the airport to be whisked off to my next destination on this ever-shrinking planet ...
Take me away big bird ...
Stay tuned
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