Day 7: September 11

Today we go to Firenze! Or, Florence, as you may call it. We check out of the S. Pietro B&B in Rome early in the morning and take a taxi to the train terminal. We buy our 2 tickets on Trenitalia’s high-speed rail. Cost is 86 Euros ($113), and it will take just 1 hour, 36 minutes to travel 173 miles. The train will be speeding in excess of 120 mph. We took Rick Steves’ advice NOT to get a EurailPass, which would have cost almost four times as much.

It’s a fascinating ride, seeing all the Italian countryside. There are many open fields that have been harvested – grapes, grains, fruit. Other meadows await a late fall harvest. We see glimpses of the terracotta topped Tuscan estates on top of hills, and an old brick barn that is falling apart. But at such a high speed, Ross finds it difficult to get many shots before they zip out of sight.  Ooh, look! It's a General Electric power plant!

One vision we do see is dark, threatening clouds. There were some predictions of thunderstorms. Please don’t. Not while we’re in Florence!

We arrive at the Florence terminal, and do the 10-minute walk to Souvenir Maya, our abode for the next five nights. Classy room! On the wall are three large abstract prints, all hanging at slightly different levels. If you like Print number 1, then you will love Print number 3. It’s identical! And the wallpaper looks like it had been romoved from another room and pasted on these walls.

The location of the pensione is within walking distance of Il Duomo, the city’s central point. The Cathedral of Florence, officially called Cattedrale Santa Maria del Fiore, is better known as the Duomo. Ross is truly impressed with the Church, its Baptistery, and Bell Tower. The buildings are blanketed with geometric patterns of while, pink, and green marble, as well as intricate structural details. Again, Ross does a wonderful set of photographs. 

Ross also develops a liking for what he calls the “creepy flying monkey thingy” sculpture atop another small fountain, northeast of the Duomo.  As the days pass, Ross takes several photos of the CFMT, which we will share later.

Day 6: September 10

Today will be almost all walking... seeing the streets of Rome, and two of its famous fountains: Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (The Fountain of Four Rivers) and Fontana di Trevi, of “Three Coins in the Fountain” fame, a romantic film produced in 1954, with a hit recording by The Four Aces.

The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi is in the Piazza Navona, a spacious plaza with the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone on the western side of the Piazza. One wanders along a narrow street, and suddenly this huge piazza appears! It’s about 800 feet long, and 175 feet wide. There are three fountains in the Piazza, with Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in the center being the largest. When we arrived, the Piazza was getting quite crowded. Lots of tourists and tour groups; and vendors all over the place selling things that have little relevance, like caricatures of celebrities shown by artists who allegedly drew them. The problem is that we see these same caricatures in all the piazzas. How can one artist be in a half dozen places at once?

There are some excellent artists, as well as musicians performing in the Piazza. I remember one particular jazz quintet with its amplified instruments, doing jazzy versions of popular songs from the 1950s and 1960s. About 75 feet away was a woman with a Celtic harp. One had to be almost next to her in order to hear her music over the jazz group. 

The Fontana di Trevi is remembered in America because of “Three Coins in the Fountain”, a romantic film produced in 1954, with a hit recording by The Four Aces:

Three coins in the fountain, 

Each one seeking happiness, 

Thrown by three hopeful lovers. 

Which on will the fountain bless?

Three hopeful lovers? Try about 2,000 hopeful lovers! Fontana di Trevi draws that many people day and night, with maybe hundreds trying the coin tosses over their shoulders. I'm sure the coins are removed at least once a week, otherwise the fountain would pour into the streets, with all those coins forming a mountain that buries the sculptures.

We took a lunch break, then went to the Pantheon - the temple built to honor all Roman gods, in case any had been left out. It has long been taken over by the Roman Catholic Church, which turned the interior of the Pantheon into its own church. Fascinating statues surround the inside; but the lectern is... uh... special. My impression was that it was sculpted by a major benefactor. Kind of ugly. But they had to install it.

Onward to the Spanish Steps. Nice hike, nothing too strenuous. 

Day 5: September 9

It’s Monday, and we’re off to see the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. Holy Money, Popeman! The tickets to see the Musei Vaticani cost 20 Euros each. Not too much when you consider all the fabulous works of art within its walls. 

Our first three hours were spent inside the main Vatican Museum, containing dozens of galleries with works extending from the ancient Etruscans through the 19th century.

Ross was having a field day – sort of.  He was anxious to photograph many of the works on exhibit. We would walk into a small living-room-sized gallery featuring three or four paintings by one particular artist. Ross would prep and aim his camera, only to have a tour group of 30 to 40 people barge in. They would totally block our view of the art, and some would actually push us aside! This happened several times, but Ross was still able to photograph a number of the great works.

As we ended our walk through the galleries' exhibits, we – and about a hundred others – headed to the Sistine Chapel. Who wouldn’t want to view all the wonderful murals and frescoes of Michelangelo and other artists? The security guards did not want anyone to view them up close. We had no actual entry into the Chapel proper; only the walkway at the rear upper level. Photography was not allowed. The frescoes had gone through a period of restoration from 1980 through 1994. The original colors were revealed and restored, making the works much more alive. So yes, I can understand wanting to keep them protected. But no photographs? Flashes supposedly would damage them. Apparently, so would a bunch of people breathing. “Move on. Move it along. Nothing to really see here.”  Drat.

A brief lunch in the Museum cafeteria (some rude servers!), then on to St. Peter’s Basilica. The outdoor line went all the way around the north half of the Colonnade; but it moved fairly rapidly, and we gained entrance within 20 minutes. Talk about huge! St. Peter’s is the largest church in the world. How does it compare to other famous cathedrals? A walk down the center aisle reveals the comparative sizes. There are mosaic markers on the floor indicating the lengths of those cathedrals, measuring from the western end of the Basilica.

Ross could take pictures! We could breathe inside the Basilica! But please don’t talk loudly. Such admonitions were broadcast about every ten minutes. And you had to cover your shoulders and legs. We did see some young girls wearing light blue covers, provided to them at the entrance doors.

Including the main altar and its over-the-top Baldacchino, there are 22 altars in the Basilica. Scores of statues surround the interior, along the walls and against some of the columns at the apse.  The most famous work of art is on the north side, inside the main entrance to the Basilica. It is Michelangelo’s early Pieta. It is protected by thick bulletproof plexiglass, having been vandalized in 1972 by a nutcase claiming to be Jesus Christ. 

If you look closely, you can see that the tip of Mary’s nose is a little lighter in color than the rest of the statue. 

Ross clicked, moved a little, clicked again, moved, clicked again, and again, and again, and... 

After a break back at our B&B, we ventured out in search of a good place to eat. The main drag from St. Peter's is Via Della Conciliazione. We turned left at Via Pupazzi, and noticed a few canopied dining sites down the block. We checked the menus provided on the sidewalks by each ristorante, and chose Tre Pupazzi Ristorante Pizzeria. Ross ordered Fettucini Tartufo, and I ordered Nordic Salad. For dessert Ross picked Creme Caramel, and I picked Mousse Cioccolato. Bottom line? Molto delizioso all around! A perfect ending to the day.

Day 4: September 8

One of the disappointing things I found about the people of Rome was that so many of them smoke. Just seeing all the smokers and the cigarette butts they toss onto the streets makes me think that Rome is a wholly owned subsidiary of American tobacco corporations. Italy apparently does not have the educational programs that the American Cancer Society provides in the United States, nor the regulations such as we have in Burbank. In Burbank one cannot smoke within 20 feet of an entrance door, or an open window.

Nuff said. Today we tour the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Prepare to hike!

The ancient Roman Forum is about a half mile long, extending from the Colosseum to the Victor Emanual Monument. Parts of the Forum are about a quarter mile wide. It’s amazing to see these architectural wonders, some created more than 2,500 years ago!

The Forum was the central meeting place in Ancient Rome, with marketplaces, large marble arches, palatial homes, and government buildings. Statues commemorating individuals and mythological beings align many of the paths.

As we walk these paths, and Ross does his photography, we see that so many surfaces are brick. It had nothing to do with decay, or the gradual crumbling of the structures. In the Third Century, most of the marble was removed to be used in the Catholic churches and their other edifices. We also overhear tour guides point out that on some of the ancient arches, the marble is relatively new, replacing what had been removed centuries earlier. 

Several sections are still archeological digs, as well as preservation works in progress.  

The Palatine Hill is just south of the Forum, one of the seven hills that comprise Rome. The paths are easy to walk, and bring us to some magnificent views of the City. It seems that almost every view will show either the dome of St. Peter’s, or the Victor Emanuel Monument.

We spent three and a half hours exploring these landmarks. Ross congratulated me on being able to do the hiking so well. And he took a little more than 100 photos.

Day 3: September 7

After a good night of sleep, Ross and I had adjusted to the time difference. Now it was time to see what we came here for. Ross had a whole list of things he wanted to see in Rome: The usual tourist attractions, but also two different catacomb sites. He does like zombies as anyone familiar with his work knows. I think he has some sort of old bone fetish.

The first thing we did was purchase a RomaPass for 32 Euros – about $42 – each. It was a 3-day ticket that allowed all rides on city buses during that time, and admission to two ancient sites, and a 30% discount on the third site.

In the morning we explored some of the streets, studying the architecture of various buildings and arches, Monumenti Vittorio Emanuele II, Trajan’s Column, Santa Maria de Loreto.

Our afternoon destination was the Roman Colosseum. Everyone knows what the Colosseum was: the playground of Emperor Nero and others who liked gladiators and Christians getting killed (plus other ho-hum events we don’t read about). Thumbs up, thumbs down – yes, it was origin of that gesture. It wasn’t invented by Siskel & Ebert on At the Movies, but decided if the person in the arena would live (thumbs up) or die (thumbs down).

Our RomaPass allowed us to skip the long lines, and enter. And walk. And climb stairs. And walk more. And climb more stairs. Each level of the Colosseum is 52 steps high – four times what you have between floors at home. And get out of the way of all those f##king tourists! I mean, we weren’t “tourists” like those people. No, we we’re artists, and... and... journalists... yeah. That’s the ticket.

There are things in the Colosseum that the Romans did not have: guard rails, bannisters, and modern floor coverings over the original floorings. Keep them tourists safe. Ross proceeded to photograph scores of details of the structure: Arches, brick and stone work, bas-reliefs, architectural compositions. Views of Rome from the Colosseum. Yes, he did some amazing photos.

We had much different plans for the evening – Dinner at Ristoranti al Piacere (Gnocchi Sorrentina, Lasagne Forno), followed by Verdi’s La Traviata performed by I Virtuosi dell’Opera di Roma at Teatro Salone Margherita. 2nd row seats, with the 20-piece orchestra between us and the performers, who were only about 12 feet away. Think of an opera superbly performed in your living room! It was a fabulous ending to our first full day in Rome.

Day 2: September 6

Let me tell you the joy of flying for 12 hours nonstop.

First of all, judging by the seats in an Alitalia jet plane, most Italians are shorter and thinner than I am. And, they like to sleep leaning slightly forward.

I had the aisle seat, because... well, we old guys pee more often.

Ross was in the middle seat, and some stranger sat by the window.

We both chose what kind of food we would like when we reserved the seats in July. I wanted low calorie, Ross picked vegetarian.

It was a smart move, because we got our meals before most other passengers did. Of course, the beverages were brought to us the same time as every other passenger got theirs; water, tea, coffee, soda, wine. No wine for us. Not our thing.

The food wasn’t too bad.

Okay, now to take a nap. Lean the seat back all the way: about 4 inches. Unfortunately the headrest leans forward; so my head hang down rather than resting on the headrest, Blehhh.

After twelve hours of flying, we landed in Rome nine hours earlier! It’s that time zone thing.

We took a taxi (50 Euros - $67) to the place where we were staying while in Rome: B&B San Pietro, just a couple of blocks from St. Peter’s southern colonnade! (See yellow asterisk in photo left). It was cheap, one room with bath, clean and bright.

It took us a while before we realized that the Room Card that gave us entry had to be inserted into the slot inside near the door in order for us to have electricity.

Besides the trip to Italy being on my Bucket List, it was also a photographic journey for Ross. He is an excellent artist, sculptor, and photographer. In fact, he was asked by a special effects guy in L.A. to shoot photographs to be used for green-screen work. Business expenses: Check.

Ross immediately started shooting parts of St. Peter’s Basilica, going for the sculptures and various architectural details. And yes, he did a photo of moi. To give you an idea of what he can do with his magic camera, he took one shot of me at about 8 p.m., after sunset. It looks pretty dark. Then he adjusted the photo with his magic camera, and voila! Daylight!

Our Trip to Italy

It's September 5, 2013, and we're off to Rome! 

Well, okay, it's October 5. But think back one month and join us on the journey.

We're headed to LAX (Los Angeles Airport, not the Land of Laxatives) via SuperShuttle. Our flight takes off at 3:15 p.m., it says on our ticket. We're flying on Alitalia, and the flight will take 12 hours. TWELVE HOURS?! OMG! I've never been on a flight that long!

Our destination is Rome's Fiumicino (Leonardo Da Vinci) Airport.

A week ago I bought the luggage that would fit the carry-on specifications. Initially I bought American Tourister's standard carry-on with wheels. Then I checked the dimensions allowed by Alitalia. Sorry, too big!

So I bought their smallest suitcases with wheels, which they promoted as "ideal for that 2-to-3-day business trip." Huh? We would have to fit two weeks' worth of clothing in these tiny bags?

We did. With a tiny bit of room to spare.

Our under-the-seat carry-ons were the camera bag for Ross, and my smaller camera case that contained all my necessary medications. "Take this which counteracts that; but you need to take this other stuff to counteract that first stuff, and drink this stuff three times a day, so you can sleep (IF you also take this stuff)."

Ticket vouchers... check. Money... check. Passports... check.

I applied for my passport 0n June 26 at a Burbank Post Office. I brought the necessary documents, filled out the necessary forms and turned them in. I should get my passport in 5 to 6 weeks. 

Seven weeks pass. Then eight. Where is my passport? 

I get a letter. I needed to supply them with a whole bunch of other stuff going back at least 5 years showing them that I am really me. Yes, I had a passport in 1965, but it was long gone.  Did they think I might be a terrorist? Did my political commentaries and cartoons put me in jeopardy?

DAMN! We leave in ten days! Where is my passport?

It finally arrives. It's real, with that ugly photo of me (the passport photog said do not smile... okay... click. NEXT...).

We go through TSA and pass. We have time for lunch, a little time to relax. 

Then it's boarding time. What a long plane! 40 rows of seats! We have an aisle and middle seat on the right (starboard) side, with an excellent view of the wing.

Up we go, into the wild blue yonder...