Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Today is Borghese Gallery day.  The hotel got us reservations for 1:00 so we took our time getting up and strolled to the park via the Spanish Steps (which I DID climb, by the way).  I rather enjoyed standing on the steps and looking over the view that Goethe, Wagner, Keats, and many others would have seen.  Keats died in a building next to the steps. The Sinking Boat fountain at the base of the steps was built by Bernini (or his dad?) and Sandy was particularly taken with that.  We walked through the old Roman wall to the Central Park of Rome -- the Borghese Gardens -- and wandered through the quiet 3-square mile park, enjoying the lake with the Greek statuary, the many fountains, and the Roman race track. What a lovely break from the hectic city.

The Borghese Gallery is astounding!  My all time favorite.  The 17th century villa itself is beautiful and the art -- be still my heart! One after another of works that are beyond fabulous.  We weren't allowed to stay more than 2 hours and we left enough time to go backwards through it again quickly.  I've found that you see so much more than you did the first time if you go back in the other direction.  It also serves as a review of what you've seen which is nice.  Seeing the Bernini David after seeing Michelangelo's David was really interesting.  Michelangelo's David is so perfect, powerful, and graceful and Bernini's is full of action and determination.  Many works by Raphael, Rubens, Carivaggio, Bernini, and many others, but not Michelangelo or DaVinci.  I guess that is explained by the fact that this was a collection of works chosen to adorn the villa (and the tastes) of the Borghese family, not collected to perpetuate art and demonstrate styles as in a museum. The only downside for me were the steps.  Up 4 LONG flights of stairs, then down of course in time!  I found a friend in a man and his wife who were about as excited about that as I was and we encouraged each other.  Sandy can just fly up but she is very patient with me.

We walked and walked and walked again today -- Sandy's pedometer said about 6 miles.  We were pretty exhausted.  Back "home" at the hotel, after collapsing on our beds for a while, we asked where we could get a good dinner and the woman recommended a restaurant at a nearby piazza that "is full of local people and not very touristy -- a nice place to people-watch and eat good food".  She was right.  What a lovely evening sipping wine, eating good food, and enjoying all the people out for an evening on the piazza.  When evening rolls around, the tables, chairs, and umbrellas are set up outside (more added for the dinner hours), people socialize around a meal, kids play in the piazza, stores re-open after a mid-day rest, and neighbors are out for a pre-dinner stroll, greeting each other & window shopping.  The city seems to calm down, and, at the same time, it comes alive in a different way. Time is taken to retire the busy day and savor the end of it. We've found the Italian people to be very warm and friendly and very proud of their country and its heritage.