Rome, again...

On Saturday, we (me, the kids and Tobin) went to Rome. Tobin had been there only once and we had seen the Ancient Roman sites...so back we went to catch a few sights before our departure...which is quickly approaching. Once again, we take the train into Rome. This is my fourth time on the train and it was shockingly empty. I could actually see the sign that showed which stops were next.

A side note: The train station in Rome is called Roma Termini...this is because all the trains come into it from one direction and stop...end of the line. Well, our train comes in from the north and circles the city on the west side and swoops into the termini (this means that the train is actually heading north or back to Montalto...the train then has to back out of the station). Well, as the train circles the city there are a number of stops in the various neighborhoods of Rome. Usually we take the train to Termini and then walk or take the Metro to where ever we are going.

So, back to Saturday...we are headed to the Vatican...long train ride, a long walk to the Metro, and a Metro ride to the right spot, then another walk...I notice the next stop is Roma San Pietro. Could that be St. Peter's Square? I break out my handy maps and Tobin found the station and we jump off the train. It was a quick 4 block walk to St. Peter's! It only took 4 trips, but what a short cut! I felt like a local! We got there before all the tourists, in the cool part of the day, there was NO line!!!! Go us!

St. Peter's Basilica...notice the line as we are leaving the square...

Walking along the same route as I went with the kids, here is Ponte San Angelo and Castel San' Angelo...

The Four Rivers Fountain in Piazza Navona...

The Pantheon...

Sorry for the duplicate pictures, but some of them were better than the last time I went through. Here is something new...more Roman ruins...

This is the Victor Emmanuel Monument...like the tomb of the unknown soldier...

Trajan's column and some churches...

Trajan's Market...

A quick Metro ride...

And we find ourselves at St. Paul's Basilica...Tobin's favorite so far (you have to ask him why)...

The inside of said Basilica...

And because we are such cool locals we walked through one of the neighborhoods and found another train station to go home on...and Rome's only pyramid...

So there you have it, another crazy adventure through Rome! We even got home in time to make dinner! It is kind of nice to finally start to feel like we know enough to be even more adventurous in our exploring...beyond the 'normal' tourist stuff. I think I will make it to Rome one last time...Pat hasn't seen the Vatican yet...but now I know the short cut!

Ciao a tutti!

Assisi...

I apologize for the lack of blogging this morning! I am in the midst of packing and I have apparently added to our pile of belongings since being in Italy (imagine that!). So, I have been trying to find some things to leave behind...well, there are some books that I brought that I haven't read yet...so I read one today! I read 'Playing for Pizza' by John Grisham...if you haven't read it, DO! It was very humorous to Tobin and I...as we know just what he is talking about...SO TRUE!!! I enjoyed it very much...though I didn't get to the computer...

On to the adventuring...we went to Assisi last week. Assisi is another hilltown in Umbria. We had a beautiful drive (though rainy) on seriously windy roads...again, you haven't experienced an opportunity corner unless you have driven in Italy...

That pic was courtesy of Case in the backseat! Assisi has been put on the map as a pilgrimage spot. Many Catholics from ALL over flock here to see the places that Francis lived and preached. Outside of the old town, is a church that is a bit different than the rest...it has a church inside a church...no joke! They built the church around the tiny church that Francis preached...

Then in the centro is St. Francis Basilica. It looks kind of plain from the outside, but inside it is a whole different story. This one has an upper and lower basilica, with amazing frescos by Giotto...but unfortunately no pictures...apparently the flashes will harm frescos as they are pretty delicate, so no photos to share...

And a nice picture of the town...

Overall, it was a pretty nice day! It rained in the morning so it didn't get super hot (To get into all these churches one can't wear shorts...even the kids...they have a dress code...so on those hot days it can get really hot in pants).

Ciao a tutti!

Vatican...

Last Thursday, I had a wonderful opportunity to hang out with just my 2 boys. Shannon wanted to go to the Vatican Museums (which I had already seen, pics here...) and I went along for the ride with Case and Clayton (Grandma was watching Gwen)...

First, we went to St. Peter's Square and Basilica, and regardless of what one might think of the Catholic Church, it was absolutely amazing. The Basilica...

You step inside the door and two things happen...you breath a sigh of relief to get out of the heat and your breath is taken away by the shear enormity of the Nave...

Just to the right inside the door is Michealangelo's Pieta...a peita is a sculpture of Mary holding the body of Christ after the cruxifition...

This is the main alter that is over St. Peter's Tomb...

Here is the dome...the picture was uploaded the wrong way...tilt your head to the left to get an idea of the dome. The dome was Michealangelos last work and is the biggest anywhere. In fact, Rome has no modern skyline, due to the fact that no building can be built that is taller than St. Peter's....

Dove window (stained glass window with dove in center...I couldn't get a pic that showed the dove:( ) and St. Peter's throne...

St. Peter's Square...apparently the Pope was having some kind of something on Sunday, so there were hundreds of chairs and most of the square was blocked off...

Then we had a bite to eat and Shannon was off to the museums...and I was alone in the streets of Rome with the two boys...the adventure continues...

Ciao a tutti!

Doge's Palace...

A quick history lesson...Venice was one of the most important, powerful, and wealthiest cities in Europe as a result of the East-West trade routes from the Far East to Europe. With the discovery of America and the new source of cheap goods, Venice's power ebbed but lived lavishly on it's aquired wealth during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Doge's Palace is where the Doge of Venice resided (think Duke of Venice)...It was built to show off the power and wealth of the Republic. The outside facade...

Directly inside is this great courtyard...this was the most powerful half-acre of Europe for 400 years!

Once inside, it is pretty amazing...though pretty sparse! The moulding, ceilings, doorways, stairways, and even wallpaper is terribly extravigant and beautiful. The Palace contained living quarters for the Doge and his family, rooms for the local senate to meet (the senate had 120 members), the judical branch of the government, and a prison. There were several paintings by Tintoretto, one of which is the largest oil painting in the world (this is located on the wall over the Doge's throne, of course!). We got to tour the armory, prison, and the Hall of the Grand Council...where the entire nobility met to elect senators and the Doge. Overall, it was pretty amazing...again, no pictures :(

Thankfully, we just happened to walk by when there was NO line...so we decided to go in! Go us!

Speaking of being lucky...just prior to our tour of Doge's Palace we went to St. Mark's Basilica (again, no pics)...we arrived pretty early and there was already a HUGE line! IN THE SUN!!! We were not super excited about this prospect...I remembered my handy Rick Steves book in my bag...SHORT CUT!!!! Apparently, they don't want people to wear backpacks into the Basilica...so there is a handy FREE bag check just around the corner (REALLY) and they give you the claim ticket and you BYPASS the terribly LONG line!!!! I really felt bad for the folks that waited in line with their backpacks just to be denied entrance! Thank you Rick Steves!

It kind of makes you feel like you know what you are doing! Since then, you can bet that I bring that dopey book with me everywhere!
Ciao a tutti!

Under the stars...

I have been a bad blogger this week! Sorry! I hope to pick up the pace again! So much to do and say...so little time without kids needing attention!

Venice at night is quite the magical place! We dropped off our bags, grabbed a bite to eat, and then traveled via vaporetto to St. Mark's Square (Piazza di San Marco). Here are some pics of Canale Grande...

The La Salute Church...

Piazza di San Marco at night is probably one of the most romantic spots I have ever been to! The surrounding building are lighted, giving a soft glow to everything...

The cafes that line the piazza are open and have 'dueling' orchestras...each play in succession and people are dancing, standing arm in arm, and overall...just in love! It was a great night, with my beloved...

And a not so great nightime pic of Basilica di San Marco...

I acknowledge that I am terribly spoiled and I am loving every minute of it!

Ciao a tutti!

Help, I've lost my Basilica...

A weekend get-away! It was everything a girl (or at least this girl) could want! We left the kids in the grandparents capable hands (with the help of Uncle Shannon) and off we were on our weekend adventure...ALONE!!! We traveled up the Autostrada going about 130 km/hr zooming around cars in the Alps over bridges and through tunnels...Tobin is really getting into driving like an Italian! Any bets as to how long it takes him to get a ticket once we get back to the States?

Our first stop was Padova...it is only about 30 km from Venice, or should I say Venezia. We stopped here primarily because I have a Rick Steves' Guide Book and he recommended it and because I wanted to see the Basilica of St. Anthony. (If you are traveling to Italy, I HIGHLY recomend the Rick Steves' books...they have saved us countless hours standing in lines, money, and frankly, we just feel like we know what we are doing!)

We had thought we might take the train from Padova to Venezia so we parked near the train station and took the bus to the Basilica...missed our stop, but we got to see this lovely piazza...

And walked a few blocks to the Basilica...

Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures inside :( I am bummed because this is one of my favorite churches we have gone to so far. It was a completely different style...more wood paneling and mouldings...There was also a priest reading something (it was either in italian or latin) and really set the mood for the church as his voice echoed down the nave (later there was someone singing something...they sure made those churches with great acoustics!).

As far as Catholic Saints go, Saint Anthony is pretty interesting. He is the patron saint of travelers, amputees, donkeys, pregnant women, barren women, flight attendants, and pig farmers in addition to his very popular 'finder of lost things.' Now I don't know how many donkeys need a saint, but they have one! And being from Montana, I just had to check out the patron saint of pig farmers...kind of close to home.

Then we mosey-ed through the town towards the Palazzo della Ragione where we ate pizza under one of those umbrellas and toured the large building...

Padova centro has these wonderful covered sidewalks...ALL of them...which is fabulous under the intense Mediterrean sun...

We walked to the car (we decided against taking the train) and drove to our destination...
Ciao a tutti!