Otzi the Ice Man

Today we left Fie/Vols and returned to Bolzano to get the train back to Rome.   We left early so that we would have time in Bolzano to visit the Museum of Archeology where they have the 5300 year old mummy that was found in the Alps in 1991 which was later determined to be the body of a man who was killed on the trail where he was found 5300 years ago.  The entire museum is about the find and the process of bringing the mummy back to the labs and the forensic work they've done to date him and figure out where he lived, what he ate, what medical conditions he had etc.  The mummy itself is in an air conditioned (mostly freezer like conditions) room and visitors look through a window at the mummy.  They mostly keep the conditions as close to what they were outside for the thousands of years that the body lay buried in the ice and snow.  He's called a "wet mummy" for that reason!  It is simply fascinating to look at the body of someone who live so very long ago!  I had heard about Otzi the Iceman over the years, so was really glad to be able to see the exhibit.  We timed everything perfectly.  We got to Bolzano a little before ten, checked our bags at the bus station, found the museum without too much trouble and were in there shortly after they opened at 10.  By the time we left at about 11:20 the place was really getting packed and the lines were very long.  We went back to retrieve our luggage from the bus station and then went and had lunch in an outdoor cafe on the main plaza in Bolzano.  Then we got the train back to Rome.  At this point I'm all packed and ready to depart tomorrow morning.  Monday night, back in Rochester!

Pics today are some shots of the Bolzano town square and the life size reproduction of "Otzi" that the museum created based on what they know of him from the mummy itself and the clothing and tools they found with him.  They don't allow photos of the actual mummy.  

Hike to Presuls Castle

Today we did some more hiking right around here in the little village of Vols where we are staying.  The vistas are beautiful and there are plentiful hikes of all kinds and varieties so we decided against taking the bus to Castelrotto.  We walked to the castle in the next little village over from ours, which took us through some beautiful farmland in the valley.  The route back was more rigorous than we thought it would be, dipping us down into the valley quite a ways before bringing us back up to the village of Vols.  We were walking right through farms, past horses and goats and even an alpaca and lama!  My allergies are terrible today. Had to take meds before we left for the hike, which was an 24 hour antihistamine and then had to take another, different one this evening as I can't stop sneezing.   The combination of the mowing of the meadows which has been going on all around me, walking through farms, with hay and horses and cows, the fact that it has been windy here today so the pollen and animal dander and cut grass is blowing on the breeze has made for some first class allergies for me!  This really is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, I must say.  Everywhere you turn there are gorgeous vistas and colorful flowers and the mountains are breathtaking.  Will be sad to leave tomorrow.  Back to Rome tomorrow and then home on Monday.  

Pics today are some shots from our hike to the castle and back.

Hiking the Sclern Mountain

Not much to write today as I spent the whole day hiking these beautiful Italian Alps!  In the morning, Tracy had to do some work, so I went off on my own for about 1 1/2 hours walking down from where we are into the meadows and back up again and then through the village and up to an old 12th century church from where I got some gorgeous views of the surrounding area.  I went back to the apartment for lunch of bratwurst and strudel (the strudel here is the best I've ever eaten!!) and then Tracy and I set out for a long hike.  We went about half way up the mountain, ascending from where we are at 2800 feet to mid way up at 4200 feet!  We were walking for 4 hours and by the time we got back my knees and quadriceps were having quite a conversation with me.  Actually going up the mountain was easier than coming down!  We're going out to dinner this evening.  This little village is incredibly picturesque.  Everywhere you turn there are beautiful views, flowers, animals.  I ran into a group of goats this morning as I was walking up to the old church and in the meadow right outside our window there are cows and goats grazing on the hillside.   I've posted pics of some of the vistas today.  Our walk took us to a couple of alpine lakes, through the woods, through exposed meadows with views out over the alps as far as the eye can see.  This is a really scenic and lovely place.  

Fie Allo Sciliar - The Dolomites - Italian Alps

Today we left Rome on an 8:45 train bound for Bolzano.  It was a 4 1/2 hour ride to Bolzano.  Some of the scenery was gorgeous and we passed acres and acres of vineyards!  When we got to Bolzano we had to wait for the bus to Castelrotto.  When it came it was packed so we stood for the 30 minute ride through the mountains to the little village we are staying in Fie Allo Sciliar, which is nestled between Bolzano and Castelrotto.  This area is absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful mountain peaks, lush green valleys, alpine houses, flowers, goats and cows grazing on the meadows... Truly something out of a picture book!  Our apartment is right next to the bus stop so we didn't have to walk any distance at all.  The caretaker didn't have our key ready for us when we arrived, so we left our bags and went out for a little exploring of the surrounding neighborhood.   This little village is part of the Alpine De Suisi area, which in winter is a huge skiing destination and in summer is full of hikers, bikers and walkers.  The Alpine de Suisi is a huge area of the mountains with large stretches of meadow and walking and hiking paths going for miles all over.  One thing we noticed the minute we got off the train in Bolzano is how much cooler it is here than in Rome.  So much so that when we got to Fie and started walking around we were sufficiently cold that we had to stop at a little store near our apartment and buy a fleece jacket to wear!  There's a stiff mountain breeze and it's really pretty chilly, especially after baking in Rome's summer heat!  The last thing I needed was another fleece but it was really too chilly to be outside without it.  When we got back and got the key to our room we were delighted to be up on the third floor, with a balcony overlooking the Schlern Sciliar peak.  The meadow sloping up from our apartment has cows and goats grazing in it.   Beautiful pastoral scenery here.  

This area is the Italian alps and prior to World War 2 was actually part of Germany.  Everything here is in German and Italian but we notice that all the shopkeepers speak German.  I find myself at something of a loss, language wise since everything is in two languages that I don't read or speak!  Fortunately a lot of the shop keepers speak at least enough English to communicate what is necessary, but we discovered that most of the tourist info here is not in English which is proving a little challenging.  Our location is great - there's a grocery store right across the street, and a vegetable/fruit vendor right next door and we discovered a lovely bakery also right next door where we bought strudels, linzer tarts, chocolate biscuits, fresh bread and cheese.  The grocery store has wine, beer and liquor but to my dismay, while they did have gin, they did not have tonic, so looks like I'll only get my G&T when we eat at a restaurant and the rest of the time it'll have to be beer or Prosecco!  We bought food to eat in our apartment this evening, where we will dine on the porch overlooking the mountain.  The only other wrinkle is that the Internet isn't available in our room.  I can only get my phone and iPad to connect when downstairs in the courtyard, so that's a bit of a pain in the neck!  

Pics today are views of the mountains from our balcony.  This is alpine paradise!

Gianicolo Hill and Campo Di Fiori Market

Today, my last full day in Rome, I stayed close to home given that we have to pack tonight for our trip to the Italian Alps tomorrow.  I went back over the river to the market at Campo Di Fiori, a huge open air market that runs every day from early morning till about 2 in the afternoon.  I bought some gifts to bring home and got some veggies and spices that we need for dinner tonight.  I brought them back to the apartment, not wanting to cart it all around for the rest of my afternoon.  I grabbed a gelato for my lunch and headed out for a walk up the hill to Gianicolo Hill, a great park and lookout point right here in Trastevere.  I walked out of the immediate neighborhood to the Via Garibaldi which winds around and up the hill. I found a pedestrian short cut through the grounds of a church, San Pietro de Montorio, and then continued climbing the hill. First you come to a war memorial, commemorating a battle between Rome and France in the 19^th century (the Romans lost!) and then you come to a beautiful fountain, the Acqua Paola fountain, named for Pope Paul V.  I wound up in a fun conversation with an American college student who was also doing the walk.  He’s in Rome for a short vacation on his way back to the US after a semester abroad in England.  We had a good time discussing politics and the general state of US affairs.  He’s trying to figure out how he can move to Europe when he graduates, at least for a few years.  I encouraged him to figure it out!!

I then continued up the hill and came to a park on the top of the hill, Piazzale Giuseppe Girabaldi, who was a renowned military leader of the Italian Independence movement.  The park is quite lovely, with walking paths and lots of trees so it is very shady on these hot days, and there are busts of Roman military officials lining the walkways.  There are spectacular lookout points with terrific views out over all of Rome.   There is a huge statue of Girabaldi and then a bit further on another one of his wife, Anita Garibaldi which made me laugh out loud.  She’s on a horse, which is rearing up, she’s holding a baby in one arm and has her right arm up brandishing a pistol!!  I couldn’t help but think she would make a great mascot for the gun-toting NRA folks in the US!  After wandering around up atop the hill and enjoying the vistas out over Rome I made my way back down the hill, stopping in the San Pietro church.  Apparently, this was once thought to be the place where St. Paul was crucified, hence the church, although apparently they later determined it probably wasn’t.  Legend lives on, however.

Tonight we are dining in, so that we can get packed and ready for our early departure tomorrow morning.  We’ve got a train at 8:45 to take us to Bolzano, up north in the Italian Alps.  We’ll have to leave here pretty early to get a cab to the train station. 

Pics today include shots at the Campo Di Fiori market and some shots up on Gianicolo Hill, including gun toting Anita Garibaldi!

Pilgrim's Rome and the National Museum

 

Today I got an early start, and did the “Pilgrim’s Tour,”  visiting 4 famous churches in Rome that are destinations for thousands of Roman Catholic pilgrims from all over the world when they come to Rome.  That pilgrims still come was evidenced today as I made the rounds of these churches and saw a couple of groups of teenaged Roman Catholic kids and their chaperones at every one!  I took the bus from Trastevere to the big main train station in Rome, Termini and then walked to the first church.

The first stop was Santa Maria Maggiore, a beautiful basilica with Byzantine mosaics and a shrine containing “relics of the manger” in which Jesus was born.  The pilgrims go down to the shrine, which is just below the main altar and offer prayers and songs as part of their pilgrimage.  There is a huge statue of Pope Pius IX kneeling before the relics as you descend the marble stairs to the shrine.  The basilica was built in 432 CE, when Rome was disintegrating.  The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and it is probably no accident that the site of the church was, in Roman pagan times, the site of a temple to their Goddess Juno!  From one goddess to another!  Over the altar is a beautiful mosaic and along the walls lining the entire nave are a series of mosaics depicting various stories from the Hebrew Scriptures especially the narrative of Moses leading the Israelites in the wilderness.  Pope Sixtus  V is buried there, with an entire chapel dedicated to his tomb, and the artist Bernini is also interred there, with a plaque up on the right side of the main altar marking that spot. 

The second stop was a much smaller basilica, just a block away from Santa Maria Maggiore, the church of Santa Prassede, built in 822 CE, which has by far the most gorgeous mosaics in Rome.   There is a small chapel there that is entirely done in mosaic, most of it gold.  Truly stunning.  I chuckled at the many, many signs they had posted there, literally everywhere you turn, saying “NO FLASH.”  They really mean it, apparently!

After that I walked about 20 minutes, down to the Church of San Giovanni in Laterno, which I learned was Emperor Constantine’s first church, immediately after he won his war against Maxentius and liberated Rome in 312.  This was the seat of papal Rome until the Renaissance renovation of St. Peter’s.  Until 1870 Popes were “crowned” there and even today, the seat of the Pope is there and it is considered the Pope’s church.  It is a beautiful church inside, including 4 Golden columns from the pagan Roman temple of Jupiter.  The frescoes, mosaics, statues, etc. are stunning.  When I was there, they were conducting a funeral liturgy so I wasn’t able to get as close to some of the areas near the main altar, but I did enjoy hearing the choir singing and the organ playing as they went through the liturgy.  Right across the street from San Giovanni, and part of the pilgrim’s path there, is a shrine called the Scala Sancta, “the Holy Stairs.”  This shrine holds the stairs that, legend says, were in Pilate’s palace when Jesus was held there before his crucifixion and which he walked up and down while Pilate was detaining and questioning him.  St. Helena, the mother of Constantine, allegedly had the stairs brought to Rome from Jerusalem in the early 4^th century, and they are part of the pilgrim’s path to this day.   Those making pilgrimage ascend the stairs on their knees to pray at a shrine dedicated Jesus’ passion.  The signage is quite clear – “These steps may only be ascended on your knees.”  There were pilgrims doing just that when I was there.   For those of us more faint of heart, there are two other staircases that one can ascend and look into the “holy of holies”, the private chapel of the popes until the Middle Ages.  Those who ascend on their knees can actually go into that chapel!

The last church is the Basilica of San Clemente, built in the 12^th century.  It is much smaller than the others, and is built on top of an even earlier church buried underground and beneath that an ancient temple of Mithras.  Alas, I got there too late to be able to go down to the lower church and temple, as they close it all at 12:30 and don’t open again till 3! 

After visiting the four churches, I got a bus back up to Termini station and grabbed a quick bite to eat and then went to the National Museum of Rome, which is right near the station.  It has a great collection of Roman statues that document the rise and fall of ancient Rome.  The third floor was my favorite, containing beautiful mosaics and frescoes from excavated Roman villas of late antiquity.  They were really stunning and very well presented by the museum.  By the time I was done there it was 3:15 so I wandered back to the station to get the bus back to Trastevere.  One thing I can say about Rome is that public transportation here is AWFUL, at least the buses.  They seem to have no discernible schedule.  They might show up, they might not.  You sure can’t rely on them to get you anywhere by a specific time.  I waited 75 minutes and no bus ever materialized so I finally gave up in disgust and took a cab back home.  If the weather were cooler, I might have walked, because it is only a few miles, but we had another day with temps in the mid-90s and that Roman sun beating on me in that intense heat is more than I can manage.  Not to mention I had been on my feet by then for nearly 8 hours and just wanted to get back to the air conditioning!

Pics today include some shots of the interiors of the churches, including the pilgrims on the Holy Stairs!

Capitoline Hill Museum

Today started out to be my day to tour the Roman Forum, but wound up being a day spent in the Capitoline Museums atop Capitoline Hill!  I walked from Trastevere over to the area where the Forum is located, using a map.  As I am learning about Rome, the mere fact that you get somewhere near the actual location of a place doesn’t mean you can actually get to it!  I had to wander quite a bit trying to figure out where the entrances to the Forum actually are, having come upon it from the back.  I wandered up and down narrow, cobbled streets in the blazing sun, following groups of tourists with guides, figuring I’d get closer that way!  When I got to the top of Capitoline Hill I saw that the museum was open, contrary to what the literature says about it being closed on Monday.  Given that the temperature today was in the high 90s and the sun was unrelenting, I looked out over the Forum with its complete lack of any shade whatsoever and decided to go for the museum which would be infinitely cooler and, in places, even air conditioned! 

The Capitoline museum complex includes two huge buildings.  It was founded in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated some large bronze statues from Ancient Rome to the city. Since then it has become the place that houses statues, carvings, inscriptions, artifacts, paintings and mosaics and tapestries, and collections of jewels, coins and other artifacts from various periods in Rome’s history.  It’s quite a complex with an incredible variety of things to see, from ancient Roman and Hellenistic statues to medieval and renaissance art.  The buildings face each other across a square and there is an underground tunnel that you go through to get from one to the other, lined with hieroglyphs spanning many centuries.  It’s an incredibly well done set of exhibits.  In the second building, the Palazza Nuovo, there is a section where you can look out over the Forum and get some wonderful views of the whole complex.  As I looked out on the sun drenched and unshaded walks of the Forum I decided I’d made the right decision! 

I am glad to have seen the giant statue (or rather portion of a statue) of the Emperor Constantine, pictures of which I’ve seen for years. It’s an absolutely enormous statue, of which only the head and one hand and one foot remain, but given their size it’s clear that when the statue was intact it was absolutely enormous and must have been rather daunting to Constantine’s subjects! 

When I left the museum, after about 3 hours of poring over the exhibits, I walked around the Piazza Venetia to where I could see the Forum and Colosseum.  By then, Tracy had texted that she would be done earlier than expected, so I walked back to Trastevere, stopping for a lemon Granita (their version of a slushy!) which was most welcome in the extreme heat of the afternoon.  When I got back to the apartment, Tracy and I went back to the little shop with the fresh baked Italian cookies that I found last week and she wanted to see the Basilica of St. Cecilia, so I took her there.  We then walked through Trastevere and got really good pizza, fresh salad fixings and cold beer for our supper.  She had to do some prep work tonight and I am just taking it easy recovering from the exhaustion of walking around in the Rome summer heat.  I’m not walking all that far, but in this heat, it doesn’t take much to wear you out!

Pics today include some shots from the museum and some shots out over the Forum.  Given the extremely hot weather we’re having here, I may not actually tour the Forum this visit!  I’ll save it for a visit during a more temperate time of year!