Rome...our first impressions

We arrived in Rome by train from Assisi and made our way to our last accommodation for this trip.

We have a beautiful studio in the Jewish Ghetto, a wonderful little neighbourhood which is centrally located. This area of Rome was established by one of the Popes in 1555 and required all the Jews to move here.It was surrounded by walls and the gates were locked at night. They were basically doomed to a life of poverty inside the walls.

One of the gates to the Ghetto under restoration

During WW11 the Nazis rounded up over 1000 Jewish people from the Ghetto and sent them them to Auschwitz

There are plaques on the street outside our building indicating the names of some of these people, a very sad reminder.

Today the neighbourhood is still home to many Jews and many restaurants are kosher. Every morning we wake up to the noise and smells of this neighbourhood.

 

Rome is divided by the Tiber River and we are very close to the banks so we have been walking across some very old bridges.

Ponte Fabricio was built in 62AD and is still used today which I think is amazing! The Romans were great engineers and architects which can be seen everywhere around the city.

On the other side of the bridge is the Trasvertere neighbourhood which seems to be a world away from the busy streets in the rest of Rome. We went for a Twilight Food Tour one evening around the neighbourhood that combined food, wine and history.

We stopped here for antipasti including the best fresh cheese I have ever eaten. It was so good we went back one evening for a meal.

It is called Buratta and it is mozzarella filled with cream, doesn't look like much but it sure was good!

We were given access to a wine cellar that was built in 1 AD...everyone looks happy!

Anna, our guide, pouring the wine.

Our tour was 4 hours so we ate lots and learned a lot about the neighbourhood.

Cookies from the neighbourhood bakery.

Visit to an alimentari where the locals buy their meats, cheese, wine and a few other staples. This one has been here for 80 years.

 

We went in back doors of restaurants...

My favourite was going into the back of a pizza shop to see this 82 year old man who came back to work from retirement. Don said he "kneaded the money", I know sad joke.

The temperature must have been 100 degrees in there and he ran, not walked. Here he is putting on the tomato sauce after he covered the dough in olive oil.

Putting the dough in the wall of ovens that are over 100 years old.

Enjoying a pasta stop...

Finishing with a gelato stop...

I know that the food and wine has gone to my waist line even with all that walking!

Speaking of walking we have done our share here in Rome as well preferring that to the buses and subway but it also means enduring traffic and crowds.

Cars often don't stop for pedestrians and the streets are made of these stones so our feet are sore after walking all day.

There are churches everywhere, over 900 in Rome...

Beautiful sculptures

Another great bridge across the Tiber River...as we walk here we are often reminded of Paris and the Seine River banks.

Old forts...this is Castel Sant Angelo which was built as a tomb for Hadrian, one of the Roman emperors between 130-139 AD. We went in for a visit and couldn't believe how well preserved it was. It is also connected to the Vatican and used as an escape route for the clergy there.

The angel Michael in one of the courtyards.

The Papal Treasury boxes from the 1500s, the large one was outfitted with six locks each done by a different locksmith.

View of Rome from the top...

Church domes and magnificent buildings.

Lots of great fountains including Trevi Fountain completed in 1762. Legend has it that to throw a coin into the fountain means you will return to Rome.

There are always many people sitting around the fountains usually eating gelato and trying to fiqure out a map.I have never seen a city with so many people staring at a map with no idea which way to go. The maps aren't that great and the street signs are almost non-existent.

Lots of artists in the piazzas as well as food vendors...

I always envy anyone who can access this type of food fresh everyday.

Rome is also a city that has been built on top of previous cities, so much so that the locals say the city is like a lasagna. Wherever we walk there are excavation sites in various stages like this one just down the street.

Or this one around the corner..

 

Or you can be walking along and come upon the facade of a a Roman temple.

Rome is truly an interesting city that has hsistory in your face wherever you turn.It is noisy, crowded and chaotic but we are looking forward to seeing what else this city has to offer.

 

 

 

 

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Assisi...the home of St. Francis

During our stay in Assisi we spent a lot of time in the countryside but also explored the town which we really liked.

This is Piazza Commune, the main square, where we spent a lot of time in that corner cafe watching the world go by.

 

There are religious orders all over town as this is the second most visited pilgrimage site after Rome.

 

St. Francis was born into a wealthy family in 1182 and after receiving a vision abandoned his riches to live as a poor man while founding the order of the Franciscan monks and all over town there are reminders of him.

The door to his ancestral home, part of which is still intact.His father forbade his son to follow a religious path and would often beat him and lock him up in a cell inside this house. However Francis followed the spiritual path that was set before him and set out to preach the gospel.

Here are some of the images of St. Francis that I captured...

With St. Clare, one of his followers who founded the Order of the Poor Clares.

St Francis in the forest.

Assisi is a hilltop town and as you approach the town high on the hill the first thing you see is the Basilica of St. Francis which took 30 years to build and was consecrated in 1253. The church was built to celebrate the life of St. Francis and a final resting place for his body. Earlier this month the Pope who took St.Francis's name celebrated mass here.

The Basilica is huge with a lower and upper section and a large inner courtyard.

St Francis coming back to Assisi after a journey abroad.

All the surfaces of the upper section are covered with frescos, the ceiling was a beautiful shade of blue.

The lower section of frescos tell the life story of St.Francis, here he is giving his clothes back to his father to pursue a life of poverty.

This picture depicts his famous sermon to the birds as he had a special infinity for the natural world....

And of course there is the tomb...

On the other side of town there is Rocca Maggiore, a 14th century medieval castle that was built to protect the town from its' enemies. It was a beautiful day so we decided to climb the hill to have a look...

Beautiful views of Assisi and the mountains

We also visited another site, St. Francis's hermitage which was 4 km above the town. Here he and his followers would retreat for prayer and mediation and it indeed was a beautiful spot.

Many places to sit and be still.

 

And if you go up you have to go down...

Never a dull moment so we took a cooking class as well...

Don was a pro at the pasta.

Working on my knife skills as I chopped the nuts for dessert.

Our sausages...

Dinner is served...

A few more pictures of Assisi...

Singing in the courtyard...an African group got out the drums and started singing and dancing to many Hallelujahs.

A first century temple right in the middle of the town.

There are fountains everywhere.

And finally while walking the narrow lane ways of Assisi we saw this pretty wall with autumn vines...

Assisi, a quiet and peaceful town sure to revive your spirit in many ways.

 

 

 

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