D1 and D2
Wednesday 14 December 2011
Home again.
We have arrived back home in Melbourne, Australia. This blog has been great fun to write and we thank you for reading it. We may write again, on a future trip, but for now - farewell and happy trails!
D1 and D2
D1 and D2
Thursday 8 December 2011
Arrivederci, Roma
As we prepare to depart Rome tomorrow morning, we offer these final images of one of the great cities of the world, as it prepares for Christmas. Today was a Public Holiday for Immacolata Concezione, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception when churches across Italy unveil their nativity scenes, Rome is festooned with floral wreaths, live music is performed throughout the city and there is much excitement.
Of course, being a Public Holiday so close to the gift-giving season, many Italians headed to the shops, which were all open for trade. The streets were absolutely thronging with people today and the vast majority were carrying crisp shopping bags with new purchases, regardless of Italy's economic woes. The atmosphere today was wonderful. We wandered around, taking one last look at the Fontana di Trevi, Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, via Condotti, the Colosseum, Roman Ruins and just a few more beautiful churches. Late in the afternoon we found ourselves at a cafe in front of the Pantheon, enjoying a cold glass of white wine, cheese platter and bruschetta.
Arrivederci, Roma. Thanks for being eternally wonderful.
D1
Of course, being a Public Holiday so close to the gift-giving season, many Italians headed to the shops, which were all open for trade. The streets were absolutely thronging with people today and the vast majority were carrying crisp shopping bags with new purchases, regardless of Italy's economic woes. The atmosphere today was wonderful. We wandered around, taking one last look at the Fontana di Trevi, Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, via Condotti, the Colosseum, Roman Ruins and just a few more beautiful churches. Late in the afternoon we found ourselves at a cafe in front of the Pantheon, enjoying a cold glass of white wine, cheese platter and bruschetta.
Arrivederci, Roma. Thanks for being eternally wonderful.
D1
House and Garden
A couple of years ago a TV gardening programme at home in Australia featured a segment on the Villa d'Este, a huge villa in Tivoli, about an hour and a half from the centre of Rome. The villa itself was not the focus of the show, rather it was the magnificent multi-level water gardens. Despite not really being a "gardening person" I was fascinated and made a mental note to see them for myself one day. On previous visits to Rome, I didn't have the opportunity to go out to Tivoli (read: I couldn't be bothered travelling on public transport in the middle of summer to see a couple of fountains).
Yesterday, we caught a bus to the train station, then a train to another bus stop, then a bus to the outskirts of Rome, all in the hope that it would be worthwhile and that what I recalled seeing a couple of years ago in a 10-minute TV show segment would be worth seeing in "real life".
I'm a big-picture person, while David is more focused on details. Consequently, I didn't know exactly how to get to Tivoli (David worked it out), where to buy tickets for the various forms of public transport (thank you Google - but more on that in a moment), specifically how long it would take point-to-point, how we would know we had arrived at Villa d'Este, whether we could see Hadrian's Villa on the same trip (not really, no) or how to get back to Rome afterwards (thanks, David).
After the bus ride to Colosseo, to catch the train to Ponte Mammolo, you have to exit the station by going downstairs and then upstairs on the other side, where you will find a pizza shop selling (obviously) bus tickets to Tivoli. You'll thank me one day for this valuable piece of information, when you want to go there yourself. The pizza shop is the key to it all. Google probably won't tell you that. Prego. You're welcome.
We missed the stop for Villa d'Este, but not by tooooo much, and only had to walk back about 500 metres (uphill...). I shouldn't have expected the driver to announce the stop - what was I thinking? Thank goodness I didn't wait any longer to shuffle down to the front of the bus and broach the all-important question of the driver, or we would still be walking back (probably from Florence).
The villa itself is huge and has lovely painted frescoes on the ceilings, but there isn't a stick of furniture in any of the rooms (and there are a LOT of rooms). To be blunt, it was a bit boring. Then we went outside.
It was spectacular. You should go there. These photos only show a few aspects of the gardens, which are very extensive and afford a magnificent view over the countryside beyond the villa.
If the Palace of Versailles near Paris had these gardens, it would be the perfect combination of fabulousness. Perhaps you can't have everything. Oh, wait! Yes, you can. You can have Schloss Belvedere in Vienna.
D1
Yesterday, we caught a bus to the train station, then a train to another bus stop, then a bus to the outskirts of Rome, all in the hope that it would be worthwhile and that what I recalled seeing a couple of years ago in a 10-minute TV show segment would be worth seeing in "real life".
I'm a big-picture person, while David is more focused on details. Consequently, I didn't know exactly how to get to Tivoli (David worked it out), where to buy tickets for the various forms of public transport (thank you Google - but more on that in a moment), specifically how long it would take point-to-point, how we would know we had arrived at Villa d'Este, whether we could see Hadrian's Villa on the same trip (not really, no) or how to get back to Rome afterwards (thanks, David).
After the bus ride to Colosseo, to catch the train to Ponte Mammolo, you have to exit the station by going downstairs and then upstairs on the other side, where you will find a pizza shop selling (obviously) bus tickets to Tivoli. You'll thank me one day for this valuable piece of information, when you want to go there yourself. The pizza shop is the key to it all. Google probably won't tell you that. Prego. You're welcome.
We missed the stop for Villa d'Este, but not by tooooo much, and only had to walk back about 500 metres (uphill...). I shouldn't have expected the driver to announce the stop - what was I thinking? Thank goodness I didn't wait any longer to shuffle down to the front of the bus and broach the all-important question of the driver, or we would still be walking back (probably from Florence).
The villa itself is huge and has lovely painted frescoes on the ceilings, but there isn't a stick of furniture in any of the rooms (and there are a LOT of rooms). To be blunt, it was a bit boring. Then we went outside.
It was spectacular. You should go there. These photos only show a few aspects of the gardens, which are very extensive and afford a magnificent view over the countryside beyond the villa.
If the Palace of Versailles near Paris had these gardens, it would be the perfect combination of fabulousness. Perhaps you can't have everything. Oh, wait! Yes, you can. You can have Schloss Belvedere in Vienna.
D1
Tuesday 6 December 2011
A Visit to the Past
In the mid-1500s, Pope Paul IV decreed that Jewish people living in Rome must be segregated from the rest of the community because of their non-Christian beliefs. A ghetto was to be constructed of four blocks housing 1000 people and surrounded by tall walls and gates which were to be locked at night. Those who lived within the walls were subjected to many cruel laws and regulations governing every aspect of their lives and although some in the community originally welcomed the concept as a means of following their beliefs in a safe environment, the ghetto was built in a seedy area of Rome near a section of the Tiber river which was subject to flooding and soon became severely overcrowded, disease and poverty-ravaged.
A great deal has been written about these terrible times, and this is not the place to dwell on that subject, but I recommend further reading if you are interested (and you should be...).
This morning we walked to the area formerly known as the Jewish ghetto, which still contains many kosher restaurants, a synagogue and shops catering to members of the community wishing to buy religious items. Although it has not been "a ghetto" for a long time, the area still has a distinctly Jewish flavour and there is quite a vigorous community still in residence there.
After coffee, we walked on to the back of what remains of the nearby Teatro di Marcello which in its heyday had been a performance site for song and theatre in Ancient Rome. Built in 13 BC to hold 13,000 spectators, it was a very significant structure, but only a shadow's evidence of this remains today. Amazingly, there are a number of small apartments built on the upper portion of the walls. I couldn't help wondering what the inhabitants of those apartments give as their mailing address.
D1
A great deal has been written about these terrible times, and this is not the place to dwell on that subject, but I recommend further reading if you are interested (and you should be...).
This morning we walked to the area formerly known as the Jewish ghetto, which still contains many kosher restaurants, a synagogue and shops catering to members of the community wishing to buy religious items. Although it has not been "a ghetto" for a long time, the area still has a distinctly Jewish flavour and there is quite a vigorous community still in residence there.
After coffee, we walked on to the back of what remains of the nearby Teatro di Marcello which in its heyday had been a performance site for song and theatre in Ancient Rome. Built in 13 BC to hold 13,000 spectators, it was a very significant structure, but only a shadow's evidence of this remains today. Amazingly, there are a number of small apartments built on the upper portion of the walls. I couldn't help wondering what the inhabitants of those apartments give as their mailing address.
D1
Rome - So Far, So Great
After visiting Rome for the first time in 2009, I recall coming away thinking, "OK, that's Rome off my list of places to see." I genuinely believed that having spent five days here and walked (and walked and walked) around to the main tourist sites, I had seen everything. Last year I came back to Rome (twice, actually, but that's another story for another time), vowing to see other and different sites. Mission accomplished, I left saying, "That's really it, now."
When we planned this trip, we talked about the need to ultimately fly out of either Rome or Milan, as we were travelling with Singapore Airlines and those are the departure points in Italy. I begrudgingly agreed that Rome was the more sensible choice, as we would be in Orvieto for the final month of our trip and could travel to Rome in just over an hour from there. For various practical reasons, we would need to spend five nights here, so we decided to book a nice hotel in a good location, so that we could finish our Italian sojourn on a high note, having fended for ourselves for over two months in apartments (not that there was anything one bit wrong with that).
I made up my mind to give Rome one more chance to surprise me, and so far I have not been disappointed. David and I agree that this visit has overwhelmingly been the best of all.
We chose this dear little hotel called Campo de' Fiore, continuing our pattern of staying close to marketplaces, which is one thing we really do enjoy. The pulse and colour, the sounds and spectacle of Italian markets is one of my favourite things in the whole world. The open air market in the campo is surrounded by delicatessens, cheese shops, pasta and olive oil merchants, as well as butchers, boutiques and restaurants. There is always something happening and it's invariably something interesting to watch. This hotel has the added benefit of a beautifully furnished rooftop garden, which provides a superb day and night vantage point.
We arrived here on Sunday afternoon and headed straight out for a walk to get our bearings. Before we knew it, we were at the magnificent Trevi fountain, marvelling yet again at its glory. One thing I love about the fountain is that unlike so many other grand fountains, monuments, parks and buildings, you come across the Trevi almost accidentally in a back street of Rome - in fact it is at the meeting point of three small back streets (tre vie) - it is not located in a focal point of the city in a wide open space devoted to it, it's just smack-bang in the middle of shops and buildings.
We were very surprised at how many tourists were visiting the site, given that it is (after all) December and the main season is well and truly over by September. I guess some things have year-round appeal; certainly for me, the Trevi has that gobsmacking WOW! factor every time I see it.
Despite my previous visits to Rome, I had never been to St Peter's Basilica or to the Sistine Chapel. In 2009 the queues were so daunting and it was SO hot, that after shuffling along the road to the Sistine, eight-abreast across the footpath, making no progress, I surrendered and decided it was all too much. Although I thought at the time that I might never have another opportunity, I couldn't cope with the combination of the heat and the crowd.
Yesterday we wandered along to St Peter's after breakfast and waited only about 15 minutes to enter the church after going through security (which was the sole reason for the 15 minute wait, as it turned out). It was truly spectacular and photos cannot possibly do it justice, but here's a few, anyway.
After St Peter's, we walked around to the Sistine Chapel. It was quite interesting to note the point at which we had surrendered in 2009 was still about 700 metres from the entrance to the chapel. We hadn't realised that at the time - I had been worried that we might be only minutes away from getting in and that it was foolhardy to quit the queue. Given that it was probably over 30 degrees that day, in retrospect I am SO glad we didn't wait any longer.
At the Sistine we didn't have to wait at all, we just went straight to the ticket office and directly in. It wasn't even necessary to have pre-booked, despite the dire warnings of lots of people we spoke to, who said we should have purchased them online before we left home back in September.
Although we were not allowed to take photos in the Chapel itself, it was OK in the magnificent museum and gallery in which it is located (in fact, the Pope's residence in Vatican City). I could include 10 or 20 photos at this point, but I think the following one of just one section of one hallway says it all.
D1
When we planned this trip, we talked about the need to ultimately fly out of either Rome or Milan, as we were travelling with Singapore Airlines and those are the departure points in Italy. I begrudgingly agreed that Rome was the more sensible choice, as we would be in Orvieto for the final month of our trip and could travel to Rome in just over an hour from there. For various practical reasons, we would need to spend five nights here, so we decided to book a nice hotel in a good location, so that we could finish our Italian sojourn on a high note, having fended for ourselves for over two months in apartments (not that there was anything one bit wrong with that).
I made up my mind to give Rome one more chance to surprise me, and so far I have not been disappointed. David and I agree that this visit has overwhelmingly been the best of all.
We chose this dear little hotel called Campo de' Fiore, continuing our pattern of staying close to marketplaces, which is one thing we really do enjoy. The pulse and colour, the sounds and spectacle of Italian markets is one of my favourite things in the whole world. The open air market in the campo is surrounded by delicatessens, cheese shops, pasta and olive oil merchants, as well as butchers, boutiques and restaurants. There is always something happening and it's invariably something interesting to watch. This hotel has the added benefit of a beautifully furnished rooftop garden, which provides a superb day and night vantage point.
We arrived here on Sunday afternoon and headed straight out for a walk to get our bearings. Before we knew it, we were at the magnificent Trevi fountain, marvelling yet again at its glory. One thing I love about the fountain is that unlike so many other grand fountains, monuments, parks and buildings, you come across the Trevi almost accidentally in a back street of Rome - in fact it is at the meeting point of three small back streets (tre vie) - it is not located in a focal point of the city in a wide open space devoted to it, it's just smack-bang in the middle of shops and buildings.
We were very surprised at how many tourists were visiting the site, given that it is (after all) December and the main season is well and truly over by September. I guess some things have year-round appeal; certainly for me, the Trevi has that gobsmacking WOW! factor every time I see it.
Despite my previous visits to Rome, I had never been to St Peter's Basilica or to the Sistine Chapel. In 2009 the queues were so daunting and it was SO hot, that after shuffling along the road to the Sistine, eight-abreast across the footpath, making no progress, I surrendered and decided it was all too much. Although I thought at the time that I might never have another opportunity, I couldn't cope with the combination of the heat and the crowd.
Yesterday we wandered along to St Peter's after breakfast and waited only about 15 minutes to enter the church after going through security (which was the sole reason for the 15 minute wait, as it turned out). It was truly spectacular and photos cannot possibly do it justice, but here's a few, anyway.
After St Peter's, we walked around to the Sistine Chapel. It was quite interesting to note the point at which we had surrendered in 2009 was still about 700 metres from the entrance to the chapel. We hadn't realised that at the time - I had been worried that we might be only minutes away from getting in and that it was foolhardy to quit the queue. Given that it was probably over 30 degrees that day, in retrospect I am SO glad we didn't wait any longer.
At the Sistine we didn't have to wait at all, we just went straight to the ticket office and directly in. It wasn't even necessary to have pre-booked, despite the dire warnings of lots of people we spoke to, who said we should have purchased them online before we left home back in September.
Although we were not allowed to take photos in the Chapel itself, it was OK in the magnificent museum and gallery in which it is located (in fact, the Pope's residence in Vatican City). I could include 10 or 20 photos at this point, but I think the following one of just one section of one hallway says it all.
D1
Monday 5 December 2011
Saturday 3 December 2011
Bella Musica - Beautiful Music
We have been very fortunate over the past two weeks to attend two free musical concerts in the beautiful Mancinelli Theatre here in Orvieto. The first was a piano recital in a private performance space within the building, where young students aged perhaps 15 - 20 years treated us to the results of their (presumably) hundreds of hours of practice each week. To sit in such ornate surroundings and listen to these highly accomplished young people was an absolute joy.
Last night we attended a completely different concert in the main part of the theatre. A brass band comprising 70 members of the Guardia di Finanza (a branch of the police force) performed on the central stage. The band is very well-known and well-regarded, having been formed in 1926 and played all over the world, from Abu Dhabi and Luxembourg to New York and Belgium, always to great acclaim. For us, it was another wonderful evening in Orvieto.
D1
Last night we attended a completely different concert in the main part of the theatre. A brass band comprising 70 members of the Guardia di Finanza (a branch of the police force) performed on the central stage. The band is very well-known and well-regarded, having been formed in 1926 and played all over the world, from Abu Dhabi and Luxembourg to New York and Belgium, always to great acclaim. For us, it was another wonderful evening in Orvieto.
D1
Friday 2 December 2011
The Kindness of Strangers
I've mentioned in a previous blog that we sometimes frequent a particular bar for elevenses, which is run by a French chap and his girlfriend. When we first went there, the guy told us that there is an Australian lady who comes in all the time, and we will surely meet her one of these days.
With one thing and another, K returned to Perth having made a verbal agreement to buy the apartment and had a piece of paper in hand to show that she had paid a deposit and everything was in train for her to make the move to Orvieto permanently. Months passed, permits were issued, legal papers drawn up, etc etc and K has now lived happily here for about two years. All is swell.
After drinking coffee together and chatting amiably for an hour or so, K very kindly invited us to come to her home for dinner last night, an invitation which we greedily accepted in light of the fact that we were (a) so excited to talk to someone apart from each other, (b) we were so excited to speak English to someone apart from each other, (c) we wanted to see her apartment and of course (d) we are always hungry. K advised us that she had just bought a case of prosecco and had plenty of food, so we knew the pre-requisites were all there.
The apartment was absolutely gorgeous, very modern, bright and airy and with a magnificent view out to the surrounding patchworked Umbrian farmlands. We immediately made her an offer on it and she accepted ... just kidding, we really are coming home to Melbourne in the near future... *sob*
We grilled K on how it all works, this whole "buying property in Italy" thing, which is quite mysterious and interesting; it is also not material for this blog but it did get my heart racing just a little bit.
We dragged ourselves home after a wonderful (huge) meal and rather a lot of alcohol, thinking "Wow!" We are still reeling from the idea that a perfect stranger could so open-heartedly welcome us into her home and share so much with us, presumably never to see us again. I've decided that it's just an Italian thing. That's the way it is, here. People can be just nice, with no ulterior motive.
D1
Orvieto Brass Band
I know this is out of chronological order, but it's taken me until now to get around to uploading this little video to YouTube.
Last Sunday, we were strolling along after our morning coffee stop and could hear the sounds of a brass band playing. Ever intrigued by all things Italian, we headed in the direction of the music, to discover a small crowd gathered in the main piazza, watching a band of musicians, as it started to parade away from the piazza and down the main street towards the Duomo. Naturally, we wanted to be part of the fun, so we followed behind the group.
As the music was finishing, the priest appeared on the steps through the huge main double doors and gently shoo-ed people away from the entrance to the cathedral, so that the band could have unimpeded passage into the church wherein they were soon seated in pride of place at the front of the congregation. Clearly, they were the guests of honour. We don't know the significance of the particular occasion but we were pleased that we had been witness to it.
D1
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