Conclave 2

 Tuesday 6th May 2025

Today is a good day to have a rest after a nice breakfast at our local café.

Paul is keen to go to the Vatican but I am less so. Long way and huge number of cobblestones. But we cannot do anything until Paul can confirm the details of our rental car pickup on Thursday.  They are to ring.  Alas they do not.

So what to do? Lets go to the Vatican with everyone else.  I decide to go as I am unable to leave the hotel on my own due to cobblestone surrounds and hills and traffic.  And I am bored.

So off we go on the long walk which I determine is not as long as the walk to the Fontana di Trevi.  That is the good news.

We walk along the Tiber River and there are beautiful bridges. Today we stay on our side of the bridge but a great guide to where we are going.

famous female saint, Catherine

maybe a fountain

St Peters

more

It was not as busy as we thought but we chose not to get too close.

We bought some souvenirs from a shop as it was playing the song Halleluiah. Really nice. I wondered if perhaps it was on a loop to play the song over and over.  Surely not but we had to wait till the end to find out.  And there it was, again. Nice.

Nice scenes including a group of pilgrims from Mexico paying their respects.

There were also news crews set up everywhere with photographers getting ready for tomorrow for the start of the conclave.

And finally it was time for our family dinner to catch up with my cousin Tiziana and her husband Carmine who we had not seen for two years. They both speak ok English, particularly Carmine. Together with my brother John and his wife, Christina, we had a lovely dinner. It was 35ish years since John had seen Tiziana so it really was a special reunion.

The fountain near our first bar.

My dinner of fish with amazing crispy potatoes was really good.

Unfortunately I took no further photos as we did lots of walking. I will catch up with photos when we see them again in Sefro in a few days.

Tomorrow we risk our lives on the Vespa tour!!

10000 miles to Trevi

 Monday 5th May 2025

Our first full day in Rome and we plan to visit the Trevi Fountain but first we had a good look at our hotel, the Donna Camilla Savelli Retreat Hotel,

from outside

Inside the hall

The tiled floors are amazing

Some of the little alcoves,

The bar

We also found the chapel or so we thought 

Until we found a door into an actual church 

It was very beautiful.

And then on to the Trevi Fountain, our goal for the day. Yes we have been there before but you cannot be in Rome and not see La Fontana di Trevi.   I am trying to use my Italian as much as possible. Lack of practice and very poor dialect to begin with does not help.  I remember when as a child, I went to Italian lessons and won a prize for doing well in written Italian. I had to accept a prize on stage in Sydney, big deal and I remember my Italian teacher saying in my ear, DO NOT SPEAK, do not say anything. Just smile and accept the prize.  I was shit at speaking the language. I have never recovered from this trauma.

Some interesting stuff on the way to the Trevi Fountain from our amazing hotel.

A bridge across the Tiber

us on the bridge

Roman ruins

more of them

It was meant to be a 30-minute walk to the Trevi but it was over cobble stones, and windy roads and cars and motorbikes and people so a bit longer for me.

But first the Pantheon and other interesting sights

The Pantheon

A shop of priestal robes for 

Paul as he tries to become pope

And finally La Fontana di Trevi

gorgeous colour of the water

Paul and someone else 

It was not all that busy and it looked amazing. It had been cleaned since the last time we had been and according to locals was more beautiful than ever.

I agree.

We are Italian, mostly so then it was lunch time.

free white 

my gluten free pasta with butter and cheese, so good!!!!

Paul's caccia and pepe, so traditional

limoncello to finish

a different bridge on our way back

a view of the pedestrian bridge. Pretty

Also on our way back to the hotel

And once back at the hotel , the Donna Camilla Savelli Retreat Hotel, we found the  roof top lounge and were amazed at the views. 

the lounge

views over Rome

And then a reunion with John and Christina for a dinner in Trastevera after their flight from Australia.

Some nibbles at our hotel

look a bird, no cats

my bread

their meatball entree which I almost could have till i was told at the last moment that it really was not gluten free. Oops sorry.

t

just 3 as Paul took the photo.

the four of us selfie

After a lovely meal, we each went our way, us to bed, them to walk.

It has been a huge day but tomorrow for me will be more restful and tomorrow night, dinner with our Roman relatives.  

Buona notte.   (Still practising)