Gelato Tour

Part of being in Rome during the summer time a nice refreshment is much needed in the hot weather. Gelato is the perfect snack that will cool down anyone who is feeling over heated. I am going to map out a tour of five gelati places that on can access from various points around Rome!

My tour begins at a gelato shop on Via del Corso (name will be added). Once we leave () you will make a right back onto Via del Corso. Once you come to the end of the street you will want to make a right onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele. You will walk down all the way to the end of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and on your right is the second stop at the gelato place (name will be added). After enjoying a nice gelato you will make a left out onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele again and walk down until you see Via dei Baullari on the right. Via dei Baullari will lead you to Campo de' Fiori. Once you get into Campo de' Fiori you will find Via dei Baullari continued across the way. On Via dei Baullari is a gelati place, Blue Ice, which is a chain throughout Rome. Once you are standing facing Blue Ice we will continue going to the left, straight across the piazza square of Campo de' Fiori continueing on Via dei Baullari. Once getting to the end of the street, you will take a right onto Corso Vittoria Emanuele II. You will cross over to the other side of the street and take a quick left onto Corso del Rinascimento.

Once you take a left you will want to keep an eye out for V. dei Canestrari on your left hand side. Taking a left will lead you to Piazza Navona which will be on your right hand side. This left will take you to the one end of the Piazza. If you walk straight through the piazza all the way to the other end you will find a gelato shop Cafe Mariotti. After tasting the yummy gelato of your choice you can make your way back to the Corso del Rinascimento and take a left. Once you have taken a left onto this street you will want to keep an eye open for a right turn onto Via Giustiniani which will lead you to the Pantheon or Piazza della Rotonda. Once you enter into the Piazza you will see side streets to your left that will lead you to the street V.D. Colonnelle. V.D. Colonnelle offers a gelato place called San Crispino on the right hand side. Upon entering San Crispino on the right you will see a chalk board with flavors that "marry well" meaning that those flavors go well together. San Crispino does not offer visual sight of each flavor, instead keeping them in covered metal bins in the window. Once enjoying a nice gelato you will move back out onto V.D. Colonnelle making a right. Make a left onto V. del Collegio Capranica. Once rounding a corner you will then want to make a right onto a side street called Guardiola. At the end of this street you will make a right onto Via D. Uffici D. Vicario.

Finally, Giolitti will be on your right hand side where you can try the famous gelato that is talked up by most. I have been to Giolitti before and it was very good. You first pay for the gelato and then you go up and order your flavors! This tour is filled with gelati places that all offer great flavors. I chose this tour because I love gelato. Almost every flavor I have tried offers a true flavor and is a great refreshment. I hope everyone has the chance to try these gelato places as I have over the past five weeks!

Botanical Gardens

Last week a group of us went to the Botanical Gardens to take a look around. The Botanical Gardens are located in Trestevere. The gardens were beautiful and offered so many different kinds of plant species! There are about 7,000 plant species located in the Botanical Gardens of Rome. These plant species are from around the world. The Botanical Gardens also consist of a main fountain called Fontana dei Tritoni which is located almost in the center of the entire garden and is surrounded by benches and a lush green field with plam trees.

One of my favorite parts of the garden was the bamboo which was extremely tall Upon entering the gardens you are given a map that tell you the general area and location of plants. The map is not overwhelming in the least bit. There are only, at the most 15 marked areas of plants even though the Garden holds thousands of plant species. The neat thing about the Botanical Gardens is that there are views of the city of Rome throughout the walk and you have the option of actually walk through some of the gardens. I was able to walk through the bamboo by a path that was created to do so. I would recommend making a stop at the Botanical Gardens if you get a chance to do so. The price was about 4 euro per person.

Roseto Comunale

Roseta Comunale is a beautiful rose garden filled with different colored and kinds of roses. This rose garden is located in Aventine, Italy. Roseta Comunale is located on Viale del Circo Massimo which is walking distance to the Palatine Hill, which is visible while in the gardens. This rose garden was once a Jewish cemetery and its path ways are situated in the the shape of a Menorah. While walking through the rose garden I had not noticed the shape I was walking in however they did have a sign to tell a little history about the wonderful gardens.

The Roseta Comunale was peaceful and colorful. Roseta Comunale was quiet and just offered the sound of others talking and snapping pictures. There were a variety of colored roses that stood alone so they were easy to notice and walk around. The rose garden had a fresh smell due to the surroundings of trees and flowers. You really couldn't smell the roses all that much until you walked up to each one. Next to the roses, it provided the name of the type of rose you had been looking at. There were so many roses that jumped out in color and size it was hard to go in order around the garden. Roseta Comunale was extremely clean with only the sight of the walkways and roses. It took about a half hour to forty minutes to walk around the entire rose garden and was free of charge. I would recommend this site to anyone due to the beautiful sights and a place to get away from the loud noises of the city.

If you would like to find out more about this gorgeous rose garden please visit the following site:

"“Time Brings Roses”." Time Brings Roses. 04 June 2009 .

Festa della Repubblica

Every year on June 2 Rome, Italy holds a parade to celebrate the founding of Italian Republic. The parade took place up and down Via dei Fori Imperiali lining the streets with onlookers and government officials. All armed forces, police forces, fire brigade, and the Italian Red Cross all march down this long street for recognition and to celebrate.

The parade started off with the recognition of the President of Italian Republic,Giorgio Napolitano, who was driven down Via dei Fori Imperiali with cheers echoing down the street. I got the opportunity to experience this national holiday with the Roman people and it was great. Everyone was anxiously awaiting the start of the parade, which ended up being around 9:45 am. The streets were crowded with people watching as all the men and women in different forces marched down the street. In the moment of this parade, I could tell by the cheers and excitement from the crowd how proud the citizens were of their country as I am of mine.

Above are some picture I was able to take at the parade. The first one at the top left was a picture of the ongoing armed forces that stretched around to the other side of the Colosseum. The top right photograph is a picture of the military men and women marching and the last picture is a photograph of President Giorgio Napolitano being escorted in the car with security surrounding him.



Links:

"The “Festa della Repubblica” is the Italian national holiday." Welcome to Italian Week 2009 in Brisbane - THE ITALIAN FESTIVAL. 02 June 2009 .

"Giorgio Napolitano - biography." Presidenza della Repubblica. 02 June 2009 .

Roma Finale 2009

Last night Rome held the Championship game, Barcelona vs. Manchester United. My roommates and I had gone to the Campo de' Fiori bars to watch the game that started at 8:45 pm. The bars throughout Campo de' Fiori were all crowded with plenty of people swarming a television trying to get the best view of the game. After shimmying my way through a packed bar my roommates and I got a view directly in front of a television. However, inside the bar we were squished like sardines in a hot, humid and smelly place.

The end result of the game was Barcelona winning which seemed to be the picked over choice within Campo de' Fiori. After the game there was plenty of chants and cheers going on throughout the streets of Rome! I even saw people jumping into various fountains located in Rome celebrating the win of Barcelona. This experience was much like a Penn State football game that is extremely important or another big game with die hard fans, like the Phillies winning the World Series. This was an excellent opportunity to experience even though I was not rooting for one team over the other.

Michelangelo

Today as a class, we visited the Vatican and we also climbed 448 feet high to the Dome of St. Peter's to get a magnificent view of Rome! Because our class climbed up to the Dome of St. Peter's we got to be extremely close to the inside top of the dome (picture I took to the left)! Being practically at the top of the dome was an amazing experience and only got better from there. After climbing more narrow and curved stairs we were at the top of Rome. The view looking out over the city of Rome was such a beautiful view that could not compare to any pictures! Looking over such a historical city was a much recommended experience!

Michelangelo (1475-1564) has a huge importance in the structure of St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel. The Dome of St. Peter's (both of the pictures) was designed by Michelangelo, thus never to be finished before his death. He also created a masterpiece called The Last Judgment (picture to the left) for the walls, as well as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo also has a sculpture called Pieta revealing the Virgin Mary holding Jesus in her arms in St. Peter's. Santa Maria sopra Minerva also holds a sculpture designed by Michelangelo, again never finished by him, called Risen Christ. Michelangelo has played a major role in the history of paintings, churches, sculptures, etc. in the beautiful city of Rome!



Links:
"St. Peter's Basilica, Rome." Sacred Sites at Sacred Destinations - Explore sacred sites, religious sites, sacred places. 21 May 2009 .

"The Pieta by Michelangelo." Statue.com | Home and Garden Statues, Fountains, and Statuary. 21 May 2009 .

Santa Maria sopra Minerva

Santa Maria sopra Minerva is a beautiful Gothic architectural church dating back to the 13th century. S. Maria sopra Minerva is one of the few Gothic churches located in Rome. This Gothic church draws many tourists to this site because of the history, paintings, sculptures, and obelisk standing outside. This church is located close to the Pantheon which draws tourists as well.

Upon entering this magnificent church you are hit with history in all directions. The church is known for its famous paintings on the walls as well as the ceiling. The stained glass lets some light into the church to shine upon its intricate architecture. The pillars that align down the church are made of marble and draw the eye upward to the wonderful paintings on the ceiling. Throughout the entire church are intricate sculptures up towards the ceiling looking down upon everyone. These sculptures are aligned to make a picture as well.

Towards the front of the church, the alter, stands Michelangelo's started sculpture, Risen Christ, but then was later finished by Raffaele da Montelupo. Outside of Santa Maria sopra Minerva stands Bernini's, famous for his churches, palaces, statues and fountains, Egyptain obelisk and a marble elephant. Both Bernini and Michelangelo were well known during their time for transforming Rome into a beautiful city. S. Maria sopra Minerva holds famous sculptures and paintings which draw tourists into the historic church itself. This Gothic church is currently active. The church draws many tourists as well as locals to look at the beautiful history the lies in Santa Maria sopra Minerva.


Hyperlink:
"Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome." Sacred Sites at Sacred Destinations - Explore sacred sites, religious sites, sacred places. 19 May 2009 .

Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2003.

Lido di Ostia

On this beautiful morning a group of us decided to go to Lido di Ostia, a beach about forty five minutes away from the city of Rome. Unlike most of the beaches that cost money, one of the beaches at Lido di Ostia was free to get on which is ideal while living in an expensive city! A group of us hopped on the metro accross from the Colosseum, Colosseo, and arrived at Lido di Ostia about forty five minutes later. Lido di Ostia is one of the closest beaches to the hustle and bustle of Rome, so it tends to get crowded. More so on the weekends when many tourists and city living people want to get a sunbathe in. Lido di Ostia was a nice place to go for a day trip with friends when one wishes to get away from the busy but amazing city of Rome.

Picture Link:
www.italyheaven.co.uk/.../venice/images/lido.jpg