Southern Italy & Sicily
Day 3 - “Modern” Rome
Easter Sunday, 4 April 2004
Palazzo dei Quirinale
Afraid to try St Peter’s on Easter, we decided to see the sites of “modern” Rome. We started by taking a Metro ride. I felt someone in my pocket and confronted this girl who was quickly pulling her had back. She pretended to be offended, I saw that I still had every, except a map that I realized later and let her walk away. Two men beside me gave me that thumbs up.
Our first stop was the Palazzo dei Quirinale, where popes then kings lived until the end of WWII.
Because of that continuous living, it was very well preserved. It was also enormous and well run by the military. I loved the tour of the inside. They let you see quiet a bit of the place. I just wish they let you tour the gardens, which are huge, but completely walled.
Spanish Steps
From there we walked to the Spanish Steps. We first had a so-so lunch in a lovely outdoor cafe. Then the steps… which was so packed with tourists… it was silly. They boys didn’t even notice the steps, they loved this fountain at the bottom in the shape of a boat.
For the whole trip people loved the boys and their hair. The fountain was the first place we had two sets of tourists ask to have their picture taken with them. Owen actually obliged, but not Ryan. Its sort of strange to think that you are so different that someone wants a photo. Personally, I would look at it in a year and think… ‘why did I take that photo again?’
As for the Steps, its sort of the same as that photo — it is pretty — looks like it should be indoors somewhere — don’t know why its there. We also asked about a horse trip. Toby had promised Angela and Robin a trip there years ago with Robin, I think, was too ill. Well, they wanted €150 for a ‘short ride’… sorry Toby, I couldn’t mentally pay for that… I got the €40 - long version in Siracusa.
Trevi Fountain
After a gelato, because Owen was, “too hot”, we headed for the Trevi fountain. What can I saw, it is amazing. The only strange thing is, why is it in such a tiny little space, it litterally fills the square it is in. Owen and Ryan played around with the water for ages.
We all tossed a coin in over our shoulder. Owen misunderstood what having to comeback to Rome was. He thought it meant you have to come back to the Trevi fountain again during your current trip to Rome. So he kept wanting to come back… and we did, the next night.
After two pee breaks Ryan started to like going ‘al fresco’… usually on a scooter’s tire — we quickly had to curb him of this habit. We then took a bus home — ate in the outdoor cafe right outside our Hotel — and took the kids to bed, they were exhausted.
We got the keys to the roof of the hotel with nice views of the Forum. We had bought some nice wine and pastries. However the kids would not fall asleep — and we tried hard and waited long. Eventually, we ended up with Ryan, talking a mile a minute, with us the whole time… ah romance… apparently we will have to hire help to ever get a chance.
[ day 4 — Vactican ]