Two coins in a fountain

The Gilmore Girls is on TV dubbed in Italian...in the original they talk

really fast, in Italian it is supersonic.

Today we went to the Capitoline museums - stunning and it isn't even up there in the top 5 or so. We have realised a week isn't nearly enough to see "everything". The object is to enjoy what we see, which isn't difficult. After that we checked out the Pantheon - stunning (again). As one of my students once said, "You gotta give it to them Romans – they knew how to get it done". 

The philosopher, soldier and emperor, Marcus Aurelius is here seen posing with his horse and an apparently overweight fan. I swear the money belt makes me look fat. (Well, I'll exercise when I get home.)

The delight was the gallery of the Doria Pamphylli. The family has inhabited this spectacular palace in the middle of one of Rome's main drags ever since an uncle got himself chosen as Pope Innocent X. (The gallery includes Velasquez's famous portrait of that Pope - he looks about as innocent as a mafia don.) The Doria have been decorating and collecting ever since. A lot of the art looks pretty ho hum now - but there are some stunning things. The audio guide by the latest Prince Doria Pamphylli is pure Oxbridge, which makes sense because since the 1830s the princes have been marrying Englishwomen. The whole experience was pretty wonderful, and, special bonus, not crowded.

Palazzo Doria Pamphili

A typically understated room in the palace

Not so innocent Innocent

After wine and naps we did the Trevi Fountain/ Spanish Steps thing. Wherever Audrey Hepburn or John Keats went in this city it is packed. We threw the coins, took the photos and braved the buses.

She'll be back.

So will he.

 

So will all these people...

(We also checked out the nearby fashionable shopping streets. The shops looked gorgeous and were staffed by gorgeous young Italians with schmick suits who looked as if they knew they were part of the show.)

Now that's a shop!

I have to say that this city has more police on its streets than you could imagine. There are endless sirens, and many interesting uniforms. Law and order is less apparent... I think everybody likes it that way.

Both Italian parking and a shop we found selling priests vestments and church doodads intrigued Lyn. (Surely this stuff is supplied free?!/;$@&).

We saw this sort of thing everywhere.

 

Not supplied?

After dinner at our local trattoria we are home relaxing.