A Walk Through the Heart of Rome,13 July 17

After a nice breakfast,  included in the price of the room,  we caught the #8 tram, which took us across the Tiber to Cairoli.  A ten minute stroll opened up onto Campo dei Fiori, the main vegetable and flower market of Rome. We wished we could have bought some of the fresh fruits and vegetables and cooked a Roman meal that night; but, alas, we were in a hotel.  So, we just admired the vast selection that included many varieties not available to us in the USA: multicolored cherry tomatoes of every size and shape imaginable, treviso, the elongated variety of radicchio that resembles romaine, only a deep red color, fava beans, all types of eggplant, striped, white, green, and, of course, purple, fennel, a profusion of fruit, and an international array of spices, truffle paste, white and black with a hefty price tag, dried porcini mushrooms, and fresh flowers.

Piazza Navona

Four Rivers Fountain and St Agnes Church

Pantheon

Interior Pantheon

Trevi Fountain

Tearing ourselves away, a short walk took us to Piazza Navona, the huge oval shaped piazza that, in ancient Rome, was a velodrome and retains that same shape.  At this hour of the morning, the hordes of tourists had not arrived, and we were treated to the rare sight of this beautiful piazza with very few people.  The most striking features of Piazza Navona are the wonderful fountains from the Baroque period, the Fontana del Moro, the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, which depicts the four major rivers of the world with allegorical sculptures and is topped by an ancient Egyptian obelisk; and, finally, the Fontana de Nettuno, the God of the sea.  We looked inside the church of Sant' Agnese in Agone (Saint Agnes in Agony) with it's impressive dome and monumental paintings and sculptures of many saints of the Catholic Church.

Next stop:  The Pantheon, one of the best preserved buildings of Ancient Rome.  The first glimpse of it, looking down a narrow street, takes the breath away. Entering the Piazza della Rotunda, it astounds with it's monumentality.  The mood was enhanced by a cellist performing in the middle of the piazza.  The sun lit the building at just the right angle to bring out the textures of the walls and the architectural details.  Inside, the oculus sent a shaft of brilliant sunlight against the circular walls.

As we approached the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain) you could feel the growing surge of people and hear the loudening murmur of human voices.  The Fountain had been meticulously cleaned since the last time Eugenia and I had seen it, now a creamy buff color with rushing, transparent water, like a swimming pool. We observed Italian soldiers armed with machine guns at all of these sites;comforting, but at the same time, sinister; because it conjured up visions of terrorist attacks.  The oppressive crowds diminished the experience here, and we were grateful to have seen the other sites without their presence.

We took a break for lunch on the way to Scala Spagna (Spanish Steps) at a snack bar that had some air conditioning, because the heat was really building.  The waiter was a hapless Indian fellow, and no matter what he did, the owners of the cafe didn't like it, and gave him hell.The cool water and beer were most welcome; however, the sandwiches, one a shrimp salad between two large, triangular pieces of bread and a sun dried tomato/mozzarella/arugula panini, were a shade below mediocre, especially the so called shrimp sandwich, which upon opening, had a bead of tiny shrimp along the open edge, and the rest was just chopped lettuce.  This was the first scam that we were aware of, and Nora, rightfully so, demanded and got a refund. What can one expect when you pick the restaurant out of a hat in the tourist zone epicenter?

Next was the Spanish Steps, which are nice, but, in my opinion, don't deserve the adulation they get. Roma passes in hand, we descended into the Metropolitane on our way to the Piazza della Republica.  The first train was packed, and we couldn't get on; but it was OK; because pickpockets lurk on the trains, and it's easy for them to rifle through your pockets when you are pressed cheek to jowl.  (Years ago a thief got $300 from Eugenia riding this very same stretch of track.


As we emerged from the Metro into the bright sunlight, we could see the Baths of Diocletian on the opposite side of the busy Piazza della Republica.  Our objective was to visit Santa Maria degli Angeli (Holy Mary of the Angels) Basilica, which was designed by Michelangelo and built within one of the vast chambers of the Baths.  

Spanish  Steps

Sundial

Bronze Door

The plain, brick facade is decorated in an understated fashion with 21th century bronze doors and sculptures emerging from the ancient walls by Polish artist, Igor Mitoraj.  A hush envelops you as you enter, and you suppress a gasp at the grand scale of the Basilica, not to mention the lavish Baroque decoration.  A striking bronze, contemporary sculpture, Angelo della Luce (Angel of Light) greets you with an outstretched hand that seems welcoming at first, but could also be a warning or admonition.  An interesting feature is the linear sundial embedded in the marble floor which stretches at an angle across the entire width of the Basilica.

Now, worn down by the heat, humidity and walking, we trudge toward the Stazione Termini to catch a bus back to Trastevere and out hotel.  The lurching ride through the business center of Rome is bone bruising, and it seems as if the whole bus could shake apart. The faces on the bus seem like a cross section of the entire human race.

A nap and refreshing shower does wonders,and the temperature is pleasant as we walk to this evening's restaurant, Spirito di Vino, for dinner.