(3-May) Nino's Guided Tour

Today we were up early for a full walking tour of Rome, presented by local licensed tour guide Niño, who came recommended by friends of ours. On the dot at 8 a.m. Niño arrived at the B&B and set off with us pointing out historic land marks, and details few others would know, like, why some streets lined with upscale homes do not point toward the Vatican. You see, there was apparently a very pagan period in Rome's history when being Catholic wasn't so hot.

When we arrived at the Vatican Museum Nino directed us to one of the guards, told us he would see us up on top, and the guard proceeded to lift velvet rope after velvet rope, guiding us past miles of public lines. That was truly awesome. In fact, we did not wait in one of those pesky lines all day.

Gary and Stephani outside the Colloseum, Rome, Italy

Our tour guide "Nino"

Gary with Nino at the Vatican, Rome, Italy

There are simply too many details to mention in summary, but I can tell you we saw some of the rarest treasures on earth today. Sometimes there were guilded hallways that had literally hundreds of marble and alabaster statues, and ceilings painted by Michael Angelo, so many treasures it was hard to comprehend what you were seeing. Niño told us about how Rome had melted most of the colloseum marble from the Roman age to make modern architecture and sculptures. We did not know that. Actually, there were many revelations, such as, the spot where former Emperor Ceaser was assassinated is now a branch of Deutch Bank. In the forum, you can see two levels of roads, the original level which dates back to before the great fire, and the post-fire level that was basically paved over top of ruins. We walked on the original cobble steps from pre 64 A.D.

When we toured The Vatican, we got to see The Sisteen Chapel. No photography or hats were allowed, yet, every person who disobeyed was admonished publicly by the guards. There are also professional "shhhhh ers" who demand silence. Niño ignored these commands and basically continued with his presentation, which was fun filled, and full of interesting facts. What I liked about this tour was, Niño blended a little of his own personal distain for Government officials, and his own countrymen's laziness. When we were at city hall he pointed out several politicians standing on a balcony with police and explained that they were talking about football instead of working. I think Niño would like Italy to wake up, snap out of their slumber and get to work. When we were touring The Forum, he told us the scaffolding had rusted a while ago, so the Govenment bought new scaffolding from Germany, yet we couldn't spot a single worker on the scaffolding on the day after the public holiday.

We visited the Pantheon, which was simply stunning, with it's gaping open circle cut into the roof. Sunlight beamed in from above and you could see a silky spring fluff or dust going up into the air. Apparently when it rains, the water will come into the church. The tall columns of granite which circle the entry are made from single cuts acquired in Egypt. I left my cap on one of the pews when I stopped to tie my shoe laces. We got all the way outside before I realized. The cap has a Google logo on it, and I felt sure someone might pinch it, but by the time I made it back into the Pantheon, there it was, hanging on the end of the pew. When we went outside, Niño pointed out one of very few French restaurants located in Rome, L'Eau Vive, an establishment run by nuns. As we passed by, Stephani and Niño could hear them singing while they were preparing the evening's selections. Apparently they will only serve you if you pray. You can read the heart warming reviews at the following link:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187791-d716267-r125096867-L_Eau_Vive-Rome_Lazio.html#REVIEWS

This was a high end private tour, so for lunch Niño took us to Archimede L Eustachio, a family restaurant which serves only the finest food. Our tasting included antipasti from the region such as fava beans, roasted peppers. Main course included cod piece, fried artichoke, fried zucchini flower and of course our own selection of pasta. Personally I thought this was a bit over the top, and unnecessary, I would have been happy with a panini, but his clientele are upscale so best to just make like Romans. Niño is a tall, slender articulate Italian, very well dressed, and extremely well connected. Several times on the tour guards greeted him by name, as well as fellow tour guides. He looks a bit like Burt Bacharach.

I injured my ankle slightly on some of this fine Italian street work, interestingly, this happened just outside city hall while carrying a video camera. I have taken lots of Advil and hope the swelling goes down. Other than that, no other injuries to report.

Tomorrow will be our last full day in Italy, so we will likely head out to the Borguese Museum, and some other places where there was little time for video or snapshots. I got some really good video of inside the colosseum though.

Well, that's all for now. Gotta get my foot elevated.