Rome: 
Day Four: 
Saturday September 26th, 2015

Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain 

The blazing sun shining in our bedroom window announced a perfect day for a double decker, 'HOP ON HOP OFF'  tour of the city. We chose the Green Line Tours because of the stop at the Pantheon, not included with other options. At 18 Euro for a full day of sight seeing, it was good value.
You can find someone selling tickets for this tour and others at almost every street corner.

With ten stops at the city's most famous locations, we had lots to choose from. We decided on the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, and the still under restoration, Trevi Fountain.

With my water bottle and trusty fan in hand, I prepared for yet another day of overwhelming sights.

 

We had more than a little trouble navigating the confusing labyrinth of streets to find our way, first to the Trevi Fountain, later to the Pantheon, and finally to the very crowded Spanish Steps. Along our way we serendipitously (is that a word?) came across the Piazza Nuovo and the stunning fountain at its centre.

While perhaps not as impressive as the Trevi Fountain, it was still beautiful and worth a few pictures. The heat of the day had me leaning precariously towards the inviting water until sadly, my husband reached over pulled me back.  Appeased somewhat by the promise of gelato later in the day, I reluctantly left the allure of the turquoise coolness.

Walking down narrow cobblestone streets, fully prepared to find the Pantheon around the next corner,

the sight of this extraordinary building still managed to take my breath away.

The Pantheon

Taking a moment to rest in the shade of one of the colossal columns at the entrance.

The Trevi Fountain

Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain, a stunning beauty undergoing restoration. On one side there was a small pool of water still available for coin tossing. 

The 1954 Romantic comedy, THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN, gave popularity to an old tradition in which it was said that a thirst quenching drink of water from the Trevi Fountain would ensure that the person who drank the water would have good fortune and a fast return to Rome, the Eternal City. This has evolved over time to the present tradition of standing with your back to the fountain, and tossing a coin over your left shoulder, assuring the coin tosser a timely return trip to Roma. 

Naturally I tossed my coin. It is imperative that I come back to Rome. Four days was an impossible length of time to explore all that this extraordinary city has to offer.

The Spanish Steps

Built to link the long, triangular Spanish square (Piazza di Spagna) to the Trinita die Monti church, the Spanish steps have the honour of being the widest steps in Europe. 

In the spring time they are resplendently lined with brilliant azaleas, and always they are a spot for people to gather and just hang out. 

                                                                                                                                                                           At the foot of 135 steps, (and yes, I climbed everyone of them, even in the heat of the day; my trusty fan was most appreciated) is the Barcaccia Fountain, created by Pietro Bernini and his son, Gian Lorenzo.

In the Piazza di Spagna, to the right of the foot of the steps, you can find the house where John Keats, the famous English poet, lived, and died in 1821. It is now a museum dedicated to his memory.

We stopped for a quick bite of lunch at a lovely street side cafe. I chose a deliciously vibrant insalta mista with the obligatory glass of white wine. No pasta.

Of course, our dinner menu will likely include more of that wheat based delight, in one of the hundreds of different forms found here. 

Grocery stores have rows and rows dedicated to pasta, most forms I have never heard of. Perhaps my personal challenge should be to taste every one of them?

In a glorious display of power, our evening skies erupted in cascades of crimson, burnt umber, ochre, and brilliant gold. A fitting end to our stay in this sensuously stunning ancient city .

To quote my dear friend Chris Delaney, "Appropriate that the house of the Sunset Designer is in the foreground."

Arrivederci Roma