Much of the exhibits in the Palazzo Braschi are dedicated to the various artists of all genres that were attracted to Rome over the centuries. Those that are on display here are those that were neither damaged nor stolen during the occupation of 300 homeless families after World War Two.

As mentioned previously, Luigi Braschi Onesti, the nephew of Pope Pius VI, originally commissioned the building of the palace.  Because of his close ties to his uncle, much of Luigi's personal collection had a religious quality to it.

The portraits seen here are of significant people of their time, who visited Rome.

A good portion of the museum is dedicated to Niño Manfredi, one of the most prominent Italian comedic actors of the twentieth century. Born in 1921 to a family of farmers, Manfredi went on to become a film and stage director, a screenwriter, a playwrite, a singer, and author, and much more. He typically played loser, working-class characters, but who always displayed dignity, morality, and optimism. At the age of 16, he was diagnosed with pleurisy and given only 2 months to live. When he was still alive after six months, things began to look up. He debuted as an actor in 1941. Encouraged by his family to become a lawyer, he entered law school and graduated in 1945 with his thesis on criminal law. He never practiced law. He died in 2002 after 60 years as an actor.

His childhood room.

Some of the roles he played I. Film and on stage.

Some of the equipment and costumes from his long career.

At the far end of Piazza Navona, going towards Corso Vittorio Emanuel, is a rather unobtrusive building housing the Palazzo Braschi, part of the National Museum of Rome. The original construction was commissioned by the nephew of Pope Pius VI, Luigi Braschi Onesti. Reportedly, the nephew gained his wealth from the many privileges granted to him by his uncle, the Pope ( can you say Papal nepotism?). By 1790, the Braschi Onesti family had the completed Palace. However, much of the family's wealth quickly vanished and they sold the palace to The Italian State. For awhile, it served as the Ministry of the Interior until Benito Mussolini turned it into his political headquarters. Following the end of World War Two, 300 homeless families lived in the palace until 1949, doing much damage to the frescoes and stealing several artifacts. It has been part of the National Museum of Rome since 1952.

In the entry foyer is this statue of Saint John the Baptist, baptizing Jesus Christ.

One of the works of art that was not damaged nor stolen during the occupation of the homeless, is this Braschi family one-person transport.

This beautiful mosaic table was located in one of the upstairs rooms.

In the early 1800's some effort was made to restore the old Roman Senate. Pictured here, on the left is the uniform of a Roman Senator at that time, and on the right is the uniform of a Senate Page.

In the grand ballroom, we found these beautiful tapestries and this rather large wooden model of what appeared to be St. Peter's Basilica as it looked two centuries ago.

The Pantheon is considered to be a free-standing building. However, at one time there was another building on the back side, which abutted it and helped to buttress the rotunda. Records indicate that there was no interior passage between the buildings. It is estimated that it took over 700 workers to construct the Pantheon over three years. The original purpose of its construction are unknown, however, some indication was that the Pantheon was designed as a temple to all Greek gods.

In the original construction, the sides and the back of the Pantheon were flanked by other buildings. On the south side, it is speculated that a building known as the Basilica of Neptune was constructed at the same time as the Pantheon. On the east side, the walls of Saepta Julia (ostensibly a place for citizens to cast votes, but later used by Augustus to stage gladiatorial fights) spread to the outer face of the rotunda. Some of the original wall is still visible next to the Pantheon.

Documents indicate that the entire building was faced with marble, so little if any of these bricks would have been visible.

These are some of the remnants of the Basilica of Neptune. The brick support arches were to relieve some of the stress from the massive weight of the dome.

Possible foundation remnants of the Basilica of Neptune that was constructed next to the Pantheon.

Since the original plan for the Pantheon may have been as a temple to the Greek gods, it is not surprising to find remnants of pedestals on which may have stood statues to these gods.

Perhaps one of the best known and most preserved of all ancient Roman buildings is the Pantheon. It was originally commissioned by Marcus Agrippa as a part of a complex of buildings created by him on his own property (Campus Martius). It initially was built between 29-19 BCE and later rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian around 126 AD. The Pantheon has been in continuous use throughout its history. Since the 7th century, it has been used as a Catholic Church , known as Santa Maria Rotunda. For those who are fans of Dan Brown's books,  Raphael's tomb is indeed located within the Pantheon (and not elsewhere as suggested by "professor Robert Langdon").

The inscription on the front of the Pantheon, which translates to "Marcus Agrippa, so. Of Lucius, made [this building] when consul for the third time" is the only piece left of the original building. Having originally been built of wood, the Pantheon burned down three times before it was finally rebuilt of stone.

In its current use as a Catholic Church, this is the main altar area.

The height to the Oculus is the exact same as the diameter of the interior circle, 43.3 meters (142 feet). Being open to the outside, when it does rain, the interior floor does get wet. On Pentacost Sunday, Vatican staff pour rose petals through the Oculus, falling to the floor like rain, signifying the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. The dome of the Pantheon is larger than that of St. Peter's Basilica, and is the world's largest unreinforced concert dome.

Many folks visiting the Pantheon see the front of the building and the interior only. However, there is much more to see of the exterior, if you choose to explore the sides and back. In part II, we will do just that.

Following its conquest of Egypt, Rome became enthralled with everything Egyptian. Many artifacts from Egypt were collected and displayed throughout Rome. Others were copied and reconstructed here. One such reconstruction copy is the Pyramid of Cestius. It is located near the Porta San Paolo and next to the Protestant Cemetary (where Shelly and Keats are buried). There was a second, and much larger, pyramid, the Pyramid of Romulus, which had been placed between the Vatican and the Mausoleum of Hadrian. However, this one was dismantled by Pope Alexander VI, so that the marble could be used to construct the steps of St. Peter's Basilica. The Pyramid of Cestius was constructed  between 18 BCE and 12 BCE as a tomb for Gaius Cestius. Later, it became part of the defensive Aurelian Walls, forming a triangular bastion between Via Ostiensis and another road that approximates today's Via Della Marmorata. Because of this, the Pyramid is one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in Rome.

The Pyramid of Cestius is located near the Circus Maximus and the church that houses the Mask of Truth.

A Japanese businessman, Yuzo Yagi, spearheaded restoration of the Pyramid in 2013 raising nearly 17 million euros

During our walk about Rome today, we came upon a large police presence at the Piazza Venezia, where the memorial to Victor Emmannuel and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are. Investigating further, we discovered that we had happened upon yet another demonstration (does bees to honey attraction sound familiar?). Talking with a number of folks around this demonstration, we learned that the participants were protesting the fairly large number of illegal immigrants that have moved into Italy

There were approximately 300 law enforcement personnel from different agencies surrounding Piazza Venezia to help keep the peace.

The sound truck leading the demonstrators.

There appeared to be several waves of protestors in this demonstration.

By our very unscientific estimation, there appeared to be around 3000 demonstrators.

The effigy with the Pinocchio costume attached is some politician the demonstrators hold somewhat responsible for their troubles, we assumed.

Somehow we have this knack of attracting students from all the world to talk with us. We were up on the Aventino hill exploring the Knights of Malta grounds, looking for the famous key hole (peep hole) through a door which frames a view of St. Peter's Basilica . We happened upon seven young ladies from Barcelona, who were on holiday from pharmacy school. Of course we immediately struck up a conversation, gave them our blog information, and then posed for a group picture. All-in-all, it was a fun time.

This doorway with the Knights of Malta carvings adorning it, contains the key hole through which you can see directly to St. Peter' s Basilica

Looking through the key hole. It does not photograph well this way, but take our word for it, that is St. Peter's where the white light is. After several tries to take this picture, this was the best I could get. It is really stunning to see at night when St. Peter's is bathed in lights.

We seem to attract students like bees to honey....

View from the gardens from atop the hill.

Our present landlord here in Rome, Stefano Mencarini, has been an exceptionally kind and thoughtful host. He took time to drive us around Rome at night to see it in a totally different manner. In spite of a challenging flat tire part way through the trip, Stefano spent over four hours taking us to all corners of Rome. As he told us several times, "I love my town" and it showed with every site to which he took us. Obviously, a four hour tour of Rome would be impossible to encapsulate in a few pictures here. Therefore, this is just a sampling of some of the wonderful sights we saw.

The Fontane dele Tartarughe (The Turtle Fountain) is in the Piazza Mattei not far from Castile Saint Angelo. It was constructed between 1580 and 1588 with the bronze turtles ( noted along the top edge of the circular basin) attributed to Bernini, being added 100 years later during a restoration. This was one of eighteen fountains planned to provide drinking water to the citizens of Rome.

Our landlord Stefano explaining some of the history of the Turtle fountain.

The Triton fountain is located in Piazza Barberini. Pope Urban VIII commissioned its construction around 1642. This was the first Bernini free-standing urban fountain and was to provide water from the Acqua Felice aqueduct.

The Fontana dell'Aqua Paola, also known as "The Big Fountain", is located on the Janiculum Hill  over-looking the city. It was constructed between 1610-1612 to mark the end of the Aqua Paola aqueduct .

What a glorious day today was. With the exception of a couple of brief periods of rain, the weather in Rome has been perfect (I.e. Sunny, and temperatures near 60 degrees Fahrenheit ). So with that in mind, we took a large circular walking route past the Vatican, over the river to Via del Corso (near the Spanish Steps), down past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Victor Emanuel Memorial, over to the Theater of Marcello, through the Ghetto, back to the Tiber River, along its banks and back past the Vatican and home again.
Along the way, as is our custom, we looked for the smaller, out-of-the-way museums and attractions which might not be on everyone's tourist agenda. About a block from St.Peter's square, we came across a museum dedicated to the Carabinieri. Italy, like many countries, has several levels of law enforcement (e.g. National, regional, State, local). The premier law enforcement agency in Italy is the Carabinieri. It has both military and civilian responsibilities. The pictures below show a small portion of this museum.

The Carabinieri statue in the square just outside the museum dedicated to their service.

Originally founded as the police force of the Kingdom of Sardinia by King Victor Emannuel I , it was appointed the "First Force" of the new national military organization following Italian Unification.

The traditional ceremonial  look.

The Carabinieri have served in many parts of the world since Italian Unification

Several exquisite dress uniforms are on display in the museum

The Stadio di Domiziano, in addition to exhibiting the ruins that lie beneath Piazza Nuvona , also house a museum dedicated to the evolution of military protective gear from Ancient Rome. Many of the items on display were excavated from the rivers around Rome, and belong to private collectors.

These two helmets and breast plate are the oldest ones on display in the exhibit. As you look at the pictures following this one, you can easily see how little protection these early helmets provided.

As the protective elements progressed, and the Roman Empire expanded, influences from other cultures began to take hold. Here, the wide brimmed helmets were copied from Greek styles.

Full bodied face masks, larger breast plates, and larger shields provided soldiers with more protection.

The open styled helmets displayed here were more typical of cavalry uniforms, allowing for better field of vision.

Decorations to the helmets were used more by officers and for ceremonial occasions than for functionality.

Piazza Nuvona with its exquisite fountains is one of the most notable and popular tourist attractions in Rome. Like many ancient sites here, Piazza Nuvona hides a secret. It is not the first attraction to be placed on the site. Beneath Piazza Nuvona can be found the Stadio di Domiziano (the Stadium of Domitian). Emperor Domitian (81-96 AD), began construction of the Stadium, the first one built in masonry in the history of Rome, around 86 AD. Unlike the Colloseum, which was designed for gladiatorial combat, this Stadium was constructed primarily for athletic competitions (e.g. Foot races, discus and javelin throws, etc.) and poetry. It was designed to hold approximately 30 thousand spectators (compared to the 60 thousand at the Colloseum). It was eventually abandoned I the 4th century.

Remnants of the stairways that led from the corridors up to the Stadium.

Model of what the Stadio di Domiziano would have looked like. Amazingly, the present-day Piazza Nuvona maintains the same outline as the Stadium.

More ruins of the Stadium located beneath Piazza Nuvona

Parts of the stairway leading to the Stadium, and the lower corridor archway

As seen in previous postings, Rome is replete with obelisks, columns, and monuments of all kinds, some more ancient than others. We would be remiss not to pay tribute to more modern day "monuments" to technology of the twentieth century. These glass encased modernistic styled "monuments" seem to be ubiquitous in Rome, although they have become extinct throughout North America. Their functionality is not limited to the purpose for which they were originally designed. Indeed, during periods of temperamental climental conditions, they have been known to provide much needed shelter.

When the Roman Empire was at the height of its expansionism and conquests, it added Egypt to its territory. Everything Egyptian was either collected and brought back to Rome, or copied. There are numerous obelisks throughout Rome that were taken from Egypt and transported here.  Not to be outdone by the Egyptians with their hieroglyphic enhanced obelisks, notable Romans built large columns engraved with tales of their exploits or lives (I.e. Trajan's column). We found a number of these obelisks and columns throughout Rome, but there are more. Perhaps you can find the others if/when you come to visit.

This Egyptian obelisk is located in the Piazza di Populo with the twin churches in the background.

A closer look at the Piazza di Populo obelisk

This obelisk with its fancy water fountain at the base is opposite the Pantheon.

The Elephant obelisk can be found in the Piazza de Minerva, on the back side of the Pantheon. It was the center of some controversy between a Dominican priest who had submitted his own plans for the obelisk, the actual sculpturer, Bernini, and Alexander VII, the Pope at the time. The Pope eventually chose Bernini's design. Bernini apparently wanted the elephant's base to be its four feet. The Dominican priest wanted the elephant to be on top of a cubical base. They went to the pope to settle the dispute. The Pope sided with the Dominican. However, Bernini got his final revenge. He placed the elephant in such a manner and with its tail a bit to the left, that when the Dominicans left their rectory, they had to look at the back side of the elephant. And so it is to this day.

The emperor Trajan liked the Egyptian practice of carving the sides of the obelisks with various tales. As a result,  he had the column that was erected in his honor not far from the Roman Forum engraved with stories of his life and battles.  

Continuing our journey to locate interesting obelisks and columns throughout Rome, we found the following examples:

This particular obelisk, frequently referred to as the Vatican Obelisk, is the only ancient Egyptian obelisk to have remained standing since Roman times. Not much is known about the origins of this red granite obelisk except that it was intended to be erected in Heliopolis . Between 30 and 28 BC, Emperor Augustus had it moved to Alexandria. Caligula had it brought to Rome in 37 AD. It is thought that the original placement of the obelisk is near the present-day sacristy of the basilica (I.e. To the south). It took 13 months between 1585 to 1586, to move it to its present location in St. Peter's square.

The Sallustiano obelisk sits atop the Spanish Steps in front of the Trinita de Monti church ( pictured in the background...sort of... Behind the scaffolding and the billboard).

The column of the Immaculate Conception, located in the Piazza Mignanelli to the south east of the Spanish Steps, is from the nineteenth century. It was commissioned by Ferdinand I, King of the two Sicilies in an effort to ease the strain between Naples and the Papal States, after Naples stopped its yearly tribute to the Pope as ultimate sovereign of Naples.

This is the Solare Obelisk in the Piazza di Montecitorio, just outside the Parliment building. It was brought to Rome in 10 BC by Emperor Augustus.

In our continuing effort to explore interesting places that are not necessarily on the high tourist attractions list, we discovered the Museo Napoleonico on the opposite side of the Tiber river near Castile St. Angelo. Carlotta Bonaparte, niece of the emperor Napoleon I (her father was Joseph Bonaparte, elder brother to the emperor) lived in this home after marrying a Roman prince, Mario Gabrielli. In 1927, her son Giuseppe Primoli , from Carlotta's second husband Count Pietro Primoli, gave the first floor rooms of the palace , along with the collection of works of art, Napoleonic memorabilia, and family heirlooms to the city of Rome as a means to "...recount (the family's) private history and celebrate the close relationship between the Bonapartes and the city of Rome" (quoted from the museum's brochure).

Ground floor room right off of the main entrance.

Divan from the Napoleonic era

Each of the rooms was dedicated to different family members. The centerpiece on the small table was part of a larger center piece made in the form of a temple.

Carlotta Bonaparte's mother, Julie Clary

The main sitting room of the first floor. The very bright light in the top center of the picture is from a large elegant crystal chandelier.

Today, we decided to take a stroll around Rome to see what interesting sights we might find. As we came upon St. Peter's square, a rather large crowd drew our attention. Apparently it was time for the Pope's weekly address to the people, so we decided to hang around for a bit. Obviously, the Pope's address was given in Italian and Latin, so much of what he said was lost on us. However, the atmosphere was pleasant, the day was glorious, and the crowd, which numbered easily around a hundred thousand or more, was quite polite. The rest of the folks we came across today, as pictured below, were much less garrulous, but in their own way just as entertaining.

The Pope giving his weekly address from the Papal apartments.

We found these two gentlemen from India, performing their act over by Castile St. Angelo. Can you figure out how they do it? While we had not seen this particular street performance in any of our earlier travels, today we came across at least three more levitation performers throughout Rome.

We found this gentleman near the two Indian folks pictured above. I thought he was representing a Vietnam era soldier because of the two 45 caliber guns with laser sights in his hands. Lori thought he was a cowboy because of his hat. In any event, if someone put a coin in his cup, he would raise his head briefly.

This variation on the levitation act was found across the Tiber river in the Piazza di Populo.

This single gentleman levitation performer, we found over by the Pantheon.

One of the curiosities of the Sacra di Largo Argentina ruins is the proliferation of cats roaming through the site. Shortly following the completion of the original excavation of the ruins, stray cats began to take up residence, presumably because they were safe from traffic in this below street level site. For the past twenty years, a cat sanctuary sits along one wall of the ruins. The sanctuary currently houses approximately 200 cats at any one time, but claims to treat and neuter close to 3000 cats per year. Donations are always welcome to help defray costs.

As we were making our towards some of the major attractions in Rome today, we came across these ruins along the via Corso Vittorio Emmanuel, the Sacra di Largo Argentina. There are remnants of four temples in the site that date between the fourth and second centuries BC. the ruins, which actually sit below street level, were accidentally discovered in 1926 during an excavation project ordered by Benito Mussolini. Reportedly, in the area around these ruins, Julius Caesar was killed on March 15, 44 BC. The temple area is considered to be one of the best sites to see remains of Roman architecture from the Republican era.

In an effort to be as accurate as we can about what we post here, we looked further into the life of Augustus. He was born Gaius Octavius and his family was a quite wealthy equestrian one. Augustus was the great-nephew of Julius Ceasar, later becoming his adopted son and heir, according to Julius' will. He founded the Roman Empire and became its first Emperor , although he preferred the title of "First Citizen of the State", in 27 BC, ruling until his death in 14 AD at the age of 75.

On our return trip from the Spanish Steps, we felt the familiar pangs of  hunger and began searching for an appropriate place to eat. Much to our surprise, we discovered this buffet, Italian style about a block and a half between the Spanish Steps and the Tiber river. The price was quite reasonable, the food was very good, and there was plenty of it. There were two dozen containers of food stretching around the perimeter of the dining area. These included three types of breads, pasta salads, brown and white rice, bulgar, potatoes, cheeses, cooked vegetables, tuna fish, lasagna,  and turkey slices. The price of 13 euros per person, which we felt was quite reasonable, included water to drink, which in other restaurants is an added cost. We had never come across an Italian buffet like this before.

We took a very pleasant long walk today, through St. Peter' square, past Castle St. Angelo, across the Tiber river, and over to the Spanish Steps area. Along the way, we met some interesting folks, as well as at least one unusual site.


These were a group of engineering students from Amsterdam we met not far from our apartment. They were on a week's holiday from school, visiting Rome.

Over near the Spanish Steps, we came across a military band getting off a bus, and preparing to do a brief concert at the Spanish Steps. They were quite affable, encouraging us to enjoy their concert. They informed us it was a special day (November 4th) for the Army in Italy. Unlike the military bands we saw in Florence, this group only marched when they played. They did not run.

On the way back towards our apartment, we met this very talented violinist, playing classical music with recorded background guitar accompaniment.

And then there were these six characters, in their Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes, but somehow they lost their heads along the way. If you look closely, you can make out the holes in their shirts along the top third of their ties, where they can peek out at the crowds going by and try to interact with them.

Of course Rome is full of historical sites. We came across these ruins behind some construction fencing and began investigating what it was. It turns out, this was what is left of the mausoleum of Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar. They began restoration procedures back in March of this year and seems to be still going on.

We came across this Cemetery as we were walking through the Vatican grounds today. Apparently, it is connected to the Teutonic College and chapel which both border the Cemetary. It is easy to see the link to the above mentioned locales as the names on the burial plots are all Germanic. Burials can still take place here provided one has membership in the Teutonic collegiate con fraternity (the latest one we could find was buried in 1999).

Entrance to the grotto from the Vatican City grounds.

One of the many statues found within the grotto.

More typical type tomb stones.

The skull and cross bones on tombs were common even into the 19th century.

Dotted throughout the grotto, between tombstones (and one visiting American) were found Stations of the Cross.

During our walk through the Vatican grounds earlier today, we happened upon the Teutonic College and chapel. While the college is considered to be one of the Pontifical colleges of the Vatican, in some circles it is considered to be technically not part of Vatican City but rather the last remnants of the Roman Empire. This college was founded in 1399 as a hospice for German pilgrims and still serves as a place for German priests to study at the Vatican .

The chapel sits in one corner of the Teutonic College and borders the Teutonic Cemetary (which will be discussed later). We have no idea why skeletons are such a big part of this place, but they can be found throughout the chapel.

This five panel alter-piece is found as part of the main altar.

One of the side altars.

More skeletons.

The Coat-of-arms for the Teutonic College. At least one document indicates that the head of the college at the end of World War II was instrumental in aiding Nazi Germans to relocate to South America.

As part of our first day in Rome, we walked over to Vatican City. It is about a 20 minute stroll to St. Peter's square from our apartment. While there, we decided to see if we could make arrangements to take the Scavi tour (ancient mausoleums two levels below the level of the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica). Because of the fragile nature of the site, the Vatican limits are no more than ten tours of ten people each per day, for a total of 100 people per day (while at the same time thousands tour the Basilica daily). Reservations have to be made before hand. Thus, this is a tour known to very few people. We were able to obtain special permission to enter the Vatican grounds through a staff-only side entrance. We had to undergo scanning by police, before the Swiss Guards, who were very friendly and polite, let us in ( it was interesting to watch them salute each staff member who entered the grounds). It was awesome to be able to walk through this part of Vatican City, where most tourists never go.
And we were successful at securing reservations for the Scavi tour later this month.

One of the Swiss Guards who allowed us to enter the Vatican grounds

Part of the ornate office buildings located near the Scavi office.

More office buildings on the side of Vatican City.

Some more of the office complex within the grounds of the Vatican.

We arrived in Rome yesterday, following an hour and a half high-speed train ride. The taxi ride from the train station to the apartment was "high speed" as well. There were a number of times we thought we were going to die!!! However, we made it safely and our landlord Stefano Mencarini was there waiting for us. He is an extremely helpful and generous person. In addition to a lovely apartment (as seen in the pictures below) he provided us with cookies, pasta, candies, wine, and water. He also took us on a short walk through the neighborhood to acquaint us with how to get around. There is a small market next door for some essential items. There also is a supermarket a block away. We are not in the high tourist area so we are getting a really good feel for how regular Roman Italians live.

The guest bedroom.

Our bedroom.

The dining and sitting room area.

The kitchenette.

The bathroom.

There is a small balcony off the kitchen. There also is an L-shaped hallway leading from the front door, past the bedrooms and bathroom to the kitchen. It is a very nice apartment and we are enjoying being here.

As we close out our first month on this grand expedition, we thought it would be good to reflect back on our planning process and why we chose to begin our trip in Italy, in general, and Florence in particular. Our thinking was to begin with an area with which we had some knowledge, thus making the transition from the American life style to the European one, a bit easier. Lori has been to Italy once before, and this is my third trip here. Therefore, we are somewhat familiar with the lay of the land and how to get around. We had already seen the major tourist sites during our previous trips. This time, we wanted to get below the level of tourist and see the smaller shops and markets, eat in restaurants more geared to local Italians, as well as how to deal with the banks (for instance, you can not get money from a teller, you HAVE TO go to an ATM ). By spending 30 days here rather than the typical one or two weeks, we were able to get to know what the down-to-earth every day Florencian did here; where did they go for pizza or spaghetti ? In many respects, we feel we were successful. Yes, we did visit museums, but many of them were the smaller, out of the usual tourist traffic areas. We met,  talked with, and in one instance we were adopted by, school children from all over Italy ( elementary, secondary, and high school groups, including a choir group from greater Tuscony) and Europe as well ( we met some very nice high school students from Germany).

When we first arrived here one month ago, we immediately became aware of a lot of construction and renovation work around the Duomo, the Baptistry, and surrounding streets. How nice, we thought, they were doing their best to keep Florence looking nice. There was an ulterior motive, we quickly learned. The Pope is scheduled to visit here in February and celebrate a mass in the Baptistry and the city of Florence wants to put its best face forward.

Tomorrow we take the train to Rome and a new chapter will begin.
Ciao