WEEK 6

After a big weekend of walking, eating, drinking, sightseeing etc in Rome, we were both knackered on Monday and Tuesday, so we didn't get a whole lot done.  The weather was pretty average, so we were quite content to lounge around reading our books, watching a bit of tv on the laptop and a few games of scrabble.

Wednesday the sun finally came out, so we decided to climb the 414 steps (85 metres) of the bell tower which rises to the right of the Duomo. It was designed by Giotto di Bondone in 1333, but he died in 1337 and so the remaining levels had to be completed by others.  

The staircase to the top was very steep and so narrow that really only one person could go up or down one level at a time, but this hassle was worth it once we got to the top as we had amazing views over every corner of Florence and to the surrounding hills.

Thursday after Anna finished school, we set off for Piazza della S.S. Annunziata which is a large square flanked on every side by large buildings of significant importance.  We chose to tour the 'Spedale degli Innocenti' which was the first orphanage in Europe.  The building was designed by Filipo Brunelleschi who also designed the gigantic Dome atop the Duomo.  At the end of the outside loggia, was the original revolving door where babies were anonymously left to be cared for by the orphanage.  This system was in place until 1875 when the 'Hospital of the Innocents' was shut down.

That night we went out with Natalia and Kiki (Anna's school friends, from Colombia and Greece) to Kitsch which has become our number one place for aperitivo - 8.5 euro for cocktails and all you can eat food, can't beat that!!

ROMA

We got the slow train to Rome because it saved us about 100 euros.  So after 3.5 hours, we arrived at Roma Termini and a then a short 10 minute walk and we were at our hostel.  It wasn't a bad place, great location and really nice staff, but the bathrooms were horrible.

We quickly got changed and set out on foot to see a few sights before the sun went down. First stop, the Trevi Fountain!  Although we had both been here before, how could you not go back!  It's such a great spot, even with all the tourists around.  We spent about half an hour there and even snuck in a cheeky beer.

Anna being harassed by guys trying to take your photo

Then it was off to the Pantheon.  I had never seen it before, so I was mighty impressed by the size of it.  Unfortunately it was too late for us to go in, which was upsetting because supposedly the dome is over 2,000 years old and still the worlds largest unreinforced concrete dome, so it would have been interesting to see.

A little bit more walking around (including Anna wanting to walk past a Chinese restaurant that her and Edwina frequented on her last visit) and then we came to Piazza Navona.  It is a huge area in the shape of an athletics track - funnily enough it was originally called the 'Stadium of Dormitian' and the site of Rome's first permanent venue for competitive athletics.  It also includes the famous 'Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi' (the fountain of the four rivers) and was erected in 1651, well before the Trevi Fountain in 1762.

I had been told about a restaurant called 'Da Francesco' that was known to have great pasta dishes and Rome's best carbonara - we weren't let down!

We then went to a cafe that lonely planet had mentioned because of it's 'world renowned tartufo artigianale' (black truffle), which was basically a huge scoop of choc chip ice-cream with an even bigger dollop of whipped cream on top.  It was actually a bit of a let down, although it looked pretty good.
We then walked on further to another square called Campo de' Fiori for some cocktails before calling it a night.

The next morning we were up reasonably early by Anna's watch as we had a big day ahead of us.  We walked up to Piazza Della Repubblica, had a look around and then hopped on the train to head for the Spanish Steps.  It was a much prettier sight that we can remember from being there last time with all of the pink flowers etc. everywhere, it was great.  We would have stayed there longer, but we had much more to see!

We then went down Via dei Condotti, which is Rome's most glamorous shopping strip and has all the major fashion labels, including the Bvlgari flagship store which was opened in 1905.  We stopped and had coffee at "Caffe Greco" which we later found out was first opened in 1760, meaning it was open for business before Australia was even found!

Piazza Del Popolo was our next stop.  It was an area almost as big as St. Peters Square and was known as the 'peoples square' where public executions were held for hundreds of years.  We then got a train back to the Collosseum as we had a tour starting at 1:30.

We decided to lash out and spend 80 euro each on a tour that had just 6 people in it and lasted 3.5 hours, taking us through the Colloseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum.  It's draw card was that it was one of only two tour companies allowed both underground and on the top level of the Colloseum.

Our tour guide Yovita from poland was really really nice and really informative, we learnt heaps of interesting stuff, much more than we would have just walking around ourselves like we did last time we were in Rome.

holes in the ground which were used to hoist the animals up onto the Colloseum floor

We absolutely love the Colloseum. I especially get so pumped whenever I am there, and I can't help but yell "my name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the armies of the north, general of the felix lions, loyal servant to the true emperor Marcus Aurelius.......father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife.......and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next" - Love it!!!

We also learnt that in the year AD 64, a fire destroyed the entire area in which the Colloseum and Roman Forum stands today and it was believed that Emperor Nero started this fire.  He went on to build the "Domus Aurea" on the site, including a huge lake right where the Colloseum is now.  Public backlash saw him commit suicide and the new Emperor Vespasian had the whole thing demolished in AD 70 and then from AD 72-80 the Colloseum was built.

Palatine Hill was also interesting to learn about the Emperor and his palace.

standing on the Emperors throne!

Roman Forum

By the time the tour was finished, we were stuffed and my foot was giving me a lot of trouble, but we still had to get home! We walked past the Piazza Venezia which includes the huge national monument to Victor Emmanuel II, the first King of a unified Italy. 

After a few hours rest, we were super excited about dinner.  Lonely Planet had provided us with a few suggestions and it ended up probably being the best night of food we have had so far!

bottle of chianti classico

a huge plate of pasta and lobster to share - the waiter thought I was crazy when I asked for parmesan cheese???

We still had desert to come at another restaurant, but needed to get some fresh air and let our stomach's settle, so we waddled around for a while, stopped to watch some local break dancers strut their stuff and popped into a bar for a shot.

Desert time......what I had been waiting for all weekend, a nutella and ricotta filled calzone.  OMG it was the greatest thing I have ever eaten, and yes I pretty much ate the whole thing to myself, save a few mouthfuls for Anna.

Sunday morning I kindly let Anna sleep in whilst I listened to yet another dismal Dees performance through the internet.  We then showered in showers that were also from the 1st or 2nd century and then hit the road.  It was some sort of special federation day for Rome, so we went to 'Circo Massimo' to watch hundreds of weirdos in ancient costumes do their thing and then went to the 'Bocca Della Verita' (mouth of truth) where you stick your hand in to the mouth of this odd-looking thing and the story goes that if you tell a lie, it will bite your hand off.  Luckily we both have our hands still in tact!

We then headed off to one of the local flea markets, which was a complete waste of time and then hopped on the train bound for St. Peters Square and the Vatican.  We both decided that as we had previously been to the Vatican museum, it wasn't worth the effort this time, so we had some lunch, and walked around the square for a while.  I was really keen to see St. Peter's Cathedral as I didn't get to go last time, but the line was so long and we just couldn't be bothered trying to push in.

We then just had enough time to catch the train back over to the other side of Rome to 'Palazzo del Freddo', an ice-cream shop that was opened in 1880 by a guy called Giovanni Fassi.  It was well worth the trip!

We were then back to the hostel to gather our belongings and make the journey back to Florence, but not before a some retail therapy along the way!