Part 2
After a bit of rest and a snack we decided to take a
roundabout route to dinner via Trevi Fountain, designed by Nicola Salvi and
built between 1732 and 1762 it remains one of Rome’s most iconic must-see landmarks.
Well, the trip there was interesting mainly in that it took
us through a much more crowded and far more touristy neighborhood, making us
appreciate our choice of apartments even more. The fountain was impressive, not
what we expected (side of a building instead of a round thing in a square,) and
mobbed beyond belief. Our driver had warned us to be there before 8AM and he
was right – hundreds and hundreds of people playing with their phones and
eating gelato while taking up every square inch on both the upper and lower
viewing levels. I took a requisite few photos and we high-tailed it out of
there.
Our route there and back followed one of the walking tours in our
Frommer’s book so we were able to literally stumble on the Piazza of
Montecitorio, site of the Bernini designed lower house of parliament and the 2600-year-old
obelisk in the open space out front. It once served as the gnomon in a giant
sundial commissioned by the emperor Augustus. We also passed the 100’ tall
Column of Marcus Aurelius, depicting his victories against the German tribes.
Lastly, an impressive line of columns that once formed the north wall of the 2nd
century Temple of Hadrian.
Heading back towards home we popped one more time into the
Pantheon. Much less crowded than our first visit, it was much easier to stand
at the edge and take the photos I failed to get when we visited a couple of
days ago. Tonight, the
Oculus was the brilliant blue of the dusk sky instead of its normal bright midday white.
We doubled back and had a nice dinner at a place just off the
Pantheon’s square. MLW had a penne and salmon dish, I finally managed to try
Caccio y Pepe, a pasta dish made with parmesan, olive oil and a ton of black
pepper.
Highlight of the night – a vending machine for bags of
coffee beans. Italian culture at its finest!
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