RANDOM DUE
FACTOID: In 1848, a first attempt to unify Italy was made by Garibaldi. They succeeded and the First Roman Republic was formed. Pope Pius IX fled to Gaeta and there he enlisted the French Army to try to regain his power. The Roman Republic only lasted one year until 1849 when the French troops retook Rome for the Pope.
Cars
Parked in front of the hotel for two days was this Lotus.
A new brand of small car parked in our neighborhood.
Travel Jewelry Company
In the area around the Spanish steps there are numerous very expensive stores and in our wanderings we found this unusual one. The sign out front identifies it as a travel company but it looks like a jewelry store. The idea is that you bring in an expensive piece of jewelry that you like but are afraid to travel with. They will make a copy of it so that you can take the copy on your travels and not wear the original one.
Ripiene
At Hostaria Romana there are a couple of posters on the wall that obviously have some meaning. Not sure what Cucuzzette means but ripiene means stuffed.
Easter Sunday
On Easter Sunday we walked to the Vatican. There was going to be an early outdoor service and then a noon speech. We got close enough to take a picture - the crowds were large.
Aqua Felice
At the end of Termini is the location of the part of the Aqua Felice, one of the eleven aqueducts that fed Rome.
Vittorio Arrigoni
While we were in Rome an Italian student/reporter was beheaded in Gaza. In the article and obituary in the New York Time and the International Herald Tribune among others he was called a `peace activist'. This is another example of the perversion of the discussion on the Middle East. He was anything but an activist. He was a total and complete supporter of Hamas, was all for suicide bombing and did not believe Israel should exist as a country. The irony is that the very people who he supported beheaded him. There was a rally for him in Rome where they blamed his death on Israel.
The Peroni Society
This building is just outside the old walls near our apartment. It used to be a beer factory. Today it is part of La Sapienza University. The windows had Jewish stars on them and we tried to find out why but have been unsuccessful.
Saint Nicola in Carcere
On a walk we wandered into this 13th century church that we had never stopped in before. They happened to be starting a tour so we joined. It was all in Italian and we asked the guide to speak slowly for us and he tried. The church was built on top of a temple dedicated to Juno and in the lower basement there were many columns and remains of stores from the pre-Christian period.
The structure of the church used many of the columns left from the temple.
Santa Maria Campatelli
Another church we went into on the same trip had an incredible front inside.
There was to be a concert in the evening and we happened to be there when they were rehearsing. One woman was playing a concertina and the other was a singer. She had a wonderful voice and the acoustics in the church were incredible.
Strikes and Demonstrations
As usual there were a fair number of demonstrations in Rome. Some we just miss because they are in different parts of the city. This was one that we passed by and it was pretty much against racism and pro-immigrants. Most of the people were from northern Africa.
On our last day in Rome there was supposed to be a major strike that was going to effect all transportation including the airport and trains and taxis to the airport. Our plane was very early (7AM) and the strike was supposed to start at 9:30AM so we avoided a major problem.
For the Wedding
The Queen's daughter is getting married soon after we return from Italy and California and the theme of the wedding is 'P'. They also got engaged in Rome last year when they visited so we bought a number of these purple shirts for the groom and other males who would be attending the actual ceremony.
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