Day 16: A great last day in Rome

16 gennaio 2010

Today we did a fun tour:  You might think it sounds hokey but it was great.  We went on the "Angels and Demons" Tour,  which just happened to go to all the places I had on our list to see today.  Besides that, I thought the commentary would be fun.. not just art history.  The tour started at Piazza dei Popoli, which, in all my 3 prior trips, I had never seen.  It looked really quite close to the B&B on the map, but it turned out not to be... at least the way my GPS took me.  Also, because, you can’t walk as the crow flies, and crossing over Roman walls isn’t shown on the map.

Anyway, I eventually found a taxi  and we got there in the nick of time.  The first thing we can tell is the guide is over-the-top dramatic.  He says he’s sticking to the book, not the movie which changed things unnecessarily.  And he also tells us not to be disappointed but basically, all of the "trail of the illuminati" is poetic license by Dan Brown but that the places we will see are interesting.  Also, that the Vatican was upset by the book and did some strange things after the book came out.  Like cover up statues and carvings underneath statues... and prohibit filming the movie in churches... and they won’t let this particular tour guide into certain places.. like the Pantheon.  Don’t know if its true, but it added to our adventure. 

The guide was FANTASTIC, covering the story of the book, very dramatically , in several voices... and also telling us a good deal of REAL stories and history.  In fact, the tour was only supposed to be 4 hours, but he got carried away and I think it was about 5 ½ hours.

We sometimes walked and sometimes took a van (thankfully) and we saw Santa Maria dei Popolo, the Pantheon, Bernini's statue of the ecstacy of Saint Theresa (can’t remember the church), Piazza Navona, St Peter’s Square and Castello St Angelo (which was also totally new to me).  The view from the Castello St Angelo was fanstatic.  Afterwards we went inside St Peters Basilica which could be a day long tour in itself.  We came home too tired to move and I don’t know if we’ll have energy to go out again tonight.  It’s time to pack anyway and, early in the morning, we pick up our rental car and begin our drive to Calvello.  I think we’ll all be glad to spend a day sitting in a car.

Its time to show you our pictures for the day.. (Don’t worry I won’t show the picture John took of the wax covered saints entombed in glass coffins).

So imagine Dino singing to you as you look at our pictures for the day.

Arriverderci, Roma
Goodbye, goodbye to Rome
City of a million moon lit faces
City of a million warm embraces

Our tour group... small... Only 6 people plus our very dramatic storytelling host (on the left)

OK, Signor Papa': even I know that Epifany is over... don't you think your neighbors are talking about how you haven't taken your Christmas decorations down yet?

The manger scene up close

Margaret attempting to take a picture of her and John in front of St Peters

Margaret and John in front of Castel St Angelo

Saint Teresa in Ecstasy (Bernini)

Gorgeous views from atop Castel St. Angelo

Arrivederci Roma... Buon giorno Calvello!