There is an earlier version of this subject someplace in October if I recall.  Unlike the great art and sculptor in Italy this is a bit of beauty that was never planned or commissioned by some rich patron during the Renaissance.  It just happened.  It is found in every town and city throughout the land and the style, color, and texture  covers every hue and mood one could ever envision.  I just wish I could come up with a way of transferring the images onto the walls of my house.    Say hello and goodbye to the walls of Italy.

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This one is my favorite.

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A.   Estimates suggest that only about three or four percent of Italian households own a dryer. Most those who do are concentrated in northern Italy where the sun tends to show itself less frequently. In the south, nearly everyone puts clothes on an outdoor clothesline or on an indoor rack when the weather itself goes south.

There’s no getting around that Italy imports most of its electricity. Tumble driers are guzzlers, second only to refrigerators in power drain. Few households even consider their existence.

Even the use of washers is a postwar phenomenon, part of the Italian economic miracle of the late 1950s. Most laundry was done by hand until 1960. Running a fridge and a washer — not to mention the rare dishwasher — is already expensive. But add a drier to the mix and the costs become prohibitive. Why not use the generally temperate weather and sunny days to dry clothes? Italians do.

Resistance to the drier isn’t casual. Here are some facts and details:

Demand is low, making the machines extremely expensive (usually starting at about €1,000 ($1250). There are both gas- and electric-powered models). The German manufacture Bosch has several models in the €900-€1,200 range. The Italian word for drier is asciugatrice. If you find machines in the €300-400 range don’t jump for joy; you’re looking at a lavatrice, a washer.Most Italy driers work on the condenser system, using water to make hot air. A heat exchanger then cools the air and condenses the water vapor into either a drainpipe or a collection tank. The process continues on a loop. But using water also means more humidity and longer drying cycles.On the subject of electricity, most households have a supply of three kilowatts.

Running a washer and drier at the same time will knock out a circuit breaker in a second. Upping your household supply to six kilowatts sends bimonthly or quarterly bills through the roof. (An Italian household equipped with washer, dryer, dishwasher and AC units — par for the course in the United States — might be facing the equivalent of $5,000 in electric costs annually). Ironing clothes is still a centerpiece of wardrobe life. The cleaning process really has three phases: washing, air drying, ironing. Sure, there are Sta-Prest products, but when it comes to elegance and a sharp look there’s no substitute for a well-ironed shirt. Residual dampness in line-hung clothes is for an iron to exterminate. Italians also have no clothesline bans to contend with.

Some 20 percent of American households are located in neighborhoods where bans on laundry lines are in effect. Tell that to an Italian and they’ll scoff. Clothes are hung across terraces, balconies, streets, from the walls of rooms, and even outside windows. The aesthetics of drying are not reviled.

One should always hang your Windows out the windows.

Laundry day is obviously a scheduled neighborhood thing. I will bet that if you do yours on the wrong day the neighbors talk about you. Not nicely either.

There is always somebody who just can’t get the laundry line directions correct!!

Spinnaker sheets in the breeze.

There are not many secrets in these little towns.

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Now this is a rare sight! No clothing.

It wasn’t until I was cleaning up the photos that I found out the clothes pins were designed like little soldiers.

Obviously they own a restaurant in Cefalu`

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Hard at work.

A little color added in to the mix.

Those must be the Tuscan print design. They match the stone of the house.

We went to our first “post Italy trip” social event last night.  Lots of folks wanted to know about the trip and what our favorite things were or weren’t about it all.  This got me thinking about just those sort of concepts.  So I thought it might be interesting to make a list of trip statistics and unrelated ‘stuff’ along with the promised map which shows the extent of our travels.  So, in no special order and without any sort of coherence here are our thoughts and impressions of the trip.

Length: 124 days on the ground in Italy

Distance traveled:  14,604 kilometers which converts to 8,762 miles!  This is a heck of a lot further than I would have guessed before we set off.  The highway distance from Lake Como to Palermo, Sicily is 942 miles so it begins to fall into place when you look at all the red lines on the Google Earth image.  Still, it did not seem like a long road trip by any means.  The longest single drive was probably 5 to 6 hours.

Click on the image and it will enlarge. This is obviously not every little trip and drive that we took but it will give you a good idea of where we went during the trip.

I did not keep direct records of how much gas we burned but if you assume the car got 30 mpg then it calculates out to be 292 gallons of gas.  There was quite a bit of up hill climbing so that probably is a good number and offsets the better highway mileage.  The shocker in this number is that gasoline costs right around $8 a gallon!!!  Doing the math that works out to $2,330 worth of driving without the rental costs worked in.  Total driving costs were approximately $1 per mile.

I took 9,537 photos which eats up 67.3 gigabytes of hard drive space on the computer.  I know you all can’t wait to come over for the slide show!!!  Bring a ton of popcorn.  Of that total, 1,774 images are posted in the blog posts.

Total bottles of wine consumed.  Maybe we shouldn’t post this.  Most days (read all) we had a bottle at lunch and one at dinner.  So we are looking at right around 250 bottles of wine.  We tended to drink the regional wines of whichever area we were in.  Laura really liked the Nero d’Avola wines of Sicily.  They are quite good and a bargain for the price.  In Tuscany we stuck with better Chiantis, Vino Nobile, and of Brunello.

Try some. You won’t be let down.

Food.   Yeah we ate a lot.  Though on the whole the quality of the meals was not all that fantastic.  I ate lots of mussels.  And, I had some very good examples of them.  I also would order cianghiale, or wild boar, if it was on the menu and most of the time it was a good, hearty, slightly spicy meal.  One meal of venison was fantastic.  There was the occasional very good tortellini in a sage butter sauce also.  And on one fateful lunch in Florence I unknowingly ordered fried brains!!  No it did NOT taste like chicken.  On a one to ten scale I would rate the overall eating as about 7.5 to maybe 8 for the trip.

One of Jerry’s great little lunch spots to visit. Thanks so much!!!!

Biggest social difference:  We Americans gather in large numbers and go to events.  It is either a concert, ballgame, rodeo here in Texas, or some similar single time event.  In Italy, the people are the event.  In the evening, the passeggiata, or the stroll or walk, is where they go out and walk, look, show, and socialize.  There is nothing “happening” to bring this about.  It is adults, children, strollers, grandparents, men and women.  All walking and talking and gesturing.  Then it is dinner starting at 8 or 9 to end the day.

Favorite landscape:  Without a doubt the countryside of Tuscany.  This land is an absolute quilt work of multiple uses which has created variations in color, texture, patterns, and vegetation that changes throughout the day and year.  The landscape was often shrouded in daily fog in the low areas with what look like a fleet of ships made of the red tile roofs of buildings and the domes and bell towers of churches floating along.   We were fortunate enough to be there during the season when the vineyards were changing color from green to vibrant yellows and reds.  The fields in between were either freshly plowed rolling canvases of brown and tan or rich vibrant greens of newly germinated winter wheat.

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Total unexpected surprises:  We were constantly surprised.  Some large and others small.   1. Fashion Night in Venice on the second night of the trip!  Nothing like 50,000 Milanese dressed in anything they thought would turn a head all out on the street going from one boutique to another.  2.  The Christmas fire in the piazza in the village of Pienza and having the girls there to share it with.  3.  Leaving my passport in Genoa the night before we were to leave.  4. The Italians LOVE their dogs.  They take them everywhere.  It is so common to go into a restaurant and there might be 2 or 3 absolutely well behaved pooches sitting next to various tables.  You might be in a clothing store or grocery and it is the same.  No big deal.  Happens every day.

Lunching with the ladies.

5. Traveling the back roads of Sicily.  There is nothing quite like rounding a very curvy road and finding a couple of horses  or a flock of sheep in the road.

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6.  When you are zooming along the autostrad and all of sudden your car starts to beep for no apparent reason.  What the???  Then you realize that you had just passed a rest stop and the dash board has a “take a coffee break” message lit up.  What if you went past a brothel???  Hmmm?   7.  That there have been just over 5,530 ‘visits’ to the blog by family and friends.  I started out to do this so that we would have a record of what we did and where we went.  Thank you all for your kind words and  I am so glad that you have enjoyed it.  8.  It may be last on this list but the best surprise was the phone call from Nash and Andy saying they were coming to Lake Como!!!   What a fantastic few days.

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Sorry Ernest.

This is the second, and closing post of bicycle bells from the trip.  The amount of bicycle use for commuting in astounding in Italy and it is not limited to just youngsters going to class.  I can’t tell you how many old folks, well into there late 60’s or so are out on their bikes going about what needs to be done.  In the large cities you had better have an ear open and be paying attention as you share the roadways with the fleet of 2 wheelers.  The chiming of bicycle bells is subtle but constant as these riders make their way.  Bikes are not nearly as popular in the small and steep terrain of hill towns, but in the big cities they are everywhere.  It is very common to see bike racks in downtown Milan with 50 or more bicycles locked to them.

I hope you enjoy this and then go for a bike ride.

I couldn’t twist this one around to let me get the font in an upright orientation.

A very vintage old war horse that has seen lots of use.

Riding topless in Milan!

Every once in a while you will see an actual horn style. Not enough to do a separate posting though so they got tossed into the bells category.

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If I remember correctly Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers.

I personally like the Pegasus one with what looks like ivory colored grips on the handle bars.

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Cicli Conti is a bike shop in Florence.

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Weathering the rain.

The only green horn I saw on the trip! It sounded terrible because of the water in it.

http://aver.myblog.it/biciclette-d-epoca/
You may need to copy and past the link. The Legnano brand of bicycles began in 1902.

This is a very interesting link to a collection of images of “biciclette da lavoro” or bicycles to work.     Again you will have to copy and paste the URL. https://plus.google.com/photos/113641626715927952143/albums/5748715562122268545?banner=pwa

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The end.

3rd to the 8th of January 2012

Sadly, on Thursday the 3rd we took a cab along with the little bit of luggage we have been traveling with for the past 3 weeks over to where our rental car had been parked while we were in Rome.  I found the car in the garage and we loaded up and headed out of town to begin our move toward Milan where our flight home would originate.  Since we had a few days we decided to keep our travel mode and look at a few more towns on the way north.  Our first stop was the Cinque Terra area on the western coast of Italy.  This is a series of 5, hence cinque, very small little towns perched on the steep slopes of the coast.  They are very separated from each other and can only be visited either by connecting trains of via walkways  through the terraced landscape.  The only glitch was that the walkway between towns was closed for some reason and we did not have enough time to get into the train mode.   Therefore we had a nice lunch in the town of Riomaggiore and decided to then head to the north to the city of Genoa.

Genoa was pleasant surprise for us.  It is a small city, sandwiched between some impressive coastal mountains and the sea.  We stayed in a wonderful historic hotel in town and spent a couple days of looking at the numerous palaces and a maritime museum in the city.  The palace architecture was beautiful.   Long ago the city of Genoa decided that the rich ruling families of the city had to build palace residences that were of a style and beauty so that visiting state dignitaries would be able to stay in them.  The resulting buildings still look beautiful and now used for offices some retail and municipal buildings.  They are certainly not to be missed.

Back in Milan it was sale season at the retail outlets.  Just about every store had mark downs of 50% or more.  Interestingly, the city was full of Russians and eastern Europeans who travel to Milan to take advantage of the mark downs.

We had noticed both in Rome and in Milan that there often were images and dolls of witches in the markets at Christmas time.  In Milan there was a very large witch “doll” in the piazza del Duomo and we still were scratching our heads as to the meaning.  A little bit of Google searching and here it is: Christian legend had it that Befana was approached by the biblical magi, also known as the Three Wise Men (or the three kings) a few days before the birth of the Infant Jesus. They asked for directions to where the Son of God was, as they had seen his star in the sky, but she did not know. She provided them with shelter for a night, as she was considered the best housekeeper in the village, with the most pleasant home. The magi invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus, but she declined, stating she was too busy with her housework. Later, La Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out the astrologers and Jesus. That night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana is searching for the little baby. She leaves all the good children toys and candy (“caramelle”) or fruit, while the bad children get coal (“carbone”), onions or garlic.

 

Not to be outdone by the other foreign shoppers in town Laura and I did our best to find a few things that just had to come home to Texas.  My bride did well for our efforts.  With each of four suitcases weighing right at 50 pounds we called it quits and decided a nice dinner and then to bed.  Well…… almost.  I was going through my camera gear and came to the realization that my passport was missing.  Uh Oh!!!  It took me about 5 minutes to also further realize I had left it in the hotel room back in Genoa.  That is two hours south of Milan.  So at 10:30 at night it was time for a road trip.  Sure enough we found it, and made it back to Milan for a now VERY short night of sleep before getting up to head to the airport.  The timing could have been far worse for sure.  I could have found out at the check in line.  Then  I would have had to stay in Italy for another day or two!!!  Hmmmm????  I am writing this “forget the passport idea down on a piece of paper for the next trip s that I don’t forget the idea.  Not the passport.

This is the last post that follows the sequential daily events and travels of this trip.  It has been extremely enjoyable to have done and is a great resource for Laura and I to be able to look back and relive the entire experience so that our brains do not begin to delete small portions of it.  Thank you to every one who has commented along the way and have expressed their enjoyment of following along as we have put the day to day happenings out there for all to see.  There have also been many others who silently followed along and have let me know via emails.  I will post a few more “theme specific” topics that will continue some that you are already aware of and have seen a few versions of.   I am also working on a representative map in Google Earth that traces the major portions of travel for the entire time we have been here so that you will all have a visible idea of the scope of the trip.  Lastly, I am going to look at the possibility of having the entire blog produces as a table top book so that we and the girls can have an easy reference copy without having to worry about keeping it active on line.  A few folks have mentioned an interest if I were to do so.  I will let you all know how that project progresses.

The Ligurian coast line looking north over Riomaggiore at Cinque Terre.

Some weathered oars on a little fishing boat in town.

This is the view looking down on the elliptical “spiral” staircase of the Genoa hotel.

And then because the opposing point of view needs to always be appreciated here is the view looking up.

One of the many things we can appreciate about Italy is the consistent beauty and attention to detail that is not present back home. This is a little bit of the sidewalk mosaics in the central part of Genoa.

The beginning of the area of palaces along the Via Garibaldi. They are hard to photograph because the ‘street’ is only 30 or 40 feet wide yet the buildings are 4 and 5 stories tall.

This place looked like pale blue Wedgwood china.

The front door entry way.

The interior courtyard.

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Meanwhile across the street was this entry.

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Upstairs the rooms were used for a very nice retail entity.

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Everybody needs a hand pulled golf cart picnic basket.

This building is now used for the local government.

Not a bad place for a day at the office.

It just keeps going on and on.

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The Maritime Museum was really done well but it did come up a bit short on the amount of information that was presented in English.  Genoa has an extremely rich maritime history and it is well represented.

Letters of Christopher Columbus.

Great models are present of many of the types of ships that molded the history of navigation and world exploration.

The huge ‘Befana, model in front of the Duomo.

Courtyard treasures hiding in central Milan.

The only question was “Shoes or no shoes?”

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.

Thursday,  31 December 2012

Ending the year in style.  That seems to be the emphasis for everyone.  So, keeping in the theme of the day we decided to go visit a volcano.  Or, at least the results of a volcano.  Pompeii.   Actually, it was the exhibit at the Archaeological Museum in Naples that has an extensive collection of artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum since they were buried right outside of town.  And the best way to get from Rome to Naples and back in one day is the bullet train.   Or here in Italy, the Frecciarossa, or red arrow.  You can get on board in central Rome and in 70 minutes you step out into another world in Naples.

This was the second short trip Laura and I have made to Naples.  The first was a drive through on our first ever visit to Italy more than 25 years ago.  It looked run down and terribly dirty then, and nothing changed our feelings on this visit.   Even the cab driver from the train station to the museum  said that Neapolitans respect nothing.  And, sadly it shows in the city.

The museum had a very nice collection of sculptures, wall frescoes, and mosaics  that had been recovered.  The display shows the complexity and sophistication of life during the time of the eruption in 79 AD.  The detail in the art is comparable to anything produced until the Renaissance in Italy.  This truly was a beautiful city at its height of opulence.  There were a few displays that were closed which would have been nice to view but that happens.

To welcome the new year we went out for dinner right around the corner from the apartment and then walked up to Piazza del Popolo. The piazza was a magnet for locals and by midnight there were thousands of rather energetic people having a few drinks, setting off fire crackers and sparklers, singing and chanting.  We had ringside seats for a marriage proposal and watched the fireworks explode just above a 2000 year old Egyptian obelisk.  That juxtaposition may be hard to top.

Happy New Year from the Eternal city!

The best way to start the last day of the year??? With gelato of course!!

The Frecciarossa train pulling in at the station in Rome.

Cruising at 180 MPH on the way to Naples.

The statuary which has been recovered from Pompeii is amazing.

This is the detail on the base of the handle of a bronze water jar.

Mosaics mad up a large part of home interior decoration. The individual pieces in this work are not more than an eight of an inch across.

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Returning to Rome the piazza Navona was crowded.

Coming up on midnight the party girls are ready. Claire took good care of the vin Santo supply.

I am not certain what this little guy expected but his eyes tell me he is surprised!!!

The young and slightly older were all involved.

He asked “Will you marry me?”

She kissed “Yes!!”

Let the fireworks begin.

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Sunday,  30 December 2012

We wanted to go across the Tiber river to a neighborhood known as Trastevere or “trans Tiber”.  I started the day early again wandering a nearly deserted Rome landscape at 7:30, long before most tourists are around.  I like watching the city wake up as Romans prepare for another day.  You never know what might go past you on the street.  I walked the route from the Pantheon to the Vittorio Emanuel monument and over to the Roman Forum.  There was lots of preparation around the latter for the upcoming concert and fireworks display the next day for New Years Eve.  Circling around back to the apartment I picked up Alessandra and we headed out on foot while Laura and Claire planned on following just a bit later via taxi.

We met up in the Piazza di Santa Maria di Trastevere where there was some great local music provided by and accordionist and bass player.  There are a few cafes on the piazza so we decided to have lunch there also.  Then it was off for some street wandering through the neighborhood.  This is a slower less ‘big attraction’ part of Rome.  It is a livable area for people with lots of little restaurants and fewer shopping destinations.  We again split up for the return to the apartment.   I went on my own and by the end of the day had logged 7 miles of walking on the cobble stones of Rome.  The day ended with an early meal near the apartment and gelato since we had a busy day planned for New Years Eve.

Early in the morning the horse drawn carriages come into the city ahead of the traffic and take up position around the city and wait for the tourists to arrive.

Rome is filled with wall mounted shrines dedicated to Mary and various saints. They range from small to wonderfully grand. This one is in the Piazza della Rotunda.

The sun finally rises high enough over one side of the piazza to begin to spill into the upper stories on the opposite side.

The Vittorio Emanuel monument is a fantastic landmark to see in Rome. It is extremely large, constructed of white marble, and sometimes referred to as the “wedding cake” due to it’s tiered and curved facade. It is also the location of the Italian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Looking toward the Colosseum.

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St Peters rising above the surrounding city.

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If you need to escape the crowds and cars to go for a jog this is the place to do it.

Allie and I walked past this seagull just chillin’ on the edge of a huge fountain pool. We wondered if he might want the last bit of a gelato cone???

I’ll take that as a “Yes!”

Back past the flower vendors.

The local music scene.

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Everybody needs one of these.

Probably praying she can come back to Rome again.

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This is sooooo much fun!

Saturday,  29 December 2012

We spent a good part of Saturday wandering and shopping on our own or in pairs. Laura wanted to go back and poke into the antique stores we had gone past the day before so we headed out.  We found a few small items and one gorgeous statue but passed on them all.  I continued on down through the Piazza Navona and on to the Piazza Campo dei Fiori by myself.  Navona was crazy with people and there was a market going on in Campo.  We met up later for lunch and then taxied on down to the Colosseum at sunset.  It was a great day of just wandering the city.

At $180,000 we decided we could probably live without it. Sure would look good out by the pool in the courtyard.

A pic for the old door fans out there.

Piazza Navona was very crowded with Romans out enjoying the fine weather and the carnival like atmosphere.

Complete with newly weds.

Maybe soon to be newly weds???

Fresh flowers on the north end of Campo Dei Fiori.

Are these bananas fresh?? They better be or she will want a refund next week.

Lining them up.

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Pick a hat, any hat.

The peppers were framed.

I couldn’t help but wonder how many times this quiet little lady has walked through the piazza.

Lunch?   Pizza in the piazza.

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Cute hat!

The Romans were out in force at the Spanish Steps.

Hi Dad!

Put the tree over there near the Coliseum!

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Friday,  28 December 2012

The sun was shining as we loaded the car at La Amorossa to start the drive into Rome.  I couldn’t pass up the chance to first run around for about 15 minutes and take some photos of this wonderful hotel and the grounds in the morning light.  The history of the place goes back to the 1400’s and it is absolutely charming.  There are large working gardens which supply the kitchen with all the greens and vegetables they use.  In addition, the surrounding land is a vineyard for making their own wine.  It is a perfect location to use to explore Tuscany or just sit and relax and let the outside world pass you by.   We did a bit of each.

We also took the liberty of our time at La Amorossa and the relatively quiet roads in the area to introduce both of the girls to the pleasures of driving a manual transmission car.  They decided that Laura would be the instructor.   Everybody made it back with smiles on their faces and a little bit of experience clutching the car.

We keep acquiring stuff!  More sweaters, boots, gloves, hats, blouses, and  I even picked up a bottle of wine.  The car was packed when we finally all got in it.  This is the last time though that we all will be in it.  The drive to Rome went well except for a short portion of foggy condition along the Tiber River.  Getting into Rome is always an adventure.  Then we had to actually get to the apartment.  Much of the central portion of Rome is a pedestrian only zone with limited access only to taxis and official vehicles.  That didn’t keep us from venturing on and dropping off all of the luggage and the girls while I then went to find a parking garage to dump the car into. We were not going to need it while we were in Rome.  It all worked. No expensive tickets.  And I found the garage and then walked back to the apartment.

Having gotten settled in we then set out on a walk to St. Peters along the Tiber river bank.   The crowds at the cathedral were more than we wanted to deal with.  The piazza was filled with chairs for an impending New Years mass given by the Pope and the lines for entering the church were hundreds of people long.  Strolling along we crossed back over the river right at sunset and made our way back to the apartment along the main street in Rome that is lined with antique stores.  This could get expensive.

I had told the girls that just around the corner from the apartment there was a gelato shop that had 150 flavors.  That is where we ended the day.  Not only were there lots of flavors but it was probably the second or third best gelato we have had since arriving in Italy.  We will be back here often.

A look around La Amorossa.

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A mossy covered wall top.

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The entry drive way.

The road out the back side of the hotel grounds.

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A portion of the restaurant in what was the old barn. We ate dinner every night at this table in front of the fireplace. Nice and toasty.

Hello Rome!  It is so good to be back.

Looking downriver toward St. Peters.

One of the beautiful angels carved by Bernini on the Ponte San Angelo.

The only draw back is that the Ponte San Angelo is inundated with street merchants selling junk to tourists and performers. I would love it if the city cleaned the place out.

Looking up river at the Castel San Angelo which was the fortress in which the pope would take refuge in time of trouble.

Neighborhood Christmas lights.

A shabby little piazza next to a little gelato shop.

Meanwhile over at “our gelato shop” Alessandra and Claire score BIG time!!

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