I hope you all know how appreciative I am of the nice notes you’ve been leaving about our stay in the south of Italy. It’s been such fun to know so many have traveled here, too, studied Latin and the arts of this region. On Saturday we boarded a train for Naples, and transferred on to Rome. The terrain changed from multi-story homes, closely situated, to rolling hills and individual houses scattered about. Our arrival in Rome became a blur as we drug our luggage from train to subway, and then walked a fair distance across cobblestone streets and up a hill to our next flat. Along the way, we walked past lines of people waiting to enter St Peter’s Basilica as we cut through the Vatican to get to our nearby neighborhood! Our friends, Billy & David, know this city well, and we’re grateful for their guidance & knowledge of this city’s layout and history. For the moment, I’m skipping a photo on our travel day.
Our first full day we set out in the late morning for a walk through St Peter’s Square and along the Tiber River that cuts through the city. Everywhere there are statues, fountains and churches in overwhelming numbers, and my camera and I feasted on them visually! I’m finding this difficult to write, as we walked until evening, through piazzas, churches and the Pantheon. Billy has encyclopedic knowledge of history and brings it to life as we walk through this treasure chest of a city. His stories have always been engaging over the course of a summer’s evening in Lunenburg, but here he personalizes the most ancient buildings and monuments. Even as we walk, he’s telling us what lies just ahead. I should add that David is a well-spring of information also; they both could have been wonderful classroom teachers!
At the end of a richly filled day, we retraced our steps back across the Tiber. Thousands of birds swirled through the dusky sky for a long while before landing to roost, a sight even the locals stop to enjoy. In this picture, my camera is pointed in the direction of the Vatican, just up the street, though this view does not contain the dome of the basilica. I thought you’d enjoy seeing the wonderful weather we’ve been having and the gorgeous evening sky (SOOC even!).
I will try to leave a picture as time allows, though I may have to fill in some of the blanks on a later day. I seem to be taking close to 350 photos each day, and haven’t had time to go through them all. This evening (Wed as I write) I’m giving up the cocktail hour to write. Believe me, I tried to keep this “brief” but still seem to have been quite wordy. To those of you who asked to be “a mouse in my pocket”, I wish you could be along. There’s more than enough here to share with a friend!
I am getting goose bumps reading your words, it is as if I am there....almost. How lucky to have such wonderful tour guides, you are truly blessed, but you already knew that. I nearly died from laughing when I read....'we cut through the Vatican" . You sound like a local and so nonchalant. LOVE IT
Beautiful,what a stunning scene! Sounds like you're packing it in and really making the most of it! It's v strange but the other night I dreamt that I met you and we were chatting about handbags.....!!
Your commentaries are keeping us updated rather nicely Louise. You are definitely covering a lot of area. I can just imagine how beautiful the area must be.
Just magnificent, that sky is beautiful
So good to hear you are having a great time.
Just remember to enjoy your holiday moments as they happen.
We can wait for your photos, but those cocktail hour moments can't :)
We all understand!!!!
We were there in 2008, and it was just like that too :)
What a gorgeous capture! Sure sounds like an amazing time. How wonderful to have friends that bring with them a wealth of knowledge, I can see it adds a lot to the beauty, architecture and culture you are already experiencing!
@cirasj We've got flats rented a week at a time in each place we're visiting. I love the idea of house swapping, but I'm one of those people with a lot of pets that need care, so we leave a house sitter.
What a beautiful shot. The lights are like jewels and the reflections actually add new elements to the composition. It must have been difficult to make a choice from 350 photos but this is a great selection.
wow! what are you going to do with the thousands of pictures you have after your trip??? what a beautiful shot this is with the lights reflected in the water and the streaks across the sky! so amazing!
Louise, thank you so much for your sweet comment!! I am so happy when I see a note from you!! :-) I know exactly the website you are talking about - it's so much fun! My bother elfed himself last Christmas and I still have a vivid image in my mind of the little dance his cartoon character did! :-) You inpired me, so here is a little something to put a smile on your face: http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/j8Uk1ipcI0vruj9E
@slava You and Jeremy are Disco Darlings! Yes, that made me smile! And what fun that you managed to decipher what I was describing to you! It made a delightful holiday card; **Thanks**!!
December 2nd, 2010
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So good to hear you are having a great time.
Just remember to enjoy your holiday moments as they happen.
We can wait for your photos, but those cocktail hour moments can't :)
We all understand!!!!
We were there in 2008, and it was just like that too :)