The second day in Rome, I was on my own. I got up early, and headed out for a long walk across town. I wanted to focus on art and nature; I was especially interested in locating paintings by Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi.As I walked across fiume Tevere (Tiber River), I saw this view.
It was about 9 a.m., and I had the streets of Rome to myself. I bought the yummiest pastries at a just-opened pasticceria and had the best cappuccino al banco. (The Italian custom of standing at an often-marble-topped bar while you drink espresso.) Below, I caught a shot of a woman preparing roses for market.
In the French section of the city, I located Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi, home to three Caravaggio paintings of Saint Matthew. Then I walked to Piazza del Popolo, to see an exhibit of Carvaggio paintings, only to find it had closed the day before. Argh! Here's a poster of what I missed.
Here's a view of Piazza del Popolo from Pincio Gardens.
Then I walked through Pincio Gardens to Galleria Borghese, but since I hadn't made a reservation, was told I'd have to wait three hours to get in. Argh! Instead, I spent an hour or so enjoying Pincio Gardens, one of my most favorite spots in Rome. This place is HUGE, and the trees are phenomenal. This turned out to be my art gallery for the day. I'll come back for more of Caravaggio another time. As for Artemisia, you'll hear more about her in my next entry on Florence.
I walked down the Spanish steps, back to Piazza Navona, and around to the Trevi Fountain. This fountain also has a legend attached to it. As the story goes, if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain, it assures your return to Rome. The place was so crowded, and I already KNOW I'll be going back, so I didn't indulge in the ritual. But here's what it looks like.
I spent about six hours walking from one end of Rome to the other before heading back to Termini to catch the Eurostar back to Firenze. Like Florence, Rome is a city I want to return to again and again and again...there's so much to see, it could take the rest of my life.
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