June 22: Roma Turista on the Streets

 

Laura and I disembarked in Roma and I told her what a crazy station it is. Fortunately, she let me use her phone when I couldn't find Miriam at the meeting place. We changed plans, and I joined Laura in the taxi line. This is like the lineup at Southwest Airlines in the 1990's, before the open seating plan came with boarding groups A, B, and C. Italians cut in front of the tourists in line, and when a big taxi van pulled up to me, I gave it to the British family behind me. A few more taxis passed me by, so I stepped in front of the cutters and jumped into a taxi. When in Rome...

The nice taxi driver spoke a little English after I greeted him in Italian, and he asked me if I liked Roma. When I told him the energy was crazy, he told me that's because too many crazy Americans lived there. We laughed and I felt less like a tourist.

Trastavere at noon is a very hot place. Miriam's pied a terre is on a narrow street and the delightful lofted townhouse is completely remodeled and air conditioned! We dropped off my stuff and went for a quick bite at a walkup around the corner. Small Roman artichokes dipped in clarified butter, with a fresh loaf of bread, made a perfect meal. I washed it down with a small glass of beer, and we were off on a quick site-seeing tour. Looking at an ancient town with an art professor has to be one of the most pleasurable experiences I have ever had. My love of architecture and her knowledge of the history of the buildings made for non-stop conversation. We have such similar tastes, which is why we call ourselves Sisters of the World. While our bio-parentage may differ, we must share some cultural DNA.

Here we are in front of the Santa Maria of Trastavere Church. I'm sweating buckets and she's fresh as a daisy. Inside, another expert view of the gorgeous art of the 12th century. The earliest church at this site dates from about 221-227 CE, during the time of Pope Callixtus I. What we saw was completed between 1140-1143, but the mosaics by Pietro Cavallini date from the late 13th century. So young.

The sheep are so interesting, and the fact Mary is on the same level as Jesus is an interesting comment on the hierarchy of the early church. Here's a closer look.

The thick old walls of the church hid the fact the temperature outside was above 95, with similar humidity. We walked back to the apartment and planned to meet at 5:30. Boy was I thankful for a siesta!

When I woke up at 5:00, the downstairs floor was covered with moisture. I found a mop, thinking it was just a small streak, when I realized it was throughout the entire apartment. What had I done?

Miriam's knock at the door made me panic a bit.  When I saw she wore a beautiful golden jumpsuit with spectacular jewelry, I knew I had to change out of my Columbia stretch shirtdress. It took her a bit of time, but Miriam figured out the cleaners had reset the AC and accidentally turned on the humidifier, instead of the dehumidifer. So when the temperature inside went up, so did the humidity.  When I returned later that evening, everything was fine.

I changed into my new green silk ensemble, and had a first experience. At my age, that's saying something! I've never been in Rome with a knockout blonde, and about every other block men would brush up against her, stop her and say something, or generally make sure she noticed them. After nearly a month of not wanting to be known as a solo travel who didn't speak the local language, it was pretty hysterical to be accosted on every corner. The two of us must have made a study in contrasts: curvy Miriam with long blonde hair and high heels and sporty Spice Girl me, with an athletic walk and Skechers sandals. In a short period of time, we saw everything. Back and forth over the Tiber River we found churches and bars and gelato and views.

After Miriam's lecture on dating, we stopped by this store. Notice the hearts. I made a wish.

We decided to walk across Trastavere to find the St. Cecilia Church and again, a piece of marble struck me dumb. Fortunately Miriam explained it all.

The carved canopy above the altar was quite the work of art, too.

The sculptor honored Cecilia with this perfectly rendered homage. Her neck is at the same odd angle as when she was found murdered. In fact, the body and arm placement are identical. Taken together, it's quite horrific to think about what happened to her.

We wandered back towards the center of Trastavere and found this unique art boutique whose owner was working inside.

Below the sign in English, we found a few little bistro tables set out for patrons to look over the catalogue.

The least expensive piece of glass-blown art was 10,000 euros. She was a charming hostess for a tour around her gallery.

Miriam wanted to stop by an old hospital and show me the inner architecture. The security guard wasn't helpful, even to her. He told us we could enter in 30 minutes. So, we stood outside his guard station and he finally realized we were serious, even though we were dressed up. And in half an hour, we were inside.

The hospital is actually an old monastery, completed in 1069. It fell into disrepair in the 1400's, and was later rehabilitated into a hospital. Inside these gardens, you can sit amongst urns from the 6th century.

Hiding behind the arches so the security guard wouldn't kick us out, we sneaked back to the guard post and waved to the man who'd let us in.  Time to cross the river again, and find dinner in the Jewish Ghetto.