Here are some of my favorite memories of Rome, past and present. I hope you feel like you were here with me.... maybe you were and maybe you will be one day. Just don't forget, if you toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain you will always come back to Rome.
Trust me, it works every time! Allora, facciamo una passeggiata a Roma!
First things first. Let's start the day off right with a little gelato.
Sometimes I like to start my walking tours at Piazza del Popolo.
I love the the little church in the lower right corner (you can's see it in the above pic) Chiesa Santa Maria del Polpolo. Everytime I come into this church I think, "They just don't make churches the way they used to!"
There are marble skulls with angels wings,
...dead people, usually a Pope, buried in sculpted tombs just hanging out with everyone going to mass,
...and the architecture is phenomenal! Chiesa Santa Maria del Popolo also houses two paintings by my very favorite Renaissance artisit, Caravaggio. Here is "The Crucifxion of Saint Peter".
Next stop:
The entryway to all shopping dreams come true...except the part where everything is free. It's very exhausting shopping all day, particularly when you are shopping with Stephanie (my sister) as I have been doing for the past 2 days. She requires frequent stops in most, if not every single shoe store within a 10 kilometer radius. Shopping with Steph requires "una pausa" on the Spanish Steps. These were the steps in 2004...
And then in 2009...
This is Via Condotti where all my famous friends live - Gucci, Armani, Prada, Fendi, Dolce and Gabbana, and all their famous French freinds. Sometimes I like to drop in for a visit but I usually don't stay too long given that I am dressed only in my California best, ripped jeans and flipflops.
The only thing that really changes besides the church facelift are the advertisements. Below is a photo I took in 2004 near the Spanish Steps. I love the juxtiposition of Rome's most beloved duo: the Madonna and Totti hanging out together. Sadly, there is not a current advertisment on this building below.
Given the pausa at the Spanish Steps, I will take a blog pausa now as I digest all the pasta I ate today.
