Today is our last full day. We go home tomorrow. First order of business-breakfast.
Homebaked. Breakfast. Taxi from our hotel. Cost 14.50€/$15.48. Located near St. Peter's. Owned by Buffalo native and his wife. Place is small but a table inside is found for us. There is also outside seating. The owners aren't working today at the time we're here but staff will pass along that we're from the Buffalo area. Menu looks promising with lots of options that make me smile. Start off with cappuccino for me and coffee for Richard. He orders the breakfast bagel-eggs, bacon, and cheese. I order the American breakfast-eggs, bacon but request plain toast instead of choice of pancake, French toast, or waffle. I'm thrilled because the bacon is just like I love-crispy. The eggs over medium a bit overdone but still have a bit of yolk runniness. Richard said his bagel sandwich was great. Eggs were scrambled and bacon crisp. Not a big deal to most people but I've been missing crispy bacon like crazy. Worth coming all this way on our last day. Cost 21.50€/$22.95.
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| Our taxi |
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Going through a tunnel
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| Cappuccino |
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| Coffee |
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Breakfast bagel
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| American breakfast |
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| Go Bills! |
Santa Maria della Vittoria. Taxi cost 16.80€/$17.93. 17th century. Built to commemorate Emperor Ferdinand II's victory at the battle of White Mountain. Achitect Carlo Maderno. Baroque. This church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Known for the Bernini masterpiece in the Cornaro Chapel-Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Depicts a moment from her autobiography where she had a vision of a Seraph piercing her heart with a golden shaft causing her both immense joy and pain. The interior has a single wide nave under a low segmental vault with 3 interconnecting side chapels behind arches. White and gilded stucco angels. Church is the final resting place of Saint Victoria whose preserved remains are on display. Appeared in the novel Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. Hours 8:30 am-12:00 pm; 3:30-6:00 pm. Small but beautiful.
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Taxi from breakfast
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Remains Saint Victoria
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| Bernini-Ecstasy of Saint Teresa |
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| Members of Cornaro family shown viewing the Bernini masterpiece Ecstasy of Saint Teresa |
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| Virgin hands the scapular to St. Simon |
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| Main altar |
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| Giovanni Domenico Cerrini-The Virgin Mary Triumphs over Heresy-ceiling |
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Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. We take a taxi from della Vittoria church to this church-the last one we will visit in Rome. Taxi cost 18€/$19.21. One of the major churches of the Order of Preachers/Dominicans. Rome's only Gothic church. Near the Pantheon. In front of the church is the curious monument Pulcino della Minerva. Statue designed by Bernini and executed by his pupil Ercole Ferrata of an elephant as the supporting base for the Egyptian obelisk found in the Dominicans' garden. Original Gothic architecture. Renaissance facade. Interior-Gothic. Features arched vaulting painted blue with gilded stars and trimmed with red ribbing in a 19th century Neo-Gothic restoration. Dominican headquarters in the past. Michelangelo's Christ the Redeemer/Christ Carrying the Cross-commissioned in 1514 by Metello Vari. Only stipulation was that the nude standing figure would have the Cross in his arms. Original version had Christ's sexual organs exposed to show that his sexuality is uncorrupted by lust and controlled by his will so that in his resurrected body he shows his triumph over both sin and death. The floating bronze loincloth was added in 1546. Why-I don't know. Carafa Chapel. Filippino Lippi-late 15th century frescoes. In the center is St. Thomas presenting Cardinal Carafa to the Blessed Virgin. I loved all the stained glass in this church.
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Pulcino della Minerva
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| Carafa Chapel |
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Giuseppe Obici-Statue of St. John the Baptist
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Carafa Chapel
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| Gian Lorenzo Bernini-Memorial to Suor Maria Raggi |
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| Michelangelo-Christ the Redeemer/Christ Carrying the Cross |
Arch of Constantine. Taxi cost 14€/$14.94. I ask the driver to stop at the Arch of Constantine. I never got to see this when we had our Colosseum tour. He stops for me and it's right there in front of me! Within a few minutes I have my pictures. This is a triumphal arch dedicated to the emperor Constantine the Great. Arch commissioned by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312 A.D. I have so many regrets the day of our Colosseum tour. I wish we could have explored more after the tour was over. We still had our entry pass so our tour guide said we could stay longer to visit the Colosseum/Palatine Hill/Roman Forum. I'm happy I got to view it from a distance which is better than nothing.
Pool time. It's very overcast so not many people at the pool. We are here from 2:45-several hours. I don't think I went into the water but I think Richard did. I just relaxed. I might have sat on the edge with my feet in the water.
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| Never get tired of this view! |
Gelato. We walk back over to the gelato place we stopped at the other day. It's so close-maybe 5 minute walk. We're tired. We go home tomorrow. We decided not to go out to dinner. I love their amarena cherry so I get that and limon/lemon. Richard gets pistachio and hazelnut. Very good. Cost??
Sunset. Taking a break from packing to go home we decided to come up to the roof top where we view sunset. Beautiful colors. The Colosseum! I'm going to really miss this view.
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| Hotel pool |
Hotel roof bar. We decide to have a drink. I get an espresso martini and Richard gets a Moscow mule. With it we get a platter of olives, tortilla chips, and something I don't know the name of-like a cross between a cookie and cereal/biscuit. Cost 24€/$25.62. It's nice to sit for a bit and just chill. Lovely.
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Espresso martini
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| Moscow mule |
OMG! We go home tomorrow. Happy to go home but sad to leave. Hoping my problem with my legs-swelling-will go away once I get home. Richard will be able to rest his knee. Wonder how our house has fared the 4 weeks we've been gone. How much grass cutting will we have to do? Laundry, laundry to do. Ironing...............
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