cleaned house today and the postman delivered Andy’s bank card PIN number, so she could go and get her ATM card!  Another hurdle passed.  We took the bus to the Vittorio Emanuele building where the Nazi death camps liberation exhibit was.  It was excellent.  Told about each concentration camp, where it was, who ran it, what it was used for, how many different groups of people were brought there, how,they were killed and the number of Italians incarcerated at Liberation and how many made it home.  So many died at Liberation or shortly thereafter.  Many pictures from each camp.  Many movies.  One was of little children…looking to be younger than 5 showing their numbers tattooed on their arms. Pictures of the piles of emancipated corpses.  To me the most moving was a movie made by the Allies of making the guards haul bodies and putting them in mass graves to be buried.  The guards were men and women.  Then making townspeople file by the graves to see what had been done under their noses.  One soldier, probably a rabbi, standing over a huge pit filled with bodies saying the Jewish prayers for the dead.  It was a very sobering and sad reminded of what took place.  After we left there, we walked over to catch a bus to go to another museum.  In front of the Vittorio Emannuele building, there were hundreds of police in riot gear surrounding a group of protestors.  We went on to the bus stop but it never came because traffic had been diverted due to the protestors.  Think it was a political protest.  No one seemed to know.  While we were waiting on the bus, a huge bus.oad of military men came by this a smaller bus full and a jeep.  They circled around and saw that the riot police were just standing alert and they drove off.  We got a bus headed for home.

Later we went for dinner one street over.  For the last couple of days, and last night in particular, there has been a lot of activity on our street and the one just south of us.  Lots of men and cameras and booms and lots of noise.  Turns out, they are shooting the new James Bond movie on our very street.  We heard today that Daniel Craig was injured when his car hit a pothole and he hit his head and is back in London.  We spoke to some of the cameramen tonight and showed them Andy’s windows and asked them to be very quiet!  This is going on all night and all day for 5-6 more days.  We are not impressed…we are Sean Connery James Bond Girls.  We had heard that the city was to be cleaned for the movie…no,evidence of that around here.

We were going to try for the museum tomorrow, but hear the REAL protest is tomorrow so we are going to the market in the opposite direction and will just stay on this side of town,til the protestors and swat teams all finish up.  Then we will resume our cultural experiences.  Off to bed.

today we took the bus to Termini and walked to St Paul Within the Walls.  This is an Episcopal church, but it wasn’t open when we got there.  Will try again another day.  From there, we walked to the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore.  It was built on one of the 7 hills of Rome.  We decided on a guided tour.  There were thre different tours.  The first took us under the church to a 14 room home from the Pagan Rome era BC.  This was discovered when they were doing repairs under the side aisles.  The house lasted about 400 years and then fell into ruin as the church was built over it. There were some lovely frescoes and beautiful mosaic floors.  They found the tiles from the roof and they are stamped with the maker’s names so they could date many of them.  Some almost 1500 years old!

After this tour, we went to a big balcony and saw beautiful mosaics on the wall.The top ones were made in the Byzantine era and they used a lot of gold.  Later ones were added to tell the story of a Pope and a rich patrician who had the same dream on the same night that the Virgin Mary came to them and told them to build a church in her name.  Prior to this church, none had been named for Mary.  At each end of the balcony are two Huge angel stsues that were supposed to be on either side of the altar inside the church, but were too heavy. This balcony used to be one where the Popes would come out on to bestow their blessings to the crowd below.  Then we went into a room that had Pope paintings on all four walls as well as a painting of Isabella and Ferdinand.  They gave the church the first gold that was brought back from the first voyage of Christopher Columbus.  That gold helped to build the Basilica.  There are two huge armoires in this room.  There are eclectically vestments in them, as well as a copy of the Letters of St Paul – copied from the original.

We are now hungry, so head for a Chinese restaurant mentioned in a book Andy has.  It tells of the best eating places in Rome.  This  is a big restaurant and it is packed.  We get the same dish we had yesterday…Andy gets crispy duck with herbs and I get duck with orange.  We want to compare.  She said her crispy ducks were equally good.  Mine were also, but different.  Yesterday, the sauce was sweeter with large slices separating the pieces of duck.  Today, the duck was boneless and had bright chunks of blood orange over the slices.  Both very crispy and very good.

Back to the church with a stop at a bakery.  Beautiful pastries and cookies, tarts and biscotti.  I got some to go with my coffee tomorrow.  At the church, we did the third tour of the museum.  It was filled with ornately embroidered vestments and the chalices for the communion wine.  Each in gold or silver and each more ornate than the last.  Candlesticks and monstrances.  These are ornate standing pieces that usually have a holy relic under glass in the center.  A  piece of bone of a saint for instance.  They are in silver or gold and very ornate and often bejeweled.  The museum also had paintings of religous scenes and portraits of many of the ancient popes.  After we finished there, we went into the church itself.  Altho it is huge, it isn’t as ornate as many we have been in.  The dome behind the altar is covered with a massive mosaic that is very ornate and beautiful.

We walked back to Termini, caught our bus and headed for home.  Another fun and busy day.  We are planning to come back to this area on Friday as we saw a couple of museum exhibits we want to see and maybe St Paul’s will be open.

Today, we went to see my Kitty Raptus at Torre Argentina.  That is where the famous Cat Sanctuary in Rome is located.  Torre Argentina is a ruin site and it is where Julius Cesar was assassinated on March 15th…the Ides of March.  The cat sanctuary is built under the street that surrounds one end of the ruins.  They have been doing their good work for years.  I first remember seeing the place in 1996.  Raptus is the 5th cat I have adopted at a distance and she is a three legged cat.  She doesn’t like people very much, but she does love other cats.

After that, I went to a fabric store.  It has room after room of fabrics that go from floor to ceiling…thousands of bolts.  I was looking for a simple cotton to coordinate with some fabric I have here…but all of their quilting cottons look like they came from the 1960’s. Just tired old looking calicoes.  But if you want some beautiful silks…Oh My!  Look no further…but that’s not what I wanted.

We we had lunch at a Chinese place across from Torre Argentina, then went to two churches.  We are behind on our daily count because I was sick for a couple of days with a cold or allergies or something.  One church is dedicated to the Stigmata received by St. Francis.  The next church we went to is called Chiesa Nuova…the New Church.  Just a huge, beautiful, over the top decorated wonder.

After this we caught the bus home.  I rested up a bit, then left to go to Piazza Spagna (Spanish Steps) to meet my friend, Liz for dinner.  Pouring down rain.  Get to the Piazza and find the restaurant and it is closed for remodeling.  Liz has brought a friend with her, a lovely young woman from Oklahoma named Lauren. They met in school over here and Lauren has lived in Rome for 5 years.  We ended up going to the TRUE Alfredo restaurant here in Rome.  Actually, there are two TRUE Alfredo restaurants in Rome where they will both tell you THEY were the ones who invented Fettucini Alfredo.  No other restaurants in Italy serve it…it never caught on here like it did in America.  The waiter mixes the pasta and Alfredo sauce like a master musician…our waiter mixed it to the beat of Italian men playing the accordion and fiddle.  I had my new favorite, mussels in wine sauce and that wonderful thick crusty bread to sop it all up.  We sat and talked and laughed for almost 3 hours.  They walked home and I hopped on the subway and got home before midnight.  It had quit raining and it was a pleasant walk back to the apartment and bed.

Some HUGE drama last night.  I stayed in bed most of the day recuperating from what I think are allergies.  We decided to go around the corner to a little Chinese restaurant.  We walked in and there was one woman standing near the back.  She started walking towards us as the owners were in a huge screaming fight.  There were two men and two women yelling at each other – very angry.  Finally the older man saw us and I thought he would tell the others, ‘cool it, we have customers.’   Silly me!  They just got madder and louder and then the young man grabbed a bottle and broke it.  The three others tried to wrestle him to the ground, but we all took off out of there as fast as we could go.  Andy And I went down 2 streets to the local police department to report it…they are the traffic police, but they said they would call the police to go check on it.  We went elsewhere for dinner.  Later we went back and peeked in the window and they had some customers.  We have a new friend named Linda.  She has two miniature wire haired daschunds – the cutest little things!  They do like to kiss and have their tummies rubbed…and we are happy to oblige.

Today, we went on a bus ride to Termini to buy tickets for the fast train to Venice.  Going the first week of March.  Want to go before the weather gets hot.  We had tried to purchase the tickets online, but we’re having trouble, so that’s why we went to Termini.  Lucky for us…we got a promotional ticket for our return – a two for one fare!  We have booked into a convent hotel in Venice for three nights.  Should be nice.

After Termini, we got on the subway and went to Piazza Spagna where the Spanish Steps are.  Last weekend, the Italians and the Dutch had a soccer match and the Dutch went on a wild rampage in the Piazza.  They damaged a fountain by Bernini that had just undergone major cleaning and renovation.  The Italian government is trying to get the Dutch government pay for the cleanup and repairs.  Today, there were hundreds of people around the fountain taking pictures.  We have heard of lots of acts of vandalism to historic buildings and monuments here.  Just a shame.  Unfortunately, the Italians don’t treasure their cities like they should…the streets

i know a lot of you probably think Andy and I have been kidnapped by a couple of dashing Italian men…but alas, that is NOT the case.  I’ve been sick since I last wrote and have been sleeping a lot.  Don’t know if I picked up a germ on the train back from Pompeii or if it is allergies.  Coughing and coughing.  Andy went to the pharmacy for me the other day with a note in Italian for the pharmacist and she sent back some drops to put in water that helped most of the time.  I feel better today, and it is a beautiful day, so we are going out and about.  Will try to hit at least one church today, because we are behind on our daily museum and church visit.  If we are not too tired this evening, we are wanting to eat Japanese food for dinner and go to a Bach and Brahams concert – in a church.  We found the Japanese place the other day.  There is a winding counter where you sit and a conveyer belt winds around with plates of sushi, edamame beans, rice and soup.  You pick your plate, eat the food, and when finished you pay a price according to the colors of your plates.  White is 1€, yellow is 2€, etc.  Next door is the more formal dining room with tables and menus.  More later…

After breakfast at the hotel, we walked up to the place to catch the van up to Mt. Vesuvius. A long winding road to get there, climbing higher and higher. As we climbed, there was snow and ice and we were in and out of clouds. It was rainy and overcast. When we got as far as the van could go, I decided not to go on the 1000 meter climb to the crater. It was cold and there was a lot of snow and ice, and it was a steep hike. I was afraid of a fall. So I waited in the van and sewed on my little quilt blocks. Andy and a French family came back after awhile. She said it would have been a difficult climb for me and they got rained on. I’ll climb it later this year when we go back. When it isn’t snowy, icy and raining. Since I was sitting up front with the driver, Pasquale, we carried on a good conversation all the way down to the town…in Italian. I’m getting better. He dropped us off at the train station and we went back to Naples and then on in to Rome. We decided we would go to Isole di Pizza where we had eaten with my friend, Bea last week. We had such a wonderful Mozzarella Bufala there…cheese made from buffalo milk…I guess. Not sure, but it sure is good. When we got there at 6:40… The place was closed. It was a Sunday night. We were disappointed, but went across the street to a place that was open. We were looking at the menu outside when a big teddy bear of a man wearing a big apron came out and insisted we come right on in and sit down. So we did. He showed us a whole page article about him and his restaurant from the Los Angeles Times. It was framed and right over our table. Vito, the owner brought us delicious bruschetta…toasted bread with chopped tomatoes, olive oil and spices. He is going around to each table making sure we are all enjoying the food…in between going outside and encouraging folks to come on in and eat. What a showman! By 7pm, the place is packed…and as a table comes available, Vito is back on the front sidewalk roping people in. American ingenuity at its best! He goes out and rolls up his awning, and I see that Isola di Pizza – across the street is open. At 7 pm…and there can’t be too many people there, because Vito has them all at his place! We ended up having mussels in tomato broth with big toasted chunks of bread for sopping. After dinner, he presented us with a little complimentary glass of lemoncello…a lemon liquor. The man knows his business! We will be back.
The restaurant is called Da Vito & Dina. We felt like we had found a treasure…in the restaurant and in Vito!
Now, for an Italian lesson…how to pronounce bruschetta. Is isn’t Bru-Shetta like people in America say. It is Bru-skate-ah. In Italian, the ch together is a K sound. Like Chianti wine. You don’t say she-anti. It’s Key-anti… So now, you know how to properly pronounce bruschetta.
Last week, I heard a waiter ask if we wanted bru-Shetta. I asked ” bru-shetta or bru-skate-a?” He said, “Bru-skate-a in Italiano!” He knew we were Americans and pronounced it how most Americans pronounce -or mispronounce – it. So now you know.

We walked about a mile to our hotel after getting off the little train. The train lets you out so close to the entrance to the Pompeii ruins…and I thought I would never make it back there. As it turns out, there is a second entrance to the ruins about two blocks from our hotel, so that is the one we went to. We got a guide named Georgio and he was excellent. He told us about the building materials of the homes and how to tell if they were Greek (older) or Roman. The Greeks used large stacked stones…it would probably take 10 men to move one. The Romans used small stones they would find in the fields and fill in with cement which they invented. The 2000 year old walls are still in perfect shape, whereas repairs on wall with current day cement are cracking. All the walls were level…if they weren’t to start, they laid plaster over them to the depth needed to make them perfectly level. He showed us the houses of the rich with a winter side and a summer side, houses and shops of the shop keepers and homes of the plebes and slaves. He said the streets have ruts in them that are a certain width…from the wagons and chariots that drove over them for eons…and the width was two donkeys and the thing in the middle they were attached to. That width is still used today in train tracks. We went to see the stadium, older than the Coloseum in Rome. Criminals were taken there to fight to the death. If one remained, a professional gladiator would fight him and he was toast pretty fast. But, if a criminal put up a good fight and the crowd was pleased, they would kill him quickly. If not, he would have his throat slit and died more slowly…3-4 minutes of agony.
We got to see 13 casts of bodies which were found in a garden. They had been covered by the ash from Vesuvius. After Pompeii was discovered again in the 1800’s , plaster was poured into the cavities these bodies left and so we have plaster figures of the actual final pose of the people. One child still has a visible femur bone showing…because children have more calcium and harder bones. One father was in a position of reaching out to his wife and child…so he didn’t die instantly. Georgio told us the blast of Vesuvius was equal to 30 Atomic bombs. This happened in August of 79AD.
The last eruption of Vesuvius was in 1944. 27 people died…from heart attacks.
After the tour, we went to the cathedral of Pompeii. Mass was going on, so we just walked around. Every inch painted and gilded. Beautiful mosaics. You think you have seen the most ornate church, until you go to the next one. There is a beautiful bell tower next to the church, but neither of us wanted to climb it. We walked back almost to the hotel and realized the place for dinner has back near the cathedral, so we walked back and it was closed. We stopped at another place and had mussels in broth…wonderful! Of course, we haven’t had a bad meal yet. Finally back to the hotel. My legs hurt so bad I couldn’t get comfortable, so took a hot shower and some ibuprofen PM and got to sleep. Andy’s feet hurt from her pretty new pair of shoes. I have permission to shoot her if she ever wears them to sightsee in again. We slept well…and more of our adventure tomorrow. We are going to the crater of Vesuvius.

The surprise I told you about? We came to Pompeii to spend the night. We left Rome early and went to Termini and caught a train to Naples. Then we got on the small CircumVesuvius train to come to Pompeii, except we got on the wrong train. About the time I mentioned to Andy that it didn’t look like a tourist group on our train, a young man told us we were on the wrong one. We hopped on one headed back to Naples, and in a short while we crossed the track and got on the right train. Got to Pompeii and walked to our hotel about a mile away. Turns out, we are only a couple of blocks from a back door entrance to the ruins. We have lunch before we go. We need our strength you know! Have a wonderful seafood lunch and where we are eating has a HUGE wisteria vine right outside. It is 145 years old. And it has 4 off shoots. There is a metal pole open roof that holds the huge thing up as well as columns to support the weight. I hope the next time we are here that thing is in full bloom. I can’t imagine how good it will smell.
I’ll have to tell you all about our tour of Pompeii tomorrow as I am too tired tonight. So, Buona Notte!

Today, we were up and out a bit earlier than usual. We took the Metro to Termini – the Main Rome Train Station – then caught a bus to our destination. Today was the Catacombs of Priscilla. There are 62 catacombs in Rome but only 5 are open. This one dates back to the 2nd Century. The early Christians buried their dead as opposed to the Romans who cremated. This was a donated piece of land, given by a wealthy woman named Priscilla.
There are over 44,000 graves in this Catacomb. They would dig down one level and bury the body, wrapped in a linen cloth. As the first level was filled, they would dig down in the soft volcanic soil and make another level. Imagine a narrow hallway with bookshelves on each side. This is how it looks. With turns and twists for acres underground. All of the bodies have been removed and reburied in the Pantheon or in St Peter’s. When the bodies were buried, they were sealed with terracotta tiles and Roman cement. A marble or clay plaque would be put on the face of the grave with the person’s name, perhaps their age, family or children’s names. The wealthy might have a type of room to bury their family in, and we saw beautiful frescoes painted in these rooms. Or it might be a society, say of bakers who would share one of these rooms. To go down into these catacombs to bury the dead, they would carry oil lamps no bigger than their hand. No one would come back to visit as it would be almost impossible to find the grave and it had terrible odors of the decomposing bodies.
In this Catacomb of Priscilla, there is the oldest known painting of Mary and the baby, Jesus. A man is standing next to them telling of the birth of Jesus (in the Old Testament) and a star…and there is a star over Mary’s head.
There is an ancient wine cellar there that was before the catacombs. Now it is a chapel. There were also artifacts found in the graves…jewelry, a hairpin, tools and the small oil lamps. Also some glass from bottles. We had a guided tour and the guide spoke in English and Italian. I found that I could understand most of her Italian because she was speaking slowly for a family of Brazilians with us. It was a very interesting tour and my claustrophobia didn’t kick in at all.
We took,the bus back to Termini, caught the Metro and went to lunch near our apartment. It is a German place and we sat at the table right next to table #6 where Pope Benedict used to eat often, as this was his favorite. I had the buffet to sample all the dishes…all good…and Andy had fondue. I will get the fondue the next time.
Came home and did what we usually do in the afternoon…read and sewed.
Think tomorrow will be housecleaning and I need a haircut. Nothing exciting. Big plans for Saturday…but you will have to wait!
Ciao for today!