Angela Guest House Rome

... where Leonardo played practical jokes, where Mussolini entertained Hitler.

Rome has always been serious about its image. The City was built to have substance. Romans invented concrete and they have continued to build with the most enduring materials available. You won’t find any particle board in Santa Maria Maggiore. Street curbs and gutters are marble, fences are cast iron, many streets are granite, garbage bins ...

We only got to Rome late in the afternoon. Mom, Dad and I had left our rental (which we had quickly come to call "our house") outside Todi reasonably early in the morning. John and Susan O'Sullivan, our friends from Washington who traveled with us, decided to go to a nearby pottery town, so we three were on our own. We stopped for lunch in Narni - a beautiful medieval town in the geographical center of ...

... s name originates from a relic housed in the altar that is reputed to contain the actual chains that bound St. Peter during his trials in Jerusalem. Built in 432-440, the basilica is home to Michelangelo's famous Moses statue that was supposed to the centerpiece of the tomb of Pope Julius II but because Julius died before its completion, the tomb was left unfinished. Moses' face is believed to be a ...

... rude as could be, and headed back up towards out hostel. But this time, it was ME that got us lost! We ended up further south by the ole Mouth of Truth- that ridiculous icon of Santa Maria's Church. But we got back on track and watched the sun set over the Forum and Colisseum in Rome for the last time. It was awesome, in Greg's words. So we have completed another day. And definitely another dollar. Everyone was right- Europe ain't cheap, even if we are doing it by the Lonely Planet's ...

... called Gelateria Giolitti, where we all got the smallest size gelatos (gelati) which turned out to be GINORMOUS. We each got to choose 3 flavors and I couldn't decide on a 3rd flavor so the guy gave me a "sorpresa" (surprise) -- biscotti flavor -- and it tasted great! Unfortunately, I couldn't finish it -- it was bigger than my face. Since the metro was under construction, we had to find the bus back home. We ...

... these man made structures. Having said that, I feel far more at peace in my surroundings, sitting off to the side, observing. The group reconnects outside the cafeteria and our local guide leads us to the bus which takes us across town to the colosseum... or should I say, what's left of it. Despite its crumbling - the result of time and earthquakes and a particularly large one in the 1300s - it remains an impressive site ...

... masonry dome ever raised, cast in a single operation over an enormous wooden framework, it is a "perfect sphere." From this beautiful marble work, we could imagine how spectacular Rome must have looked when all the temples and structures in the Forum and palaces were also covered with this marble. Paula had an interesting experience on the metro after a long day, on the way back to the hotel. I felt something unusual, looked down, only to see a ...

... have felt mindblowingly surreal and totally unbelievable. Yet here i now was, just hours from the core of the one flourishing, all powerful Roman Empire, the cradle of civilisation, and funnily enough, it felt almost too casually like the 'next destination'. You tend to get that when you're moving around so fast - its hard to keep up. But it's very exciting this way, and always fresh. This freedom of being here in Europe, free to go anywhere, free to ...

... wide and displayed images inside St. Peter's as well as world news updates in all languages. In total, it took 4 hours to reach the doorstep of the Basilica San Pietro (a little nicer than 15+ hours ... talk about a short cut!) Entering the Basilica was a surreal experience. Words cannot describe what I felt becuase I was so overwhelmed I felt devoid of any emotion. It was amazing to see the diverse cross-section of people that I was standing in ...

... airport to Rome Termini (one of the main train stations) was packed. I had just missed the InterCity to Orvieto so the next one was in another 50 mins. Rang kirsti (the cookery week organiser) and asked her to pick me up from the station at Orvieto at 5.50. The train was fantasic - quick and comfrotable. Orvieto is in Umbria - a region just south of Tuscany and a little less expensive as lesser known by the tourists. Orvieto is approx 125 km north of Rome - between Rome and ...