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Wonderful Days in Rome

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Piazza Popolo, Rome - Dolly GoolsbyWow!

Rome certainly has taken hold of me. This is a beautiful city, and huge. I think what has impressed me the most on this visit is how large, magnificent and really, really old the structures, the streets, the city walls are. Of course, I KNEW that, but to FEEL it is very different.

I have been to Rome several times in the past years. The first time I came here, I found the city to be so overwhelming…..scooters and cars zooming past relics of the old Roman Empire, as if these were everyday things….the first time I wrote about Rome, back in 1996 or 1997, I described the city as ” Los Angeles with ruins.”

It is indeed a busy city, but there are so many very lovely things to see, that I forget that the Vespas are zipping by me. (Which is dangerous, as the Vespas know no rules..)

This trip I am enjoying more and more of the center of Rome..the area around the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trastevere (literally, Across the Tiber), and the Campo di Fiori, as well as the Spanish Steps and the Piazza Popolo.

Yesterday, Susan and I each had sites we wanted to see, in different directions. So we parted ways for the day. I was on a quest to find Campo di Fiori. This is the largest fruit and vegetable market in Rome. It is a very fun place for “foodies” like me, but it is also a great place for people watching.

There are stands after stands of fresh fruits and vegetables, dried pastas, liqueurs (no wine, as it is sold in the stores), just things to eat or drink. I was very pleased, Although I only bought 2 potatoes and some green beans, it was an adventure for me.

After that, I just wandered…back to the Pantheon, up the Corso to Piazza Popolo, back to the Spanish Steps and home.

By the time I got back to our apartment, I had walked for hours. My hips and knees felt it, so the rest of the evening was spent in the apartment, with a soak in the tub and some Tylenol.

Today we went to St. Peter’s Basilica..one of my favorite spots. We took the Metro over there, spent a couple hours inside. It is such a magnificent church, I spend hours there whenever I can.

The main altar, right under Bernini’s magnificent dome, that is 7 stories tall. The light in the background is through Bernini’s dove window. The picture doesn’t do it justice..the entire basilica is so enormous that I cannot put it into any perspective that is relative to anything I have seen before,

Finally, we left. We were getting hungry, as it was already after 1:00 p.m. Instead of taking the Metro back to the Spanish Steps, I decided that if we followed the wall, we would end at Castel Sant’Angelo, and I knew there were restaurants near that place.

We also saw part of the Aurelian Wall. It was built in 271 A.D. It originally was over 12 miles long. It is 20 feet high, 11 feet thick, and is part of the fortified wall that went all around the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. Over two-thirds of the original wall is still standing, and we walked along this part of it.

Yes, we found a place for lunch, the decided to walk back to our apartment instead of getting on the bus or the Metro. We did it, in a couple hours. Needless to say, more Tylenol and a short nap were required after that workout.

I took another hour-long walk around 5:00 p.m., for a gelato, a quick visit to a supermarket and a visit to our neighborhood church to light a candle, say some prayers, and re-visit the angels by Bernini.

Now we are rested, getting ready to have our dinner here in the apartment, probably another soak in the tub, and get ready for more adventures tomorrow.

I hope you enjoying Rome with me. Please come along with me in person some day soon.

Ciao for now,
Dolly

By Dolly Goolsby – Full Story at Dolly Travels | Rome Gay Travel Resources | Other Gay Travel Events

The post Wonderful Days in Rome appeared first on Purple Roofs Gay Travel Blog.


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