I love Rome, so a stop there on the way home to Australia is a delightful necessity. I always stay at the Hotel Julia beside the Quirinale. They know me there and it is lovely to be greeted by familiar faces.
The hotel is very central, so I left my bags and headed off to pound the cobble stone streets of Rome….with an umbrella…..the rain followed me from Florence.
It was a public holiday and I have never seen so many people in the city. I thought it might have been quiet, but most of the shops were open and the streets were crowded with wet sightseers.
I trudged on anyway, and the sun came out occasionally.
These street performers were very amusing. They look as though they are just resting, but if you put money in their box, they rallied and performed just a little.
There was a smaller group around the corner, doing the same thing.
I was most impressed with this tie in the Etro window in Via Babuino.
Have you seen the delightful Fountain of the Bees at the start of Via Veneto? It is gorgeous….I will go back in daylight next time I am in Rome for some better photos. It was originally built into the corner of Palazzo Soderini in 1643, but moved to its present position in 1915.
The magnificent Triton fountain also has bees at its base…they were the symbol of the Barberini family.
The Piazza del Popolo is a good place to end my little visit to Rome.
See you in January.
I have just spent the day in Helsinki…..take a look at my Beautiful Helsinki blog to see my cold, damp day there. ( There is a link on the right side of the page)