Sunday, June 12, 2016

Arriving in Rome


I am very good with maps.  Once I have my sense of direction, the map will help me to identify where I am and where to turn next.  But, first I have to get my sense of direction.  That is why when I arrive in a new city that I've never been to before, I first ask for someone at my hotel to point me in the right direction using my map as the guide and then I set out for a walk to make sure I've got my bearings.  That is exactly what I did when I arrived in Rome Italy for the very first time.


After a hair-raising ride in a taxi from the airport and settling into my hotel room, using my map, I asked the man at the front desk to point me in the right direction and off I went.  That first walk around a new city it always a bit of an adventure.

I found myself in awe of the tall umbrella pine trees that lined the streets and set the tone for my explorations.

I came to a monument that was not identified on my map but, the name on the plinth was Camillo Benso di Cavour, a statesmen who was instrumental in the unification of Italy.











A little further along I came to this rather grand building and my map called it the Palace of Justice.  It houses the Supreme Court of Cassation, the highest court of appeal in the country.


I learned that it was built in 1888 and is completely covered in travertine limestone.  I also learned that it's popular name among locals is "Palazzaccio" or "the bad palace".  I guess the idea is you don't wan't to end up here.


The building is topped with a quadriga sculpted by Ettore Ximenez of Palermo.  What is a "quadriga" you ask?  It's a word that describes a statue consisting of a chariot pulled by four horses.  I've seen many such statues before but had never seen that word before seeing it in my guide book.


Before long I had made my way to the Tiber River and a stroll along the river under the shade of the trees was a special treat for this first time visitor.


I passed simple bridges and bridges adorned with statues.  And when I crossed the bridge I found more places to explore and more statues and monuments to admire.


I found another bridge to cross back, confident that I had a good idea of how to follow my map and arrive at the places I wanted to see.  It was time to head back to the hotel and freshen up for a long evening walk and my very first Italian dinner! I'll post more about walking and eating in Rome another time.

6 comments:

Lowell said...

What a beautiful set of photos! And I found it interesting that you took a couple of shots similar to ones I took way back in 1957. I was in the Navy and we flew into Rome in the middle of night and I also, recall a hair-raising ride in from the airport! In fact, I still don't know how we didn't get killed. That guy barely slowed down at intersections! Thanks for sharing these.

Roseann said...

Sharon- I alway follow PDP but today I had to check out your Rome visit. I have been there many times and recognize all your photos. Were you staying at the Visconti Palace Hotel? It seems that many Rome visitors stay there as did I on my first trip. And I had to walk to the Palace of Justice and Piazza Cavour to get the Storico Centro. I know the area well.
I hope you will post more Rome pictures. When did you visit? Next time take the Leonardo Express from the airport to Termini station. Very easy and only 11euros. I've done it lots of times.
I love your pictures.

Sharon said...

Roseann, I was in Rome in May of 2012 and would very much love to return one day soon. I stayed near the hotel you mentioned (I checked on Google and they are just blocks apart) at a place called Hotel Arcangelo. I have many more photos from Rome and other places in Italy to post but, I've posted a few already. If you click on the Label "Rome" in the Label list on the right side, you can see the other posts. I traveled with a friend whose nephew happened to be working in Treviso Italy at the time. We flew to Rome for two days, took the train to Florence for two days and then on to Siena for two days where her nephew met us. After that we stayed at his place in Treviso and he took us on day trips every day. Treviso is very close to Venice so we spent two wonderful days there. It was a fantastic trip.

Lois said...

Wonderful pictures Sharon. I recognize all these places since I was just there a couple of weeks ago! The first thing I noticed were those umbrella pine trees and I couldn't stop admiring them. We had a hair-raising ride in our taxi from the airport too that stopped a few blocks from out hotel because there was a demonstration going on and it was blocked off by the police. Our taxi driver had to walk us the last few blocks to our hotel and we ended up crossing the street right in the middle of the demonstration with angry people shouting and throwing things and loud noises with smoke everywhere. I was shaking by the time we got inside our hotel. Welcome to Rome!

Catalyst said...

I have been to Italy but not to Rome. But the BRD is going there in August. I hope it's not too hot.

William Kendall said...

Gorgeous images, Sharon!