Looking back, the flight to Rome was surprisingly easy. It did not always seem so at the time, particularly when we were stuck in miserable traffic at the airport or waiting in an endless line at Alitalia counter. But once were were on the plane, everything was better. They fed us an adequate meal when we were flying over Saint George, Utah; by the time we were over Bemidji, Minnesota John was fast asleep and I fell asleep a short time after. We woke up somewhere around Lyon, and by the time we had finished our breakfast it was time to land in Rome.
Although both us of have been to Rome before, it was the first time we had flown into the city. The airport is a distance from the the center of Rome, and we had made arrangements with our innkeeper to have a driver meet us there. The last thing we wanted to do was to figure out the intricacies of public transit with several pieces of luggage. We are staying at the Villa Riccio. It sounds quite grand, doesn’t it? It’s actually a spare bedroom that a man and his wife rent out to visitors. But it is located in a lovely old apartment complex in the fairly affluent Flaminio district of north Rome.
There is a nice view from the room, and it has its own bathroom. And at 90 euros a day, it is a relative bargain.
After we settled in an unpacked a few things, we decided to go for a walk. We had not gone far when the sky opened up. Ottorino Respighi celebrated the pine and fountains of Rome; but perhaps he should have made a trilogy by writing a piece about its thunderstorms. The last time I was here I was in a particularly violent one, but I had the good fortune to be able to be inside that time. We were walking towards the Piazza Populo when it started to pour. Hiding out in a bus shelter, we noticed a museum across the street and decided any place inside was good. Fortunately, this turned out to be a particularly interesting museum, the National Etruscan Museum at the Villa Guilia.
Built by Pope Julius III in the middle of the sixteenth century, the villa is still a grand piece of Renaissance architecture on the outside, though its conversion into a museum has preserved little of the interior. There are dozens of galleries showing the development and the demise of the Etruscan civilization. The origins of the Etruscan people are unclear, and we most of the information we have about them comes from the pottery and other items found in tombs. There was a great deal of pottery on display, and while I want to find pottery fascinating, I think I need to know more about it. The bronze work, both weapons and domestic articles, was a little more interesting. But what was really fascinating was some of the late Etruscan work.
This is part of a temple frieze.
This head seemed unusually realistic for its period.
And this sarcophagus for a married couple is probably the most famous item in the collection.
Once the rain had subsided a bit, we explored the grounds of the Villa Guilia.
There was a small mausoleum but I could not quite figure out who was buried there. Somewhere along the way it had been adorned with some Etruscan temple decorations.
The fountains were the most famous feature of the original villa. They do not apparently create the same theater of water that they once did, but frankly I have seen enough water in Rome already and I have only been here one day!
After leaving the museum, we strolled through the Villa Borghese gardens. I think on most Sundays this park would have been packed, but after the rain it was virtually deserted. Walking through the old city walls, built in the third century by the Emperor Aurelian, we arrived on the Via Veneto, the affluent shopping district made famous by Fellini in La Dolce Vita. We did not feel like paying 8€ for a cup of espresso, so we kept moving.
Since we were in the neighborhood, we stopped at the Spanish Steps. Other than the fine view of the city it commands, there is really little of interest here. The church at the top of the stairs was under scaffolding, and the fountain at the bottom was under reconstruction. So we just took a couple pictures and went off to find some supper.
We had a pleasant meal at a restaurant recommended in a guide book, and we grabbed a taxi back to our quiet, comfortable room.
