Exploring Rome

Ciao a tutti!
Time is passing very quickly with our days full of taking in the sights.
Today's agenda began with a walk to the Vatican - seen from the outside at least. The girls decided that the gorgeous sunshine was too beautiful to spend indoors and the Easter Week crowds making up the inevitable queues were a bit long, so we'll save going in there for our return to Rome at the end of the trip. At least we could appreciate the grandeur of St Peter's Square. A few purchases of souvenirs took place and then it was time to cross back over the Tiber River past the Castel Sant'Angelo, making our way to lunch in one of the many cute trattorie tucked in the side streets.

From here we continued on to Piazza Navona to check out Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers and some of the art on display by local artists. Our next stop was the Pantheon, one of the oldest buildings in Rome with its famous oculus to let in the light. Such ingenuity is very impressive when you consider that this building has the oldest self-supporting concrete dome in the world. Around the corner from the Pantheon, in front of Ms Moyle's favourite church, we came across some impromptu bubble blowing, which set off several rounds of bubble bursting. Going inside the cool church was quite a contrast to the sunshine outside. We all admired the stained glass rose windows and the starry ceiling against the deep blue - or as Nancy called it, the Baci wrapper ceiling. After lighting some candles and offering up individual prayers, it was time to continue our way back towards the hotel. We crossed Piazza Venezia (the crazy roundabout) once more to climb the steps of the Piazza Campidoglio, whose layout was designed by Michelangelo in his spare time when he wasn't busy creating other priceless works of art.
Back at the hotel it was time for a quick rest and then dinner before coming back to pack ready for our move north tomorrow. The bells are tolling, signalling the end of a long day, and it's time to rest up.

Napoli e Pompei

Ciao a tutti!
Yesterday was another very busy day - after breakfast we headed off on a Freccia Rossa bullet train to Naples, and from there we took the local Circumvesuviana train to the Scavi of Pompei half an hour away. Just to show how unpredictable Italian organisation can be, on the news in the morning they had announced a series of local transport strikes which were due to hit Naples in the middle of the day. Our contingency plan was to go for a walk around the centre of Naples and then go on to Pompei, but of course when we got there, the strike was non existent and our original plan was fine.
Recovering from the stress with a necessary coffee, we then did our usual negotiation to get into Pompei for free. In the 1970s Don Dunstan's government had made an agreement with the Cultural Ministery here to encourage exchange visits. The only problem is having to explain each time that Australian passports list our places of birth as the suburb of the hospital in which we were born rather than our home town. Eventually, after a somewhat animated discussion, it was all sorted.

We spent the next four hours walking around the ruins of Pompei, checking out the theatres, the villas of the wealthy residents, the amphitheatre (although I did have to explain that the film starring Kit Harrington was historically inaccurate), the baths, the streets with their pedestrian crossings and wheel ruts caused by countless chariots and carts, the food outlets, the forum and the agora. As an aspiring archeologist, Kaylah was in heaven.
After a quick lunch, we then looked at the body casts, poignant reminders of the loss of life on that fateful day in 79CE. The top of Vesuvius loomed in the background, with its peak obscured by cloud. Its presence was still felt though.
By then, closing time was looming so we headed back on the Circumvesuviana for our return to Napoli Centrale. On Ms Guerra's recommendation, we indulged in some local pastries at the Cuori di sfogliatelle and purchased some local Strega-infused chocolates to take back home before heading back to Rome. A late dinner and a big sleep finished off our day.

La Dolce Vita starts in Rome

Ciao a tutti!

After our seemingly endless second leg from Singapore to Rome, we were all relieved to arrive safely. Passing through Italian Immigration smoothly, we soon had our bags collected and were on the Airport Express into the centre of Rome. Some girls were heard to say that they were used to their parents taking care of moving their luggage for them, so it's just as well that they are now learning to be independent. 

After checking into our hotel, our first stop as we set off to explore some of the sights in the beautiful sunshine was back to the train station to pick up a quick snack. The girls had their first experience of negotiating to get something by going first to the cashier and ordering, and then moving along the counter to collect their food and drinks. By this stage I really needed a coffee, and Nancy needed to 'take the edge off' her hunger by rediscovering ciambelle.

As we arrived on Palm Sunday, our next stop was to check out the services happening in Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four papal cathedrals of Rome. The grandeur of the gold roof, Baroque statues and glittering mosaics, all mingling with the scent of incense was rather impressive. Instead of palms though, the Italians bring in olive branches as the symbol of the day. The midday mass began with three cardinals, accompanied by singing. It was very traditional with many of the parts sung rather than said, and priests still taking confessions and dispensing blessings in the booths around the edge of the church.

Emerging blinking back into the sunshine and unexpected warmth, we then wound our way to the Trinità dei Monti and down the Spanish Steps. Along with many others, we meandered down the fashion street of the via Condotti – window shopping only of course! – and on to the Trevi Fountain. Sadly it’s under restoration at the moment so the water was drained and we were restricted to throwing our coins in from a temporary bridge. On the plus side, we were able to get much closer to the actual fountain because of the works going on. Blood sugar levels were then restored with our first taste of Italian gelati.

Continuing our loop, we braved the traffic of Piazza Venezia and checked out both the Vittoriano (the monument to Vittorio Emmanuele II, the last king of Italy) and the balcony from which Mussolini addressed the crowds in his propaganda speeches about recapturing the glory of the Roman Empire before WWII.

At this point, Jasmyn turned around and made the exciting discovery that the Roman Forum stretched behind them, culminating in the Colosseum at the end. This resulted in a number of excited squeals, a sudden rediscovery of energy, and a plethora of photos being snapped.

Being on the go by now for rather a long time, we decided that was quite enough. Restorative showers and naps are calling, before an early dinner and an early night before we set off to Naples in the morning to explore the amazing sights of Pompeii.

Hanging out in Singapore

Ciao a tutti!
After a very smooth first leg of our Italian adventure, we are now half way through our seven hour transit stop in Changi. The girls have discovered the Transit Lounge and the array of shops for their perusal - or at least the $40 vouchers are burning a hole in their pockets.
Next stop, Rome!

Counting down!

Ciao a tutti!
It's only a week to go before we set off on our month travelling and studying in Italy. Watch this space to find out about our adventures as Caitlin, Kaylah, Talia, Maigan, Lauren and Jasmyn, accompanied by brave teachers Nancy and Jane, head off to the other side of the world!