Considering the heat and the fact that we have done nearly everything here already, I was fully prepared to spend the the day visiting the pool and hanging out in or near the hotel. But Barbie awoke with some energy, and when we learned that it was in the mid-90's and not over 100 degrees, we quickly decided to go out and about. For anyone who has grown up in Southern California, you know full well that the difference of 5 degrees can make or break a day.
I have once again decided to spare you a picture of my breakfast. Suffice to say that I will miss having melon, pineapple, and pears freshly sliced for me every morning when we return home. In a month. A month until we get home. The length of Barbie's European touring has once again washed over me. Unconsciously I hardly expect to ever not be in a hotel again.
Even every inch inside the dome has decoration. It is beautiful. Like I said, I have come to no longer think of the Baroque as a cheap woman trying too hard. I see it as a lovely woman trying too hard, but in a way that does not quite ruin her beauty.
After a long walk through Rome, on our feet for nearly four hours, we rest with a dip in the pool. Barbie smiled and waved for this one. Note the tan lines on the feet. They get ridiculous every summer, and I swear to you that even in January you can their trace.
Now it is time for dessert. Il dolci. You saw the chocolate bar already. You know how crazy this is going to get. And honestly, I am extremely proud of my dessert. It was delicious and beautiful. However, first I shall show you the dessert plates of others.
My dessert. A single apricot, sliced thinly and drizzled with dark chocolate, with a raspberry dipped in white chocolate in the center for style.
And that is how the day ended.
After breakfast in the hotel, we set the agenda for the day. This included googling. And when I saw my google home page on the netbook in my lap, I thought that the Wasters deserved to see it. The Parmiggiano Reggiano will forever be there for me when it is the internet I have to search. Though in my mind I say, "Searcha."
We are simply plugging holes in our Roma ship this year. One of the few places we have never gone inside is Castel Sant'Angelo. And an old friend of Barbie's who once livd in Rome recommended his favorite church, Sant'Antonio dei Portoghese. They are near each other, and not too far to walk. The day's modest agenda is set.
Our path took us down the Spanish Steps. Based on the direction of the sun, the pic from the top looked terrible. From the bottom it looks beautiful as always, with the Trinita dei Monti at the top. (With obelisk!) On a normal day these steps are covered with people sitting to eat, read, and simply relax. If you take a close look, perhaps even open it full size in a new window, you will see that all along the right of the steps one finds the usual crowd, only today they are crowded into the shade.
I often find street shots irresistible, and this is no exception. Barbie did some shopping with her eyes along this street, Via Frattina.
Our walk to the Portuguese church brought us by Basilica di San Lorenzo in Lucina. A church has stood in this spot since ancient times. In fact, Pope Damasus I was elected here in 366 AD, over a millennium before St. Peter's Basilica was erected. But this current facade is fairly new, as it dates from 1112 AD, a mere 900 years old.
Inside, you can see it was redone during the Baroque era. I used to dislike the Baroque, finding it to be a bit over the top. Now I accept its beauty, even if it is not my favorite style.
We walked by the Portuguese church, but it is not open until 3 PM. Not a problem. There is much we can do until then.
A stroll over to the Tiber, or Tevere in Italian, with good old St. Peter's in the background. I know I bore you with this language stuff, but I really do prefer the name Tevere to Tiber, especially because the neighborhood where we love to eat is Trastevere; literally, "Across the Tevere."
As always, we can blame the British for taking words in other languages and transliterating them poorly. The planet is still recovering from the days of the British Empire, but with Peking returning to its more native Beijing and Bombay regaining the name Mumbai, progress is being made. I cannot imagine the British coming in and naming Los Angeles something like Thangoless. As a native my thought would be, "Flip you, colonial power."
On our way to Catel Sant'Angelo, we pass Palazzo di Glustizia, Italia's supreme court. In the USA, our Supreme Court building is classical Greek in style. Erected between 1888 and 1911, after Italian unification, I like that the Italians went after a more modern feel.
There she is, the goal of the day, Castel Sant'Angelo.
Completed in 134 AD by Emperor Hadrian -- yes, the man who built the wall in not-too-nearyby England -- the Ponte Sant'Angelo is Rome's most ancient bridge. The ten angles that line the bridge make it one of the most beautiful in Rome. And it does not hurt to have that uniquely colossal cylinder at its end.
This building was intended to be Hadrian's tomb, where his ashes and consequently the ashes of other Emperors of Rome would be stored. However, the Popes converted it into a fortress as Rome was falling, and when Rome was sacked by Visigoths and Goths the tombs were looted to near emptiness. For the record, the Goths and Visigoths were the native people of Germania, and Rome kind of started it.
Once the Popes were powerful enough, they used this Castel Sant'Angelo as a fortress and fortified it greatly, installing a luxury filled Papal apartment here and even creating an underground passage from St. Peter's to here in case of invasion.
It took us until our third visit to Roma to enter this building. I love that there is a long, circular ramp inside, instead of stairs. (Though there are stairs elsewhere within the building.) And believe me, there is no need for air conditioning when you are deep inside a stone fortress. It was as cool as can be in there.
Nearly to the top, we stop to take pictures of St. Peter's again. We have no intention of going inside the Vatican this trip, but that gigantic dome calls out to be photographed every time you see it.
On the terrazzo at the top of Sant'Angelo,
The Ponte Sant'Angelo from above.
The Archangel Michael atop the Castel Sant'Angelo. Legends say that the Archangel Michael appeared sheathing his sword atop the fortress to signify the end of the plague of 590 AD. This is where this fortress gets its name, Castle of the Holy Angel. Personally, I find it fascinating that there was a time that Westerners imagined their angels as mighty, winged warriors with swords. The angels of today are terribly tranquil and ethereal, as far as I hear from those who see/sense/feel them. I suppose the angels appear to us as society wishes.
In 1536 a marble statue very much like this one, sculpted by Michelangelo's pupil Raffaelo da Montelupo, was placed here. In 1753 it was replaced by this bronze by Verschafelt and the original marble was brought inside to protect it from the elements. We, um, did not get around to seeing the original.
A panorama from atop Castel Sant'Angelo. Useless unless you open it in a new window and zoom in. Even more useless if you view this on Facebook. Here is a link to make this easier.
The dome of the Pantheon, my favorite building in Roma that does not rhyme with Call The Sea Hymn.
It was lovely being atop the Castel Sant'Angelo; we can mark this off the list of things we have not done in Roma. And the guy up there from China wearing a Kobe Bryant t-shirt made me feel like there is truly just one world.
It was lovely being atop the Castel Sant'Angelo; we can mark this off the list of things we have not done in Roma. And the guy up there from China wearing a Kobe Bryant t-shirt made me feel like there is truly just one world.
A quick lunch aside the Fiume Tevere.
We returned to the Sant'Antiono Dei Portoghesi, and she was open for visits.
Talk about Baroque. Not one square inch is undecorated.
The organ here is quite elaborate, and a performance schedule is posted. Had we been there for one, I would have had just cause to shoot video for the audio.
Strolling back to the hotel, we came across this scene. People lining up for desserts. Barbie senses gelato, and goes inside.
A mob. A mob of people wanting sweets. They are so mobbed here that you pay by the door, then take your receipt to the men who scoop the gelato or reach inside the pastry case.
This nonchalant-almost-rude gelato-man does not even look at Barbie as he hands her the piccolo cup of gelato.
I am shocked. We ate the gelato, which was excellent, and took no pictures of it.
I am shocked. We ate the gelato, which was excellent, and took no pictures of it.
Palazzo Chigi, where the Prime Minister of Italy lives. I suppose that the Egyptian obelisk is a reminder of the time when the leader of this land had a bit more territory to consider.
Our walk home brought us by the Palazzo Colonna, one of our favorite spots in Roma. The Column of Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome, has stood in this spot since 193 AD.
After a long walk through Rome, on our feet for nearly four hours, we rest with a dip in the pool. Barbie smiled and waved for this one. Note the tan lines on the feet. They get ridiculous every summer, and I swear to you that even in January you can their trace.
Benedetta chose for us to meet at B-Said for dinner, in San Lorenzo near the university. We trust her implicitly. And, when we looked up the address, we learned that this restaurant is located in a former chocolate factory. Prepare your eyes, foodies.
The decor in B-Said is simply wonderful. Everywhere there are the tools of chocolate making.
And here you see a chocolate bar, where this man, who I shall call a chocolate sommelier regardless of the inaccuracy and impossibility of the term, prepares your dessert by your request with the freshest of ingredients.
Barbie and Brooke awaiting our dinner companions. We are, as always, first and waiting.
My first course. Strozzapreti B-Said. Everything on the menu with the words, "B-Said," are house specialties which feature chocolate. So what you have here is a thick, hand rolled pasta in a light cream sauce adorned with bits of melted dark chocolate. Deal with the envy. I have to deal with not getting to eat this again, unless I come back here, which I will as often as feasible.
By the way, strozzapreti is a special pasta with a special name. Priest choker. There are a few explanations for this name and none can be called definitive. Here is my favorite; the priests were essentially the noblemen of the middle ages, and as such would be treated to dinner when visiting the homes of commoners. It is thought that the man of the house, insulted by the priest's behavior, would hope that the priest would choke on the pasta. Therefore, priest choker.
By the way, strozzapreti is a special pasta with a special name. Priest choker. There are a few explanations for this name and none can be called definitive. Here is my favorite; the priests were essentially the noblemen of the middle ages, and as such would be treated to dinner when visiting the homes of commoners. It is thought that the man of the house, insulted by the priest's behavior, would hope that the priest would choke on the pasta. Therefore, priest choker.
Barbie started with the eggplant and fish.
Barbie's entree, filet mignon.
My entree -- this is not a joke -- seared tuna with dark chocolate sauce. See the shot glass on my plate? That is dark chocolate syrup.
I cannot tell you how good these flavors tasted together. Looking at this later, I am desperate to eat it again.
The kitchen at B-Said. The Italians pronounce Said, "Sai-eed." Bernadetta explained that calling the restaurant B-Said is a play on words, recalling the days when a 45 rpm single would have a b-side. Of course, nobody under 30 would understand this.
Now it is time for dessert. Il dolci. You saw the chocolate bar already. You know how crazy this is going to get. And honestly, I am extremely proud of my dessert. It was delicious and beautiful. However, first I shall show you the dessert plates of others.
This is Brooke's dessert selection.
This is Lon's dessert selection.
My dessert. A single apricot, sliced thinly and drizzled with dark chocolate, with a raspberry dipped in white chocolate in the center for style.
And that is how the day ended.
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