Giro di Roma

Walked all day today and, yes, it's been hot and our feet are sore now. Nevertheless, this is the best way to explore a city, especially THIS city, where modern, medieval and antique meet at every corner.

We had breakfast at our hotel's vegetarian café on invitation of the owners and in the early afternoon superb pizza at "Dar Poeta", our favorite pizzeria in Trastevere (pic on left). Nothing fancy, chairs and tables shaky outside, but heavenly pizza - from the wood-fired oven, crunchy and juicy at the same time, packed with buffalo mozzarella, artichokes, olives, basil or whatever you can imagine. And, it's going fine with the local wine which comes by the 1/2 liter and liter, for 4 Euro per 0,5 liters. Love this place!

We remembered the more or less good old times as archeology students and PHD candidates at the Foro Romano and the Fori Imperiali, watched people on the Piazza del Campidoglio, climed the stairs to the (new) Terrazza Italia (at the Monumento Vittoria Emanuele) which offers great views, walked the old neighborhoods, the Ghetto, Trastevere, checked out Campo di Fiori and Piazza Navona, strolled through the fancy Via Condotti with its expensive designer boutiques, sat on the newly renovated Spanish Steps and, of course, had icecream at Giolitti's.

At around 8 pm we called it a day, tired and foot-sore. More pics to follow - internet is a bit slow and spotty here.

Santa Maria Maggiore Church


Terrazza Italia of the Vittorio Emanuele Monument - great views from up there!

Great exhibition in the Vittorio Monument's new exhibition hall: about famous actress Anna Magnani.


Fori Imperiali and the Isola Tiberina (the island on the river Tiber)


You don't see many of them anymore: the old Fiat 500 with a real "Roma" plate. Now it's Smarts mostly and letters and numbers on the plates.

Fancy stores on Via del Corso - Bulgari and another fancy boutique:


Piazza Navona (originally an ancient Roman stadium) and the Pantheon:


... and last stop on Friday: The newly renovated Spanish Steps: