What is a visit to Rome without stopping at a few churches. We had walked past both of these earlier in the week and this day we stopped in.
Interesting exterior, a few details added to make a statement when the worshipers came to services.
I did find out that S. Andrea della Valle is a minor basilica in the neighborhood of Sant’Eustachio. It was considered one of the great 17th century preaching churches. Once you go inside, you don’t know where to look since there is so much going on everywhere! My shot below is the main alter area then part of the ceiling. I suppose you could stare at the ceiling for years and continue to find new things.
A small chapel displaying the Madonna & child was roped off for anyone wanting to pray in peace.
Looking up when exiting the building, their organ could be seen above with a small part of the half-dome apse in my photo.
As we continued walking the city a few steps away was the Church of the Gesu, it is the mother church of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The facade is described as ‘the first truly baroque facade’ and served as a model for innumerable Jesuit churches all over the world especially in Central Europe and in Portuguese colonies.
Their design is such that there is no entrance or vestibule to linger, rather a visitor is projected immediately into the body of the church. The Jesuits relied heavily on the acoustics of the church having a single nave and dome. They wanted the faithful to clearly hear the words of the sermon.
Turning to leave I could see the organ pipes above the exit. Wow, that is a small organ. Reading later I discovered that the two ornamented walls on either side hide a great deal of it. Now that makes more sense.
Okay, only been to two churches and they are starting to look alike. Let’s do some more walking. We walked past the other side of the Forum and noticed a number of Julius Cesear statues. In case you didn’t notice, Adrienne and Eric are in the background.
We saw something odd on the next statue……….maybe rubbing the foot is good luck? Not sure about that, but guess what? We rubbed it. Ha!
Putting together ruins is much like putting together a puzzle, with really heavy pieces. These were well organized.
Eric had been given the name of a restaurant near the Coliseum. That’s where we were headed. Had to grab this photo. This was a site we visited on our last trip so no need to go inside again.
By the way………it is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built and is the largest standing amphitheater in the world. Good to know.
Our locale of choice for eating lunch. It was recommended by someone Eric worked with. Although it was in a ‘touristy’ region, it was still very good eating.
I’m sure you can guess which one is my drink. 🙂
We started with the buffalo mozzarella. This was the best we’ve had thus far. Okay, well this is only our second full day. 🙂 The mozzarella was very ‘fresh’ tasting.
They both chose pasta, while I had the pizza. That was a recurring theme. Eric could tell you that I’m always ready to eat pizza!
I was able to get a different shot of the coliseum on the way to our next destination.
Our destination was Circus Maximus: ancient Roman Chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome. It was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire. It could accommodate 150,000 spectators. It is now a public park. Adrienne said she is going to run around it one of these mornings when she is out and about running before most of us are up.
Even at the height of its development as a chariot-racing circuit, the circus remained the most suitable place in Rome for religious processions on a grand scale. The photo below is where the spectators used to sit. They were trying to shore up some of the buildings as age and weather were taking a toll.
After the 6th century, the Circus fell into disuse and decay. The lower levels, ever prone to flooding were gradually buried under waterlogged soil and accumulated debris so the original track is now 6 meters beneath the modern surface.
It was nice to get out, walk the streets of Rome and stretch our legs. We had beautiful weather! Before we left home, the weather forecast showed a number of days with rain. So far, they were wrong. In the evenings we usually needed our jackets but the days were gorgeous.
Reservations had been made for dinner at Il Gabriello. They have continued a long family tradition, now with the fourth generation at the helm for over 30 years. Eric talked with the chef (father) as we were leaving telling him how much we enjoyed the food and the experience.
Upon arrival, we all had a déjà vu feeling, especially walking down these stairs.
Yes, we had been there before. Our hotel had made the reservations on our first trip for this place therefore we didn’t know the name. Even more ironic……..we were seated at the same table!
We started with the seafood crudo and octopus. I enjoyed both, but the grilled octopus was my top choice.
We had a variety of entrees.
Desserts were enjoyed before closing out the evening.
So ended another day in Rome. They called us a taxi to get us home. This was our last night of the first days spent in Rome. We started packing for the next leg of our Italian journey – Lecce.
Darden Travels 