Archive | Rome

Italian Road Trip Day 1 :: Tivoli Gardens

Elliott admitted somewhere in the middle of this epic road trip that we were doing this for me.  Around here I often wax romantic and wistful, day-dreaming about “seeing Europe.”  It was for his wife’s dreaming that Elliott organized most of the details of this trip.  He arranged the rental car in Rome, booked hotels along the way, brought home stacks of travel guides from the library.  (I love that boy!)  I need to remember this because many times it was a lot less dreamy than the photos will show.  We’re always smiling in these photos.  You won’t see the sweat on our brows when the GPS failed us again.  You won’t see us dragging our luggage in and out of hotels each and every night.  You might see a picture of us getting the most. expensive. roadway. ticket. EVER., but that’s another story for another time.

Basically we’re not sure we’ll ever road trip through Italy again!  Well, at least until next year.

And now… without further ado… Tivoli Gardens: a hidden gem in the hills outside Rome.

 

 

5 :: in family, Italy, Lena, Rome, travel

Italian Road Trip Day 1 :: Tivoli Gardens

Elliott admitted somewhere in the middle of this epic road trip that we were doing this for me.  Around here I often wax romantic and wistful, day-dreaming about “seeing Europe.”  It was for his wife’s dreaming that Elliott organized most of the details of this trip.  He arranged the rental car in Rome, booked hotels along the way, brought home stacks of travel guides from the library.  (I love that boy!)  I need to remember this because many times it was a lot less dreamy than the photos will show.  We’re always smiling in these photos.  You won’t see the sweat on our brows when the GPS failed us again.  You won’t see us dragging our luggage in and out of hotels each and every night.  You might see a picture of us getting the most. expensive. roadway. ticket. EVER., but that’s another story for another time.

Basically we’re not sure we’ll ever road trip through Italy again!  Well, at least until next year.

And now… without further ado… Tivoli Gardens: a hidden gem in the hills outside Rome.

 

 

5 :: in family, Italy, Lena, Rome, travel

Rome, Part II

On our second day in Rome we took a trip to the Vatican, the world’s smallest country.  The art and architecture within the towering stone walls of the Vatican amazed me.  Some artistic highlights were Michaelangelo’s Pieta, Laocoon and His Sons, and of course the magnificent Sistine Chapel (no photos allowed), all of which have been on my bucket list to see sometime in my life.  Such beauty and history at every turn!  We spent several hours wandering from one highlight to another.

Elliott imagines taking a bath in this gigantic marble tub.  My family takes in the sunshine in Vatican Park with the “Sphere Within a Sphere” sculpture behind them. 

 Elliott found our little town (Motta) on a map of Sicily in the stunning Gallery of Maps.  This room was my favorite part of the Vatican; it’s much brighter and more striking than the Sistine Chapel.  (Am I allowed to say that?)

 Happy baby, wonderful uncle.  A view from inside St. Peter’s Basilica.

 Swiss soldiers in fabulous uniforms guard Vatican City.  Would you like to send yourself a postcard via the Vatican Postal Service?

 In St. Peter’s Square outside the Basilica.

We took a lunch break after our tour.  In the restaurant I found the smallest jars of Nutella I’d ever seen.  Rome loves Nutella!
 
 
 That afternoon we boarded a train bound for Venice and then drove from Venice to Zagreb, Croatia.  
Our story will pick up there tomorrow…
2 :: in family, Italy, Rome, travel

Rome, Part II

On our second day in Rome we took a trip to the Vatican, the world’s smallest country.  The art and architecture within the towering stone walls of the Vatican amazed me.  Some artistic highlights were Michaelangelo’s Pieta, Laocoon and His Sons, and of course the magnificent Sistine Chapel (no photos allowed), all of which have been on my bucket list to see sometime in my life.  Such beauty and history at every turn!  We spent several hours wandering from one highlight to another.

Elliott imagines taking a bath in this gigantic marble tub.  My family takes in the sunshine in Vatican Park with the “Sphere Within a Sphere” sculpture behind them. 

 Elliott found our little town (Motta) on a map of Sicily in the stunning Gallery of Maps.  This room was my favorite part of the Vatican; it’s much brighter and more striking than the Sistine Chapel.  (Am I allowed to say that?)

 Happy baby, wonderful uncle.  A view from inside St. Peter’s Basilica.

 Swiss soldiers in fabulous uniforms guard Vatican City.  Would you like to send yourself a postcard via the Vatican Postal Service?

 In St. Peter’s Square outside the Basilica.

We took a lunch break after our tour.  In the restaurant I found the smallest jars of Nutella I’d ever seen.  Rome loves Nutella!
 
 
 That afternoon we boarded a train bound for Venice and then drove from Venice to Zagreb, Croatia.  
Our story will pick up there tomorrow…
2 :: in family, Italy, Rome, travel

Rome, Part I

 

After Christmas in Sicily with my family, we flew up to Rome for a couple of days.  We did a lot of walking in those two days!  So many things to see that we had read about and studied all our lives.  All my siblings and I used the Calvert School curriculum for K-8, and every Calvert student takes Art History in 6th Grade, Sculpture in 7th, and Architecture in 8th.  We loved reviewing those textbooks together mentally as we traipsed about Roma!
The four Green siblings inside the Colosseum.

Which tourist does not belong?  As in… does not belong in this century??

 Smiling babies and carrot sculptures.  (Unfortunately Calvert School did not cover carrot sculptures.)

The Roman Forum, the old center of Rome.

Lena’s new favorite game.

With Romulus and Remus and their wolf-mother!

 Italian military policemen (carabinieri, or “the carbs,” as some lightly refer to them) wear uniforms designed by Armani.  These two had some special get-up, though, even for carabinieri.

 
Biggest jars of Nutella I have ever seen.
 Exploring the Roman subway system and snacking on a Nutella-filled crepe.

My mom watched Lena one evening so that my sisters, Elliott, and I could go out on the town for wine and antipasto.  Delicious!
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4 :: in family, Italy, Rome, travel

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