On Tuesday we visited the Borghese Museum in Borghese Gardens. The museum houses the most spectacular collection of Caravaggio, Raphael, Botticelli, and Peter Paul Rubens paintings. As well as the best of Bernini's sculptures: Apollo and Daphne, Rape of Proserpine, David, and Aeneas and Anchises which he completed at the age of fifteen.
My photography skills cannot possibly do these masterpieces justice. Suffice it to say, if you have traveled to Rome, and not visited this museum, you have missed the best art work in Rome. If you plan to visit Rome, put this museum on your itinerary. Order your tickets in advance because they are never available at the door. When we visited on Tuesday they were selling advance tickets for Friday.
Tomorrow is an off day for me and on Thursday I travel to Sardinia for a four day weekend of rest and relaxation. It is needed. My blog is finally up to date. Stay tuned for some great stories and pictures from Stintino, Sardinia, Italy.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Monday March 23
On Monday we had a student led tour of via Giulia and Campo dei Fiori area of Rome and then lunch in the Jewish ghetto. I like this area of Rome a lot. There doesn't seem to be the same concentration of street peddlers with their selfie sticks in this area of Rome. I like visiting San Giovanni dei Florentini; the church of Florence in Rome. The church houses a museum which is not well publicized and includes a sculpture by Michelangelo which it is said he completed at a very young age, perhaps only 14 at the time.
And a bust sculpted by Bernini
And a bust sculpted by Bernini
The museum curator also wanted to show me the catwalk out to the organ above the church, but I passed on that.
after via Giulia we walked through piazza Farnese to Campo dei Fiori which is always bustling this time of day
also where I spotted this little "weiner" dog
Saturday March 21 - Positano
Danilo, eight students, and I headed to Positano. We caught the bus and had a harrowing journey down the cliff road to Positano always an exciting adventure. But well worth the trip. Positano always looks impressive.
A few of the students even went wading in the water. I tried to capture a long distance photo of Prianno where Amy and I stayed.
After playing around the water we decided to have lunch at The Three Sisters.
A few of the students even went wading in the water. I tried to capture a long distance photo of Prianno where Amy and I stayed.
After playing around the water we decided to have lunch at The Three Sisters.
Friday March 20
On Friday we headed to Sorrento. This is always a complex maneuver. We have to take the early train into Rome from campus. Once in Rome, we take a fast train to Naples. From Naples we take the commuter train to the end of the line in Sorrento. We left campus at 6:45 and arrived in Sorrento at noon. We immediately stopped for lunch at Franco's for his famous saltimbocca sandwiches, meat and mozzarella in a pizza crust sandwich. Always a treat. We checked into the hotel and had 10 minute break before we had to head back to the train station and go back where we came from to Pompeii. I think having the tour on Friday is a great idea because it totally frees up Saturday for whatever the students want. Pompeii is still amazing.
Every time I go, I learn something new. They are starting to extract DNA from some teeth they recovered. There is still a debate raging about the use of lead and whether it had any effect on the Romans. The two archeologists, one at the aqueducts and the other at Pompeii disagree in the effects of lead on these early Romans.
We were considering going to Capri on Saturday, but only one of the students wants to go. It is very expensive, 35-40 euros round trip, not counting the money one spends shopping. Right now we are leaning towards taking a bus to Positano. A majority of the students indicated they would join us for that excursion.
Thursday March 19
This is always one of my favorite excursions in the program, especially when the weather cooperates.
The Roman Aqueduct Tour
The aqueduct park on good weather days is full of people and dogs, It is one of the most picturesque settings we get to visit.
As you can see from my students dress it was a very fair day indeed!
Tomorrow we leave for Sorrento. hoping the weather remains calm.
Tuesday March 17 and Wednesday March 18
Tuesday and Wednesday were uneventful. I did not schedule any excursions with the students. They worked on their midterms and global learning projects.
Monday March 16
Monday the 16th was taken up with a walking tour of the Lateran area of Rome. The area is most famous for the San Giovanni basilica and baptistery.
The church is really quite spectacular. You can gain perspective on the size of the church if you look at the people next to it.After the church we headed over to the sacred steps. the students leading the tour said we didn't have enough time to climb them which was disappointing because I have climbed them on my knees the first two times I came to Rome. The legend has it, these were the steps Jesus took to see Pontius Pilate. Legend also has it that Martin Luther started on his knees and then rose up and walked the rest of the way.
Following the sacred steps we headed over to San Clemente. An interesting church built on top of another church, and built on top a Roman temple. They also did not allow pictures. Regrettably.
Saturday March 13
On Saturday I continued to explore Lisbon. My primary goal was to climb up to Castelo de Sao Jorge and explore the neighborhood around the castle known as Alfama.
The climb to the castle was difficult but worthwhile for the view of the city below. When attempting to buy an admission ticket, the "kind" young clerk asked if I wanted the senior discount. Apparently my age is showing. In the picture below you can see the waterfront and the arch where I was yesterday.
I took the picture below because I found it fascinating how people had built right onto the walls of the castle. The area on the right with the red roof was an enclosed patio-like room. In the middle of the picture you can make out the cover on their hot tub on the terrace below the patio room. And further to the left on a terrace below is their actual residence.
the castle was the Moorish royal residence until Alfonso Henriques, Portugal's first king captured it during the crusades during the 12th century. Not sure how the captured the castle. They certainly didn't sneak up on it because one can see for miles in every direction. And the walls themselves look impenetrable.
This is a view down one of the stairwells in Alfama. Alfama is Lisbon's oldest district characterized by medieval and Moorish alleys that are best explored by wandering and getting lost. My iphone wasn't even helpful. I had scouted a place for lunch on trip advisor and spent a few hours trying to find it only to discover it was under water. a pipe had burst.
This medieval villa was for sale right next to the restaurant where I did eat lunch.
Ate outside overlooking the tourists as they walked by. Notice the angle. There are no flat surfaces in Lisbon once you are a block from the sea. Loved the little restaurant. Waitress came over and asked me what language I preferred in about seven different languages from Dutch, German, Portuguese, French, English, Italiano, and Brasilian, which the Portuguese natives claim is not Portuguese. I chose English and she asked me two questions: meat or fish? and white or red wine? That was the extent of the menu. I chose the meat because I had a seafood feast last night. It was delicious.
Below are two pictures of the medieval cathedral of Lisbon. there was a baptism going on while I visited. You might also not some of the vehicles outside. They referred to these as tuc tucs. They were basically vespas with a back seat. A popular means of transportation among many of the tourists. I stuck with walking.
The climb to the castle was difficult but worthwhile for the view of the city below. When attempting to buy an admission ticket, the "kind" young clerk asked if I wanted the senior discount. Apparently my age is showing. In the picture below you can see the waterfront and the arch where I was yesterday.
The view below is pointed back towards my hotel district. The green area in the middle of the picture is part of the Marques de Pombal monument. Which was also the name of my hotel
I took the picture below because I found it fascinating how people had built right onto the walls of the castle. The area on the right with the red roof was an enclosed patio-like room. In the middle of the picture you can make out the cover on their hot tub on the terrace below the patio room. And further to the left on a terrace below is their actual residence.
the castle was the Moorish royal residence until Alfonso Henriques, Portugal's first king captured it during the crusades during the 12th century. Not sure how the captured the castle. They certainly didn't sneak up on it because one can see for miles in every direction. And the walls themselves look impenetrable.
In the pictures below I have tried to capture some of the churches one can see from the castle.
And peacock
This is one of my favorite views from just below the castle, through the church, and out to the sea.
This is a view down one of the stairwells in Alfama. Alfama is Lisbon's oldest district characterized by medieval and Moorish alleys that are best explored by wandering and getting lost. My iphone wasn't even helpful. I had scouted a place for lunch on trip advisor and spent a few hours trying to find it only to discover it was under water. a pipe had burst.
This medieval villa was for sale right next to the restaurant where I did eat lunch.
Ate outside overlooking the tourists as they walked by. Notice the angle. There are no flat surfaces in Lisbon once you are a block from the sea. Loved the little restaurant. Waitress came over and asked me what language I preferred in about seven different languages from Dutch, German, Portuguese, French, English, Italiano, and Brasilian, which the Portuguese natives claim is not Portuguese. I chose English and she asked me two questions: meat or fish? and white or red wine? That was the extent of the menu. I chose the meat because I had a seafood feast last night. It was delicious.
Below are two pictures of the medieval cathedral of Lisbon. there was a baptism going on while I visited. You might also not some of the vehicles outside. They referred to these as tuc tucs. They were basically vespas with a back seat. A popular means of transportation among many of the tourists. I stuck with walking.
Dinner on Saturday was great. I actually posted a review for the restaurant on trip advisor, which I never do. I thought people should know about it and trip advisor didn't list it among the best steakhouses in Lisbon. And I thought it should be!
Returned to Rome on Sunday. Thankfully an uneventful trip back to campus.
Friday March 13
On Friday March 13th I flew to Lisbon for a free weekend. Not really sure how or why I chose Lisbon, but it turned into a wonderful weekend. I highly recommend visiting Lisbon if you ever have the opportunity. I took a lot of pictures and I will try to explain them all.
The hotel I booked was on Avenida Da Liberdade. It is the main drag that runs into the city center. It is about a ten minute walk from my hotel or there is a metro stop right outside the hotel. The walk from the hotel to the city center is downhill to the water; great in the morning but a difficult climb after a day of sight seeing in |Lisbon. The Avenida Liberdade is a huge wide, tree lined, beautiful boulevard. The boulevard is lined on both sides with little cafes and gardens and ponds. I miss walking on that street everyday. The people who work on this boulevard are very lucky indeed.
Once in the city center area I stopped at this square to snap a few pictures. While looking around, I spotted the Hard Rock Café of Lisbon and remembered to stop in a purchase a shot glass for my son-in-law.
See the Hard Rock Café on the right of the picture below
The picture below is a random church and square in Lisbon. Nothing unique about it in Lisbon. but it was a great picture of the beautiful sky I had all weekend.
The pictures below are from Rossio Square. It is a huge square with matching fountains at both ends and a large monument in the middle. There is activity all around the square. The main train station in Lisbon is right off the square. There was live music in the square on Saturday. The square is lined with little cafes where one can sit and enjoy an espresso and people watch all day. It reminds me of piazza Navona in Rome without all the street peddlers trying to sell you things. It was at this point on Friday I realized no one had approached me to buy anything from them. It was very pleasant to sit in the square and not be pestered like one is in Navona. I did not miss this aspect of Rome piazzas.
This is view of the railway station and mall.
Below is a view of Terreiro do Paco. It was the sight of the royal palace until an earthquake destroyed it in 1755. After the royal family moved to another residence the arch continued to serve as a bustling welcome area for people who arrived to the city by boat. The avenue is lined with shops and cafes. I stopped and tried many pastries along this street which is totally devoid of car and vespa traffic!
One of the unique aspects of Lisbon is the use of trams like street cars. The guidelines recommended one should try, but I had enough of crowded buses in Rome. After roaming the city by foot, I understood why many make use of these trams. The city is very much up and down; seemingly almost all up to me. I thought Rome was up and down, but I never took an even step in Lisbon.
Here is a view of the arch from the seaside.
Another view of the statue and arch from the seaside. The sea is directly behind me. It was at this juncture when I was finally approached by someone selling something. Although I was in the city for hours, he was the first. And although I was wearing sunglasses, he offered to see me a pair. I thought he ought to approach the tourists who were shielding their eyes for lack of sunglasses, but who am I to say.
I stopped at this "boat" café for a beer and to sit down, relax, and look at the sea.
And I enjoyed a hot dog from the vespa hot dog stand
some of the sights in Chiado and Bairro Alto
Because of the many electrical lines for the trams, it is almost impossible to take a picture without them crisscrossing in view.
But I did like this one
I posted the picture below on facebook as well. On my way back to the hotel to prepare for dinner, I stopped at the boulevard café nearest my hotel for a libation. And I noticed this table of gentlemen next to me. It reminded me of the small piazzas in Italy where the men gather for an apertivo and solve the problems of the world, or at least discuss soccer. Apparently in Portugal they do this over a couple pitchers of sangria instead of an aperol spritz.
I also ordered fish stew in a bread bowl. It was delicious!
The hotel I booked was on Avenida Da Liberdade. It is the main drag that runs into the city center. It is about a ten minute walk from my hotel or there is a metro stop right outside the hotel. The walk from the hotel to the city center is downhill to the water; great in the morning but a difficult climb after a day of sight seeing in |Lisbon. The Avenida Liberdade is a huge wide, tree lined, beautiful boulevard. The boulevard is lined on both sides with little cafes and gardens and ponds. I miss walking on that street everyday. The people who work on this boulevard are very lucky indeed.
Once in the city center area I stopped at this square to snap a few pictures. While looking around, I spotted the Hard Rock Café of Lisbon and remembered to stop in a purchase a shot glass for my son-in-law.
See the Hard Rock Café on the right of the picture below
The picture below is a random church and square in Lisbon. Nothing unique about it in Lisbon. but it was a great picture of the beautiful sky I had all weekend.
The pictures below are from Rossio Square. It is a huge square with matching fountains at both ends and a large monument in the middle. There is activity all around the square. The main train station in Lisbon is right off the square. There was live music in the square on Saturday. The square is lined with little cafes where one can sit and enjoy an espresso and people watch all day. It reminds me of piazza Navona in Rome without all the street peddlers trying to sell you things. It was at this point on Friday I realized no one had approached me to buy anything from them. It was very pleasant to sit in the square and not be pestered like one is in Navona. I did not miss this aspect of Rome piazzas.
This is view of the railway station and mall.
This is a view of some of the architecture around the square.
Below is a view of Terreiro do Paco. It was the sight of the royal palace until an earthquake destroyed it in 1755. After the royal family moved to another residence the arch continued to serve as a bustling welcome area for people who arrived to the city by boat. The avenue is lined with shops and cafes. I stopped and tried many pastries along this street which is totally devoid of car and vespa traffic!
One of the unique aspects of Lisbon is the use of trams like street cars. The guidelines recommended one should try, but I had enough of crowded buses in Rome. After roaming the city by foot, I understood why many make use of these trams. The city is very much up and down; seemingly almost all up to me. I thought Rome was up and down, but I never took an even step in Lisbon.
Another view of the arch
Here is a view of the arch from the seaside.
Another view of the statue and arch from the seaside. The sea is directly behind me. It was at this juncture when I was finally approached by someone selling something. Although I was in the city for hours, he was the first. And although I was wearing sunglasses, he offered to see me a pair. I thought he ought to approach the tourists who were shielding their eyes for lack of sunglasses, but who am I to say.
I stopped at this "boat" café for a beer and to sit down, relax, and look at the sea.
And I enjoyed a hot dog from the vespa hot dog stand
Fortified by my hot dog and beer lunch, I set out to explore the Chiado and Bairro Alto sections of the city. These adjoining neighborhoods were characterized in the tour guides as bohemian, hip, and fashionable historic districts of Lisbon. Many shops and cafes, but I didn't see any hipsters, only tourists trying to be hip. They reminded me of the area around the Spanish Steps in Rome.
Loved this statue of the sailor. The history of the Portuguese has always been connected to the water from Vasco de Gama to the present.
some of the sights in Chiado and Bairro Alto
Because of the many electrical lines for the trams, it is almost impossible to take a picture without them crisscrossing in view.
But I did like this one
I posted the picture below on facebook as well. On my way back to the hotel to prepare for dinner, I stopped at the boulevard café nearest my hotel for a libation. And I noticed this table of gentlemen next to me. It reminded me of the small piazzas in Italy where the men gather for an apertivo and solve the problems of the world, or at least discuss soccer. Apparently in Portugal they do this over a couple pitchers of sangria instead of an aperol spritz.
On Friday, I had an adventure for dinner. I did not have time to complete my usual research of restaurants before arriving in Lisbon. And I never trust the recommendations of the desk staff at large hotels because I am convinced they receive a kickback for every tourist they send. So I did a quick search of restaurants near my hotel on trip advisor. I found three highly rated restaurants within two km of my hotel. I set out for the furthest, thinking if I was unsuccessful I could just keep making my way back to the hotel. The first restaurant refused to seat me. They said I needed a reservation and they couldn't fit one more person in anywhere. I even offered to eat in the kitchen. So I set out to find the next restaurant on my list. This restaurant was a very difficult climb up a very steep street, but as I neared the restaurant I could see a line outside. This could mean good and bad. Good because it was popular, and bad because I probably couldn't get a seat. Turns out, the long line in the street was because it wasn't actually a restaurant, but rather take away food. while the grilled chicken and meat smelled wonderful, I really wanted to sit down in a restaurant and eat rather than carry food back to my hotel. If I had booked a flat through Air BnB like Amy and I did in Wales, I definitely would have grabbed some food to go. It smelled delicious.
Instead I walked back down the steep hill to the restaurant closest to my hotel. I found it with the help of my iphone on a back alley just blocks away from my hotel. It smelled heavenly as I approached. I opened the tiny door and stepped into the smallest restaurant I have ever been in. And it looked totally full. As I stood there enjoying the smell and pondering my next move, the owner/waiter/maître de came over. I explained my predicament and he told me to wait. After a few minutes he motioned me to come forward. There was a table for four with three friends sitting and they agreed to let me join them at their table. It was a little awkward at first, but they spoke very good English and I bought a bottle of wine that matched the bottle they had been drinking. Before long we were ordering food and passing it around the table to share. the picture below is the mussel appetizer; biggest mussels I ever saw. They serve them on the half shell like oysters.
I also ordered fish stew in a bread bowl. It was delicious!
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