Italy in May - Rome, Part IV

Quick Tips:

When you make a reservation at a hotel by phone or e-mail, make sure that they send you the details of the reservation in writing – it is an Italian law. When you check-in, you will be asked to leave your passport with them for a couple of hours. They have to register you at the police, so don’t annerved, this is a regular procedure, just comply with the rules.

Don’t call from your hotel room especially internationally, you will be charged a connection fee even if you call a toll-free number, Westin Excelsior charged me 1 euro plus tax, but I heard that they raised surcharge to . Buy local calling cards, you will save a lot of money.

Best Way To Get Around:

The first, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, was unveiled in 1651 and was built for the pope Innocent X Pamphilj. The fountain is built around an ancient Roman obelisk, with the pope’s coat of armor attached to it. The obelisk is surrounded by four giant figures, each representing one of the four rivers – the Ganges, the Danube, The Nile, and the Plate.

The second fountain on the Piazza is the beautiful Fontana del Moro, which very much like the Trevi Fountain has a sea scene, with a figure of Neptune in the middle standing on sea creatures with water coming out of their mouths. It is surrounded by four Tritons, each blowing water out of the shells. You have to walk around the fountain and spend some time looking at each figure to really appreciate each statue. This fountain has a very light and playful appearance about it, while Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi looks like a very heavy, elaborate, and massive structure.

There is quite a traffic through it nowadays, and right in the middle of that traffic is a small island with an elegant and rather provocative fountain, Fontana delle Naiadi (Fountain of the Nayads), that was built in 1901 and created quite a stir when it was first unveiled. Each of the four nymphs is naked and when the water hits them, it creates a halo around each nymph making them look both naughty and god-like at the same time. In the middle is the figure of the sea god added later.

On the other side, between the Piazza della Reppublica and Piazza dei Cinquecento, are the remains of the Baths of Diocletian. Baths were built 1700 years ago and are the largest in Rome. The church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, built by Michelangelo from the ruins of the Baths is right across from the colonnades. When you exit the building through the back door, you can get a very good look at the remains of the Baths. Also here, adjacent to the Piazza, is the Museo Nazionale Romano which is one of the largest museum of Roman antiquities in the world.

Palazzo Farnese is one of the amazing buildings in Rome. It has a very imposing light-colored façade and its design has become the prototype for a lot of palaces built in Rome afterwards. A lot of famous artists worked on the building, including Michelangelo, who added the third floor and had plans to connect this palace with Villa Farnesina in Trastevere by a bridge, but that was never realized. It has been the French Embassy for over 350 years. Unfortunately, you are not allowed inside, but in front of the embassy you can see pictures of the restoration efforts taking place inside. They show the original frescoes and how the restoration effort uncovers the original colors that sometimes are so bright that nobody expects that (very much like Michelangelo’s frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel).

Campo de’ Fiori is a great place to stop for lunch (it is cheaper here), to practice your Italian and bargaining skills, and to do some people-watching while you are at it.