Susan and I had no huge agenda today. We pivoted to Italy early after the World Championships were cancelled (we had planned a trip here to start March 22..instead we started it March 9).
We are staying near the Trevi Fountain so we went there around 8am. There were quite a few people here but nothing like it was around 5pm when our wandering route drew us past it around 5pm. The fountain is very large and impressive. It marks the endpoint of the ancient Aqua Virgo aqueduct. It was completed in 1762 and is a masterpiece of Baroque art. It was built from travertine (which I recognized as being the same as the stone in Pamukkale in Turkey.
After leaving the Trevi Fountain we walked towards the Spanish Steps which lead up to a church. Along the way we passed some nice pastry and food stores, McDonald’s (for the restrooms, but it was a really nice one), and interesting breakfast menu…banana split anyone? and an old phone booth. Apparently there are 135 steps. The Spanish Steps are a Baroque staircase connecting the Piazza di Spagna at the bottom and a church at the top, also built in the 1700s. At the bottom of the steps is a fountain shaped like a boat
We went up the 135 steps, down them and up again as we decided to go to the Villa Bourghese gardens, a huge park in the middle of Rome. The park was full of families, people picnicking, lots of tour and school groups. There are a zoo, a lake with boat rentals, fountains and temples in the park. We walked to the Villa and tried to buy a ticket on the day for which we were only partially successful. We waited in line for about 15 minutes till a bit after noon, then were told we could get in at 1pm, but we decided to pass, being ready for lunch! But we did visit the sculpture garden.
We went to McDonald’s twice…to use the bathrooms (1 euro if you don’t buy anything)..the first time it was quiet and the second time super busy. It was quite modern and the pastries looked tasty.
We waked back through the park and found a restaurant full of locals and probably tourists too, which served a fixed price meal…main and 2 sides, such as chicken, vegetables and potatoes or lasagna, and veggies etc. It was a bit busy when we got there…and packed when we left.
We then decided to walk towards the Coliseum, and asked several people the route but after a couple of hours had walked in circles (with several detours to shop), and ended up near the Trevi Fountain again…where it was packed with people. We stopped in a lemon themed shop and got some pasta for dinner (it was good!), and walked back to our apartment, picking up a few items for dinner along the way.
We are going to try to see what the fountain looks like around 7am tomorrow and go to the train station to check a couple of bags for the 11 days till we return to Rome.
Rome is interesting…big, busy, great food everywhere, lots of shopping and lots to see and do. I haven’t been here since I was 19 so it’s mostly new to me.