Pictures of Borgese Gardens, Spanish Steps, Ponte Sant'Angelo, and Castle de Sant'Angelo

Arriverdeci Roma

Well, this is our last blog post of the trip and the end of the frantic rush to get all of them done. So, yesterday was our last day, and we went to Borghese Gardens, the Spanish Steps, and Castle de Sant'Angelo. The first thing we did (as per usual) was make a quick stop at the world-renowned Forno bakery, then we went to the bus stop to find one going to Termini to hop on another to Borgese Gardens. Once we made it to the Gardens, we met up with our guide and began our tour. In the gardens, which were started in the 1500s by the Borghese family, we saw a hunting park, the set for a theater in said park, as well as the temple of Diana and the fountain of seahorses before stopping for a coffee break. After coffee we continued to the other side of the park to see the sections with statues of literary greats from throughout the world, a water clock that has been running since the late 1800s, and the street lined with busts of famous Italians including DaVinci, Machiavelli in his rather silly hat, as well as renowned Romans such as Pompey the Great, Scipio Africanus, and Pliny the Elder. We continued down this street until we reached the terrace that overlooks most of Rome. After this we said goodbye to our guide and went down to the Spanish Steps. At the Steps, we walked up and down a few times and looked at the Sinking Ship fountain, wishing it actually had water in it (not much of a ship without water.)(They are working on it.) When we were done with the Steps, we returned to Campo d'Fiori, where we shopped for souvenirs for a while until returning to the apartment and resting for a bit. Our next stop was the Ponte Sant'Angelo (Bridge of the Angels) and the Castle sant'Angelo. Before walking across the beautiful bridge to the castle we took some pictures and the famous view of the Castle from the banks of the Tiber. We then went into the ancient castle, which was first built as Hadrian's tomb, and then converted into a place for the Pope to go in times of trouble. In the Castle we saw a display of weapons and armor from medieval times to the 1800s or so, as well an numerous rooms covered in frescos until we reached the terrace at the top, with it's amazing view of the Tiber and city below. We then went to Piazza Nevona to meet with Lars' grandmother and all went to dinner. For dinner we had: bruschetta, carciofe all giudia, fried zucchini flowers with anchovies inside, numerous pastas, veal, rabbit, and then Tiramisu for dessert. When we had finished our dinner we went back to the apartment, packed, and went to bed to be ready for our early morning.

Disclaimer

Just a quick note to let you know that the students write everything on the blog. All pictures are chosen by the students. I (Sandy) own the blog, so the template defaults to saying that I wrote the entries, but I do not. Thank you to all who follow us. Please note that our days are packed with fun, food, and new experiences. Many times we are too worn out to work on the blog, but we try to catch up when we can. We appreciate your faithfulness and your patience.

Pictures-Coliseum, Palatine Hill, Forum, Bocca del Verite, Appian Way, Food, Orvieto