Valerie Does Rome

Jon and I arrived in Rome on Saturday morning and we have been on the go seeing all that we can see. The first thing we did was walk over to see the Coliseum although we did not go inside until today. Then we walked over and saw the church where Bernini the sculptor is buried. And Saturday night, we walked all the way to the Trevi fountain. I must be a big wuss, but I got a little weepy looking at the fountain. It is a lot bigger than I thought it would be and there were all these people there enjoying the fountain. It was a completely uncynical experience.

Yesterday morning, we had a scheduled visit for the Galleria Borghese. That collection was breathtaking. They boast 5 Caravaggio paintings and lots of Bernini sculptures. Oh and then there were the two Rubens. But the Caravaggio. He was a really, really good painter and I got to see a painting I had only before seen in books which is of St. Jerome writing at a table next to a skull. It was lovely.

In the afternoon, we visited something I never even knew existed - the Basilica of St. John Lateran. That is by far the most amazing religious structure that I have seen - to date. Seriously Rome is lousy with art. Last night, we took the metro to the Spanish steps which was another nice communal experience.

Today, we visited the Forum which covers the Sacred Way and the Palatine. That took about three hours. Then we visited the Coliseum. The Coliseum might be the least interesting thing in Rome. And now we are feeling a little beat up.

So tonight we are resting because tomorrow we are visiting the Vatican and we want to be fully rested to see one of the world's best art collections and who knows - maybe we'll get to meet the Pope.