Rome in Real Time
We’re trying something different over the next few days and have decided to give you a play by play of our time in Rome. What’s it like to visit this enchanting city? We’re going to tell you. The history and the background on the monuments and buildings will be coming soon along with Dave’s usual stunning photography and some fun videos, but for now, here’s what’s happening right here right now with photos taken on our new iPhone.
Dave and Deb do Rome
Rome is definitely a walking city. And for our first full day in Rome we walked.
After sleeping in later than we expected, we awoke to sunshine and happiness on a Sunday morning in Italy. We were very excited to see some of the iconic buildings and got ourselves ready as quickly as we could.
The streets were alive with people and even in our little neighbourhood of Trastevere, the tourists were out in full force. We noticed a group of tourists taking photographs of clothes hanging in the streets while a local man laughed whole heartedly. We didn’t really understand why until we later read in our guide book that people come to Trastevere for a taste of Real Rome where clothing still hangs over clothes lines spanning the streets. Ah, now I get it, “Silly tourists coming over every day to take photos of laundry.”
We didn’t waste any time and made our way to the old city. We were on a mission to see the magnificent monuments.
Front of the Pantheon
Our first stop was the Pantheon. We were surprised how quickly we came upon it. Our landlord told us that we could walk everywhere, but we couldn’t comprehend just how close together everything was until we actually walked to it.
It wasn’t difficult to figure out that we happened upon the Pantheon when we saw the crowds! It’s not even high season and the crowds are huge. But, we waltzed right into the massive building and were captivated by its 2000 year old dome and pillars. It’s to this day, the worlds largest unreinforced dome. Wow, those ancient Romans knew how to construct a building.
It was then off to the Spanish Steps. Dave joked about how narrow and crowded the streets were and could you imagine if it started raining and we’d have to dodge umbrellas as well as people and traffic? Well, his question was answered as soon as we arrived at the Spanish Steps.
Spanish Steps
The rain started coming down in full force and we were about to know what it was like to walk in a sea of umbrellas. The Spanish Steps are usually an excellent place to hang out and watch people,but with the rain coming down, it wasn’t the best time to chill out on the cold and wet walkway linking the higher and lower levels of early Rome.
So, it was off to the iconic Trevi Fountain.
Massive Crowds at Trevi Fountain
Can you imagine what it is like to visit Rome in August? We are not in the high season right now, but the crowds are massive? It’s a long way from the scenes at the Trevi Fountain that we’ve seen in the movies.
It was still a magical place. It is said that if you throw a coin into it’s waters, you are guaranteed a return back to the eternal city. We threw in our coins and made our wish, and contributed to the €300 collected in the fountain each day.
After our visit to the Trevi Fountain, we started to make our way to the Colosseum, when we came upon one of those statues on a bench that we see all over the world. I don’t know what made me tell Dave to sit down for a photo because we normally walk right by them, but for some reason I wanted a shot of this guy. As Dave sat down I was puttering around trying to get my camera and bag organized when the statue pounced upon Dave! “Ah!” I cried. He totally caught me off guard.
This was the best performance artist I had ever seen. We truly thought he was a statue on the bench and as Dave posed with him, I snapped as many photos as I could. The crowd gathered and we tossed him a Euro and felt content that we was about to make some money as everyone was thoroughly impressed!
So, on to the Colosseum. Ah, maybe not.
We have six days in Rome. The rain is coming down, we haven’t eaten since our late breakfast and people watching is just too much fun!
Taking in the Atmosphere of Rome
Time for a glass of wine and relaxation. As they say, When in Rome!
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Has the romance been rekindled?
You’ll always have Paris….. remember!
Thanks Marlys, we really do want to come back to Paris for an extended stay. We’d love to learn French and absorb ourselves in art for a summer. The romance is doing better here in Rome, we’ve taken some pressure off of ourselves and are just enjoying the moment. As you can see, I threw up iPhone photos rather than Dave’s shots. Everyone needs a break.
I was in Rome several years ago in July…talk about crowds! Its crazy. I did however find all the major sights to be totally empty of people between 3-6am It’s a great time to go explore and see the city wake up.
Hi Candy, thanks for the tip. We’ll have to check it out. We’re going to set our alarms early for tomorrow and try to get out while the crowds aren’t too busy. Unfortunately we are heading to the Vatican tomorrow, but we’ll try for the next day for sure. Cheers.
I’ve seen so many BAD statues that it’s refreshing to see a well done one! Looking at your first picture I thought it was a real statue, though I wondered why they’d pick such an odd subject.
YOu are so right, we’ve seen a lot of bad statues too. I only put up iPhone photos, but I took the majority of them on the DSLR, we’ll be posting from Italy for weeks to come, so I will make sure to put some more up of him, he was excellent. Especially the way he was sitting before he cozied up to Dave. We thought he was a statue of an old italian guy drinking some wine. Amazing!
Looks like a great day in Rome…Rome in the rain has it’s own magic doesn’t it?
I was in Vegas once and had a Hagen Daaz statue jump out at me…I almost fell on the floor! Made everyone else laugh!
Have fun this week!
It does Melanie, you are right. We enjoyed sitting down and getting warm though, there was a little chill in the air that we weren’t prepared for. Ha, I love that a Hagen Daaz Statue jumped out at you, I can’t even imagine what that looked like, was it a giant tub of ice cream?
Hilarious that the bench statue was actually a real person! He really looks like he’s just part of the bench. Seeing all these photos of Rome brings me back to my trip there is 2006!
That is awesome you were here in 2006. It’s a great city. It is so true, I really didn’t even notice that he was real. It would have been hilarious to have a candid camera on us, because Dave was sitting beside him for a little bit while I pulled out my camera and stuff. We were talking away like nobody was there and then all of a sudden, boom, the statue moved! Too funny.
Dang, I didn’t think the crowds would be that bad this time of year. Still, it makes me glad I’m not going in the summer.
We were surprised too! We thought that it would be quiet in Rome since it is so early in the season, but it’s in full force already. I think it’s the most popular tourist destination in the world. People are everywhere. But we still love it.
Wonderful! When we meet at TBU be sure to tell me where you found the man on the bench!
We certainly will! he was en route from the Pantheon to the Trevi Fountain. He pops up on ya.
You’re going to hate me for saying this, but the first time I went to Rome was in the late 60s….and there were no crowds! I couldn’t believe the difference the next time I went, especially at the Trevi Fountain! I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere in Summer, really. Almost all Europe is just too much then. I imagine Winter is good if you don’t mind the weather. Rome I’ve only ever done in Spring,Fall or very early Summer (before the schools break up), and your photos bring back so many happy memories.
I am glad you are enjoying your time in Rome. I took my daughter there last year on April 01 for 6 days. Hate to tell you..we had no rain, highs in the low 70′s, barely any crowds. Made it to Florence by train for a day and Amalfi and Pompaii for a day with a driver. All unforgettable! Enjoy every moment!
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