Osteria del Arco and T-bone Station

Josh went on a long ride with Stefano around Lago Bracciano this morning; I went to the gym. When I returned, I made some lunch while Josh picked Olivia and Avery up at school (today was a half day ahead of the Easter holiday). When they came home, we all sat outside in the garden and ate lunch.

Charlotte went shopping after school with some friends to buy a gift a birthday party she was going to this evening. Mission completed, she went to swimming. While she was at practice, I was able to organize the kids clothes for our upcoming "giro d'Italia." I also had some time to relax and read for a while out on the terrace -- it was such a beautiful and sunny day. Shortly, Avery woke up and joined me out on the terrace, he was blinded by the bright sun; but he laid down in the chair next to mine covering his eyes.

I am loving Rome; it is going to be so hard to leave -- the weather, the food, the people, the history. I'd love to live here longer.

Morris came over to babysit the younger kids. Charlotte was going to a dinner party and so were the adults. After I got dressed, Avery came upstairs and said "Mommy, you look beautiful!" That just made my day.

Josh and I joined Stefano and his wife, Elena, along with another couple we'd met previously through them. I didn't feel at all out of place at a table with Italian speakers...and I wasn't shy about trying to join the conversation -- in Italian. The restaurant, Osteria del Arco, is owned by Elena's cousin, so we really had special treatment. It is a small establishment and the ambience is very cozy. Josh and I had a great time at dinner; our companions are all such nice people. Before we knew it, it was 11:30pm.

Charlotte had called around 11pm saying that she was getting a ride home from her dinner, so we relaxed a bit. But, when we checked in with Morris at 11:30, Charlotte still wasn't home. It was her classmate's 13th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, she had invited twelve friends to dinner at T-bone station. We (Americans) love Italian food; they (Italians) love to have American food like steak and burgers as a treat. The kids had a table to themselves and whiled away the evening in conversation and revelry which included birthday cake. Just as we arrived home, Charlotte was dropped off as well.

We all went to bed around midnight.

Tour of Gianicolo

inside one of the chapels

Josh and I met Nancy in front of the church of San Pietro in Montorio located near the top of the Janiculum Hill. The origins of this church date back to the early 9th century; and it was thought to be the location where St. Peter was crucified, although this is no longer considered accurate. Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere initiated the reconstruction of this church in 1472 and then Pope Alexander VI Borgia consecrated it in 1500. Inside we were able to see the works of many eminent 16th and 17th century artists including frescos by Sebastiano del Piombo, Baldassarre Peruzzi, and Giorgio Vasari. The infamous Beatrice Cenci, who was convicted of arranging her abusive father's murder and subsequently beheaded at Castel Sant'Angelo in 1599, is buried under the altar. One of the funerary chapels was designed by Bernini (although sculpted by his school) for the Raimondi family.

Bramante's Tempietto

In the cloister of San Pietro di Montorio sits the famous Tempietto built by Donato Bramante around 1502 for the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (today, the Spanish Embassy is just next door). The Tempietto commemorates the martyrdom of St. Peter and is a fine example of high renaissance architecture. The structure is not large; rather, the emphasis is on the harmony of its proportions, and the simplicity of its design. Inspired by ancient temples, the Tempietto is surrounded by doric columns. It is situated directly over the spot that marks St. Peter's crucifixion. Bramante's plans called for the Tempietto to sit in a circular courtyard, and it feels like it should be surrounded by gardens. Unfortunately, it's crammed into an non-descript, square courtyard instead.

The photographer's favorite fountain

From here, we walked up the hill to the fantastic Acqua Paola Fountain. We'd been here many times with the kids and other guests because, aside from the Trevi, this is the best fountain in all of Rome. It was originally an aqueduct called Acqua Traiana for the Emperor Trajan who had it built in the 1st century. It channelled the water over 40 kilometers from Lago Bracciano to Rome. After centuries of disuse, the aqueduct was rebuilt by Pope Paul V (the Borghese Pope) from 1609 - 1612 along with a fountain designed by Flaminio Ponzio. The fountain was also called "Il Fontanone" (the big fountain) due to its enormity. It really is spectacular.

View from the Gianicolo

From the fountain, we walked over to the statue of Garibaldi just in time for the noon cannon to go off. It is blasted from here each day to mark the noon hour. We have to bring Avery -- he would love it.

For this part of the walk, Nancy discussed the Risorgimento (the unification of Italy) and the role of Garibaldi and the importance of the Janiculum Hill in the war against the French.

Josh and I decided to cut out a bit early and go to our Parioli haunt for lunch - now called Pastis Bistrot.

After lunch, I went to RIS to get the kids. But when I went to collect Avery, his teacher informed me that Josh and I had missed his "conference" this afternoon. I was so horrified and embarrassed. Is this what happens with the third child? I had the meeting on my calendar for today; in fact, Sunday night I had even reminded Josh that we'd be busy on Tuesday between the morning tour and the afternoon conference. Yet today, I hadn't looked at my calendar and the whole thing slipped my mind. Avery didn't seem to mind at all. The conference was to be in the same format as Olivia's last week where he shows us his work. His teacher was not too concerned and said we could do it another time. Still, I can't believe I completely forgot about it today.

Charlotte had a friend over after school and Josh took all the kids to the park to hit whiffle balls, play soccer and teach the art of throwing a frisbee to Charlotte's Italian/German friend, Valentina. We adore Valentina; she is a very entertaining kid with a great personality. She speaks so quickly -- in three different languages -- that even her parents call her "radio Valentina." When they returned home, I had dinner ready for the kids. Realizing it was still quite pleasant out, Josh and I ate our dinner outside after he'd dropped Charlotte off at swim practice. Hopefully the first of many evenings we'll enjoy dining in our garden. Eating lunch outside during the day is one thing; but once you can have dinner al fresco, you know spring has sprung.

Santa Maria della Pace

I rode into centro to meet Nancy's group in front of Santa Maria della Pace. This is a small church tucked into a tiny piazza, but it's full of treasures. The church was commissioned in 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV. He dedicated the church in honor of the Maddona. Back in the day, there were pictures of the Madonna hung all over Rome, on street corners, in piazzas -- there were over 2000 of them. She was considered the protector of the people. Legend has it that a drunken man, pierced a picture of the Madonna in this particular piazza with his sword, and the painting bled. To counter the bad luck, the Pope announced he would have a church built in her honor if she brought him victory in the war against the Ottomans.

One of the things that makes this church unique is the combination of the Baroque exterior with the Renaissance interior. In 1656, Pope Alexander the VII had the exterior restored and altered by Pietro da Cortona. Today, you see the tributes to the two Popes (Sixtus the IV and Alexander the VII) who were both members of the Chigi family on the facade.

Inside the crown jewel is a fresco of the Four Sybils by Rafael (1514) which adorns the Chigi family funerary chapel. But there are also fascinating and diverse funerary chapels for other important families such as the Cesi and the Ponzetti. The Cesi chapel contains an interesting sarcophagus for Federico Cesi who founded the the first scientific academy called the Accademia dei Lincei (Academy of Lynxes). He is sculpted resting on top of a pile of books. The Ponzetti family funerary chapel has a wonderful Renaissance fresco by Badassarre Peruzzi. The church is only open three days a week for two hours at a time -- there is no one to care for it outside these hours...so it mostly gets the tourists in the know. Apparently, the Bramante designed cloister is wonderful but it was closed today.

Afterwards, we walked around the neighborhood which is just between Piazza Navona and the river. It was the Courtesan neighborhood of 15th and early 16th century. The most well known courtesan, Fiamatta owned a house there -- given to her by Cesare Borgia, son of the Borgia Pope, Alexander VI. During his reign Papal corruption and nepotism was brought to new heights. Not only did Fiamatta receive gifts of property from Cardinals, she also received a dowry upon turning 14 from the Vatican. Clearly, Fiamatta must have been truly beautiful; it was unusual for a courtesan to own real estate, but Fiamatta did well for herself. In fact, she is the only courtesan to ever have a piazza in Rome named after her -- Piazza Fiamatta.

Down the alleyway, around the corner from Santa Maria della Pace, Nancy pointed out the oldest continually inhabited house in Rome -- from the 11th century ( and it looked it). We also viewed palazzos that had been recently cleaned by the city of Rome where the ancient decorative frescoes could once again be seen. The alley-ways and streets in this area are so narrow, it is difficult to notice the painted buildings because you can't gain any perspective -- you really have to crane your neck and look up. At the end of the tour, we visited the cloister of a church that is also the home to the Mastroianni collection of contemporary sculpture. It was an interesting morning.

I rode home through the Villa Borghese...always such a pleasure for me, but especially on these beautiful spring days in Rome. Josh and I had lunch at home. He picked the kids up from school while I went to the grocery store. Morris was kind enough yesterday to make chicken curry for us to have for dinner tonight. So I just had to prepare some rice and vegetables and it was easy for me to feed the kids early, before the girls had to go the pool. Avery came home just in time for dinner -- he'd had soccer after school today.

I took the girls to swimming so I could use the hour for a quick round of exercise at the gym. Afterwards, Olivia and I did our routine in the "area relax" of the locker room: shower, sauna, steam -- although today we skipped the steam. My favorite part is when we both lie down in the sauna and then Olivia asks me to tell her about my day. Then, she tells me about her day! I'm so glad I have a girl that I can "hang" with -- at least for now.

Church tour

It was an hour later today, so it was 11am by the time we straggled out the door. But it was a beautiful, warm, and sunny day for our "church tour." First, we hit Santa Maria di Vittorio so that Larry and the kids could see the famous and amazing sculpture of Santa Teresa in Ecstasy by Bernini. Then, we drove to San Pietro in Vincoli to see the Moses by Michaelangelo. The sculpture dates from 1515 and was originally intended as part of a 40 statue funeral monument for Pope Julius II. Perhaps it's appropriate that it was never completed since Michaelangelo didn't like this Pope too much.

By now it was time to feed the kids, mainly to keep Avery at bay. We stopped at one of those dime-a-dozen pizza by the slice places down the the street from our last stop: Santa Maria Maggiore. The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is one of the five great ancient basilicas of Rome and sits at the highest point upon the Esquiline hill. Its origins go back to the 4th century. Today, its 18th century facade conceals a well preserved Byzantine interior. Inside we marveled at the gilded coffered ceiling, and at the incredible 5th century mosaics depicting scenes from the life of Christ on the triumphal arch above the main altar. Below the altar is an enormous, kneeling statue of Pope Pius IX. Beneath this are the relics of St. Jerome (who died in 420 AD) who is buried in the Bethlehem crypt. The basilica also has many chapels including the heavily decorated Capella Paolina which houses the tomb of Pope Paul V (1552 - 1621) and his predecessor Clement the VIII. The Borghese family of arms, the eagle and the dragons, are featured. Santa Maria Maggiore has its own Capella Sistina near which Bernini and his family members are buried. Unfortunately, it was time for Avery to get outside so we missed this funerary chapel. Credit must be given, however, for Avery's impressive performance inside the churches. For some reason, inside of a church, he respects the sanctity of the place and keeps his voice down.

As a finale, we took Larry to see the Trevi Fountain; also a kid favorite, especially when there is a gelato stop included. It was a full day, but still Josh drove over to the Foro Olympico near our house to show Larry and Charlotte the old Olympic stadium, the entrance lined with imposing marble statues of ancient roman athletes and we also had a glimpse of the swimming pool.

Now it was time for everyone to have a little rest. Later, Morris came over to babysit for the kids so we could take Larry out for his last evening in Rome. The idea was to have a stroll (una passegiata), which we did; to have dinner, which we did; and then to go see the Ara Pacis which is being kept open late the last weekend of the month for a special viewing with the original colors projected onto the reliefs. We walked around the Ara Pacis building and saw the color projection from outside, but we never went in. The evening had become a bit strained. When the check had arrived after dinner, it sat on the table for an awkward period of time before we picked up the tab, again. I realized that apart from one dinner, we had either cooked and served Larry in our home, or taken him out to dinner for 10 of 11 evenings -- and often without even acknowledgement. It was an expensive visit.

Campionati Italiani di Nuoto Giovanali (Italian national swimming championships)

We failed to use the shutters on our sliding glass door, so the light came in early. Still, we managed to sleep in until almost 8am. At breakfast, we coincidentally met two couples whose daughters were swimming at the meet. The meet is structured as six sessions over three days (mornings and afternoon) for the girls, and then six sessions over the subsequent three days for the boys. Today was day two for the girls.

Charlotte had travelled with her team-mates on Thursday, and while she didn’t have any races on Friday, she warmed-up for both sessions with the entire team. This morning, as we were leaving the hotel for the pool, Charlotte called to say she was very nervous. She had already warmed-up and was at the pool, the meet was just getting started. When Josh and I first arrived at the pool, I wondered how we would see the races -- there were so many spectators crowding the bleachers. I found a spot in a stairwell, and then as some parents made there way out, I slid in to a bench and saved a space for Josh. As promised, at Nationals, there was a large scoreboard. In fact there were two: one served as a large screen TV for those who didn’t have a clear view of the pool. There was also a tunnel for the athletes (a sort of ready of room) located behind the blocks and covered with sponsor advertising. The blocks were of the “new” variety with the angled piece at the back – better for pushing off from. It was an exciting format since there were only three or four heats of each event, so the swimmers were all fast. We spotted Charlotte on deck talking to her coach. The look on her face was one of total fear – she looked like she was going to vomit. Josh hoped her coach would crack a joke to loosen her up a bit. Just then, he pinched her cheek and gave her a “high-five.”

Charlotte was one of three swimmers in the first heat of the 200 Breaststroke. She looked strong and immediately lept into the lead. She completed the first half of the race in a time faster than her fastest to date in the 100. Now the test; would she die? She hung in for the back half and handily won her heat by five seconds, swimming a 2:44. 45. She had dropped her time by seven seconds – she looked tired. As we watched the subsequent heats of her event, only a few swimmers beat her time. She was fifth going into the last heat of 10 swimmers. Six of these beat her, so she finished in 11th place - just a hair off of a top 10 finish in Italy. She was very happy…as were we.

Josh and I decided we wanted to have a look around Rimini, just 12km up the coast from Riccione, so we left Charlotte at the pool to change and cheer for her team-mates in the 4 x 100 Free relay. But first, I snapped a photo of Josh with Italian champion Alessia Fillipi and he got her to sign an autograph for Charlotte. We stopped at our hotel, and took a brief walk along the beach. It was such a beautiful and sunny day. I picked up a few souvenirs – perfectly formed shells – for the kids at home.

While several remnants of renasaince architecture remain, Rimini is a more modern town -- another beach town with a very charming old town center. It also seems to be a cycling town; everyone was on bikes. Today was the the day of the outdoor market in Piazza Cavour . It was a productive visit as Josh finally picked up a belt (or two) that he needed, and I was able to find undergarments for me and for Charlotte. We drove back to Riccione and picked Charlotte up at her hotel. She had already had lunch with the team. We were looking for her coach as we were leaving, but instead ran into an Aniene director. We had a nice and enlightening chat with him. We discovered that this was the only National meet to date, where they had used the top 30 or top 40 format – the reason being that they didn’t know which qualification times to use as a result of the swimsuit fiasco. With all the polyeurathane fast swim suits used prior to January 1st, the Federation didn’t know which times to use for qualifying. This summer, the qualification for Nationals will return to a qualifying time and will not be based on place. The summer Nationals will be held in Rome at the Foro Olympico – the very pool that hosted the World Championships last summer.

We drove back to Gher for lunch. We had the same waiter who served us another outstanding seafood meal. Today, apart from grilled calamari, and sardine spiedini, we ordered the Rombo fish. It was made in the oven with tomatoes, potatoes and olives. Yum. Charlotte enjoyed the free desserts they served with our coffee. She regaled us with team stories from the past couple of days. As a first timer to the National meet, she was a “matricola.” This was written in black marker up her arm. As a matricola, they have to do several things for the older swimmers – a light hazing process, if you will. For instance, Charlotte had to wear her bathing suit, over her clothes to dinner the prior night. She also had to wear a scarf around her head – whatever outfit the older swimmers chose for her. She and the other “matricola” had to dance to Old MacDonald had a Farm during dinner. Sound like a good time was had by all. The meet was a great experience for Charlotte both from a swimming and from a social perspective.

We really liked Riccione, and even apart from the swim meet, were happy we came here. It felt like a mix between Manhattan Beach and Marina del Rey, but, as Josh pointed out, with much better food. There were bike paths everywhere… and many people out on their bikes using them.

It was time to drive home to Rome. As I had difficulty breathing, I was reminded of our drive to Chamonix when Charlotte farted, because she was at it again. Then she alerted us that she’d had to go to the bathroom since before her race that morning. Needless to say, we made an immediate pit stop.

Again we had the opportunity to marvel at the beauty of the Italian countryside. As we left Le Marche and entered Abruzzo, we were afforded a vista of the Adriatic to one side, rolling hills planted with olive trees ahead, and the snow covered mountains in the distance. What a sight! Despite the dark clouds – it was about to pour – the light eery and magnificent all at the same time.

We landed back in Rome around 7pm. Avery had been to the zoo with his Uncle Larry in the morning; and Maria took him to a birthday party at the Children’s Museum in the afternoon. Olivia had gone to her friend Gaia’s house for the day. It seems a good time was had by all. And, everyone was tired. So for the second weekend in a row, Josh brought pizza in. I made a salad and some veggies for the kids along with some pasta and voila we had ourselves a quick family dinner. Then, Larry reminded us that the clocks will need to be changed and we will lose an hour tonight. That accelerated bedtime for everyone.

Olivia's Day

We had Olivia’s “parent-teacher” conference at RIS this morning. But it was really more like an Olivia “show and tell.” Unlike a traditional parent-teacher meeting, the school designed these conferences to be inclusive of the student so that the student could be involved in his or her own assessment. First, Olivia took us to the computer lab where she showed us several presentations she’d created and stored. Then we went to the library where showed us the section of books she prefers. She likes to learn about nature and animals of all types. I asked Olivia to read to us, so she chose a book about blue whales and we sat on the carpet as she read, occasionally pausing to turn the book and show us the pictures. Then we went to her classroom where Olivia showed us her portfolio of work including math, writing samples and reports. For each example, she had written a comment about how well she thought she’d completed the work. Finally, her teacher joined us and explained that Olivia would discuss with us three things she hoped to improve or accomplish in the coming term. Miss Pettifer wrote down the three target areas along with suggestions for how she, or we, could help Olivia achieve them. Olivia put her signature to the list. Last but not least it was time to see Miss Ivana. In Italian too, Olivia read to us and showed us her portfolio. She has really come a long way. I was glad it was a morning all about Olivia. – which followed yesterday’s "afternoon of Olivia." It was rewarding all around.

Josh and I returned home to pack for our overnight trip to Riccione. Then, we picked Larry up in front of St. Peter’s after his visit to the Basilica this morning. Unfortunately, it was much more crowded today than it had been on Monday, and that prevented him from making it up to the cupola. It was gorgeous, sunny and 70 degrees, so we decided we had to have lunch outside somewhere. We drove to Piazza del Popolo and passed on Dal Bolgnese in favor of a quiet lunch at Osteria Margutta – scene of our very first dinner after arriving in Rome (see Day 1 blog). We were the only guests eating outside as their tables were in the shade, but never-mind.

After lunch, we dropped Larry off near Galleria Borghese where he had a 3pm reservation, and we took off for Riccione. As promised, it was a four-hour drive. Fortunately, we got out of Rome just before the heavy Friday rush hour traffic. The drive was actually quite beautiful, particularly the area of the Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso in Abruzzo. We took the route due East to the Adriatic, and then up the coast.

This is NOT the Residence Inn in Brown Deer, WI

As soon as arrived in Riccione, it was clear that we were in a beach town. Josh had chosen a very cute hotel on the water, called (appropriately for us) Hotel Roma. It’s a small place and has maybe two-dozen rooms, just as most of the hotels lining the boardwalk. Our room was one of six in a new wing (closer to the water) and it was brand new with wide plank wooden floors, a hi-tech bathroom with a sky light and a rain shower, and an enormous outdoor terrace with a wicker sofa and two club chairs. Not only was the room very nice, but the staff was even nicer. What was surprising about this place was that they did not require a credit card when Josh had made the reservation. Then, when we arrived, and Josh handed over his card, and the receptionist said she didn’t need it – she’d settle up with Josh tomorrow when we check out. How many times have you ever been given a hotel room key without any security. We asked about a good place for dinner – fish presumably -- and another employee (or perhaps it was the proprietor) not only gave us restaurant suggestions but also told us what we should order…and what we shouldn’t.

We checked out the beach and strolled along the boardwalk to dinner at Gher. One of several restaurants located in the harbor, this one was our hotel-man’s favorite. We did as we were instructed. We ordered the spiedini – skewered grilled fish. We chose calamarini (baby calamari), gamberi, and then sardines only because the waiter insisted. We also had the sole al testo. This is a small fish (not the Dover sole type) and is prepared in a certain way that I can’t describe but it included vinegar. This was the tastiest and most delicate fish I had ever eaten. In fact, it was served first. Then, the grilled sardines were the best of the spiedini, just as the waiter said. The sole was so good, we ended up ordering two more rounds (remember, these are small fish). Each time, our waiter masterfully de-boned and prepared the fish tableside. I could have eaten five more, but Josh was tired from the drive (he drove the whole way) and it was time to retire.

Il Pagliaccio

This morning, Josh took Charlotte to AquAniene so she could board the bus with her team for the trip to the Italian National Swimming Championships in Riccione. How exciting for her!

Once the younger kids were off to school, I decided I had to get in some exercise before a) going out for dinner again tonight, and b) sitting in the car for eight hours on our roundtrip to Riccione this weekend. After returning from the gym, I enjoyed some time sitting outside in the garden and having my lunch “da sola.”

Josh and Larry had gone to Piazza Venezia this morning in order to go up on top of the "Wedding Cake" for the best view over Rome. They made it back for a quick lunch because we were due at RIS for Olivia’s choral performance at 2:45pm.

I’m so proud of Olivia, she really sang her heart out at the concert - and she was right there in the front row. Josh, Larry, and I enjoyed the show. Afterwards, we went to run some errands with the kids; including a stop at a pasticcheria! Olivia had a swim lesson today and we all went to watch her… which she really appreciated. Then, we dropped her off at home with Avery and Morris, so the three of us could go out to dinner.

Larry treated us to a special meal at Il Pagliaccio – a very highly reviewed restaurant. And, it was special indeed. Instead of having the chef’s tasting menu, we created a tasting menu of our own by ordering six different dishes and sharing. I know I’ve shared many details of the fabulous meals we’ve experienced here in Italy, but this time I wouldn't even know where to begin. The dishes and flavors were so complex I couldn’t do them justice. As Josh said, it’s the first time since we've been living here that we’ve felt we weren’t dining in Italy. This restaurant could have been in London or New York – it had little to do with Italian cooking. The deserts were just as delicious as the savory dishes.

The weather has been extremely favorable and tonight was no exception. We had a pleasant stroll on Via Giulia after dinner.

A special wine with dinner

Josh and Larry went to the Doria Pamphilij Gallery this morning. Since I had seen the palazzo already, and since I'm still working on my French/Tuscan kilos, I decided I should work out instead. Later, we met at home for lunch where we enjoyed dining alfresco in the garden. A simple lunch of prosciutto, cheeses, salad, fresh mushroom ravioli, and wine!

Charlotte left school early today, so she could practice with her team at 2:30pm. It'll be her last practice at Aniene before the Nationals. It also worked out well from a timing perspective so that we could all sit down and enjoy dinner together tonight. The girls still had their piano lessons, and in the meantime Josh took Avery out to the park to hit some balls. Avery has become quite the whiz with the whiffle balls. Plus, it's great for him to have some additional run-around time after school.

Earlier in the afternoon, we decanted the bottle of 1997 Brunello di Montalcino that had so generously been bestowed upon us during our Tuscan adventure by the kind man, Franco, at Il Leccio. We thought there would be no better way to enjoy it than with Larry, who appreciates fine wine, and accompanied by a little Tuscan meat. So for dinner, I prepared a "mixed grill" of pork chops and steak Fiorentino. The wine was really very good -- but not a full-bodied, cabernet-type of good, it was a rich but mellow flavor. A Brunello di Montalcino (as well as the Rosso di Montalcino) must be made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. And a Sangiovese is just never going to be as heavy as a Cabernet. That's probably why I like it so much. The dinner went over well; but I cannot believe how much meat Olivia was able to consume! All the kids, for that matter, ate every last scrap on their plates. Charlotte even tried my brussel sprouts.

The Capitoline again!

We couldn't finish all the cheesecake last night, so we promised the kids if they behaved, they could have another piece for breakfast. Avery came in to our bedroom this morning and said "I slept through the whole night and didn't wake you up so I could have cheesecake!" He is really at such an adorable age, so cute and cuddly...as long as he is not tired!

Today Nancy was doing a tour of the new exhibition inside the Capitoline Museum entitled The Age of Conquest - The Fascination with Greek Art in Rome. The exhibit explores the development of Roman art following the Mediterranean conquests between the end of the 3rd century BC and he second half of the 1st century BC. In particular, the Hellenistic influence on sculpture is demonstrated through a variety of art including fine sculptures in bronze and terracota, marble statues, friezes, and home decorations. The show illustrates that the roots of Rome's cultural and artisit identity lie in Ancient Greece. This exhibit is the first in a series of exhibitions that will take place over the next five years that will display the changes in style and taste that took place in Ancient Rome.

Because I felt rushed and distracted last Saturday at the museum, and since Larry wanted to go back - I was happy to have the opportunity to return this morning. Another warm day -- it truly feels like springtime in Rome -- so I rode my bike to Campidoglio and met Larry there. It was wonderful to be in the highly decorated and majestic rooms of the Capitoline; this time able to fully concentrate and appreciate the beautiful sculptures and frescoed rooms. The first statue in the special exhibt was Diana from Nemi -- what a coincidence since we were just there.

When the tour was finished and the ladies were heading to lunch, Larry and I broke off and went upstairs to see the paintings gallery. I wasn't going to go to the Capitoline Museum three times and not see any of the paintings. Of course, the Caravaggio was not there since its in the show at the Scuderie. There were only a small handful of paintings I thought were special...probably the reason this museum is not known for its paintings gallery, but still I was happy to have seen it.

Larry and I walked over to meet Josh for lunch. We met in front of the Pantheon and then headed to Maccheroni. The restaurant has a very fun ambiance, and very heavy, yet tasty food. One pasta carbonara could easily create artery blockage - but somehow it seems worth it. Surprisingly, it was one of the fastest lunches we've had in Rome and therefore I had plenty of time to ride my bike home before having to pick the kids up from school.

After school today, Olivia went to a screening of the new film Dragon Catchers. The film hasn't been released in Italy yet, but the father of one of her classmates works for Universal, and so he invited the class to a private screening at the Universal Studios offices in Parioli (how convenient!). The film was shown in 3D and in Italian (of course) which was great for Olivia. She really had a blast with her Italian friends (the other Americans chose not to go).

Morris came over to make some dinner and stay with the kids while we took Larry out to see a bit more of Rome. We took a walk around Piazza Navona and stopped for some gelato. Too bad they are still cleaning the Bernini fountain in the center because the Piazza is just not the same with the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi all boarded up. Josh ran through the history of this piazza -- it had originally been the stadium of Domitian from the 1st century AD, and where all the Romans came to watch the chariot races...before Circus Maximus was created. Again, we didn't have too much time because we had to circle back for Charlotte. But, it was another nice evening for a walk.

Trastevere evening

I still had a sort-of depression hang-over this morning. Maybe it's the sadness that another year has passed. I had a hard time getting out of bed...

While Josh and Larry went to Vatican Museums this morning, I went to the gym. Josh said I would feel better after working out, and he was right, I did. Afterwards, I met Josh and Larry in front of St. Peter's. After soaking in the grandiosity for a bit, we picked up some lunch and brought it home to eat out in the garden. It wasn't a sunny day, but it was warm...probably around 70 degrees.

Josh and Larry took Olivia home after school. I waited for Charlotte -- I wanted to walk home with her so we could talk. Avery was staying after school for soccer. Charlotte was in a good mood. We decided to stop at Il Cigno for a treat. It turns out Josh had the same idea and took Olivia and Larry there. The inside of the pasticceria is beautifully decorated now for Easter. The girls each had a treat. Then Josh took Olivia and Larry home by car, while Charlotte and I stayed behind to talk. Then we walked home at a leisurely pace and even picked up some notebooks at Buffetti along the way. I felt like things were back on track.

Once at home, I made a quick dinner for Charlotte before she went to swim practice. Olivia and Avery had a bite too. Then, Josh and the kids surprised me by bringing out a cheesecake (secretly purchased at Il Cigno this afternoon) with lit candles on it, while they sang "Happy Birthday." It's the birthday cake I never had yesterday. It was really nice. I was feeling altogether much, much better.

After we dropped Charlotte off at swim practice, the rest of us went to Trastevere for dinner. We wanted to show Larry one of the oldest neighborhoods in Rome, and the Piazza of Santa Maria in Trastevere. We went back to the restaurant La Scala, where we had enjoyed lunch once before. Tonight for dinner we were a bit rushed because we had to get back in time to pick Charlotte up at AquAniene (and get the little kids to bed too). It felt balmy outside, and we had fun being out and about.

MY BIRTHDAY

Each kid woke me up, separately, this morning with a card and a kiss. Charlotte, actually wrote me a long letter of appreciation which was so touching it made me cry. Josh had planned an outing for today, but first Charlotte had a to go to a special swim practice this morning for the kids competing in the Nationals. The complicating factor was that today was also the "Maratona Roma," and the race was going right by AquAniene. Not knowing exactly how traffic would be diverted, Josh and Charlotte rode bikes to and from the pool.

When I made my way down for breakfast, I was greeted by flowers from both Josh (from my parents?) and from Larry. I also opened a gift from Josh -- an very pretty onyx and rhinestone necklace.

Once Charlotte came home, we set off for our outing to Castelli Romani which is the area around the Alban hills located southeast of Rome. The amount of traffic leaving Rome on a Sunday morning was surprising, but we eventually made it to our first stop - the town of Ariccia. Famous for its pork, there are many "deli-type" establishments off the main square, selling pork by the kilo. And when I mean by the kilo, I mean sliced right off the roasted, seasoned, and stuffed pig. We walked the outdoor market and had the obligatory pork snack. A pre-amble to lunch. The big draw in Ariccia is the Baroque Chigi Palace -- which we probably should have visited having come all this way. But Josh thought the kids would stage a revolt given that it was so close to the lunch hour. So, we carried on.

We drove a bit further to Nemi, a quaint town set high up on the hillside with wonderful views of the lake and the surrounding, unspoiled countryside. Nemi is named after the forest of Diana (Nemus). In pre-Christian times the inhabitants worshiped the cult of Diana. This village was much more picturesque than Ariccia. The town is known for its strawberries (fragole di Nemi) and flowers. Everywhere, the small strawberries from the forest were on offer along with the more traditional variety. You can have a bowl of them with whipped cream; you can have them on a tart; you can get them on a crepe; you can savour their flavor in a liqueur; or you can just buy a carton and eat them plain. And, of course, there is fragola gelato!

We took in the views of the scenic lake, down in a canyon of green forest and grassy terraces. Then we proceeded to La Scalinetta (up a narrow outdoor staircase from the square) where Josh had booked us a table for lunch. It was a small, family run place. Very homey and with very tasty food. This was a typical, long, slow (supposed to be relaxing) Sunday lunch. For us, sitting with the kids around a cramped table for more than an hour (and this was two) was not relaxing; it was challenging. The restaurant was at capacity, and the sole woman who was running the show was maxxed out. She took the orders, processed the checks, dealt with the kitchen, etc. When it came time for dessert the only people left at the table were Larry, Josh and I. The kids had all bolted to run around outside. I did have my bowl of fresh fragole though.

We bought the kids dessert in the square, some had gelato, some had crepes. We walked around to take in the view of the lake from all sides before getting back in to the car. On our way back to Rome, we stopped at the other lake in this region -- Lake Albano belonging to the town of Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence of the Popes. It was a scenic drive with a few photo opps.

It was interesting to note that when heading south from Rome, until you get to the area of Castel Gandolfo and Nemi, the other parts south of Rome are UGLY -- particularly when compared to the drive north. Of course a further distinction can also be made when you enter Umbria and Tuscany....where properties and towns are well-cared for and better preserved than in Lazio. In Lazio, everything has a very authentic, run-down quality to it.

It may have been the big lunch, the wine, or the long drive, but everyone was tired when we returned home, especially Avery and his parents. Josh and Avery took a nap, and I tried to get in a little repose of my own. Unfortunately, somehow, things went awry with Charlotte. It's hard to say what started it, or why, but it ended with me losing my temper and striking Charlotte. In the end, I felt terrible for having reacted in this way, but I felt equally sad about her behavior throughout the course of the day...especially given the letter she had written and given me this very morning. It's difficult for me to accept her self-centeredness and selfishness as just a part of growing up and being a "teenager." I keep thinking that she is better than that, and I hope underneath it all, she is.

We had planned to take everyone out for a Sunday night pizza dinner to cap off my birthday celebration. But, between Avery sleeping, Charlotte crying, and me being upset, Josh opted for take-out and brought some pizza home. Despite his efforts, given the way things devolved, I can't help but think this is a birthday that I would soon like to forget -- although sadly, it will probably be forever etched in my memory.

Capitoline Museum

Today I had organized a tour of the Capitoline Musuem with Nancy. While Josh and I had seen much of the collection when Dale and Don were here, the kids hadn't been yet, and neither had Larry for that matter. So, I thought it would be nice for all of us.

Avery was on the move from the start. As we were getting a historical overview standing outside in front of the Museum buildings, Avery was running around the courtyard, thirsty, looking for a fountain. Once inside, he ran around the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori -- the one with Constantine's head, foot and hand in it. Then, he found refuge on the grand internal staircase. As we were admiring the reliefs, he ran up and down the stairs 14 times (as he proudly told me). I told him to be sure to save some energy for later, as we were just getting started and there were many cool things to see. Well, no surprise that advice fell on deaf ears. Half an hour later he is saying, "my whole body hurts" and "I'm tired." All the while, I'm dispensing rice cakes and then Oreo cookies. Even that did not help keep Avery at bay. Nancy was very patient. She spent a long while talking with the girls about the Equestrian Marcus Aurelius bronze statue. We learned the importance of hand gestures in statues (and in paintings) and how bronzes were made. We saw the Bernini statue of Medusa's head and Nancy told the girls how she was finally slayed (with a shield that acted like a mirror). We saw several ancient tomb-stones and learned that the holes were for giving food and beverage to the deceased. We looked over the Roman Forum from an outdoor terrace below the museum. I am hopeful that the girls got something out of our visit. Larry enjoyed the tour, and Nancy. As for Josh and I, alternately dealing with Avery, it was disappointing and hard to concentrate on the discussion.

When Nancy had to leave us to get to another appointment, we finished up by checking out the Palazzo Nuovo. Most outstanding was the colossal statue of Maforio, the river god, that was erected as a fountain in the 2nd century AD . I had hoped to return to the Museum in the evening, with just Josh and Larry, in order to view the paintings on the second floor, but discovered that the tickets are valid for only four hours from when you enter. Another disappointment for me -- my second time at the Capitoline and my second time there without time to see the paintings.

It was noticeably more crowded as we were leaving. It was time for lunch, but we had to make it quick because Charlotte had to get to swim practice. So, we headed for home and put together some salads and some left-overs. Charlotte was off to swim, and Avery went immediately for his nap.

This evening, Josh, Larry and I went out to dinner to celebrate my impending birthday (and Larry's of last month). Josh chose a restaurant called Arco Antico up on the Gianicolo which was our first "haute" experience in Rome. The food was delicious and refined, and the wine was sublime -- another Rosso di Montalcino, our favorite. Seems you can't go wrong with that wine. I had beef cheeks that had been slow cooked in beer and they melted in my mouth 'like butter." A runny chocolate souflee for dessert, yum.

A full day

Today is father's day in Italy. To mark the occasion, RIS held a breakfast for the dads in their honor. Josh and Larry both went and reported that there were so many sweets laid out on platters that they couldn't imagine who would eat them all. I can -- the kids! The Italians and their pastries for breakfast!?!

I made a second visit to the Slovak Embassy this morning. Larry decided to come along for the ride. As I last reported, I needed to have my marriage certificate translated to Slovak by a court agent. Since February 10th (my first visit to the Slovak Embassy) my mom has requested, picked up and had apostled my marriage certificate at the Oakland County Clerk of Court in Michigan. My dad then mailed the document to his friend in Bratislava, who had it translated in to Slovak. He then took the document to have it registered. However, they would not return the document to him without a power of attorney. Therefore, my father gave me -- in Slovak -- the proper language to assign his friend the power of attorney. I put it on my letterhead and took it to the Slovak Embassy this morning to have it notarized. Then, I mailed this notarized power of attorney, along with a copy of my passport, to my dad's friend who will take it to the registrar's office and continue with the process of registering my marriage. After all of this is completed I can then resubmit my request for my Slovak (EU) passport. This is becoming quite a team effort!

Once again, I was so touched by the kindness of the agent at the Slovak Consulate, Pani Torokova, who is helping me through this process. She volunteered that our friend in Bratislava can fax the document to her to expedite the resubmission of my application. Knowing my Slovak skills are limited, and wanting to be certain that I don't miss anything, she also volunteered to speak directly with our friend in Bratislava to ensure proper completion of the forms. This type of personal service is really above and beyond anything I would ever expect -- and very lucky for me.

Afterwards, I just had time for a quick sweat before meeting Josh and Larry for lunch. The reason I had this time is that after 10 minutes of waiting on line at the post office, I bailed and went riding around looking for a "Tabacchi" to sell me some stamps and an envelope. If I had waited to at the post office, I might have been there for an hour.

I met Josh and Larry at our favorite local restaurant -- which is now called Pastis Bistrot. All of sudden, over one weekend, Rose Trattoria had a makeover, was painted white and creamy inside, and changed its name to Pastis Bistrot. How odd, I thought, to take on a French name for Italian food.

We had to get to RIS this afternoon for the Middle and High school performances to celebrate the conclusion of "book week." It was a rather lengthy affair held in the gymnasium where unfortunately, the acoustics are pretty terrible. There were stalls set up all around the gym, selling all sorts of things (including treats) and the proceeds of all sales were going to help the victims in Haiti. In general, I must admit that I've found the school's charitable endeavors to be a very positive influence for the students. The kids are continually being made aware of those less fortunate. Also as part of book week, Olivia along with other members of the student council organized a used book sale -- again with the proceeds going to an orphanage in Haiti. Olivia collected the books from her classmates over the previous week. This past Monday, she set up the table and helped with the sale. She was very proud of her efforts, as were we. At today's performance, Charlotte sang and played the tambourine during "Mama Mia." Her class also wrote and sang a rap song for the theme of Animal Farm. It was a nice idea.

Tonight Charlotte went for a shortened swim practice so we could enjoy a family dinner together. Morris came over to prepare his famous curry dishes -- a must for all of our guests in Rome. When Josh dropped her of at AquAniene, he talked to Luca to get the schedule of events for the Nationals this weekend. Luca explained that the woman who gathers all the information for Aniene has been out of the office -- her grandmother died -- so they don't know yet what the order of events is....(that's funny, right?)

When Charlotte came home we all sat down in the dining room and enjoyed a curry feast. It's surprising how much the kids, especially Olivia, love it! As for me, I crawled upstairs as soon as dinner was over. Two spritz cocktails and wine with dinner.... made me feel very sleepy.

Uncle Larry arrives; Sicily and Art...

This morning we tried to get out the door early; Josh was dropping us all off at RIS before heading out to the airport to pick up Larry. Since we were at school early, Olivia had some time to show me around her classroom and explain the current unit of inquiry: explorers. Subsequently, I went to Miss Ivana's classroom for my Italian lesson. After a few minutes, we began to wonder: where is Charlotte? It was so unlike her to be tardy; and now we're talking 10 minutes. Eventually, Ivana and I took a walk around and were informed by one of the other middle school teachers that the Middle School was rehearsing for tomorrow's performance at the book fair. Okay, now we knew where Charlotte was. Still it wasn't like her not to let me and Ivana know. In any case, I had a private lesson. As I was leaving, Ivana ran after me down the hall. She had just found the note that Charlotte had placed on her desk, in Italian, that explained why she wouldn't be at class today. Now that's my daughter!

On Monday, we had received an email from the school regarding the 8th grade class trip to Sicily. They are going the last week of April. The email gave the cost of the trip and asked that everyone commit to participation by Friday. However, aside from the name of the hotel and flight times, the email gave very scant information about the actual itinerary in Sicily. Let me quote: "visit to Catania, Taormina, Etna, Museo della lava e dei vulcani....more details of itinerary later." Needless to say, this struck me as quite odd; and prompted an email of my own. Thanks for the email, but is there any more information available about what the kids will be doing for a whole week? "For instance, I hope the children will be able to visit Siracusa, with its Greek and Roman theaters, Greek temple and the old town of Ortigia?, And, perhaps they might even be able to get to Agrigento to see the famous Greek Temples there?"

On Tuesday after school, the Midddle School head approached me and said he'd passed my email on to the appropriate administrator, and she would get back to me. But today was Thursday, and I still hadn't heard anything. Since I was in school for my Italian lesson, I decided to pay a visit to the office on my way out. After waiting a while to see Signora Maffetone, I was told that Siracusa was "added" to the itinerary. If I could come by later, she would print it out for me. "Later" meant after-school, and since Josh picked the kids up today, he stopped by to get the itinerary. It was a printed copy of an email from the travel agent in Sicily, in Italian, with the details of the trip. At the top, it stated: "here is the revised itinerary including a day in Siracusa." Is it possible they were NOT going there before I inquired about it? Well, in either case, you have to give credit to the school for being flexible!!!

Meanwhile, Larry had arrived in Rome and I found him and Josh when I returned home. It was another gorgeous day, and on the way back from the airport, Josh had already driven Larry around some of the major historical sites. We had lunch outside in the garden -- it was actually hot and I felt my face getting sun-burnt.

When the kids came home from school they were excited to see Uncle Larry. They were also excited by their loot. I had ordered a bunch of clothes from GAP and Old Navy which I had shipped to Larry, so he could haul it over here. There's no place like GAP in Italy, and finding things like cute P.J.'s, t-shirts, pants and flip-flops that are inexpensive is time consuming and difficult. It's amazing how happy all the kids were with a new outfit. Olivia has been wearing her new sun-dress around the house ever since.

The girls had swim practice tonight. Josh, Larry and I had dinner with Olivia and Avery after Olivia's lesson. Then, Josh and I went out to a gallery opening. Larry demurred --as expected, he was pretty tired. We had been invited to the opening at Federica Schiavo's gallery for Rob Sherwood -- the artist who won the "Best under 30" prize in Bologna. The event was very well-attended, and Federica arranged a dinner at a restaurant/piano bar/lounge across the way called L'Arciliuto - it was a really cool place. Her gallery is really well-situated in that it faces a private little piazza with no traffic. Guests can easily spill out the front and stand outside, and several restaurants (now we've been to all three) are located off the same square -- actually it's more of a cobble-stoned triangle. It was nice to see a few people we knew although unfortunately, Darius had to go out of town on business so we didn't see him. Federica looked dazzling; and I think the evening was quite a success.

A gift from the Italian Nation Swimming Federation

I had to get to the gym this morning; I'm still working on my French kilos which are now residing just next to my new Tuscan kilos. In some sense, living in Rome is my diet.

It was another gorgeous day, so we had lunch outside in our garden. Josh and I discussed our upcoming schedule, which will necessarily be altered because of Charlotte. Miraculously, the Italian Swimming Federation has granted her permission to swim in the Italian National Championships that will be held over six days beginning March 26th. And, she can compete in the meet just like every other athlete -- not just on an exhibition basis. The only difference being that she cannot score points for her team, but she can place and take home a medal (that is, if she were to really swim out of her mind fantastic). The news was really very surprising since we were told that her ability to participate would be a long shot.

The unfortunate part, is that she only qualified in one event, the 200 Breast. Unlike our earlier understanding which was that there was a qualifying time for Nationals (and we thought she had qualified in all of "her" events). We were now told that only the athletes with the top 30 times in the nation in each event are eligible to compete. Charlotte's times in the 100 Breast, 100 Fly and 200 IM were all just around 31st or 32nd. Of course, as a U.S. citizen, her coaches never expected that she would be allowed to swim at Nationals, so the qualifying part was never in the game plans. As such, they had her swimming all sorts of other events like 200 Fly, 400 IM and 100 Free during the season. We noticed that most of Charlotte's teammates always swam the same events, while she was able to mix it up. Now we understand why. The way the Italian system is organized, in order to compete at the National level, you have to ensure that you have one of the 30 fastest times. Therefore, it encourages you to swim your best events, over and over, to keep (hopefully) improving your time. In thinking it through, it's a poor system for the athletes. It's better to establish a qualifying time - as they do in the States - so that a) you know ahead of time if you've made it, and b) you have the opportunity to swim various events, even if they're not your "best" events. It must be incredibly nerve-racking for the Italian swimmers not to know if they've qualified until the last minute. But then again, the Italians have clearly mastered the art of living in a world of "last minute," much better than I have!

Anyways, now that we think we understand how it works, let's move on to the logistics. The National Championships, unlike the meets we've enjoyed at our local pool AquAniene, are being held in Riccione. Riccione is a coastal town in the province Emilia-Romana and is about a four hour drive from Rome. The reality is, it's still much better than boarding a plane and flying to another State. However, given that Josh's Uncle, Larry, is arriving and will be visiting during that time makes it a bit more complicated. Also, if Charlotte swims she will be traveling to Riccione with the team on a Thursday (thereby missing two days of school), and unless we go to (cheer for her, and) pick her up, she will remain there with the team until the following Thursday when they return to Rome. Her event, will take place on the Saturday, March 27th. So, it's really best if we drive up and bring her back. Which brings me back to my original statement: we need to figure out how to manage our upcoming schedule. This task is made all the more difficult by a bizarre lack of information.

This afternoon, I asked Josh if he could stop by the pharmacy for me and have a chat with the pharmacist. My knee has been bothering me a bit (ever since the hike in Bagno Vignoni?), and while my doctor in Chicago prescribed Voltaren for these flare-ups, I don't have any remaining medication. So I wondered if Josh brought the empty prescription bottle to the pharmacist, if I could get some more? As it turned out, it was no problem at all. Thirty tablets of Voltaren purchased for 8 euros, and it wasn't even a generic! Is Novartis not making any money selling Voltaren to patients in Italy, or is the mark-up and Rx process in the U.S. just completely ridiculous? I would bet on the latter.

The kids celebrated St. Patrick's Day at school today by wearing green, and going on a leprechaun hunt.

Morris came over to make dinner tonight. Pork cutlets, by Charlotte's request.

Caravaggio at the Scuderie

Josh and I rode our bikes to Piazza Quirinale to meet up with the Nancy group for a viewing of the Caravaggio show. Thankfully, we purchased our tickets ahead of time -- the crowds were thick. Nancy had all of us sit in one of the ante-rooms by the coat check and she went over all the salient details of Caravaggio's artistic development, his painting style, and his life. Once inside the exhibit, it was difficult to convene as a group, and even more difficult to appreciate all the paintings without some jostling. Josh and I were already well-versed in Caravaggio -- it's hard to live in Rome and not know a lot about the man and his life. His body of work is not large -- only 64 known works. There are many copies and these days the technology is available to determine which are real and which are fakes. Several important paintings from Caravaggio are in a handful of churches around Rome -- in San Luigi dei Francese (these are the paintings which really launched his career), in Santa Maria del Popolo, and in Sant'Agostino. As such, the exhibit (as all exhibits in the Scuderie) was not very large...maybe 20 or so paintings over two floors. My favorites were Giuditta che taglia la testa a Oloferme (Judith cutting off Holeferme's head), San Giovanni (St. John the Baptist) and, of course Davide con la testa di Golia (David with the head of Goliath) where the head of Goliath is a self-portrait. With the exception of St. John the Baptist who is enshrouded in a red cloth, I seem to be drawn to the more gruesome paintings with blood (red) and portraying fear on the subject's faces. Caravaggio was very good with the facial expressions.

Nancy spoke to the group again after everyone had a chance to walk through the first level -- at the mid-point, as it were -- and then again at the end of the exhibit. It was an atypical tour because it was so crowded and therefore the narrative was necessarily a bit disjointed. Josh dashed out at the conclusion; he had to address a computer issue at home. I walked through the exhibit a second time before heading outside to a beautiful, sunny day.

I really enjoyed riding through the streets of Rome, taking in the views from the Trinita dei Monte and riding around Villa Borghese and the gardens of the Gallerie Borghese on my way home. Fortunately, Josh solved his computer issue and we were able to enjoy lunch outside in our garden.

I then recalled that I had spent all day yesterday looking for a mailbox, and I never found one. (I am sending my first letter --document, really -- from from Italy so we'll see how long it takes to arrive in the States?). So after lunch, I hopped back on my bike and rode to the local post office where I knew I must find a mailbox -- which I did. At least they don't make you wait in line to MAIL a stamped letter. Of course, if I did have any postal business to conduct, it would have been too late anyway -- the post office closes at 2pm!

After dinner tonight, while Charlotte was at swim practice, we took Olivia and Avery (by request) to the Trevi Fountain. Of course the outing would not be complete without gelato. It was a cool evening and the piazza was full of tourists but not completely over-run.

Basilica Santi Dodici Apostoli

I rode through the park to the Piazza Santi Aposoli. I was joining Nancy's group and we were to see the funerary chapel of Caridnal Bessarione inside the church of Santi Apostoli. However, due to the popularity of visiting this part of the church, the Franciscan Frari have decided to open the chapel only Fridays and Saturdays with a reservation.

Following the visit to the funerary chapel, we were to visit the 4th century church of the Venetians in Rome -- San Marco in Piazza Venezia. However, Nancy discovered at the last minute that this church is now closed on Mondays. So it goes.

Instead, she improvised (which is extremely easy for her to do) and we discussed the life of the Cardinal and his legacy namely the Marciana library in Venice. For a synopsis, the following is a little blurb I found about the Cardinal on a biblio web-site:

Cardinal Bessarion--scholar, diplomat, book collector, and Platonic philosopher--was among the most remarkable men of his century. He was born an Orthodox Christian in Trebizond in Asia Minor, entered the Greek church as a priest, and converted to Latin Catholicism at the Council of Florence in 1438. Made a cardinal in 1439, he was twice nearly elected pope. The two great missions of his life were to preserve in the West the cultural heritage of Greek and Byzantine civilization, and to organize a great crusade against the Turks to reconquer Constantinople and the Christian lands lost to the Ottoman invaders. In the first of his goals he succeeded magnificently; he trained an entire generation of Hellenists in Rome and formed a great collection of Greek manuscripts which he left to the city of Venice, where it became the nucleus of the famous Biblioteca Marciana. In his second goal he failed, despite heroic efforts as a diplomat and publicist.

We visited the inside of the basilica which has been pulled this way and that over the centuries, and is therefore not a pure example of anything. The site had originally housed a byzantine church from the 6th century, but it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1348. A new basilica was built on top. Walls from the original structure can be seen when visiting the crypt which contains the relics of the apostles Philip and James, and is located below the central apse. Beginning in the 15th century, the Colonna family had the church rebuilt and subsequently several Popes and wealthy Roman families have, over the years, rebuilt, added and reshaped the church. The most treasured works of art, however, are now in the Vatican Museums or in the Palazzo Quirinale. Overall, the basilica is still an impressive structure -- massive in size.

Afterwards, we walked over to the Trajan's market area and discussed Trajan's column which was erected in 113 AD -- no small feat considering the column is 30 meters high and sits atop an 8 meter pedestal. A relief portraying Trajan's two military victories over the Dacians (101 to 106 AD) winds its way all the way up from the base to the capital. This is the very first column to have a continuous relief and the idea was taken from scrolls - which is the way stories were read, and written, at the time (no books yet). A personification of Victory with her wings and shields can be seen half-way up the column between the story of the two wars. The very same depiction of Victory can be seen on the Vittorio Emanuel II monument that overshadows the entire Piazza Venezia. Nineteen centuries later; same iconography -- it's quite an odd juxtaposition!

Of note is that Trajan's Forum was not really a forum in the traditional sense -- it was not full of temples and monuments -- it served more as a war camp from which Trajan dispatched his soldiers. Today, Piazza Venezia is a war zone of its own as the Comune di Roma is digging to create a metro stop. Nancy predicted it would not be completed until at least 2015.

I rode home to have lunch with Josh. We finally got smart and signed Avery up for soccer after school -- a way to channel all his excess energy; so Avery did not come home with the girls after school. It was a calm afternoon. Later the girls both went to swim practice. Olivia and I took a sauna and a steam after her lesson and "talked about our day." A true pleasure.