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Monthly Archives: August 2014

Adventures In Italy… Post 29: We, Who Are About To Die…

30 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel

≈ 1 Comment

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Daughter Jennifer standing by Julius Caesar’s funeral pyre

Our walking tour of the Forum/Coliseum ended with the heavens literally opening up and pouring down heavy sheets of rain upon us.

And there we were under our collective umbrellas trying to listen to the tour guide as he explained how slaves operated the colosseums awning.

Looking back now, it was all very surreal.

There I was, in the colosseum, shivering under my now broken umbrella, thinking to myself I can’t believe this is happening.

We were standing in the middle of the colosseum in a thunderstorm holding up wiry umbrellas.

According to WIKI, the most famous ancient battle cry before your impending death went like this:

“Ave, Imperator, morituri te salutant” or “Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant”

Or in English:

“Hail, Emperor (Caesar), those who are about to die salute you”.

However, in our case the battle cry was:

“We, who are about to die by lightning bolts from standing here under umbrellas made from metal, in the middle of the colosseum in a thunderstorm like a bunch of dummies… Salute you!”

Yes, it was that bad.

“Excuse me…,” I heard a voice call out in a loud voice trying to be heard over the thunder storm…

Looking up from under my umbrella I saw that it was my husband Frank who was trying to get the tour guide’s attention.

“I think now would be a good time to end the tour,”

…. he said as we continued to get pummelled with heavy rain pellets.

Everyone agreed and we all summarily scattered like rats and ran for shelter.

This is the time that I realized how very big the Colosseum was. We were literally in the middle of an arena larger than a football field and it was a long way to the nearest shelter.

But we made it.

As soon as we entered the colosseum’s walls and were out of the storm we all began to shake ourselves out like wet little puppies.

After catching our breath, we headed towards the stoney stairs which were now packed with throngs of other wet tourists.

After finally reaching the exit, we began to make our way back.

Now between the Colosseum and our hotel was a wonderful little Italian restaurant where we dined on night that we arrived in Rome.

By this point the rain had slowed, thankfully.

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We chose a table outdoors underneath the tent right next to a portable space heater which would help dry us off and warm-up.

We ordered large quantities of comfort food and wine and then sat back reflecting on our recent adventure.

And look who came to join us:

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The question was…

Is this bird hungry or just happy to be out of the rain?

Either way, this curious little bird brought us joy and we immediately forgot how wet and cold we were.

And it was at that precise moment I happily remembered…

That, here we are in Rome…

….. Saluting our Roman dreams!

 

Adventures In Italy… Post 28: I Am Curia Yellow

29 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel

≈ 1 Comment

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The first time we visited the Forum, the Curia was not open to the public.

All the documentaries, and guide books said that it was open, but sadly, we were met by locked doors and caution tape.

I really hate it when that happens.

Perhaps, more than anything else, Frank and I wanted to see what the interior looked like.

After all, the Curia was the formal seat of government for the Roman empire. Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony were all familiar with it, and had been within it’s walls.

Not being able to see the interior ourselves was a great disappointment for us and particularly Frank, who is very buff on Roman history.

Granted, the tour guide did let it be known that up to 90% of the building itself had been heavily renovated. Nevertheless, it’s a good piece of insight to see it for yourself.

I’ve learned that it’s very challenging to go sightseeing walking tour during a rainstorm.

You tend to keep your head down and look at your feet a lot.

Your head and shoulders are covered with an umbrella so you don’t have much of the peripheral vision.

It’s unfortunate, but even in the rain, the forum has a certain ambiance.

This takes takes me back several decades to when my children were small.

We had the good fortune to be able to take them to Disney world several times when they were young.

And of course, it’s inevitable that eventually you learn that yes, the rain does fall, even on Walt Disney World.

However I was very impressed at how quickly the rain ponchos an umbrella kiosks were set up. Talk about magic, in the Magic Kingdom.

I would say that they were all up and running in less than three minutes.

And it was most insightful running from Disney pavilion to Disney to pavilion trying to dodge the raindrops and being utterly mystified as to how Mother Nature can actually allow a rain storm at Walt Disney World. After all, I never once saw a brochure of Cinderella’s castle being battered by rain.

And the same goes for Rome.

Rain happens…

And so, there was an ongoing curiosity about what the interior of the Curia really looked like.

Did it still have the benches that the orators spoke from?

Were there Disney-like replicas of the senators arguing the merits of Roman law?

Frank and I were determined to find out.

As we entered the forum grounds, Frank mentioned his interest in the Curia to our tour guide. The tour guide replied that that the Curia was not one of the points of interest featured on the tour.

Frank said nothing more as the rain continued to drizzle down.

My thoughts were turning back to a warm bed and dry feet as I kept trudging forward through the Roman mud.

Suddenly, we were at the base of a staircase and being led into a building.

Curious, I lowered my umbrella to look and see exactly what building we were entering.

The moment that I stepped over the threshold, it finally dawned upon me where we were.

The Curia!

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Thank you Mr. Tour Guide!

However, looking around, upon this realization, I underwent a culture shock of sorts.

Let me explain:

I had imagined the interior of the Curia either as a work in progress construction site, or a replica of what it actually looked like back in Caesar’s era.

Instead, what I was looking at was a tres chic Art Deco featuring the modern day art of Ancient Roman times with ambient lighting any interior decorator would die for.

This place was incredible!

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A couple of tables, chairs and mood lamps and a bar and you’ve got a gathering place the likes which has never been seen before.

Certainly, this was better than anything I’ve seen back at home.

Leave it to the Italians to take one of the oldest, and most abused and renovated building and turn it into as Joni Mitchell likes to say…

A swinging hot spot!

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Adventures In Italy… Post 27: Full Circle

28 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

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Like most people, I have several regrets in life.

The first one that comes to mind happened in 1977. The Dalai Lama came to my hometown and made an appearance at a local United Church. My social studies teacher had asked us to attend.

It was on a Sunday night.

I stayed home.

Another regret that I have is that I didn’t pay more attention in English class.

As it turns out, decades later I have developed a penchant for writing. Not that I ever aspired to be a writer mind you, it’s just the unfortunate result of an ever present inner dialogue going on inside my head.

However, as soon as I try to set my mind to paper, my punctuation and grammatical skills tend to be quite elusive. I can’t tell my dangling participles from my modifiers.

And the third regret that I will share with you also involves education.

In high school I had thought that Latin class would be easy credit.

Well, it was not so easy but I did get the credit.

Barely.

I never really immerse myself because I thought I’d never need it.

Mea Culpa.

Looking back, and knowing what I know now, I wish I had devoted more time and effort into that subject.

Why?

Allow me to tell you about a wonderful documentary series I came across a little over a year ago.

The show was called “Meet The Romans,” and it was hosted by Mary Beard, professor of classics at Cambridge University.

In this series, Mary Beard educates us on all the epitaphs found in and around Rome.

And what is so special about all these epitaphs?

Mary tells us they are ancient voices from the humanity that occupied Rome.

This fascinates me.

I am not one to be easily engaged in discussions over war and strategy but rather how life must’ve been way back when.

However, should you ever want to compare notes on the lifestyles of the rich, poor and ancient, I will happily oblige.

Insight. I’m always looking for more and more insight.

And these epitaphs have it all.

This is quite unlike the headstones in today’s cemeteries which would give only the name, the date of birth, date of death and perhaps a quote. Maybe even a picture.

I am utterly amazed at the way Mary Beard can take an ancient stone and transform it into the life history of a person who lived 2000 years ago.

From a simple epitaph she can ascertain lifespan, the occupation, cause of death, age, if they had a partner, or any ailments they might have had.

All that from a headstone etched in Latin.

Now, I am not a teacher or archeologist.

However, I do sort mail for for a living, which from time to time allows me to glean some insight here and there.

Recently, I came across a magazine published for funeral homes.

What caught my attention on the front page is a revolutionary new idea.

Or so I thought…

Until I remembered Mary Beard’s “Meet The Romans” series…

What is available now to those who of course are willing to pay for it, is a headstone that includes an embedded barcode of sorts. When scanned with a handheld device like an iPhone or an iPad it will automatically provide information on who the deceased was and any other information that their family has allowed to be made available to the general public.

And so it appears to me that after 2000 years…

We have come full circle.

Thank you Mary Beard.

 

Adventures In Italy… Post 26: Me Oh My, I Love Pizza Pie

27 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Food, Travel, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Tiramisu

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Genuine Tiramisu smothered in mocha chocolate powder

Once I got hooked on Italy there was no going back.

As for Frank and myself, there were a lot of changes when we returned home from our first trip in 2008.

Grocery shopping became more of a treasure hunt than a weekly chore:

Would we be able to find fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella?

Which brand of balsamic vinegar is the best?

Who carries the freshest tiramisu?

And I have yet to find any juniper berries…

No more buying the frozen pizzas, we improvised and made our own at a fraction of the cost.

We reinvented salads to match those that we were served in Italy.

We started watching every documentary that featured Italian cuisine.

These documentaries introduced us to “Two Greedy Italians” who travel around Italy looking for those who have adhered to recipes and techniques that were handed down from generation to generation.

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My ‘Two Greedy Italians’ cookbook

Using the recipes they featured in their series, I was able to successfully prepare my first batch of gnocchi using ricotta cheese instead of usual potato.

Also, I prepared an incredible Ragù served with a cheese polenta. Then there was the warm chocolate amaretto pudding that was too good to be true!

As for Frank, he nailed the Spaghetti Carbonara on his first try.

Good stuff!

In case you haven’t heard, authentic Italian pizza is really nothing like pizza served here in North America.

The pizza bottom crust is incredibly thin, like that of a tortilla chip. Officially, there are only two recognized versions, a plain pizza served only with tomato sauce and a sprinkling of fresh basil, and then there is the pizza Margherita served with tomato sauce, fresh basil and fresh buffalo mozzarella.

Usually, restaurants will have more items available (like pepperoni and mushrooms) upon request.

I’ve heard it said that it takes at least ten years of training to make the perfect pizza dough.

Well… I’ve got a recipe that takes less than ten minutes to prepare and gives you an idea of what real Italian pizza is like. This beats the English muffin ‘mini-pizzas’ from our youth hands down!

Ingredients:

Tortilla or Pita Bread

Fresh Mozzarella (Every grocery store carries this in the cheese section)

Tomato sauce, the better the quality, the better it’ll taste

Fresh Basil (Dried will do in a pinch)

Fresh garlic clove

Olive oil

Tin foil

Lay one entire round tortilla or pita bread on tin foil

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil onto bread and spread it around

Apply a thin layer of tomato sauce

Shave or mince garlic clove and distribute it evenly around pizza

Dice fresh mozzarella into small dice sized cubes and distribute evenly to taste

Add basil garnish to taste

Open oven door place foil lined pizza on middle rack

Bake at 325 – 350 for about ten to fifteen minutes, or until cheese melted and browning.

After removing from oven, wait five minutes before eating

Disclaimer:

Of course this pizza recipe is not intended to compare with genuine wood oven fired Italian pizza, Tuscan tomatoes, and of course, classic home made pizza dough. Rather, it’s to give a glimpse into the simpler, more genuine flavours rather than the salty and chemical induced flavours that our palettes have grown use to.

Buon Appetito!

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Adventures In Italy… Post 25: The Greatest Jigsaw Puzzle Ever

26 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

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No, I’m not going to lie to you.

Visiting the Roman Forum can be educational, gratifying, tedious, exhausting and historically exhilarating.

That being said, it is also the most confusing place that I have ever visited.

And here is why:

Imagine a 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle of Emperor Caesar’s Forum.

Then imagine this jigsaw puzzle with all the outside edges completed.

Now you’ve got a big empty rectangle in front of you.

Place the extra puzzle pieces in a pile in the middle of the puzzle.

Then get three more different puzzles: Emperor Augustus’s, Trajan’s, and Constantine’s Forums.

(Actually, there were more Emperor’s but I’m trying to keep it simple for you. )

Open the boxes and place those pieces haphazardly into piles around the puzzle as well.

That’s about as close as I can come to describing what it’s like to observe the forum from both the inside and the outside.

Everywhere you look there are rocks and rubble, and very old crumbly buildings.

Pieces, pieces, and more pieces….

You see, the different emperors came from different ages, and their different structures were built during different centuries.

So, if you are trying to imagine what the forum looked like during Caesar’s reign, it would most certainly look different than it did in Emperor Claudius or Nero’s reign.

If you’re confused now trying to imagine this scenario, imagine what it’s like to observe in real time.

It’s enough to almost drive you mad.

And that’s where the wine and gelato come in handy…

Adventures In Italy… Post 24: Rainy Days And Gladiators

25 Monday Aug 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel

≈ Leave a comment

We were met with a light rain as we walked out of our hotel. It was our sixth day in Rome and this was the first rain we had seen on our trip. The rain had brought cooler weather, which after the usual ninety degree heat, was a relief for us.

I was confident that we would be able to purchase some umbrellas at one of the many kiosks which lined the narrow cobbled streets.

And sure enough, within ten minutes I was sporting a small yellow umbrella, and my husband a blue one.

It was when we passed some significant ruins close to the forum that we noticed two burly gladiators taking refuge from the rain in a covered doorway.

These gladiators, of course were men dressed in gladiator costumes. They make their living by posing with tourists who are eager to have their pictures taken with ferocious looking killers.

These, and other interesting characters can be easily found near the forum, coliseum, and other historically significant sites.

The cost to have a picture taken with them is around ten euros, which then, came to about fourteen dollars.

I could feel the poor gladiators discontent as we approached. Clearly, the rain was putting a damper on business.

We had just barely passed them when we heard a gladiator loudly address us from behind.

“Picture with your wife for seven euros,” he yelled at us. The resourceful chap had dropped the price on account of the rain. No doubt, was hoping we would jump at the chance to save three euros.

We did not stop, nor did we look back.

After a few moments, seeing that we were not interested, he snarled out his final offer to my husband.

…..“Five euros for a picture,”

Silence.

…..”and I’ll kill your wife for free.”

Adventures in Italy… Post 23: Follow Your Bliss

24 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel, Uncategorized

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Well, imagine this if you can…

It is a hot September day in Rome. The sun beats down on the throngs of noisy people as they jostle for positon along a glistening pool that holds the world’s most famous fountain.

And there I am.

And yet, it is not the fountain that has captured my attention.

It is a vision of a singular pidgeon who has settled atop a small island of stone just above the cascading waters edge.

With head tucked under wing, it dozes blissfully unaware of the noisy chattering crowds, the gushing fountain, the smells, warm breezes, and hot sun.

Refusing to succomb to the Trevi madness, this bird has decided to follow it’s own bliss.

After some time, I walked away from the fountain, now content in the knowledge that if this winged creature can find bliss in a mad and frantic world of people, noise and chaos…

Then so can I.

Adventures In Italy… Post 22: Gimme Shelter

23 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Angel Tours, Colosseum, Italy, Rain, Rome, Travel, Walking

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Fortunately for us, in spite of the inclement weather there were two major facts that were in our favour today. And this was that we had been on this precise tour before on our first journey to Italy four years ago.

First, we had none of the anxiety over where we were to meet the tour guide, or what would be in store for us in regards to what we could expect from the tour.

Second, we would not have to worry about the heat that we experienced during that hot September day. Temperatures reached ninety two degrees, which may be tolerable if you are in the shade with a cool drink. However, it’s a different story when you are climbing one of the seven hills of Rome, and a steep one at that just so that you can overlook the temple of the vestal virgins.

We knew that we would be meeting our tour guide in front of the subway station located directly across the street from the coliseum.

We had arrived a little early, however the rain arrived right along with us.

The choice was simple: wait outside in the rain, or go inside the subway station and hope that we will somehow, someway cross paths with the tour guide.

Now, there has been a slight unfortunate snag to our journey, which I have yet to explain.

In early September, daughter Jen had a most unfortunate ate tumble down a flight of stairs in her apartment building. This fall down the stairs left at least two ligaments torn, and a possible fracture which was difficult to see in the X-rays because of the major swelling.

Her ankle was black, blue and red. I have never seen anything like it, and I hope to never again.

She did all the right things to prepare herself for the journey, did physio etc, however, her ankle had barely begun to heal by the time our departure date had rolled around. She did bring her air cast with her, but tried to wing it. As far as I’m concerned, she was incredibly stoic, if even to a fault.

Now, just in case you weren’t aware of this, I will now point this out in no uncertain terms:

Subway stations are huge.

If you are to meet up with someone there, you must be on your guard, because you can easily miss them in a heartbeat.

It was then that I could hear Frank question himself out loud:

“Were we suppose to meet the tour guide on this level or the upper level?”

A little grey cloud formed over my head to match the ones outside.

Joy, I thought to myself.

I volunteered to stake out the upper level entrance.

Frank was in his comfort zone here, and there were two long flights of stairs to climb, which excluded Jen from the equation.

Within a few minutes, I had found a nice tree to stand under while the heavens seemed to let loose and hold nothing back. Even birds were beginning to stand alongside of me.

People came, people went, but no sign of the tour guide, or anyone else who might seem to be looking for their tour guide.

Ten minutes later, Jen and Frank arrived, and we continued to stand there together looking up one way and down the other.

Eventually, we noticed a couple standing not too far away, as if waiting for someone as well.

They eventually came close enough so that we could comfortably ask them if they were waiting for a tour guide as well.

Yes, they were.

At about that very time, a small car pulled up, and out emerged two young looking chaps. The moment they opened their umbrellas, we knew that we had found our tour guides.

The tour company we had chosen, the same as the last time we had visited Italy was called Angel Tours.

And of course, if you want to be recognized by your customers, what better way to attract their attention, than by carrying umbrellas adorned with angels.

Sweet!

Our tour was about to begin…

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This this is the most enigmatic door that I have ever seen. Take a close look.

Adventures in Italy… Post 21: Rainy Days And Wednesdays

22 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel

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Tags

Colosseum, Forum, Italy, Rick Steves, Rome, Travel

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This was the street view of the Colosseum from our street corner, on a bright September day in 2008. For our second tour in late November 2012, the weather was not so nice…

On the evening of Wednesday, November 28, 2012 …after our second full day in Rome, I made the following entry in my journal:

————————

We were up by 6:a.m.

My head was in a swirl over the strange dream that I had during the night; scuba diving, flying to heaven and oblivion, my aunt wearing a big blue hat.

The first thing I wrote in my Tardis journal was:

“Today will prove to be a challenge of sorts, as the weather appears to be against us.”

Rain.

And to make it worse, Frank did not bring a jacket.

And to make that even worse, he refuses to take an offering of one of the spare hoodies that Jen and I brought along.

At 8:30 a.m. we were ready to depart for our Coliseum / Forum tour after enjoying a quiet breakfast.

I had a double shot of expresso, yogurt and a cream filled croissant.

Jen had a bowl of cereal and Frank had mortadella on a bun.

Before leaving, I made sure that our hotel room was in reasonable order so it wouldn’t be too much of a challenge for when the maid pulls in.

In regards to other news: Frank continues to be mesmerized by the balcony. He sits there and watches as life in Rome goes by.

He says he wants to live here and I believe him.

As for Mother, I got an email message from her this morning.

She says that she has had her surgery and is tired.

I wish I knew what surgery she had.

She gave no further information.

We had all known that it would be likely that Mother would undergo surgery while we were away.

From the information Mother gave me before we left home, it seemed pretty clear that the procedures would be only exploratory in nature. Mother and I both waited a long time for these tests, and I had every confidence that this would be day surgery only.

However, it was a certainty that more procedures would lay ahead. When?… who knows, but I was not blind to the fact that things can change very quickly.

And so, I will make every attempt to try and touch base with her on a daily basis, to let her know that she was loved and to give her whatever support I can from half a world away.

Knowing that she had a host of friends with her was an altogether blessing for both her and myself.

Did I feel guilty that I was not with her?

No, not overly so.

Was I worried.

Yes, a little.

But to be honest…

I knew that she was in good hands and surrounded by wonderful people.

The immediate problem at hand was the pending rainstorm that I knew was waiting for us.

And so, with only two umbrellas…

(we did bring three, but could only find two…)

…We bravely ventured out into what promised to be a most challenging day, weather wise.

Little did I know how challenging it would be.

And so…

As we walked outside, we were met by a modicum of drizzle. But I wasn’t fooled one bit. Mother Nature was not going to be kind to us at all.

The one advantage that we did have was that should the rainstorm prove to be too much for us, we would always be within walking distance to the hotel.

Even so, as we trudged along through the thickening drizzle, I remember continually thinking to myself…

“It’s not too late to turn back, after all, we have seen the Colosseum already.”

However Jen had not, and that is what kept me walking.

But, try as I might those thoughts about how extremely pleasant it would be to spend the day in bed, nestled under the warm bedcovers snickering at the rain kept bubbling up in my brain.

But It was travel guru Rick Steeves voice that kept telling me:

“Sleep is for when you are at home!”

And he was right of course…

I would never want to contradict anything travel related with Rick Steeves.

That man was our hero.

Adventures in Italy…Post 20: “Angels And Demons” ~ The Blog Post!

21 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Angels And Demons, Colour, Dan Brown, Italy, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Navona, Rome, Ron Howard, The Oculus, The Pantheon, The Vatican, Travel

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***

You’ve read the book.

You’ve seen the movie.

And now… you lucky people get to read:

“Angels And Demons: The Blog Post.”

I am of course referring to the book “Angels And Demons,” written by Dan Brown.

The book then became the movie directed by Ron Howard, and starring Tom Hanks.

I read Angels and Demons shortly before our first trip to Rome in 2008.

It was a fast paced thriller that kept me reeling until the end.

The internet site that we booked our Rome trip through, Expedia, also featured a tour based upon this book.

The tour would take you through the major sites from the movie, which would include Piazza Navona, Castel Sant’Angelo, the Vatican, Piazza Del Popolo and the Pantheon.

The problem was the cost.

The tour agency was charging €150 for this tour that would last only four hours.

€150 at that time would amount too $200 at least.

When it comes to getting about in Rome, if they can get you to all these sights in only four hours, chances are, you’ll only get an outside visual on some of them and then be forced to move on.

Totally not worth it.

And so I was determined to see as many of the sites as I could ‘Ala carte’ if you will.

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Piazza del Popolo December 2012

Fortunately I did get to see most of the sites. However, due to scheduling problems, I did miss the Santa Maria Della Vittoria church which you will remember as the scene of the big fire. We got there just after it closed, and it would not reopen for another four hours.

Big fail.

And we did not get to Piazza del Popolo on that trip either.

Oh well.

As it turns out, the movie itself finished shooting several months before we arrived in 2008.

When I first saw the movie I was very pleasantly surprised.

I feel that they caught the essence of Rome quite well, especially the street scenes. Watching them was like being back in Rome.

I got all sort of misty as it felt like I was really there. I could almost smell the noxious street fumes.

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The only part where I took exception to was how they shot the scenes when Tom Hanks was standing outside the Pantheon with the Vatican officials deciding what to do next.

Now, the Pantheon is located in a Piazza like square. Not a city street. There is no street traffic allowed at all with the exception of a horse and buggy, and maybe a Vespa looking for trouble.

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The Pantheon

The computer graphics were outstanding, seeing as filming was not allowed on what the Catholic Church deemed as Holy Ground. The colours were spot on, and perhaps bigger and brighter than in reality.

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Pantheon Altar

You see the Pantheon’s interior is a kaleidoscope of amber yellows, and hues of sienna. Then there are the bright tawny pigments the likes I had never seen before. Even our Nikon 40D didn’t pick up the distinctive tones of ochre and cascades of gold that cannot be found anywhere else, at least as far as I’m concerned.

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Raphael’s Tomb

And so, aren’t you now a little bit curious about this lavish splendour of the Pantheon?

You should be, because it is the oldest church in the world which went from pagan to Christian within one hundred years as a result of emperor Constantine’s conversion.

Lucky for you that now you don’t have to travel to Rome to take in the Pantheon’s exquisite internal beauty.

You just have to watch the movie!

And don’t even get me started on the oculus….

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The Oculus

***Photo at top of page is the major fountain in Piazza Navona. For those of you who have seen the movie “Angels And Demons”, this is the same fountain from the scene where one of the Cardinals was left to drown.

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