it's already midnight here, so I'll save the full blog explanation for another day... suffice it to say, our family relocated to Rome this week for Nick's new job as Director of Liturgical Music at the Pontifical North American College! we will be here at least a year, possibly longer depending on how everything goes. this poor blog has been severely neglected over the past nine months, and I figured this was the perfect opportunity to revitalize it!!
today was what I imagine to be a quintessential Roman day. we had a leisurely breakfast on the terrace, then headed over to the business office to pick up the necessary documents to apply for our permesso di soggiorno (essentially our Italian green cards). the secretary and staff were very helpful but indicated we should come back after lunch (pranzo) when they would have time to go over everything with us. so we headed up to the College tower to see the view from the rooftop terrace and oh... my... goodness. it looks like a movie set. Rome, you are truly bellissima.
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| baby and the Dome |
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| lounging on the terrace, as you do |
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| view of the Campo Sportivo from the rooftop |
the girls and i headed back to the apartment for a quick bite to eat while Nick logged some practice hours on the organ, and then we met up again at the business office to obtain the paperwork. the next stop was the Economato, the campus bank, for money orders for each application. now we were ready to make the mile and a half trek to the post office to submit our applications! Nick pushed Greta in the stroller and i carried Cece on my back in the Ergo. it was 86 degrees and 67% humidity, which is comparable to the weather back in Pittsburgh, but Nick and i both agree that it actually feels less humid here and there is often a nice breeze. however, we were getting pretty hot and sweaty by the time we stumbled across La Botticella, the Steelers bar Nick discovered when he came here in April for his interview.
we were on a mission, however, and trekked onward, through the Piazza Navona, with just a few pauses for picture-taking. this used to be the site of an old Roman stadium. the obelisk in the Bernini's fountain (sculpted in 1651) came from the nearby ancient temple of Isis. the history is here is just incredible.
at last, we spied the street we needed, via Monterone, and dodged Vespas and Fiats to make our way all the way up the street to find the post office -- closed for the day. Italy 1, Wills 0. turns out the post office is open only from 8:20 AM to 1:30 PM. our American sense of efficiency and productivity was somewhat offended, but we aren't the first people i know to have been thwarted by post office closures, so we decided to make the best of it and see some other sights. turns out we were only a few blocks away from the Pantheon (which is also now the Basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres), so off we went.
I was prepared for this sight to be amazing. I've seen the pictures and read the guidebooks. but truly, nothing compares to seeing this stunning ancient building in person. the original temple was built on this site around 25 BC by Marcus Agrippa (the inscription reads "M. Agrippa built this"), and then rebuilt sometime between 117-138 AD during the reign of Emperor Hadrian.
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| we'll just have to go back so Greta can actually see it |
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| entering the Pantheon. i assumed we would have to buy tickets or go with a tour group, but entrance is free. |
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| tomb of Victor Emanuele II, the first ruler of unified Italy |
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| the oculus is open at all times. the floor of the Pantheon is slightly concave, so when it rains, the excess water drains easily. |
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| playing with light and exposure ... the oculus makes me want to take photography lessons! |
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| mass is still celebrated here several times weekly |
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the tomb of Raphael. yes, THAT Raphael.
Greta was still asleep and Cecilia was getting a little restless (read: banging me on the head with her snack container), so we decided to head back and perhaps get a cold drink and some treats for the girls on our way. annnnd we just so happened to walk past La Botticella again. Nick ducked inside to ask if it would be alright to bring the girls in where it was cooler, and the bartender Giovanni remembered him from a few months ago and asked if he got the job! he kept the girls well supplied with peanuts and we had a wonderful time meeting the other patrons, including a couple who used to live in Greentree, five minutes from our house. the girls also made friends with Sophie, an 18-month-old from Holland, and Cece said "ciao!" for the first time to Giovanni (she's been saying it to us for weeks when prompted, but has been shy when it comes to the Italians!).
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| Tre Fontane, an incredible beer brewed by Trappist monks in Rome |
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| probably the best accomplishment of the Pittsburgh City Council |
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| new friends all round (Giovanni is wearing the black and gold shirt; Sophie's dad is on the right) |
much refreshed, we headed back home. Nick pointed out Santa Maria, the church where St. Philip Neri is buried. there is so much to explore here -- i'm glad we don't have to cram it all in to one week, or even one month! and also, i cannot get over how beautiful the light is here. it's so rich and warm, like the late afternoon September sun in the States, but it seems to be like that all the time.
above are pictured some of the statues on the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, one of many bridges across the river. St. Peter's and the Vatican are just steps away from here, and our new home is just up the hill. we had a quiet evening at home, finishing up most of the leftovers from the food they graciously left for us (must go grocery shopping tomorrow!). Greta was bouncing around until close to 11 pm, due to a combination of jet lag and that epic stroller nap. and our second full day in Italy ended with my unfortunate realization that i need to pay more attention to the words for dishwashing liquid and dishwasher detergent ... Italy, you fooled me, but i forgive you for it!!
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