BigWeather's Blog

Awoke about 8a and went upstairs for breakfast — eggs, hot dog sausages, lemon cake, and coffee.  Quite good.  Left the room about 10:00a and headed up Via Nazionale towards Roma Termini.  As Genetta wasn’t to arrive until 11:40a I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the church at the end of Via Nazionale that incorporated parts of the absolutely massive Baths of Diocletian (which could accommodate up to three thousand people at once) into its structure.  Not only that, a couple of adjacent structures were directly derived from the ancient marvel.

Turning right towards Termini there was a row of semi-permanent corrugated metal stands selling books, albums, and the like.  One of the stands had historical comics (in Italian, of course).  One called Alix set during the Roman Empire caught my eye.  I had to wait for what seemed like ever for the seller to finish talking with another guy but eventually got my chance to engage him in conversation.

While his English was a little rough it was a dang sight better than my Italian and we managed to have a conversation.  We talked about historical comics (including a WWII pulp one that he favors) for a bit and when asked he’d never heard of Vasco, a French comic set in Middle Ages Italy that I’d like to find more copies of.  I decided to buy all three Alix for 20 euros — not sure if it is a great deal but it’s far less than the MSRP and I was happy.  One is about Spartacus, another about ancient Roman Egypt, and the last about barbarians and the Roman Empire.

Books in hand, I headed to Termini, getting there about 11:20a.  Parts of the terminal were under construction so I couldn’t stand right at her arrival platform.  Luckily, however, we were able to find each other after a small delay.  We took a taxi back to the room at the Hotel Bolivar and got her luggage squared away then headed to Le Lanterne, a restaurant not far from the room.  Genetta had spaghetti al cabonara and strawberries with whipped cream while I had the linguine al funghi porcini.  Mine wasn’t great — the mushrooms were a little slimy and the noodles kinda hard.  Oh well, can’t win them all.  Besides, nothing a little gelato couldn’t fix!  Genetta had dark chocolate and oreo while I went with my favorite coffee.

Headed back to the room and took a taxi across the Tiber to the suburbs just northwest of Rome to visit VIGAMUS, a video game museum.  I was kind of ruined and sculptured out at this point and so was Genetta — we figured we’d relax and go to the video game museum, a bookstore specializing in role-playing games, and a comic book / book store, all in the same area.

A note to anyone going to VIGAMUS — it is hard to spot.  It is in the basement of a building and one needs to look out for the banner above.  After descending a flight of stairs we came upon a very small room with a counter and a few things for sale (sadly no magnets and the books were only in Italian).  Beyond that were three or four rooms with displays containing various computers and consoles as well as games.  There was also a special exhibition room and a larger room for people to give lectures and presentations.  Finally, there were a few rooms with consoles, computers, and arcade games set up for play.

The walls were decorated in theme, lots of video game art and characters.  While small it left a good impression on me.  There was a broad selection of computers and consoles on display and it covered many of gaming’s earliest games — Infocom and other text adventures, Atari and Intellivision cartridges, a selection of PC games, etc.  There was also concept art from “Alice Madness Returns” and “Lollipop Chainsaw” and a few other games.  Large statues of Lara Croft, a character from Dark Souls (I think), and others were about.  There was some space dedicated to the video game crash of ’83 as well as the New Mexico landfill where many Atari 2600 cartridges (most famously E.T.) were buried.

The exhibition was Assassin’s Creed.  There were playable stations of all of the entries set up, surrounded by various collector’s editions stuff as well as a couple of large statues and some concept art.  Genetta and I had a blast playing through some of Assassin’s Creed II in their version of Florence, having just spent a lot of time there.  While it certainly captured the feel of Florence it most definitely didn’t feel very accurate.

There was little on display about the Odyssey2, sadly, and I thought that their treatment of the RPG genre was very light.  There was a single glass case with some Witcher series items in it but almost nothing else RPG-wise — no Wizardry, no Bard’s Tale, no Ultima (very surprising as Italy is known to be a hotbed of Ultima fandom), no Baldur’s Gate, etc.  Very surprising.

I was tempted by one of the books in the bookstore but as it was Italian I decided to pass.  I kind of regret that now, it was pretty neat.  Oh well.

Leaving VIGAMUS we walked the short distance to Avalon Roma, a bookstore selling role-playing games.  They had quite a bit of Savage Worlds stuff as well as The One Ring (which makes sense as the primary game design is by an Italian).  They also had a version of Dungeon World with nifty tabs that would make it a lot easier to flip through.  They also had Paizo adventure paths as single hardback books for 60 euros, a substantial savings over buying the six softcover books individually.  There was also a crazy-looking RPG based on modern horror in an alternate history that had among other source books one about the American South.  Their treatment of taboo subjects here in the US like the Klan was shocking.  Not that it was favorable to them or anything, just that it was in a RPG source book at all was eye-opening.

The proprietor, Vittorio (I think that is how it is spelled), was extremely nice and we talked at length about Italian RPGs like Kata Kumbus and this other one that was a grim dark treatment of Renaissance Europe with the walking dead.  Sadly as I don’t read Italian — and was accompanied by Genetta who wasn’t shy about reminding me about that fact — I had to pass on buying any books.  I did, however, buy a cloth map for Kata Kumbus that was basically Italy rearranged, even down to the place names.  A nifty souvenir!

Walked a little farther to Pocket 2000, a bookstore with comics, toys, etc.  It was stuffed wall to wall, to the point that it felt like a maze.  They had a good selection of stuff and plenty of historic comics including more Alix.  Once again Genetta reminded me that I don’t read Italian so we left without buying anything.

Headed south towards Vatican City where Genetta convinced me to get us a taxi.  Despite it being a Saturday there was crazy traffic and (because it was a Saturday) many pedestrians milling about.  We also saw a Lamborghini, though I suppose they aren’t crazy rare in their homeland!  We also saw a column erected by Marcus Aurelius before 193AD that I hoped to go back and see.

Back at the hotel we rested a bit then headed out to Ristorante Petrucci for dinner.  We had the garlic bread as an appetizer.  Genetta had veal with fries while I had spaghetti with bacon and tomato sauce that was quite decent.  Once back at the room around 8p we packed and I worked on the blog.  We then Facetimed with Michelle and wished Darby a good trip to London.  Finally I watched Italy and Germany play in Euro 2016 (1 to 1, Germany won on penalty kicks) while Genetta slept.  I finally turned in about midnight.

Woke up on my second solo day just after 8a, lounged about and finally ate breakfast around 10a.  Went light with a croissant, toast, and some tasty coffee.  Left the hotel at about 11a (which leads me to believe that maybe, just maybe, our always leaving the hotel later than I’d like wasn’t due to the family) and walked past Trevi Fountain.  It wasn’t running as it was being maintained, which led to a different photo opportunity.

Headed to the Piazza di Spagna, a plaza in front of the famed Spanish Steps.  In the middle of the plaza was a fountain shaped like a ship, Fontana della Barcaccia, erected in the 17th century.  On the plaza was also the home in which the poet John Keats died of tuberculosis at the young age of twenty-five.  Sadly the steps themselves were closed for cleaning, but I could still see the 16th century church Trinita dei Monti at the top with the Obelisco Sallustiano, an early Roman Empire obelisk crafted in imitation of the ancient (even at that time) Egyptian ones, in front.

Next I headed up quite a slope and some steps toward the Villa Borghese’s gardens.  On the way I took a picture of a palace with soldiers in front.  They motioned me towards them and asked me to delete the picture as they were concerned about security, which I did.  The gardens were quite peaceful and due to the trees cooler than walking about the streets of Rome.  There were many exotic plants, marble busts of many famous people, an arch, and fake looking Egyptian obelisks, temple facades, etc.  There was also a nice round pond with a fountain in the middle.

A short distance to the north was a more natural, irregularly shaped lake with a “temple” built in 1786, Tempio di Esculapio.  The temple was flanked by statues releasing water from tipped over urns which people renting boats rowed out to see.  It was quite peaceful.  Next I walked past a museum with modern art — kept on walking!  Also nearby were “academies” for Egyptian, Belgian, and Romanian studies and art.  The Egyptian Academy’s entrance was particularly neat, covered with hieroglyphs.

I finally arrived at the Villa Giulia, built by Pope Julius III in 1551-1553.  The grounds were nice with formal gardens and an elaborate covered walkway surrounding them.  The real treasure lay within, however, as the villa housed the largest collection of Etruscan artifacts in the world.  The Etruscans lived in central Italy (Tuscany and Lavio, north of Rome) from the 9th century BC to about 291BC when Rome conquered them.  Through many displays the museum described the various ages of Etruscan civilization and the huge influence that the Greeks had on them.  This was particularly apparent with their pottery, which shifted from having black figures to red figures just as Greek did.

The best known piece of Etruscan art was housed there, a sarcophagus depicting a husband and wife.  There were also a reconstruction of an Etruscan tomb that was really neat as well as several temple facades that were rebuilt with the original masonry.  One fascinating piece of art was a temple facade depicting “Seven Against Thebes”, a play by Aeschylus first performed in 467BC.  It even has one character, Tydeus, cracking open another’s (Melanippus) skull and feasting on his brains — ancient Walking Dead!  Also on display were chariot pieces, shields, spears, and other really interesting grave objects.

About 3p I headed back into the sunlight and south to Rome, passing through the north gate, the Porta del Popolo.  Beyond was the Piazza del Popolo, the center of which had one of the oldest obelisks in Rome, from Heliopolis and the time of Sety I.  Augustus had it moved to Rome and erected in the Circus Maximum in 10BC but it was relocated to the plaza in 1589.  Amazing.

Walked back past the Spanish Steps and near Trevi Fountain, getting back to the room around 4:15p.  I Facetimed with Michelle some and learned that she and Addison had had quite the time with customs in Charlotte.  I goofed around some, enjoying a siesta to rest my feet, Facetiming with Genetta as well to confirm her arrival the next day.  Headed to dinner at about 6:30p or so to a place called Melo’s.  They weren’t open, however, as it was quite early for Italian dinner, so I wandered around the forum a bit as well as visited my favorite tower, Torre delle Milizie.

Finally I ate at about 7:15p.  It didn’t go so well.  First, I thought the water was asking if I wanted a glass with my water, I was like “sure, of course…” but he had asked if I wanted gas — carbonated water.  Blech!  I also felt awkward eating spaghetti in the near-empty restaurant, I guess I never learned how to eat it properly as the proprietor took pity on me and showed how Italians eat it — by twirling the pasta with a fork on top of a spoon.  I never really got the hang of it.  Kind of an awkward meal all around, but not that bad tasting.

Stopped by and got some gelato from the place adjacent to the restaurant but even that wasn’t great.  Headed back to the room by 8:30p and blogged and watched soccer (Wales 3 – Belgium 1) and listened to music until 3a (why?!) — their internet still sucked!

As Michelle and Addison were leaving this morning we awoke at 3:15a.  The next hour and change were a blur, getting them up and out for the 4:30a taxi pickup that would take them to the airport.  Returning to my room I read up on Ostia Antica and talked a bit with the hotel’s night desk man about how to go about getting there.  Went back to sleep about 6a, awakening at 8a.  After a quick shower and breakfast I set out on my solo adventure just before 10a.

My first stop was a barber as my beard had grown quite a bit during the two weeks in Italy and was itching like crazy, especially as I was back in the heat of Rome.  He didn’t speak a lick of English but I managed to get a shave (a rough one, a bit of blood here and there).  Still, a shave is a shave and it felt great to be rid of the beard.

Walked past the Colosseum from a new vantage point as well as the Arch of Constantine and Palatine Hill.  A bit further lay the massive Circus Maximus, its far end set up for the second night of a Pink Floyd (at least Gilmour) concert.

After a short walk along tree lined avenues and houses covered in all manner of flowering bushes I saw the Piramide di Caio Cestio, or Pyramid of Cestius, a tomb built in 12BC in the style of the pyramids in Egypt (which were quite ancient by then — in fact the Pyramid of Cestius is still closer to the present day than the pyramid it copied by almost 600 years!).  It stood 125 feet high and 100 feet a side at the base and was quite impressive with its shining white marble facade!  Across the street was the Porta San Paolo, one of the main gates into Rome built in the third century.

Navigating the fairly heavy traffic I crossed the street and entered the Piramide train station.  It wasn’t nearly as streamlined as the Termini station across town.  I waited in a very long line and it was clear everyone was just a bit frustrated.  Finally managed to get tickets and headed out to the platform area.  I met a small group of English students also hoping that they were going about getting to Ostia Antica correctly.  The train arrived, but at an entirely different track, so the entire group of us shifted to the new platform and boarded.  It was an uneventful train ride lasting about a half hour, passing through the southwestern suburbs of Rome and headed to Ostia and Lido by the sea.

Arriving at Ostia Antica I used my offline Google Maps map to navigate.  Crossed the highway via a pedestrian footbridge and came almost immediately upon Castello di Guilio II, a charming walled fortification area with a church and nice public fountain (where I dutifully filled up).  The papal fortification was built between 1483 and 1486.  One nice thing about getting away from Rome is that there were very few tourists milling about, only two at the Castel.

After a short rest I headed to Ostia Antica, a vast area — seventy acres — of ruins.  Like the castle there were few tourists to be seen.  Oftentimes I was alone among the ruins, hearing only birds and crickets and the occasional airplane flying over to land at the airport across the Tiber (there’s a hexagonal lake there that is actually the remains of an ancient harbor).  After buying a guidebook I walked down the ancient road to the settlement, the major port for Rome.  Two thousand years ago Ostia sat on the shore, now it was inland over two miles!  The flagstones were worn smooth and rutted by ancient cart traffic.  Surrounding the road were ancient tombs, forbidden from being built in the town limits.

Entering the town proper the first sight was Terme di Nettuno, the Baths of Neptune, a large bath house for the inhabitants of Ostia.  Up some stairs was a great vantage point overlooking not only the ruin but also some impressive mosaics, some of which were protected from the elements with Gore-Tex.  Behind the baths was Caserma dei Vigili, a large complex that hosted about 400 vigiles, men charged with preventing and extinguishing fires in Ostia.

After that was the Piazzale delle Corporazioni, Plaza of the Corporations, which originally was a square of shopfronts surrounding an open green space containing Tempio Di Cerere, the Temple of Ceres.  What was really fascinating about the plaza was that there were mosaics in front of each shop depicting the purpose or goods of that shop.  Unfortunately some tourists chose to disregard the ropes and copious signs preventing them from stepping on them for pictures.  Grrrr!

I next headed to the adjacent Teatro di Ostia, Theater of Ostia, a semi-circular set of stone bleachers surrounding a stage.  Pretty amazing sitting on the bleachers imagining theater-goers doing the same nearly two millennia prior.  I was blessed with a gorgeous day — puffy clouds, fairly cool, and a light breeze.

Moving on I entered the main forum area of Ostia and the adjacent Capitolium.  By this time, however, I was getting quite hungry so headed north toward the river to find lunch.  The cafeteria was a buffet-style affair.  I had lasagna, zucchini, and an orange Fanta.  Not bad at all!  Headed to the adjacent bookstore and bought a magnet.  Stopped by the bathrooms and… nope.  No seats, no go.

I had read in Rick Steve’s about a row of ancient latrines (no, not for me to actually use!) that I wanted to see so I set about exploring the western half of Ostia Antica looking for it.  Along the way I met some young students from California and some English people but neither had seen the latrines.  Looking back I imagine it was a fairly odd thing to ask “Hey, nice to meet you total stranger — have you seen any ancient toilets?!”  Anyhow, along the way I saw some temples, various middle- and upper-class homes (including one of the earliest examples of a home with a central hallway), and the like.  Some had surprisingly well-preserved mosaics.  I saw a glimpse of the Tiber on the northern edge of town.  The extreme western part of the town gave way to hay fields with large bales.

Finally while exploring the baths in Ostia’s forum I stumbled upon the latrines.  Declaring victory, I headed to the sculpture museum near the cafeteria and bookstore.  While in a small space it was completely packed with amazing sculpture including some I could swear I had seen in textbooks.  By this time I had to admit defeat and use the restroom, ugh!  As it was getting toward evening I headed back to the train.  While relatively uneventful, I witnessed a young Italian guy hitting on a Polish teenager with her mother, opening with “What’s the time?” and going from there.  They were in Rome on pilgrimage.  Once they got off the train he looked about, spotted his next target, and opened with “What’s the time?”

Once back in Rome I walked past the pyramid and along the city walls to the Tiber.  I passed a small church (with a very impressive bell tower or campanile) containing the famous Bocca della Verita, or Mouth of Truth, but did not enter.  Legend has it that telling a lie with one’s hand in the mouth would result in the hand being bitten off.  Next I walked past the Tempio di Ercole Vincitore, the Temple of Hercules Victor, and Tempio di Portuno, the Temple of Fortuna Virilis.

Next visited the impressive Teatro Marcello, Theater of Marcellus, an interesting incorporation of the ruins of the ancient theater (built in 13BC) with a residence built atop in the 16th century.  Right next to the theater was the Temple of Apollo Sosiano, or rather the three remaining columns of the temple.  It was quite beautiful in spite of — or due to? — having only three columns.

As it was full on dusk I navigated east to the plaza in front of the large Altar of the Fatherland and from there to the hotel.  After a brief rest — I had walked seventeen miles, or 34,000 steps! — I headed to the Public House at 9:30p.  There I had water and a fair bacon cheeseburger.  The service wasn’t great (I had ordered nachos without guacamole but had to send it back when it came absolutely smothered in it) but it had an interesting atmosphere.  Watched some of the Poland versus Portugal Euro 2016 match while there.

Headed to get some gelato at 11p and got called out by the guy working there as a repeat customer.  Ooops!  Once back at the room I talked with Genetta via Facetime, texted Michelle, read up on some ideas for the next day, and went through the very frustrating process of transferring photos.  Finally went to bed at about 3a (stupid, stupid, stupid!).

We woke up about 7a and grabbed breakfast at the hotel.  After many days of Continental breakfasts it was nice to have eggs, bacon, and Vienna sausages again.  For Michelle and Addison’s last full day we decided to see a few of the sights we’d skipped during our earlier stay in Rome.  As it was Saint Peter’s Day some stuff was closed, thankfully nothing on the list to see.

We set out about 10a, heading first to Trevi Fountain.  Though Michelle and I had seen it shortly after arriving in Rome Addison hadn’t seen it, and none of us had seen it during the day.  It was not quite as crowded as at night but still quite busy.  There was a couple that had just been married there.  It was quite hot so we didn’t linger.

We headed west towards the Pantheon, passing by Il Tempio di Andriano (Temple of Hadrian) first.  Only eleven columns of the ancient temple, built in 145AD by his adopted son, remain and had been incorporated into a 17th century papal palace that eventually became a bank.  Ah, recycling!  Arrived at the Pantheon at 11:05a but it was closed until 11:45a due to a liturgy.  We opted to seek out lunch quickly as it was to close for good at 12:45p due to the public holiday.  Ate at a pizza restaurant, Michelle had a cheese pizza, myself a mushroom pizza, and Addison had Angus steak and roasted potatoes — that he didn’t care for much.  Also dining was a British guy who was in Rome for only a few hours before flying out after being on a western Mediterranean cruise.

We arrived back at the Pantheon to a medium line that was thankfully fast-moving so getting in with time to enjoy before closing was no issue.  The temple is amazing, built around 125AD as a temple to all gods.  What is remarkable is how well preserved it is.  Unlike the vast majority of Roman ruins this one was never abandoned, having been in continuous use for nearly nineteen hundred years!  As it was in use and was a Christian church for most of that time it wasn’t left to neglect nor plundered for marble and other resources.  Its beautiful marble floor of yellow, white, and red marble — from Egypt, Numidia, and other locales — is intact.

Its amazing free standing dome (still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome) is a marvel at 142 feet high and wide.  At its apex is the oculus, a large hole that lets in light that shines down as a brilliant shaft of light.  It also lets in rain; this isn’t a problem as the marble floor has little drainage holes throughout.  About the perimeter of the church were tombs of the first two kings of the united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto) as well as the Renaissance painter Raphael.

Leaving the Pantheon we headed northwest toward the Pont Sant’Angelo.  We passed through the Piazza Navona, a large plaza built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian built in 80AD.  A fountain topped by a Roman obelisk from about that time stood in front of the impressive church Sant’Agnese in Agone.  On the way we saw an amazing toy metal soldier store, sadly closed due to the holiday.  We also made a pit stop at a cafe for bathrooms and had cokes and a chocolate cookie.  The neighborhood was quiet and artsy, a welcome respite from the crowd of tourists near Trevi and the Pantheon.

Crossed Pont Sant’Angelo, built in the early 100s for access to Hadrian’s mausoleum at Castel Sant’Angelo.  It was quite impressive as it spanned the wide Tiber and had a series of angel sculptures grace both sides.  Castel Sant’Angelo was impressive, an imposing structure originally intended as Hadrian’s mausoleum but later became a papal fortress, residence, and prison.  A secret passage to the Vatican helped Pope Clement VII escape the 1527 sack of Rome (though the entire Swiss guard contingent left behind did not fare so well…).  We didn’t do much at the Castel, being a bit museumed out.  We left shortly after Michelle was done going to the restroom and headed northeast along the right bank of the Tiber.

It was a very pleasant walk as it was amply shaded by trees.  We saw a guy fishing with an extremely long pole (nearly twenty feet, it looked like) as well as small boats at docks along the grassy riverbank.  We passed a very impressive building called the Palace of Justice where the Italian equivalent of our Supreme Court sits.  There was also a long row of book and coffee stands.  Crossing the Pont Cavour we emerged back on the left bank of the Tiber near our next destination.

The Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace, was built by Augustus as part of his reorienting Roman life to be more cult god centered.  Fragments of the altar had turned up for years but it wasn’t until the 1800s that the dots were connected and there was an effort to get the pieces from all the places it had been dispersed to — Paris, Florence, the Vatican, etc.  The main part of the altar was discovered under a theater in the early 1900s.  It wasn’t until the 1930s, however, that they could finally excavate by using liquid nitrogen to freeze the water seeping in from the tiber as the hole was 27 meters (nearly 100 feet!) deep.

Mussolini made the altar a centerpiece of his new Roman Empire and built a pavilion for it.  In the 2000s, however, a new building was built around it.  Designed by an American architect, Italians are quite divided on it.  It is a very modern-looking building with glass all around allowing a view of the altar within.  It reminded me a lot of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s similar structure surrounding their small Egyptian temple.

The altar itself was really cool.  Guests could walk up in it and all around it.  There was a decent intro film and some models of how the altar and surrounding area looked in Roman times.  The altar, now only carved white marble, was once brightly painted.  Below the main floor was the exhibition floor.  On exhibition were photos by Japanese realism photographer Domon Ken.  He was active during both pre- and post-World War II Japan and it was fascinating to see the change in life of that country during that period.  His later work consisted of photographing beautiful shrines — absolutely jaw dropping.

Leaving the Ara Pacis we passed a tree-filled mound of dirt and stone that was Augustus’ Mausoleum.  It wasn’t restored at all and was neat to see in a ruined state through a fence (that sported odd modern “art” pieces attached to it).  We stopped at a nearby gelato shop and got shakes — Michelle had strawberry, Addison oreo, and myself coffee (of course).  We walked south past the Spanish steps (empty as they were being cleaned and renovated) and down some fashion streets selling ties and the like.

Got some more water from a fountain shortly before returning to Hotel Bolivar for siesta and some blogging.  Awoke and headed out for dinner about 7:30p or so, getting some cash along the way.  We went to the place we went to our first night in Italy, Hostaria Al Boschetto.  Michelle had lasagna, myself spaghetti al carbonara, and Addison pork fillets and roasted potatoes.  We had “garlic” bruschetta as an appetizer.  Afterwards we tried to find some snacks for them for the trip back but they were all strange brands so we passed.  Did get some gelato on the way back, however!  Once back at the room we packed until midnight when we went to bed.

We awoke at our usual 6a or so and finished readying to vacate our room at the Relais Uffizi in Florence. It was a really nice hotel, other than having a full flight of stairs up to the bathroom. Ate our normal breakfast (without Addison, he’s long since given up on Continental breakfasts) and finished getting out of our room, leaving all of our luggage and carry-ons minus the backpack with the hotel.

Walked the mile or so to Firenze SMN and hopped on board a regional train to Pisa, arriving about 12:30p. It was already getting brutally hot but we managed to shuffle our way northwards through a square honoring Victor Emmanuel II and across the river. Shortly the area became more tree-lined and shady and we stopped at a restaurant attached to a hotel called Amalfitana. Though they only had outdoor seating they had those mist generators so it wasn’t so bad. We ordered a liter of still water and three cokes. Addison had a grilled beef steak and fries, Michelle a ham and cheese (mozzarella) ommelette, and myself a salami pizza. Very tasty. We finished up with some chocolate cake (with cherries — or at least that is what I think they were — embedded in it). The bathroom had a funky square seat shape (but at least they had a seat, many restaurant toilets have no lids or seat).

Refreshed, we headed back on the street, the Via Roma, heading north. We passed some university buildings and a wall with graffiti on it protesting the idea that austerity should be imposed on Italy (like in Greece) by the rest of the EU. We knew we were getting close as the street vendors selling selfie sticks (how I loathe them and the whole selfie culture) and art prints and the like were getting more numerous.  We met a married couple from Scotland who currently lived in central France.  They were quite worried about their pensions due to Brexit and that it may mean that they have to return home to Scotland.  They were, however, happy that Iceland beat England but dismayed that Italy beat Spain as they believed Italy had cheated (though they didn’t need to).

We finally got our first glimpse of the leaning tower.  It is actually the campanile, or bell tower, for the adjacent cathedral, Cattedrale di Pisa.  It leans about 4 degrees off center.  It had been more but through a modern engineering feat was corrected a bit.  The baptistery also leans and is incredibly about the same height as the leaning tower as it looked so much shorter as it is squat.  Took some pictures, including some hilarious attempts at the touristy “holding up the leaning tower” picture.

While Michelle and Addison enjoyed the shade next to the baptistery I bought tickets for the cathedral, baptistery, and Camposanto (literally “holy field”) for 7 euros each.  We passed on climbing the leaning tower as it was a very steep 18 euros each!  We visited the baptistery, formally known as Battistero di San Giovanni, first.  The baptistery is famous for its acoustics and a demonstration was ongoing so we had to wait until that was over.  After entering we looked over the sparse decoration and waited for the next demonstration.  A lady came in and sang — her singing hung in the air, echoing about the chamber, almost sounding like a round as earlier notes continued to sound on top of her current ones.  Once the demonstration was over I climbed the stairs that wound about the wall of the baptistery up to the second level.  Up there were fantastic views of the cathedral and its campanile.

Next we crossed the unnaturally green lawn, the Field of Miracles, to the adjacent Camposanto.  Though bombed heavily with incendiary grenades by the Allies in 1944 during World War II, melting its lead roof and damaging much of its frescoes and other artifacts; it was beautifully restored by the Allies with a gorgeous green lawn with roses and an open courtyard.  The covered outdoor space surrounding the courtyard was lined with frescoes, Roman sarcophagi, and a number of statues and monuments.  A side chapel had some relics from a Saint (that appeared to be a very common theme throughout Italy).

One fresco was absolutely amazing in its depiction of Hell.  A devil was eating and pooping people, entrails were extracted from the damned (those that weren’t required to hold their own severed head), people were on spits over roaring fires, etc.  So very metal!  There was a hall with even more frescoes including the famous “Triumph of Death” but sadly it was closed for renovation.  Booo!

Headed on to the cathedral.  Sadly it was also being renovated, including not being able to see the full mosaic of Jesus which, if the feet and lower robes were anything to go by, would have been a sight to behold.  There was, however, an amazing pulpit from the 1300s as well as a very intricate wood-carved ceiling.  A side shrine had some amazing mosaic work and one of the lamps hanging from the ceiling supposedly inspired Galileo to formulate some pendulum theories.  It is now called the Lamp of Galileo as a result.

Left the cathedral to do a little shopping.  Bought our customary magnets and a couple of postcards (one that Genetta had asked us to find as she had forgotten to buy it a few weeks prior).  Headed back to the train station as it was nearing 5p and we had to be in Rome that night!  We did, however, make some time to take some pictures of the Arno as well as a charming church, Santa Maria della Spina, built in 1230 along its banks.  We also stopped for some water as it was still hot despite being evening time.

We rode the train from Pisa to Florence for an hour, from 6p to just after 7p.  There were three Spanish tourists on the train that hadn’t validated their tickets (an easy mistake to make) and were about to be slapped with a 60 euro fine each — 180 euros (nearly $200!).  A friendly Italian man pleaded their case to the ticket agent and got it lowered to 60 euros total.  We walked back to the hotel a long way through a rich area, stopping for gelato along the way.

Grabbed our luggage and took a quick taxi ride back to Firenze SMN and were able to catch the 8:38p train.  In our haste we almost got on the wrong train… twice!  That would’ve been a disaster.  It was another super fast train, tunnels in particular hurt the ears.  We hit right at 250km/h.  As Michelle was not feeling well she didn’t appreciate it.

Once we arrived at Roma Termini (at about 10:15p) we took a taxi ride for 14 euros to the Hotel Bolivar, a place that had become our home away from home.  Checked in to room 106 — not as nice as our room those first few nights as there was a distinct rattle with the AC.  As it was 10:30p our food options were limited.  Michelle and I (Addison passed) decided to go to the nearby Ristorante Petrucchi.  We got a liter of still water, two cokes, six wonderful slices of garlic bread, and two spaghetti alla bolognesse (spaghetti with meat sauce).  Really hit the spot!

Headed back to the room and tried to upload pictures (impossible due to Hotel Bolivar’s terrible, terrible internet) and blog (again, impossible).  Decided to call it a night shortly after midnight.