It's A Wonderful Life: September 2008

Campo di Fiori means “field of flowers” in Italian, but the only flowers I saw were those sold by the vendors in this bustling market of a piazza. In the center of the Campo is a statue of a hooded man, which faces the Vatican and seems to be watching the goings on below him with a solemn gaze. He is Giordano Bruno, a philosopher who was burned at the stake for his ideas of heliocentrism. Of course, when the Romans realized their mistake, all the poor guy got a statue on the exact place where this happened to him. These days the Campo is not used for burning people with ‘wacky’ ideas, but it a wonderful place to sit, people watch, and enjoy a delicious meal.

After stuffing ourselves with delicious pasta, Murat and I headed across the Tiber River to my favorite area of the city, Trastevere. There is no metro connection to this area, and so it remains more quiet and untouched (if you can say that about any place in Rome ;o) than the rest of the city. Walking around the streets of Trastevere requires an eye for detail. There is so much beauty to behold hiding down side streets, up in windows, on balconies, and on doors and sides of old buildings. I will just let the pictures speak for themselves….

Eat Gelato here. The owner is very nice and so is the price!

Murat and I made our way to the Piazza della Repubblica for lunch. We indulged my craving for juicy bufala and fresh proscuitto along with cannelloni and pasta. It was a wonderful meal with a view to match.

Situated in the middle of the piazza is the Fountain of the Nymphs. The statues of the four naked women all represent different bodies of water: oceans, lakes, rivers, and underground waters. When they were first shown in 1901 it was quite scandalous and a fence was put around it to keep men at a safe distance. The fence has since been removed, as there are far more scandalous images on your home television :P. The statues are quite beautiful and are still a sight to see.

Underwater Nymph lying on the back of a dragon

Lake Nymph with the swan

Ocean Nymph on a wild horse

River Nymph riding a river monster

We headed to the Basilica of Santa Maria Degli Angeli e Dei Martiri (St Mary’s of the Angels and Martyrs) across the busy street. Crossing the street in Rome is always an adventure. Not really the dash-for-your-life scene that plays out everyday in Istanbul, but is more like a parting of the Red Sea (it is a miracle how you can just walk through the middle of them ;o). Inside the basilica was an interesting sight. At solar noon, the sun is projected onto a giant sundial/meridian on the floor (which also shows the constellations of zodiac and their representations in marble).

After enjoying the coolness of the basilica, we headed to the metro at the train station next door. Our next mission was to find the Villa Borghese (a park) and Pincio (a view spot). We got out at the Barberini station and were greeted by the Fontana di Tritone.

We also realized we had also found Via Veneto! Murat and I had both been listening to our Italian Pimsleur cd’s before the trip, and had learned how to ask directions to this famous street. Too bad we were standing right on it, so we could not ask where it was =P.

Murat on Via Veneto

We walked up the shady street and we found ourselves at the park entrance. The Villa Borghese is so beautiful, and we were happy to just stroll around and relax. At one end of the park is a lake with a beautiful little Ionic temple dedicated to Aesculapius, the goddess of healing. There was a boat out on the lake, and off to the left we noticed that you could rent rowboats for 20 minutes at a time. We were so charmed by the spot that we instantly decided we must. The lake was overflowing with life. There were giant fish, ducks of all kinds, birds singing in the trees, and tons of turtles sunbathing and swimming all around us. We took turns rowing, relaxing, and taking pictures (of course).