Full day 2

A little stiff this morning, the stiff mattress was a little stiffer perhaps without the benefit of a transatlantic voyage to redefine “stiff” and to knock us out. But we woke up in Rome and that can have a remarkably invigorating effect. A good strong cup of coffee, a couple of fresh bandaids and off we go.

There are small cars here and being one of the style centers of the world one would expect to see a pink Hello Kitty Smart Car … right? Also these wee green cars… the scooter next to it was taller. !

We head west this morning for Santa Maria sopra Minerva. A church built over a pagan temple. Not so unusual but this is a pretty spectacular church. There is the body of St. Catherine of Sienna here (her head is in Sienna) and there is the odd “Risen Christ” statue by Michelangelo. Messed up by his assistant Pietro Urbano who was tasked with installing it. He apparently did his own finishing touches to the hands, feet and face which most folks think didn’t do it any favors. I guess there were some individuals with delicate sensibilities at some point who thought the statue a bit immodest and a bronze diaper was added to cover his naughty bits.

There is also the body of St Victoria, martyr. Supposedly she was a pretty tough cookie who refused to worship some pagan deity even while being tortured. Killed sometime between the 1^st and 5th century. She looks pretty nonplussed about the whole thing if you ask me.

The candle sticks on the main alter were pretty cool too.

Off now to Chiesa St. Ignacio. Supposedly the ceiling is a remarkable feat of forced perspective and illusion. Supposedly the painted ceiling is supposed to “fool the eye” into thinking it is higher than it is and that the architectural elements below continue up… and the fresco’s leap right off the wall… and there are real dragons in a magical place called Kansas.

Ok… maybe not the last part but the rest is “true” and I suppose it could be pretty amazing by candle light and after a lot of wine. At the center of the church there is a completely fake dome. Flat flat flat ceiling, but if you stand in one particular spot (marked by the yellow circle of marble inlay in the floor) and look up it actually does look kind of domed.

A gelato to fortify and over to the Pantheon. This is one place we have been before. There is something about it though that brings us back. The dome is pretty much perfect and you can sense it. A perfect dome 140 feet high with an uninterrupted open space beneath it 140 feet in diameter… designed by Apollodorus of Damascus and opened in the year 127. You have to be dead not to get goose bumps!

Piazza Novona next… just because. It’s kind of cool, the fountains and the hustle bustle craziness of it all. Way to expensive there for lunch so we head further west and stop on the side of the street for a salad and a cannelloni al carne. Nothing outstanding… but there was shade and beer so it was perfect.

Campo al Fiori and the outdoor market. YIKES. Lots of vendors and very small isles between them. The varieties of peppers and pastas and tomatoes and …. It was a feast for the eyes. We didn’t buy anything. Amazing.

A good long shlep home and a nap before dinner. Dinner across the street again. The mixed skewer of grilled beast with potatoes for me and a pasta pomadoro (boreing) for D.

We waddled off for an evening stroll. The night is getting lively and we… are headed off to bed.