Tuesday & Wednesday,  1 & 2 January 2012

The New Years Eve party girls slept a little late on the first day of the year.  We did meet up in the Piazza di Spagna at noon for a concert performance given by an orchestra that will forever remain nameless.  I had been out taking some photos and saw the members assembling and sent a message to the girls that if they were interested the music started at noon.   Quite a crowd had gathered and they were definitely in a good mood as they clapped along with the beat on a number of selections.  After about 40 minutes we continued to the south out of the piazza just as a female soloist joined in and we were serenaded by an aria as we walked away.  As if it were not going to be hard enough to leave Rome this little unique bit of charm was not helping the matter.

Alessandra and Claire were to fly out early the next day and still had a bit of souvenir shopping to do before we finalized the luggage stuffing back at the apartment.  The four of us wandered around trying to locate the right shop where something had been spotted, though not bought earlier, but had little luck since many places were closed.

Dinner was back at a new favorite little restaurant named Cybo.  We had dined here the first night in Rome and the girls were itching for a second time and we were not disappointed.

We had to get up early on Wednesday and ferry the girls luggage a couple of blocks over to the cab stand at he north end of the Piazza Navona so that we could escort Alessandra and Claire to the airport for their departure.   The effort went well but having to watch the girls leave was no fun.  It also was a clear indicator that yet another ‘phase’ of the trip was over and that the next phase was pretty much “our departure”.  The quote “All good things must come to an end” was becoming very true  for us.

Laura and I returned to the city and set out on our given task of bailing the girls out and finding their last minute souvenirs. We ere amazingly quite successful at it.  We later tried to eat dinner at a little restaurant that we have frequented on each trip back to Rome but they were closed and the second choice around the corner started promisingly but fell a bit short overall.

Thursday was departure day from Rome day for us.  We would start heading toward Milan for our flight out on the 8th.  Two coins have been tossed into the splash pool of the Trevi Fountain for good luck and the promise/hope of a return.  So far this has worked on every other trip.  Our fingers are crossed.  The blue ‘link’ immediately below will give you an idea of the sounds of cappuccino in the morning as the piazza fills with people.

The sounds of cappuccino in the morning as the piazza fills with people.

This wisteria vine climbs up over 5 stories of this building and covers more than 100 feet of the facade from left to right. Obviously, I have no idea of its age but the base was approximately 18 inches wide at the ground. What a place to be in the spring when it is covered in lavender flowers.

50 people in plumed helmets and uniforms does get your attention. Even in a city like Rome.

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The maestro left little question as to just who was in charge here.

The chestnuts are still roasted to perfection and displayed with pride and artistry.

He is probably hoping that everybody in the crowd does not want a carriage ride.

The journey through Italy has given us a new perspective and appreciation for the variation in church art. You find that the majority of the churches outside of Rome are decorated rather simply in the interiors. But, in Rome the opposite is very much the case. Opulence rules here, and as I mentioned earlier, Laura refers to them as Faberge eggs of architecture. They never quit amazing you.