THURSDAY IN ROME

We had a perfect day in Rome, and I am very pleased to report that we didn't get lost once!

We didn't set an alarm this morning, and we all woke well rested and ready to explore Rome.  We left our apartment about 10 am, only slightly apprehensive about getting lost again.  After laughing at ourselves all over again this morning, we again carefully reviewed our maps.  We had the great idea to   use the compass on our iPhones to help us navigate.  What a great help that was!

Our plan for the day was to visit some sights fairly close to our apartment, starting with the Trevi Fountain.  With Matt's excellent navigation skills and our compass, we walked those twisty, turning streets right to the  fountain!

 We joined several hundred other tourists, and took our picture in front of that beautiful fountain.  Here we are:

And here I am, throwing my coin in the fountain to ensure a return trip to Rome.  Hey---it worked last year!

After our time at the Trevi, we popped into a church in the same piazza.  Like most churches in Italy, it was beautiful.  The frescoed dome was lovely:

After leaving the church, we continued with our wandering, enjoying the interesting shops along the way, and we even bought a couple of souvenirs:

Next on our list was a visit to the Cappuchin Crypts, a very interesting place.   It's very hard to describe, so I've included the "Wikipedia" entry below:

The Capuchin Crypt is a small space comprising several tiny chapels located beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccinion the Via Veneto near Piazza Barberini in Rome, Italy. It contains the skeletal remains of 4,000 bodies believed to be Capuchin friars buried by their order.^[ The Catholic order insists that the display is not meant to be macabre, but a silent reminder of the swift passage of life on Earth and our own mortalityWhen the monks arrived at the church in 1631, they brought 300 cartloads of deceased friars. Fr. Michael of Bergamo oversaw the arrangement of the bones in the burial crypt. The soil in the crypt was brought from Jerusalem,  by order of Pope Urban VIII.

As monks died during the lifetime of the crypt, the longest-buried monk was exhumed to make room for the newly-deceased who was buried without a coffin, and the newly-reclaimed bones were added to the decorative motifs. Bodies typically spent 30 years decomposing in the soil, before being exhumed.

Photos inside the crypts were strictly forbidden, but if you are interested to see photos of this amazing place, just "Google" Cappucin Crypts, Rome.  You will be amazed!

After our fascinating visit to the crypts, we decided we would have lunch in the Trastevere area, and visit the Santa Maria in Trastevere Church.  As this was miles from the crypts, we hopped into a taxi for a harrowing ride in the crazy Rome traffic, crossing the River Tiber into the Trastevere area.

We found a small cafe near the Piazza, and settled in for a nice lunch.  The charming and friendly waiter graciously agreed to take our picture:

Matt said his ravioli was delicious!

After that nice lunch, we walked a block or so to the Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere.  

This church, founded in 220 A.D., is one of the oldest churches in Rome.  Over the centuries it has undergone several restorations, and the current church was built in 1143.  Here is the exterior:

The interior of the church is known for it's breathtaking 13 century mosaics. These pictures don't begin to capture their beauty, but you can get an idea:

The floors are very intricate marble mosaic:

Interior, looking back toward the entrance and the beautiful stained glass windows:

After our time in this amazing church, we wandered the charming, winding streets of Trastevere:

Soon we came to a foot bridge over the Tiber, and decided to walk back to our neighborhood.  Here are my two favorite guys on the bridge:

We strolled along the streets of the historic center, admiring the beautiful buildings, doing a little window shopping and a lot of people watching!  We found a small sidewalk bar, and rested our weary feet while enjoying a cold drink.  We continued on to the Pantheon:

  The ocular:

 Pretty mosaic work behind the altar:

We were near Piazza Novonna, so we walked in that direction and just happened to pass a Gelataria.   Our flavors of the day: dark chocolate and pistachio for David, dark chocolate and coffee for me, and Matt chose the coconut and raspberry.  Mmmmmm good:

Along the way we found one of the many pretty water fountains, and David filled our water bottle.  The water from these fountains is cool and delicious!

By the time we finished our meandering, leisurely stroll to Piazza Novonna, it was dark, so we enjoyed the beautiful Bernini Fountains all lit up:

 Here we are, all three of The Travelin' Lundburys:

By now we were winding down, and just didn't feel like cooking dinner.  We took a quick family vote: dinner out tonight!  With nary a wrong turn, Matt skillfully guided us right back to our apartment, not even looking at a map or using our compass! We dropped off our packages, and walked a 1/2 block or so to a lovely outdoor cafe for a relaxing dinner.

 Our antipasto plate:

 David and Matt each chose a pizza, and they said it was delicious!

My choice was a pasta with wild mushrooms and clams, it was very, very good.

Here we are, enjoying our dinner

We sipped our wine and ate our delicious dinners and chatted about our amazing day in Rome.  Of course, there were strolling musicians playing songs on accordions.  How Italian is that?  I even heard  "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie--That's Amore!" Do you suppose this is the moon he's singing about?  I sure think so!

It was a  perfect ending to a wonderful day in Rome with my two favorite guys.

Tomorrow in Rome: The Vatican!