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LIVE from ROME! November 1-5, 2018


DragonOfTheSeas
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I will get to the church we visited yesterday evening and our trip to the Vatican this morning.  However, we have had some interesting news this morning. :classic_huh: Due to storms in the North Atlantic our itinerary has been totally changed.  We were to visit Valencia, Lisbon and Ponta Delgado in the Azores.  But, as you can see it is changed. 

 

Many on the cruise booked this TA because it stopped in Valencia and Lisbon. We did, too.  Las Palmas, Gran Canaria will be new to us.  . . . there is nothing you can do about the weather.  Time to make Limoncello from these lemons. 

 

Image did not load.

 

It is time for me to throw away all of my careful plans for those ports and hit the internet. 

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OK--back to our site visits. 

 

Yesterday afternoon we visited the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church. It is a Gothic church built over the site of the Temple of Minerva.  It is in the next square over from the hotel--not even a block. There is a statue in the piazza in front with an Egyptian Elephant holding an obelisk. 

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It has a lesser know Michelangelo statue.  It also has the tomb of St Catherine's body.  They head is in Siena. 

 

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It was very dark in the church.  The sides had offering boxes.  You needed a euro to turn on a light to see inside. Don't forget euro coins. A nice church well worth a visit.20181102_165257.thumb.jpg.7e09c673d68a3da049b6337bdcdf6d8a.jpg

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2 hours ago, angiei812 said:

Sorry to hear about your change to itinerary.  I didn't realize that drastic changes like that were even a possibility.  Hope you have a great trip.  

While it does not often happen, cruise lines do change the itineraries for weather.  I have heard of Bermuda cruises becoming Canada and New England cruises during hurricane season.

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1 hour ago, kuddles14 said:

Following along. Will be staying at Hotel Abruzzi in the same square as your hotel I believe. Love hearing all the attractions are near by  and taxis are easily available. 

Yes, your hotel is across from mine.  It is a very good place to be.  It is always very busy in this piazza.  In the evening it is crazy busy.  But, there are police around and even a military truck + 2 soldiers by the Pantheon. There are lots of little cafes.  We ate lunch at one today --spaghetti carbonara and lasagna + 2 diet cokes. [36 euro]  Have a great trip.

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23 hours ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

OK--back to our site visits. 

 

Yesterday afternoon we visited the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church. It is a Gothic church built over the site of the Temple of Minerva.  It is in the next square over from the hotel--not even a block. There is a statue in the piazza in front with an Egyptian Elephant holding an obelisk. 

 

It has a lesser know Michelangelo statue.  It also has the tomb of St Catherine's body.  They head is in Siena.

 

It was very dark in the church.  The sides had offering boxes.  You needed a euro to turn on a light to see inside. Don't forget euro coins. A nice church well worth a visit.

 

The elephant statue was created by Bernini -- the Romans are very fond of the 'elefantino'. Some idiot broke part of it a few years ago, but it's been repaired.

 

I've visited Santa Caterina's body in Santa Maria sopra Minerva AND her head in Siena!

 

Sorry to hear about your cruise itinerary.

 

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3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

The elephant statue was created by Bernini -- the Romans are very fond of the 'elefantino'. Some idiot broke part of it a few years ago, but it's been repaired.

 

I've visited Santa Caterina's body in Santa Maria sopra Minerva AND her head in Siena!

 

Sorry to hear about your cruise itinerary.

 

We will still have a good time--I will be sorry we miss Lisbon.

 

Our guide told us St Catherine's fingers are in Siena, too.  I thought that was different. :classic_huh:

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Before I leave the topic of Santa Maris Sopra Minerva church I want to post a couple more pictures. 

 

The first time I visited the church I missed getting a picture of Christ with the cross by Michelangelo.  So, I went back later . . . only to discover there was a church service and it was closed.  So, today I got the picture. The draping was added in the 1700's. :classic_ohmy:

20181104_121154.thumb.jpg.cfe10d9be4c71c3bbb4692a85cd32204.jpg

This side chapel in the church is my favorite and I wanted to post a couple of pictures. 

 

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20181104_121829.thumb.jpg.22a4475c8635c7a567086995706d33a3.jpg

Edited by DragonOfTheSeas
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Your pictures are fabulous, you have helped me make up my mind...

we have to pre cruise in Rome!   No matter how many times you see the amazing Rome sites, you have to do it again....MAGICAL😊.  How’s the hotel, or you may want to cover later.  Sorry about the itinerary revision, always unsettling.

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Yesterday morning we had booked a 3-hr tour of the Vatican.

20181103_092019.thumb.jpg.6af6dd1a45696133db39aee4aa608978.jpg

While that was really more than we wanted it was the only way to see the Sistine Chapel [part of the Museum] and to get to use the direct entrance to St Peter's.  Otherwise, only the 2 hr tour it ends with the Sistine Chapel and you have to go around to the square and get into a line to enter the basilica.  Yesterday it was 3/4 of the way around the square. . . . and in the rain. 

20181103_105135.thumb.jpg.7e3765289db7e1bc09f89d1d51adb157.jpg

 

It was worth any amount of time and money to avoid that.  It was a difficult tour--stamina wise.  I said I spent 50% of the time trying to keep up with my tour guide.  Do you see the little white sign with the red symbol near the column.  That was our guide.  You can not see her. You can see the green scarf to the side.  that was a different guide and her group.  It was chaos.  You keep moving like a moving wall of humanity and hope you can see the guide.  We lost her a couple of times.  

 

 

A couple of times we saw the gardens out the windows.  This might be a good tour.  It looked serene.

20181103_110332.thumb.jpg.cb0d82cf324d12a57a1d4f4ed828a28a.jpg

 

The pieta was one of the most beautiful pieces of art I have ever seen.  It is moving and the stone shines in a very ethereal way. 

20181103_120458.thumb.jpg.081d732f53e1ac1abd49108518126f26.jpg

 

This is the alter in St Peters.

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When we arrived back at our hotel another guest was talking to the desk clerk.  She had just gotten back, too. She told him it was one and done. I was glad we visited, but it was MUCH more crowded than I ever thought it could be and I know it would be crowded. 

 

I will continue later.  Time for some more sights.

20181103_122705.jpg

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On 10/31/2018 at 10:35 PM, cruisemom42 said:

Here's hoping your weather is better than the forecast suggests. Think positive -- weather is very changeable.

Enjoy your adventure!

HI Cruise Mom,

 I just wanted to say thank you to you and others who really helped me figure out my hotel in Rome before our cruise on Oct. 19th. The Hotel Navonna was perfect for us.. Loved the price, the character and the location. Thanks for the advice on how much we could realistically tackle in such a short period. Your insights were invaluable! I need to come back and spend more time of course... also we missed Livorno due to the weather so did not get to Florence and Pisa so lots of reasons to come back! Ciao

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When we came out of the Vatican were looking for a place to eat.  All of the little places just past St Peter's Square were jammed because of the rain. [or maybe all the time]  Someone approached us and showed us a menu.  He said there was no wait at his restaurant, home cooked food, and it was just beyond the arch we could see.  Since we were desperate we followed him to the arch.  The restaurant was the Hostaria Pizzeria. The address is Vicolo del Farinone, 34. 

 

To get there you turn left at the first side street as you go down Via Del Corridori.  You will see the arch.  Go under it and the restaurant is right there.  Excellent food and a good price. 

 

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There were pasta dishes on the back of the menu below, but I forgot to take that picture. 

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I ordered the daily special- tortellini soup, chicken and potatoes.  The  soup was a whole bowl.[I was expecting a cup]  I could have made a meal out of that. I was wet and cold and it hit the spot. Everyone else had different types of pizza.

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3 hours ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

Yes, your hotel is across from mine.  It is a very good place to be.  It is always very busy in this piazza.  In the evening it is crazy busy.  But, there are police around and even a military truck + 2 soldiers by the Pantheon. There are lots of little cafes.  We ate lunch at one today --spaghetti carbonara and lasagna + 2 diet cokes. [36 euro]  Have a great trip.

That is an awesome price. Will definitely have to try the restaurants there. About how long did it take you to get there from the airport ? 

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2 hours ago, DragonOfTheSeas said:

Yesterday morning we had booked a 3-hr tour of the Vatican.

20181103_092019.thumb.jpg.6af6dd1a45696133db39aee4aa608978.jpg

While that was really more than we wanted it was the only way to see the Sistine Chapel [part of the Museum] and to get to use the direct entrance to St Peter's.  Otherwise, only the 2 hr tour it ends with the Sistine Chapel and you have to go around to the square and get into a line to enter the basilica.  Yesterday it was 3/4 of the way around the square. . . . and in the rain. 

20181103_105135.thumb.jpg.7e3765289db7e1bc09f89d1d51adb157.jpg

 

It was worth any amount of time and money to avoid that.  It was a difficult tour--stamina wise.  I said I spent 50% of the time trying to keep up with my tour guide.  Do you see the little white sign with the red symbol near the column.  That was our guide.  You can not see her. You can see the green scarf to the side.  that was a different guide and her group.  It was chaos.  You keep moving like a moving wall of humanity and hope you can see the guide.  We lost her a couple of times.  

 

 

A couple of times we saw the gardens out the windows.  This might be a good tour.  It looked serene.

20181103_110332.thumb.jpg.cb0d82cf324d12a57a1d4f4ed828a28a.jpg

 

The pieta was one of the most beautiful pieces of art I have ever seen.  It is moving and the stone shines in a very ethereal way. 

20181103_120458.thumb.jpg.081d732f53e1ac1abd49108518126f26.jpg

 

This is the alter in St Peters.

20181103_120930.thumb.jpg.057023569c20eb612d047cdb955f787f.jpg

 

When we arrived back at our hotel another guest was talking to the desk clerk.  She had just gotten back, too. She told him it was one and done. I was glad we visited, but it was MUCH more crowded than I ever thought it could be and I know it would be crowded. 

 

I will continue later.  Time for some more sights.

20181103_122705.jpg

We were there in September and like  you said it was extremely crowed . Glad we had the opportunity. 

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On to the Pantheon. After a lunch and a brief rest were ready to go again.  So visited the Pantheon--just outside our hotel.  

 

Pan [many] + theos [gods] -Pantheon.  It is still an active church.  

 

The Piazza del Rotonada is busy most of the time.  This was around 3:30pm20181103_153747.thumb.jpg.37bdf2bcbdeed9ec17d8fb95afa94d70.jpg

 

This is the exterior.  It is very rough looking--but it is VERY old. 

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This is what the back looks like.

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The Pantheon has the tomb of the "father" of unified Italy--Victor Emanuel. He was the first king.  His son, Umberto, was the second king and he is buried there, too.  The other famous tomb is the artist Raphael. Their tombs are around the sides. 

 

The area used for church services:

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This is the oculus.  It is a 27 foot opening in the ceiling.  It provides the natural light. When it rains in comes in.  As much as it rained while we were here I did not see that.

 

 20181103_155211.thumb.jpg.19a04b1796d46151f8f478095d2e5c29.jpg

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This morning we took a golf cart tour in the pouring rain.  We were so luck to have this.  There was no way we could have toured most of these places today any other way. It is hard to believe how many things we saw. 

 

[Thank you Glen for arranging this!]

 

Our first stop was the Borghese Gardens, after passing the old city wall. 

 

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We passed by the Borghese Gallery which houses an excellent art collection.

 

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We were surprised by the number of people walking around the park in the rain. But, the views were excellent.

 

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This is from an overlook in the park.  20181104_101758.thumb.jpg.d8e5d22819ed82e7312425759fa84386.jpg

 

Our guide said there are over 600 churches in Rome.  You can see the Vatican across the river.

 

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This was my favorite view from the top.20181104_101854.thumb.jpg.f7b057bb9d1a1e4269176f2b9674182b.jpg

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Next we stopped at the Peoples' Park.

 

 

 

20181104_102914.thumb.jpg.6fc59cc2800aec8a8515c7e5f9bcdc50.jpg 

 

This is the view from the park looking to Rome.  Can you see the 3 roads.  The one on the left leads to the ancient forum, etc.  The one in the middle leads to the Vatican because the church was the center of all things. I can't remember where the other one goes.  20181104_102911.thumb.jpg.50181c977631e801fb8b6cc1f28492b7.jpg

 

 

Then we zipped by the designer stores on the way to the Spanish steps. 

 

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You can see how crowded it was--even more so with umbrellas. 20181104_104033.thumb.jpg.a0eb0a711519738a5b99dd66861d2cdb.jpg

 

 

20181104_103002.jpg

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Dragon, thanks for continuing to share your journey.  I visited the Vatican in the summer of 1994 and it was just as crowded.  I would have hoped it would be slower in the fall but guess not. 

 

I have been trying to find out if they have started charging a fee to enter the Pantheon but can't find out for sure online. Did you need to pay to enter? It was supposed to start earlier this year but heard there have been some delays. I won't be there till next August so I'm expecting it. Staying at the Albergo del Senato I would like to stop into the Pantheon several times to drink in the wonder of it all. By the way, how is your room/stay at the hotel? 

 

I am also planning to go to Palatine Hill, walk down to the Forum,  then go to the Coliseum. Hoping to do this the morning of getting off the ship (post cruise) and will need to figure out what time we can get to the hotel to drop off luggage and then catch a cab. So I was wondering what time you left the hotel and how much time you spent at Palatine Hill/Forum before heading to the Coliseum? Trying to figure out best time for tickets to Coliseum. 

 

Very much enjoying your pictures and stories. Happy travels. 

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 The Pantheon is still free.  You can drop in several times and  I have been twice.  I enjoyed being able to do that.  

 

We have a standard room with a queen bed.   The room itself is small by American standards.  DH says our balcony cabin on the ship will have more sq ft.  I am not sure that is true--but, close.  The bathroom is very nice; very modern and sleek.  There is ample shampoo, conditioner, gel and lotion when you arrive for several days. It is a good quality.

 

The hotel itself has lots of old world charm.  These are the lobby:

 

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There is a bar in the side lobby.  When you come this bar will be on the roof. We went up there each day for the view. 

20181102_094839(0).thumb.jpg.723b82d6f501bab18bae861b19aa6787.jpg

 

There is a beautiful marble staircase the runs through the middle of the hotel. The first time I decided to take the stairs rather than the elevator I thought, wow!  I am used to stairs in US hotels being concrete and metal. 

 

The elevators are small.  Don't even think of handling your luggage.  There is a bellman. One holds 4 people and the other only holds 2.  They are very small.  We dropped off our luggage around 10am.  They stored them and moved them to our room by the time we arrived back at 3. We had timed tickets for the Colosseum at 1:30.  We did that to give ourselves ample time. We stopped for lunch between the Palantine Hill/Forum and the Colosseum.  It was near the metro.  You could buy a pizza or sandwich at a counter or you could sit down.  We chose to sit.  It was nothing special, but not bad or particularly expensive. 

 

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This was a panini and very good. 

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This was the counter In the metro. The Panini was 7.5 at the table and 5 euro at the stand.  It was worth it to sit down. 

 

20181102_123427.thumb.jpg.0b1f49bd64777dd70d93aa19fd396d5e.jpg

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Great info. I booked a superior double room to ensure a view of the Pantheon so it might be a slightly larger room. Appreciate the info on the the Coliseum and Forum. Sounds like we will have time to get a bite to eat too. Husband will appreciate that. 

 

Looking forward to hearing further about your trip. Safe travels. 

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We made a gelato stop on the golf cart tour.

 

Our guide told us that in a small cone or cup it is assumed you want 2 flavors.  In a larger one you order 3 flavors.  [we would not have known that]  We had gelato in a shop a couple of stops down from the hotel.  But, the gelato in this shop. was terrific. [Gelato del Teatro]  But, I think there are many good shops around Rome. They are everywhere.  

 

20181104_111747.thumb.jpg.c6e18eccf2150ed68777081b1560c8bc.jpg

 

Many of the flavors looked very light with out any dyes.  Soooo good!

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We stopped at Piazza Navona. One person got out to walk around.  However, we could hear thunder at this point.  I stayed in the cart because I knew this piazza is only 3 blocks from the hotel.  Becky and I returned here later I the afternoon when it stopped raining. 20181104_165020_001.thumb.jpg.b4211bd4ba056d22ce1622cb10e28593.jpg

 

You can see the beautiful 4 Rivers statue by Bernini in the center.  This Piazza is shaped like an oval.  We were there until 5ish shopping and the place was really alive.  However, the little cafes around the piazza have poor reviews on trip advisor.  The guide called them a tourist trap. 

 

 

On our way back we passed a pothole. I know this is not something you think about--but, you can not just patch one of these up with some tar and gravel.  

 

They have to dig it out collect the cobble stones and fill the hole flat.  Then you have to play a little Tetris to get the stone in the correct pattern to fill the hole.  This road was blocked off the whole 4 days we stayed at this hotel. 20181104_161055.thumb.jpg.3e330c2c161996270c3c53bd90fc1bb5.jpg

 

All of the rain is a problem with these cobble stones. 

 

20181104_115404.thumb.jpg.6b5f9bf5bc30719a21829aba78cde8dd.jpg

 

 

. . . and it is hard on pedestrians.  

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