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.