Rainy Rome

It was another rainy beginning of the day followed by a clear, warmish afternoon. Today is an early day for me because I will rise early tomorrow to catch the train to Milan. I won't have the opportunity to post again until

Saturday but I promise some wonderful, albeit wet, photos of Milan and Venice. I was able to wear my flea market inexpensive rain boots today and am pleased to report that my feet remained dry - no wet toes or soggy socks. I am sure they will be my main attire for the next few days as the weather forecast calls for a relatively dry day in Milan followed by two wet days in Venice.

I am looking forward to seeing my brother tomorrow morning, hopefully at the train station when I arrive at 9:30 after a 3 hour train journey. Check back Saturday for an update of this little side journey of my trip to Italy.

Napoli: no, no. Sorrento: si, si.

Today was a loooong, but wonderful day. I found that, for me, Naples isn't somewhere I am comfortable. It's the first time in 18 months, since I've been traveling alone, that I have felt uncomfortable. Being a woman alone, I have to trust my senses. Rome is a quiet city compared to the confusion, crowdedness, and unpleasantness I found in Naples. There was, however, only one motorcycle driving on the sidewalk, so I guess sidewalks are relatively safe. The city is filled with the constant (and I do mean constant) sound of horns blowing. Being from the states, I just found it rude beyond rude. The people I encountered in the city were unfriendly and somber. I'm sure there is beauty there, I just couldn't find it. I walked to the port (about 45 minutes) and decided the ferry to Capri was more than I wanted to spend, so I headed back to the train station. I decided to give it another shot and, since I had a walking tour with map from Rick Steves, I began that, but quickly decided that I simply wasn't comfortable in the city, so I headed back to the train station and got a ticket to Sorrento. Thanks to Carrie Baker for suggesting that I see Sorrento, or I would have missed it.
The only pictures I took in Naples were of run down buildings along my walk. I couldn't find anything interesting to shoot. As I was on the train (after being on two, yes two, wrong trains) the scenery began to change.... thankfully. I did find some nice women on my second wrong train who overheard the english speaking employee of the train station guide me once again to the wrong train. After the second or third stop, a lady approached me and told me that the train didn't go to Sorrento and that I would have to change trains. Another woman worked with her to decide which stop would be the easiest for me to board the correct train. Thankfully, the change was an easy one.

This picture is at a bus stop in Sorrento. How would you like for that to be your bus stop? It was along the coast and I found the walk out of the city to be refreshing and fun. The town of Sorrento itself is beautiful and is already decked for the holidays. I didn't include any photos of it here because it's similar to other quaint towns that I've included in the blog. I do, however, have some lovely photos of the town. One thing I did notice, however, is that, although the town is so near the sea, you can't see the water while in the town because large hotels front the ocean and have tall walls that hinder the view. Seriously..... you can't see any water from the town. But a short walk outside the city and your senses are overloaded by the beauty all around.

I was above the town and looked down to see the boats harbored below. The colors of the buildings looked nice against the color of the sea. The water was very blue and calm. There are amazing cliffs on which the town sits. I found a little park along the sea that had this sweet set of steps. I know, I love concrete steps. They seem natural and inviting to me. These were under some great trees and it was cool, quiet, and peaceful sitting amongst that setting. I wish I had brought a book along to read for an hour or so.

In the main part of the town I found this communal garden loaded with fruit trees. It was just hidden above the main street, but, because there were great concrete steps leading to it, I had to check it out. I was so surprised to find this place! How special it must be to be a part of this. I'm ending the blog with my favorite picture of the day. I took quite a few pictures of the cliffs hoping to get one that somewhat captured how awesome this place is. I think this picture begins to do that. After figuring the days I have planned to travel by train, I have one train day left on my pass and I'm trying to decide whether to return to Sorrento (which I would love to do) or spend an extra day in Florence. Having not been to Florence yet, I'm not sure which I will choose. Because I began the day by spending over 2 hours in Naples, my time in Sorrento was shorter than I would have liked so I look forward to being able to more thoroughly explore this town in the Umbria region of Italy.

Spoleto

Before I headed to Spoleto, I ventured into a church on the way to the train station at the Piazza della Repubblica. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a display of information and works by and about Galileo. It was beyond interesting and I will definitely go back there when I have more time. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed indoors. Then, it was off to Spoleto.

Spoleto is a medieval hill town in the Umbria region of Italy. It is a walled town build on a hillside whose most famous site is Ponte delle Torri or Bridge of Towers. It took one and a half hours by regional train to reach it. The rain was finished by the time I arrived. The first photo

shows where I headed off to from the train station. As usual, the direction to the city was uphill. It took almost 2 hours to reach the bridge, though it was mostly a gentle climb with beautiful sights to keep me company. As I walked, I went through the quaint center of town on narrow roads that were just fabulous. The second photo is of the rooftops of the lower city as I made my way up.

I had to take a picture of clothes hanging on the line because I am always drawn to that view. It just screams "old Italy" to me and causes

me to visualize times past. I've learned that electricity is quite expensive here and that's why most people don't own dryers. It's simply less costly to let them air dry. I actually was thrilled when I got home tonight to notice that my neighbors had hung their laundry today so, in the morning's light, I'll have to snap a picture of my "local" laundry.

The bridge was truly a spectacular sight because it crossed a deep gorge. The sun was high in the sky so it was difficult to get good scenic photographs that captured the immensity of the view, but you'll just have to take my word for it.


The Duomo (or main church) is being refurbished, but the inside was intact. I had to wait for a bit for it to open, but was kept company by two young boys who made very good use of the long span of gentle steps with their skateboards. When I first saw them walking with their boards, I thought it would be a shame to not take advantage of the cobblestone steps --- they didn't disappoint. As well as laundry hanging between buildings, I just love all the rosette shaped windows on the churches here. I have more photos of them than a person should. This is a short post because I am very tired and tomorrow is an early day because I'm planning to head for Naples. I'm unsure of what that day will be like because I want to see Naples and I want to see Capri (which is about an hour from Naples by ferry) and I want to see Sorrento (which is about an hour by train). I don't know how to squeeze it all in during one day. If I enjoy the day at all, I'll have to add another day to Naples on my schedule. I've heard that it is a very busy, chaotic city so I'm going to take it one day at a time.

Thanks for checking in. I'll see you soon.

Appia Antica

The Appian Way was built in 312 B.C. and connected Rome with Capua (near Naples). It eventually stretched 430 miles. Due to the fact that it was unlawful to bury people within the city gates of Rome, this road became a popular burial place for Christians. There are more than 60 catacombs; 5 of which are open to the public. Today the road and landscape around it are preserved as a cultural park. It was pretty cool to walk along such an historical road. The main part of the

road is closed to motorized traffic on Sundays, so that was a bonus. There were many ruins and tombs along the way. The weather was gorgeous, so that made everything just that much more beautiful. The photograph below is of a roadside shrine that I noticed as I walked along and

took the time to snap a photo of it. I visited the Catacombs of San Callisto and took a tour of the catacombs. It was pretty fascinating to walk underground and hear the accounts those who were originally buried there. There was no photography allowed, sorry. In these particular catacombs, there were over 500,000 people buried - that's pretty amazing. Although San Callisto are arguably the largest catacombs, remember that there are over 60 of them! The burial sites were small and crowded together. There were simply too many of them that were so small that it was apparent they belonged to children or infants. The Christians also met underground here to worship during times when it was unlawful to do so in public.

As I was waiting for the bus after my visit to the Appian Way, I noticed this colorful water fountain and couldn't resist taking a snapshot and sharing it with you.

The day when rapidly downhill from there as I once again got lost while trying to get home and ended up walking about one and a half hours home..... about 45 minutes of that in the rain without protection. I knew we had a chance of showers tonight, but didn't expect it to take me more than 2 hours to get home, so I didn't have an umbrella or even a coat. I arrived home wet, cold, and hungry. However, my apartment is dry and cozy and I've just finished some pasta with chicken. I may even "force" myself to head a couple of blocks away for gelato -- if my feet stop hurting a little.

Gionicolo

Today was an introspective day, so bear with me while I ruminate. I began the day by climbing many steps to reach Gionicolo hill, which is a spectacular hill within comfortable walking distance from my apartment. The hill overlooks Trastevere and ancient Rome with breathtaking views. The hill is green and lush with a variety of parks, walkways, and benches. As I stood there pondering the beauty of Rome many thoughts came into mind. You may not realize it, but, based on our Florida/fantasy world standards, Rome is quite dirty. There is litter around and graffiti everywhere. The city is old and you can always find scaffolding beside buildings. I realize that this is what I love about Rome - what Rome teaches me about myself and about God. I touched on this in an August blog post about why I feel drawn to Rome. It sort of expanded today. I had thought that there was value in finding beauty amidst the ruins and that it paralleled God's ability to find beauty in the ruins we sometimes create. That God looks beyond the ruin and sees beauty. I think that was wrong. I now feel that the ruins ARE the beauty. That, when one (be it person or city) lives - truly lives - there is ruin, messiness, and constant need for repair. When you open your arms to life.... to people.... you will most certainly get gritty and make mistakes. It's similar to gray hair or lines on the face as we age. Why try and erase the past? One doesn't tear down the past, one must work within the history to reinforce it. The history is what makes it beautiful.

What do you think? Do I make any sense at all? To me, Rome is real... it is so alive that it makes me feel more alive. Someone recently asked me if I get lonely here. Sure, I do. But I get lonely at home, too. Being alone has its challenges just like sharing your life does. I refuse to stop living because I must do it alone.

After I had my fill of Gionicolo, I listened to another podcast and took a walk through the Jewish Ghetto. I so enjoy these little walks that I downloaded from Rick Steve's website. They are informative, interesting, and encourage me to explore areas that I would otherwise overlook. The history of the jewish people in Rome is a testament to the tenacity of these people. Amazing and beautiful. This photo below is of the main synagogue in this area. I didn't realize that the synagogue has a square dome rather than a round one to differentiate it from a church. I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to the podcast while walking through this area of Rome.

One of my silly favorite things in Rome are the water fountains. They flow freely all of the time and the water is refreshing and fine for drinking. Okay, here's the trick. Look closely at the picture below and notice that the spout looks sort of like a big nose. Right? Well how does one drink from it without kneeling down? If you stick your finger across the bottom where the water is coming out, it stops the water flow and forces the water out of a hole where the "nose" bends and you get a stream of water shooting up and out like our water fountains. If you look real closely, you can see the hole. I always make a mess, but love drinking this way.

So, that's it for today. There is a 20% chance of rain tomorrow and it goes up to 40% or 60% for the few days after that. Tomorrow I will stay in Rome, but then I plan to spend a few days chasing the sun by taking some day trips. I hope to see Naples and/or Capri (where the weather is supposed to reach the high 70's... uggghh) as well as just hopping the train and heading south and getting off where it looks interesting. Ciao!

Rome in 7 Hours

There were not very many pictures to choose from today. I had an unexpected surprise last night and found out that a friend would be in Rome today for one day. Julie and her friend Jennifer arrived from the states this morning and have to leave first thing tomorrow morning to catch a train to Florence. They didn't want to rest, but decided to see as much of Rome as they could in one day. That's a pretty big task. I served as their guide -- which is pretty scary as we all know how lost I get. My motto...... I'm lost, but I'm in Rome, so what's the problem? So, fasten your seatbelts and come along for a whirlwind.
We met up sometime between 11 and 11:30 at St. Peter's Basillica. As far as I could tell it was the closest main attraction to their hotel. We were all excited to actually be able to find eachother in the crowds. We decided to see the Basillica since we were there and skip the Vatican because the line there was, as usual, very long.


I just love the church. It is huge inside and there is beauty all around. It doesn't seem to matter how many people crowd in, it doesn't feel claustrophobic to me. I took the first picture of the outside of the church while waiting for the girls. We all entered together and spent time oohing and aahing over everything. Jennifer was thrilled to see things she have only studied and dreamed about before. This picture is the center area and, of course, the crowds of people.

After exploring St. Peter's we headed into the center of town. We stopped for gelato and to buy a bus ticket for each of them. We found a majorly -- I mean majorly -- crowded bus to take us closer to the town center. I'm going to tattle here. When you buy a bus ticket, it's good for any time. You validate it by sticking it in a machine that's located on the bus. The first bus we got on was soooo crowded that there was no way to get near the machine or even pass the ticket through the crowd to allow someone else to do it. SO..... they stole a bus ride. I have a month pass, so mine didn't need validated. I didn't steal, just they did. I'm joking. There truly was no way to validate their ticket. No one checked for tickets, so it wasn't a problem. Although they DID check for tickets on our next bus ride.
On with the day. As we headed toward Trevi Fountain (thanks to a beautiful elderly italian woman who walked with us and explained the directions to me until she was sure we couldn't get lost) we decided to stop for lunch. We shared our own little buffet at a very nice restaurant with helpful waiters. We shared bruchetta, pizza, and proscuitto with melon. Yum! It was difficult to get up and keep moving. But, we had to keep going. We went to the Trevi and took pictures of both ladies tossing their coins to ensure their return. I was frustrated when I couldn't find those pictures tonight, then remembered I took them on Julie's camera. You'll have to trust me. Then we headed to the Pantheon, whose outside is being restored. We went in and looked around for a bit. And,

because I am such a good photographer, this last photo is of a bread shop across the piazza from the Pantheon. I forgot to take a picture of the actual building! Then we headed over to the Piazza Navona, which I made them do since we were so close. They enjoyed it and were glad I encouraged them to experience it. I stopped taking pictures here because there was too much to keep up with.

After Navona, we hopped a bus and headed to the Roman Forum and Colosseum (they're across the street from one another). We basically waved as we went past -- actually got out of the bus so they could photograph them -- then headed off to the main terminal so they could buy their train tickets form tomorrow's trip to Florence. They bought the tickets and we made sure we understood where they had to be in the morning. Then we took the metropolitana (subway). It was my first time on the metro. We got off at the Piazza Barberini where they were to meet the shuttle for the hotel. 6pm was the last shuttle for the night and we got there about 10 minutes until 6. We saw the shuttle pull in, we all ran across the street (not as easy in Rome as it sounds), gave quick hugs, and they were gone. How's that for a full day???

Orvieto

Welcome back to sharing my adventures in Italy. I took the train outside of Rome for the first time today and am pleased to announce that I didn't get lost even once. No problem. Walk 15 minutes to bus #8. Take the bus to Trastevere train station. Take train to Tiburtina train station. Get on train to Orvieto. Take train 1 hour and 10 minutes. Exit train, cross the street, buy ticket and board the funicolor (sort of like a cable car) for the ride up to Orvieto. Voila - two and a half hours after leaving the apartment............ Welcome to Orvieto. The trainitalia trains are very nice -- clean and quiet riding. It was quite relaxing. I had visited Orvieto last year by car and, entering this year via funicolor took me in the opposite side of the city so I was pleasantly surprised at seeing part of the city I didn't see last year. As always, it wasn't easy choosing which pictures to share with you. For some reason I really love laundry and stair shots, so you have to be exposed to them. The town is primarily medieval in style. I brought my guidebook from last year and used it to guide me through the town once again. It is peaceful and beautiful.
The roads are very narrow and it seems strange to realize that people live here and go about their jobs, school, and lives in the midst of this beauty. There are plants and flowers lining every stairway and pouring from window boxes throughout the city. The main contrast from this city and Rome and Capena (where I stayed last year) is the total absence of graffiti. Italians are very expressive and like to express themselves with spray cans wherever there is an opportunity to

do so. On trains, walls, doors, sidewalks, etc. I actually use the graffiti to help me find my way sometimes! But in Orvieto, there is none. Possibly because they are supported by tourism.

I really like this picture of an alleyway - a vicolo; which means small street. The stone of the walls and slate roofs surrounded by all the plants speaks to me. I enjoy the rooftops in these small cities. These type places always make me think of what Florida and its attractions make copies of to attract tourists. And yet, here is the original medieval city. I know I'm prattling on, but I really enjoy visiting this city.


The cathedral is breath-taking and it constantly frustrates me that there is no place to stand and get a picture of the entire building in one shot. It's simply too big. The colors on the front actually gleam in the sun. There are paintings upon paintings inside and I focused on a set of paintings in a "small" (compared to the main cathedral) chapel on the right side of the front of the cathedral. There are a series of paintings on the walls by Luca Signorelli that follow his vision of the end times. Preaching of the Antichrist; End of the World; Resurrection of the Flesh; The Damned are taken to Hell; The Elect Being led to Paradise by Angels. The images are captivating. Regardless of your beliefs, it's difficult not to be drawn into the scenes. They almost come alive. I didn't notice them before, so it was a new experience for me.





This last picture was in a different church and I loved the way I could see the rays of the sun pouring into the window.

After taking the previously mentioned means of transportation home again, I relaxed for a bit, got dressed up (yep, stocking, dress, heels - the whole thing) and took myself out to dinner at a restaurant around the corner from my apartment. It was fine, but sad. At home it doesn't bother me to go out alone, but it just seems wrong to eat alone in Italy. I think I'll save my solo eating for lunch when there are tons of people milling around and cook dinner for myself at home. I did learn a new word today...... when you have on narrow heels and walk along the cobblestones they become........wait for it.......... HOBBLESTONES! (I made that up) As much as I tried walking on the balls of my feet, my heels would slip between the cobblestones and I would sort of hobble. So, from now on, cobblestones will forever in my mind be hobblestones.

Rainy day 1 Rome 2010

I arrived safely in Rome on a rainy day. It is about 7:30pm and it has been raining since I arrived 12 hours ago. I was able to find the right bus from the airport to Trastevere and then very easily found Federica and Franco's apartment. They are the owners of the apartment that I have rented. I dropped my luggage with them and explored the rainy streets of Trastevere for a couple of hours until my apartment was ready.

The apartment is lovely. It is quite clean and has everything I will need for my stay. I posted a couple of pictures to give you just an idea of what it's like. The bed is unmade, but you get the idea. I took a 30 minute nap before venturing out.

I walked to Santa Maria di Trastevere where there was a church service going on. Today is All Saints Day. I am only guessing that that's why there was service on Monday. There were also many beggers, umbrella salesmen, and tourists. As is true of most churches I've visited in Rome, it was ornate from floor to ceiling. Between services (which is when I took some inside photos) there was a children's choir singing. Their voices were very beautiful.

It began getting dark today at about 4:30 and was completely dark before 6pm. Their time changed just a couple of days ago, but it feels strange to be dark so early. It will be fine with me, though, because it has been a long 2 days of travel and orientation, so I'm happy for an excuse to turn in early.

Tomorrow I plan to go to Campo di Fiori where there is an outdoor market each weekday to stock up on some fresh fruits and vegetables. Because today is a holiday, the markets were closed so I've had one day of only airplane food and one day of italian "fast food" which mainly consists of pizza and panini. I'm looking forward to fruit for breakfast and salad for lunch.

In case you didn't know, the characters on an italian keyboard are organized differently than ours, so you would be amazed at how much I've had to backspace to fix my many mistakes.
I feel like I'm just learning to type.

I'll fill you in on what I find tomorrow. Hopefully there will be some sun - things look so much prettier in the sun, don't they?

Rome

Rome - the eternal city. I've been wondering what makes it so special. Rome began small, and through wise decisions and careful planning, began to grow and soon became powerful. Before long she turned prideful and controlling and, all too soon, fell. The once staggering empire was destroyed and downtrodden. Her gilded churches and magnificant works of art were frequently stripped of their valuables.

A city with many scars and regrets, she is still beautiful. She is real and gritty, not at all pretentious. Her ruins speak of struggles, determination, and hope. Her artistic creations speak of beauty and appreciation. Walking through the city, one is able to visualize the personality of Rome. A city that allows past regrets to lead her to present successes.

Perhaps that is why I am drawn to this city. In many ways, I am Rome.

Italy Day 12 - Vatican

Good evening, everyone. It's another beautiful day here in Italy and my trip to Rome was beautiful, as well. I first went to St. Peter's Basilica. Wow. Magnificant. As has been the case with so much of my stay here, there was too much to take in.

There were many different areas in the basilica. Each area more interesting than the last. The church is open and easy to manuever. I was free to browse and move around as I desired. It wasn't too crowded and everyone had plenty of space to focus on their area of interest.

The courtyard was huge and had fountains, statues, and interesting architecture to experience.

These last two photographs are in the Sistine Chapel - the end of the museum tour of the Vatican. I'm sorry to say that I found the Vatican to be too much sensory overload for my taste and way too crowded. Perhaps I went at a poor time. There is room after room of statues, tapestry, frescoes, paintings, etc. I had an audio guide and found it very helpful. I heard many interesting tidbits and facts about the origin and meaning to each room. It took a couple of hours just to walk through all of the rooms at the Vatican museum. After an hour or so, I started to feel guilty for walking past so much without being able to process it all. How can you look at everything in a room that has over 100 statues? Or notice all of the tapestry when each one is the size of a room? Or keep looking up at all of the ceiling paintings when the walls and floors are each artistic, as well? I think it might be nice to have about 2 days to walk through alone and really focus on some of the items. Everything, the ceiling, floor, and walls is fabulously done.

This is an idea of how crowded it was during my tour of the Vatican. This, as I stated earlier, is the Sistine Chapel. By the time I got here I was having an anxiety attack and could only think about getting out and having fresh air in my face. Isn't that sad?

After my time at the Basilica and Vatican, I walked for a couple of hours through the city once again. I am pleased to say that I no longer feel overwhelmed in Rome. I am comfortable with the drive into the outskirts of the city and using the bus system to get around. With the help of a detailed map, I can pretty much find where I want to go -- even though most of the streets do not have signs!

Tomorrow I plan to head west to the coast to explore that part of the country. I'll let you know how it goes.

Italy Day 11 - Capena

Today was my vacation from exploring. I lazed around all the day long and loved every minute of it. When I went out to get dinner supplies, I noticed that the Christmas lights, which have been up since I arrived, were on for the first time. It looked lovely, so I thought I'd share a couple of the night time, rainy, photos of Capena with you.

The lights looked quite festive reflecting off of the wet streets, I think. The weather isn't very cold, considering the wetness of the night.

This is the fountain at the end of my street. When my balcony door is open, I can hear the water flowing and it's quite calming.

I did learn to crochet today -- well, I'm beginning to learn, anway. Here's a photo of what I accomplished. It's just to the point where it's relaxing since I don't have to concentrate so hard to make the stitches.

Tomorrow, it's off to Rome again. I have to see the Vatican -- it would be wrong to visit Rome without seeing it, don't you think?

Italy Day 10 - Viterbo

Today was clear and cold. It's about 48 degrees at 6pm in Capena right now. I drove aboout 1 hour today to Viterbo, the capital city of the Lazio region. This first picture is of the cathedral of Saint Lorenzo. I am constantly in awe of the churches here in Italy because, not only are they beautifully designed, they are majestic in a way that a newer church simply cannot be. To think of the years and years of worshippers gathering inside is inspiring. It is difficult to capture the feeling one experiences entering these buildings. It causes me to quiet my soul and be respectful in a deep way. The longer I'm here, the more I wish I was a better photographer and the more I realize I need to learn more adjectives! lol

In each city I've visited, looking down the side streets is one of my favorite past times. The archways, the metal work over doors and windows, the laundry hanging seemingly haphazardly from windows and balconies, the stone streets.... all of these things tells a story of the inhabitants behind the walls of each place I encounter.

I found a map of Viterbo and followed it to the various parts of the city. I also met a couple of American girls who are exchange students here in Italy. Their italian was excellent and they were sweet and willing to share their experiences here. I met them in a little place I stopped for lunch. It was a Turkish place that sold something called a Donar Kabob. Yum! They said they have a "bob" about once a week to break the tradition of having pasta as the first course of every meal. It was good stuff. The gentleman who ran it was very patient and kind. It amazes me that here in Italy, when you order food at a little place like this one, they never want you to pay at first. Just relax and enjoy your food, then take care of the money. He told me to sit, sit, enjoy and eat. When I was finished, he was more than willing to wrap the rest of my sandwich (it was huge) and then asked me to remind him what I ate. It was relaxing as well and pleasing for my stomach.

The weather forecast for tomorrow calls for 90% rain so I plan to stay put and just be. Take a vacation from exploring. I will read and try to learn to crochet. I actually brought yarn and a crochet hook in hopes to figure it out via youtube instructions. It'll be interesting to see how that goes.

Italy Day 9 - Villa d'Este

"Villa d'Este at Tivoli, with its palace and garden, is one of the most significant and complete examples of the culture of the Renaissance in its most refined expression. Its innovative concept, the creativity and ingenuity of its architectural works constitutes an incomparable example of the Italian Garden of the 16th century."

That's the intro the guidebook I purchased today. I couldn't find a way to describe the gardens, so I "borrowed" from the book. To think this was created in the mid 16th century boggles the mind. In the first picture, I chose the one that I'm in because I figured it was time to prove that I'm actually here!

The avenue is flanked by the streams of the Hundred Fountains, although in reality there are more than three times that number of spouts. It was difficult to get them all in!

Villa d'Este is a palace, as well as the gardens. The palace is phenomenal (of course) and had beautiful frescoes in every room. There are explanations of the story told by each room, so it was really quite interesting. This was in the center of the ceiling in the first room and depicts God appearing to Noah.

More pictures of the water features. The sound of the water flowing was quite soothing. I can't even tell you how many fountains were in the garden area. They were all unique in their own way.

This is up and beside the top area of the main fountain that you see in the first picture.

Market day in the city of Tivoli -- where the Villa is.

Today actually began quite disappointing. I got up early, made it to Tivoli without incident, found a parking spot (thank you, God) and entered the Villa only to be told that the water wasn't working and they weren't sure when (if) it would be repaired that day. I chose to enter anyway, and soon realized that the garden area wasn't a garden with a few fountains in it............ it's fountains placed in a garden setting. It looked incomplete and that, coupled with the workers using power tools to cut branches and having equipment spread around, made for a rather unpleasant experience.

When in doubt, shop. The town of Tivoli is beautiful and I had already paid for parking, so I explored the town. I found it very enjoyable and it had some unique shops to explore. I had my first cappuccino in Italy, found a gelatorria (actually I've found them pretty regularly here!), and bought some lovely little Christmas-y decorations. I came upon a church and when I went in I realized they were having mass in Latin. Cool. I'm rude enough that I took a couple of pictures (my camera is pretty silent and I don't use flash in churches, so I don't think anyone noticed) while standing in the back of the church.

After a few hours I headed back to the Villa d'Este and was thrilled to find that the water was working again! Yea!!! They allowed me back in without re-paying and I really enjoyed it the second time. The weather was beautiful -- sunny and pleasant --- as opposed to really, really cold in the morning. I skipped the palace since I had already explored that in the morning and headed straight for the gardens. There were only a few people there, so it was very peaceful. I was able to sit and read for an hour or so while listening to the water and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. (By the way.... I'm reading "Same Kind of Different as Me" which is a true story by Ron Hall and Denver Moore ----- exceptionally good.)

It was somewhat of a melancholy day for me, though, because I was really missing my mom. (For those of you that don't know, she passed away October 18.) I kept thinking how much she would've liked it there. Though I know she's in a much more beautiful place than those gardens, I still would liked to have shared it with her.

Anyway, I haven't decided what tomorrow holds. I've got a few possibilities. I guess it'll be a surprise to us all!