Yeah! Grandma's here!

Yesterday was our first full day in Rome with Grandma and, boy, was it full. We traveled across the heart of Rome, through 2 museums, 4 Metro stations, 3 cafes and a colosseum. And did we mention it was 92 degrees? Yes, it was a double gelato day.

The heat has made us a little bit lazy, so on Wednesday we only stopped to see the Capuchin Cemetery, where the Capuchin order of Franciscans buried 4,000 of their brothers. Except that they didn't quite bury them -- instead, they made them into wall decorations. (You kind of have to see it to believe it, so do check out the link and definitely watch the video taken by a surreptitious YouTuber.) It was creepy, but at least it was cool inside. We waited until later in the evening to play some soccer in the gardens and then walk down to the Piazza di Spagna to sit by the sunken Barcaccia ("bad boat") fountain. Because the fountain is fed by the ancient Aqua Virgo it's supposed to have the sweetest water in Rome and lots of people stopped to drink from it. We are not entirely convinced of the cleanliness of the water, but it was a great people-watching scene.

Then, yesterday, we set off on an ambitious agenda. We walked down Via Veneto to Piazza Barbarini. We went in search of the Galleria Nazionale d'Art Antica which is a remarkable collection housed in the Barbarini's family palace. It took a long time to find the entrance, so we stopped for a gelato on the way. The highlight of the Gallery is the ceiling which was painted to honor Pope Urban VIII (who lived in the palazzo). We lay down on the couches and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

After a break to eat and enjoy air conditioning in a little cafe, we went down into the Metro and headed to the Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Massimo. There are remarkable restored frescoes from the first century and two floors of sculptures (all close enough to touch - but we didn't). After more eating and air conditioning, we took Metro to our final destination for the day: the Colosseo. This was the only place that allowed us to use our camera, so see our pictures here. (Travel tip: if you come to Rome, buy the Roma Pass which gives you open access to all public transportation for 3 days, free admission to two museums and lets you jump the line at the Colosseum (which is worth the 20 Euros alone)). There is a special exhibit about Vespasian who initiated the Colosseo, including models of the original building and archeological pieces found on the grounds. The inside of the colosseum is nearly bare now because later generations of Italians ripped out the seats and everything else that could be taken in order to build other parts of the city.

Nearly 2 millennium of history in a single day! It's a wonder we didn't melt or faint from exhaustion. Good street maps of Rome are essential -- we used a bad one for the first half of the day and finding the museums was like a treasure hunt from hell. Luckily, Grandma was here to keep our tempers from boiling over.

We are going to take a break for dinner before posting about today's adventures.