An Evening in Rome

We spent our first afternoon in Rome setting up camp and relaxing. I took the bus and metro into the city center to find a Wind store and to get our Wind internet USB working. No satisfaction there. I'll certainly post again about Wind if it doesn't get fixed. In the meantime, if you're contemplating cell or mobile internet service in Italy, I'd certainly recommend Tim or even Vodaphone--anything but Wind.

Most of my birthday, apart from the veal and pasta (and cherry tomatoes and mozarella and pecorino cheese, etc.) dish Vicki fixed for lunch, I spent catching up on the blog--using the campground wifi. Then, later in the afternoon, we went into town to do an evening stroll, from the Campo di Fiora to the Spanish Steps and Spagna metro station. With a minor detour for gelato.

In the flower market

The Giordano Bruno monument in the center

of the Campo di Fiora; Bruno was among the

earliest Renaissance critics of the excesses of

the Church; was tried and burned at the stake

in this square; over very strong Vatican

objection, the city of Rome built this

monument and placed it ensuring that Bruno's

critical gaze would always fall on the Popes;

from the 19th century, the Vatican has not 

always been as popular in Italy as one might

imagine 

Bernini's Four Rivers

After all these years, still my favorite building, the

Pantheon

Gelato detour

A very famous column, Hadrian's, I think, or

possibly Marcus Aurelius'--we'll visit again

by day

The Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

And accompanying boat fountain