Museo Nazionale Romano- Palazzo Massimo Alle Terme:
I woke up today about 9:00 and it felt great! I still had a little trouble wanting to actually get out of bed; however, I was very excited to get the day going. One thing that followed me from the US is my inability to leave the “house” without cleaning my things up, having multiple wardrobe changes topping it off with my dance party. I hope I can loose some of that as the trip goes on.
Today was my first “day” alone… no Emanuele, Adry or Luca… just me, my i-pod, and my directions (I told the Concierge, Andrea, I refused to walk around with a map)… Andrea and Roberto (of the Concierge) had arranged for me to have appointments at the Colosseum on Thursday and Galleria de Borghese tomorrow. However, tomorrow is Italy’s “Independence Day” and there is a big festival with a parade and singing… I am thinking maybe because of this, the Vatican will be less crowded, as tourists love the “hot” thing… If that is the case, I will plan to go to the Vatican and St. Peter’s tomorrow and the Galleria and shopping on Friday.
Anyway, that was a side note… today I walked to the Museo Nazionale Romano Palazzo Massimo alle Terme (National Museum of Rome), near the train station, which of course means street vendors, tourists, garbage and even porn for sale… a little bit of everything, naturally. After detouring to various smaller attractions, I arrived at the museum and it was incredible. I walked slowly, to take it all in… it houses Roman marble statues with some Greek original pieces (which according to the man who worked there, is very rare). Seeing the pictures doesn’t do it justice, being up-close to such amazing art is indescribable… the heads of various ancient rulers, sons, wives etc. are right there in front of you and cannot help but think that at one time, these people were living. The descriptions ranged from vague to as specific as to the hairstyle and what they meant; yes, HAIRSTYLES HAD MEANINGS! I will not post all of the pictures but for those who want to see all of them, let me know and I will email them to you.
The only bummer was that my camera died halfway through the museum so I had to resort to my phone, and when that ran out of battery, I had to turn to the Flip (thank you, Karen)… As a result, the pictures are scattered and some are even in the form of a video. My thought was as long as the beauty was captured, it didn’t really matter what device I used. The entire Museum took me a little over two hours, as I tend to get lost in what I am doing and loose track of time. I think I could have stayed longer even after “seeing everything” but decided to leave due to lack of batteries! Thankfully, the 7 Euro ticket I purchased is good for 3 days, in the event I want to go back.
Now, I sit at my hotel, charging, tanning and blogging. When Emanuele gets off of work (who works???) we will go to Trevas, walk around the Jewish Ghetto and a few other “picture” places I have on “my list”… I brought my book which is entitled “100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go” because it references those places in Italy catered to the Donna travelers… so we can enjoy the masterpieces of art that “glorifies the womanly curves”, cooking classes “taught by revered grandmas”, shop “for what else… SHOES”, or paint “a Tuscan landscape”. One place in particular I can’t wait to see is the Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Upon entering, there is the infamous, Bocco della Verità (Mouth of Truth). Legend has it that if a liar was to stick his hand in the mouth of the large face carved from stone, it will get bitten off. I know a few people who would be leaving with only one hand.
Stay tuned for the evening events… as I am going to go get an espresso, see the Spanish Steps and go for a run before it is time to meet Emanuele.
Buonasera!!!
I’m back…
Well, I went and saw the Spanish Steps for REAL today, and I have to admit, the ONLY enjoyable part about them was the remarkable surrounding buildings and the architecture. The mass amount of people, the overpriced stores, and the in-your-face tourist vendors were all too chaotic for me. As a result, I snapped my pictures, put my headphones in and proceeded to explore on my own. It was not until I opened my mouth that the locals discovered I was American, and I must admit, I love it! I avoid a lot of aggressiveness that way… I did a bit of shopping; but I had no luck, yet… so I headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
Emanuele informed me that another friend, Lorenzo, would be contacting me, which he did and arranged to meet us for dinner. However, not only did he meet us, he went out of his way to pick me up at my hotel. Again, I am so appreciative for the openhandedness of my new friends; they are incredible and have made my trip, without a doubt, top-notch. Tonight, we “killed two birds with one stone” by having dinner in the Trastevere neighborhood where we could walk around and eat Pizza... I cannot remember when I laughed so hard, let alone throughout the entire dinner. I could not have asked for a more enjoyable group to spend time with. I had the best time… walking, talking, laughing, playing photographer (thank you Emy) and learning bad words in Italian.
On the way back to my hotel, Lorenzo proceeded to show me a few more sights. One in particular, was a door where you look through the key hole and you see the Vatican perfectly. It was as clear as day, illuminated by a bright spotlight, it was unbelievable. It was as if I was looking into a telescope, without the telescope.
I said goodnight to Lorenzo and headed to my room, where I finally got to Skype with my Sister and my Boogie Boo!!!! He is getting so big and I miss him terribly but I know if he was old enough to understand, he would be so happy I am here!
Well goodnight Mi Amicos… Long day tomorrow… stay tuned!
Ciao Bellos e Bellas,
Ali
