Trastevere and our last day in Rome

On our last full day in Italy, we spent time in the Trastevere area. This part of Rome across the Tiber River is quieter and less touristy than central Rome. It was great to just wander around the narrow streets and observe ordinary folks enjoying this vibrant, yet somewhat mellow neighbourhood. Ordinary people live here and enjoy what the streets have to offer. It was a nice way to quietly finish this wonderful trip.

Street musicians on their way to busker.

The beautiful Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere.

Enjoying a card game in the piazza.

Nothing like a busker blowing bubbles to entertain kids.

Beautiful umbrella pine in the lowering light.

Tristan and Vicki taking a little break on the steps of a fountain.

These soldiers guarding the piazza certainly had interesting hats.

Policemen on horseback patrolling a quiet street.

My faithful hat being finally retired at the end of our trip, appropriately resting at the feet of the Trastevere poet G. G. Belli.

Mario

Rome at night

Rome is a great city to walk around at night. Most of the large piazzas are filled with happy and relaxed people just hanging around and enjoying street entertainers. Televisions are set in the smaller piazzas for fans to watch soccer games. And on weekend nights, the banks of the Tiber River are filled with thousands of people in a carnival atmosphere. Outside bars and restaurants are filled and the streets feel very safe. Here are a few photos of Rome's street life at night.

Michael P., Alan, Joy, Vicki and Tristan overlooking a bridge over the Tiber connecting to Isola.

Restaurants, bars, cafés, and shops line the banks of the Tiber River and the island of Isola.

The long stretch of tents housing the restaurants, bars, cafés and shops along the banks of the Tiber.

Tons of people fill the banks of the Tiber River.

Tristan returning to one of the shooting arcades. Fourteen targets down out of fifteen shots. And a cheesy key chain as a reward.

An interesting modern sculpture.

Musicians entertaining guests on the outdoor patio of a restaurant.

Thousands of people are outside enjoying the evening in the streets, piazzas, or just watching the crowd while sitting on a monument.

Mario

St Peter in Chains

Vicki and I let the kids sleep in one morning and made our way to San Pietro in Vincoli, or the church of Saint Peter in Chains, located on the Esquiline Hill, about 20 minutes walking from our apartment. The reason was to see the tomb of Pope Julius II, one of Michaelangelo's masterpieces, and particularly his sculpture of Moses. Michaelangelo worked on this project for forty years! Originally, it was supposed to be a massive funeral monument comprising 47 statues. It was seriously scaled down over the years because poor Michaelangelo kept getting distracted by other projects like painting the Sistine Chapel. Many of the unfinished statues originally intended for this monument are now known as the Slaves and can be seen in the Louvre in Paris and at the Academia in Florence.

The monument in its present form is still massive and the centerpiece, Moses, is exquisitely sculpted.

The monumental tomb of Pope Julius II by Michaelangelo.

Moses is the central figure in the monument. The "horns" on his head represent rays of light.

Detail of the reclining Pope Julius II set in an oddly sensual way above Moses.

Detail of Rachel, flanking Moses.

The church gets its name from the chains believed to have held Saint Peter in captivity. Legend has it that the chains that bound Saint Peter during his captivity in Jerusalem and those that held him in the Mamertine prison in Rome fused together when they were being examined by Pope Leo I.

The reliquary containing the chains of Saint Peter. 

The church has also several other tombs, a few of which have very macabre designs incorporating sculpted skeletons. It reminded me of the old movie Jason and the Argonauts with the fighting skeletons.

Detail of the tomb of Cardinal Mariano Pietro Vecchiarelli.

Detail of the tomb of Cardinal Cinzio Passeri Aldobrandini.

We were glad to have taken the time to visit this church with its very interesting sculptures and relics, some of which are better known than others.

Mario

Enjoying the Eternal City

Rome is truly a fascinating city. There is beauty every way you look and something of historical interest at every corner. We were lucky to spend just enough time to start appreciating what the city has to offer at a leisurely pace. Here's a sample of the various aspects of the city that caught our attention.

We stayed in a nice apartment in the Jewish neighbourhood near Octavia's Portico and the Theatre of Marcellus.

The Theatre of Marcellus was totally unknown to us. It is a fascinating structure dating back to the 1stCentury BC that has been extensively modified and repurposed over the years. We can see restorations of some arches dating from the 16th Century, along with apartments still occupied today that were built on top of the theatre at around the same time.

Another view of the modifications of the Theatre of Marcellus with the apartments now in the upper levels.

A stone floor inscription and coat of arm in a local church suggesting what might happen to those who do not follow dogma.

In a restaurant near St Peter in Chains. They seemed to really, really like angels.

Coffee and croissant to start a nice day of exploring.

Tristan has a special thing for these little Fiats.

Joy with a delicious fresh-squeezed juice from the market in Campo di Fiori.

Interesting church and medieval tower in the Rione I Monti area.

A houseboat on the Tiber River.

Rowing on the Tiber.

Trajan's Column with beautiful umbrella pines in the background.

The Italian Supreme Court.

Closeup of the crown ornament of the Supreme Court.

Cicero, considered as perhaps the greatest orator of all time.

An archangel on Ponte Sant'Angelo.

Newlyweds near Castel Sant'Angelo.

Castel Sant'Angelo.

Clouds building up behind a church.

The lively Via del Governo Vecchio, where we stayed during our first week in Rome.

A nice little restaurant we had spotted during our first week but had not had the chance to try.

Delicious selection of patés and cheeses, with a lovely rosé.

Clouds at sunset behind the Great Synagogue

St Peter in the distance at sunset.

The Wings of Victory on top of the Altar of the Fatherland.

Augustus in the early evening light.

Mario