ROME
St Peter's Basilica, early in the morning.
By about 11:00, the queue waiting to get in is about 2 hours.
Bridge of Angels
Various pics walking down the street.
The tour group went to the Vatican. I'm going with our NZ group on May 19.
Went to one of these in Venice. Displays were recreations of his inventions.
Farmacia.
Marked everywhere with a red or green cross (flashing lights).
Went in there to get some Vitamin C for the cold and cough that was going around in the group on the bus. I didn't have my book of Italian phrases. Had to use sign language, pointing at my head, my throat, etc.
I thought it would be a simple thing to ask for Vitamin C, as the Italian word is "Vitamina".
I realized afterward that the pharmacist thought I was saying, "Vitamin, Yes" (C as in Si)
A lot of shops were selling cardinal robes. We wondered if they were for real, or for people who wanted to dress up as a cardinal. Saw a lot of priests go into these shops.
PARKING !!!
It was amazing watching these drivers get out of their parking spots without hitting a car in front or behind. They did it, although watching the traffic, about 8 of every 10 cars has a big dent or scrape on the side.
Parking is at a premium in Rome. There are no underground parking lots because as soon as someone digs, 99% of the time they uncover ruins. When that happens, all digging must stop and the excavation begins. Any chunk of rock that was part of the ruins is kept. Nothing thrown away.
ORVIETO
Orvieto dates back to the 13th century.
I think this was my favorite place in all of Italy.
People live in this community.
We took a bus and then a gondola/train all the way up the hill to get there.
Had to cheat with this picture.
We arrived down the hill and couldn't get a decent picture of the whole town, so this was a postcard.
Maurizio Tower
There is a bell ringer above this clock, but supposedly the clock itself is 600 years old, so, from the 1400's. On the hour, the bell above it rings and the little man swings around. The mechanics inside have been fixed over the years, but it is the oldest "clock" in either all of Italy, or all of Europe.
SIENA
