Florence, Italy

On Wednesday, Jim and I took a train to Florence. Wednesday afternoon, we wandered through the streets and went to see Michelangelo's, David. After all that I had seen in Rome, I was afraid that the statue would be disappointing. Seeing it for the first time made me gasp. The statue itself is enormous. Bigger than I ever imagined. What's more, it is absolutely perfect, down to the veins in his arms and legs. It is incredible from every angle. I circled it in awe. Not a single flaw. It looks so real, I had to look closely to see if he could breathe.
*No photos were allowed of Michelangelo's statue, David.
After the museum, we ran up to the Piazza Di Michelangelo. We wanted to catch the view of the sun setting over Florence from the hillside.
Afterwards we enjoyed a quiet Italian dinner at a Florentine restaurant. I'm so sorry I don't remember the name of the Restaurant or the hotel. Funny how those things seem so insignificant until I'm writing it all down.
After dinner we walked back down the Arno River and enjoyed the views of the Ponte Vecchio.

Pinocchio

My good friend from high school went to Italy on a study abroad and then returned as a Mormon missionary. She loves Italy. When I found out that I was going to visit Italy, I asked her for some suggestions. Her helpful and well-thought out recommendations became my guidebook. Thanks to her help I was able to see and appreciate Italy even more.
About fifteen years ago she brought me home a Pinocchio from Italy. On my first day in Rome I saw some Pinocchios for sale. I thought of my friend as a missionary in Italy, thinking of me. I bought one out of nostalgia. Throughout the week I kept running into Pinocchio, a constant reminder of my dear friend.

The Boots

The Streets of Rome

It was so easy to fall in love with Rome. Romantic is defined as imaginary, visionary, idealistic, heroic, adventurous, or mysterious. I agree, that's Rome.

On our last night in Rome, we wandered around the city enjoying our favorite attractions. At the piazza Navona I bought a watercolor from a local artist. We threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain. Legend says that if you toss a coin into the fountain over your shoulder, you will one day return to Rome, (here's to hoping that's true). Near the Trevi Fountain, we decided to look at some shoes in a local shoe store. We tried on a few different pairs. I tried on boots. I was just messing around having fun, I had no intentions of buying. Then, out of nowhere, Jim said, "We'll take the boots". I didn't even know if I liked the boots. That's when I noticed all of the signs that said, "NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES". I started to argue with Jim, "No, I don't want the boots". Jim then did something he rarely does, he insisted. He insisted on getting the boots! We walked out of the store with this huge boot box. I was so mad. I didn't want to be mad in Rome, so I tried to talk myself out of it over a gelatto.
The Sunday after we got home from Italy, I put on my boots. I was shocked. I loved them! It's a good thing Jim knew.

Trevi Fountain (1762)

A Roman alleyway

The Temple of Vesta

One of my favorite Roman traditions is the tradition of the sacred fire of The Temple of Vesta. Vesta is the Goddess of the Hearth and her role in Ancient Rome was to protect the city as the vestal virgins kept the fire of the hearth burning bright. This tale of Rome made me think about how important woman are in the home. Their work, though at times tireless and mundane, may be the very thing that protects their home and their city from calamity and ruin.

*It was very difficult to tell what was what in The Forum. There were no signs describing the ruins. When I took this picture I thought it was The Temple of Vesta but when I checked on Wikipedia it showed the temple as this. I think the temple is in the top, left-hand corner of the photo--above the bunch of trees*

Ancient Rome

The Colosseum 70-72 A.D.What I found most interesting about the Colosseum is that it had running water and toilets. My great-grandma didn't have a toilet until the 1970's! The Colosseum's complicated design and enormity immortalize the Roman Empire. Palatine Hill (the birthplace of Rome) 1000 B.C.After visiting The Colosseum we wandered around the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Palatine Hill, with it's olive orchards and ruins of Ancient Roman palaces and temples was the quintessence of romance (no pun intended). The Trajan Column (113 A.D.)I loved our day visiting Ancient Rome. I found the order, the splendor, the traditions of this ancient civilization absolutely intriguing. One part of the day that I remember fondly is walking through a little grocery store outside The Colosseum. Jim picked out a few European cheeses that we'd never tasted and bought a baguette of bread. I chose some grapes. The food was so delicious. We wandered around Ancient Rome sharing our sack lunch.

Villa Borghese

Villa Borghese- a lovely park on the northern bench of Rome. This large public park has playgrounds, a lake, a zoo and miles of beautiful roads for bicycling or segwaying; not to mention the picturesque views of the city. We rode around the park for a while and then strolled back down to the city (via the Spanish Steps) to enjoy round three of gelatto. We just couldn't get enough gelatto (notice the mint chocolate chip is gone. Bummer.)