Milan

Last day of touring yesterday. Jim and I decide to visit Milan, as getting to the italian lakes from our base here in Oleggio would take about three hours! The hotel we're staying at is about 10 minutes from Malpensa airport but is miles from anywhere else. Fortunately, the hotel's shuttle is constantly moving between the airport and our base. From Malpensa, we can catch the coach to Milan (about an hour or so's trip).

At Milan's centrale station, the metro underground takes us to the Duomo and there before us is the amazing cathedral, began in the late 1300's. The gothic spires are dazzling, and each one is topped by a statue; the highest has a gilded Madonna at its apex. Inside, the cathedral is massive; Milan's duomo is the third largest church in the world. The marble columns seem to stretch into the distance like a forest of trees. The stained glass is vibrant and lovely in an otherwise rather gloomy interior.

Close by, the Vittorio Emanuel Galleria is a collection of high-end stores, including Gucci, Furla and even Mercedes Benz, for those must-have Benz accessories! It's Fashion Week in Milan and the Galleria is busy with make-up artists, designers and models administering last minute tweaks to their collections. I feel like a dwarf next to the tall and super-skinny models and Milanese women milling about the Gallery interior.

We head out to the Castello Sforzesco, the family stronghold of the Visconti, and then Sforza families. The castello served as a defensive bulwark; against the ancient city walls it incorporated one of the Roman gates, the ancient Porta Giovia. Today, the castle houses many of the art and sculpture collections of the two families. The green park covers 47 hectares and is now a city park. There are lots of students and tourists taking a rest on the grass or on the many benches under shady trees. Its an oasis in this busy, and rather grimy city.

Lastly we visit the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a gem of a church next to the museum now housing Leonardo's Last Supper fresco. Unfortunately the fresco is not accessible without prior booking, and groups are limited to 25 people at a time. Next door, the Santa Maria delle Grazie has a beautiful cloister with formal clipped hedges; a central fountain trickles. Memorials to the Sforza family are within the church and in the cloister, and the profile of Il Moro, the "Moor" shows the strong profile of Ludovico Sforza, ruler and benefactor to Milan in the 15th Century.

Italian Riviera images

This morning we left our seafront view in Camogli (at left) to take the train to Genoa, on to Milan Centrale station, and then from the station to Milan's Malpensa airport. From there, our hotel shuttle has transported us out into the countryside in Oleggio, which is about 10km from the airport. So in all, we've spent most of today lugging suitcases on and off trains! We are now comfortable at our hotel, revelling in having Wi-Fi access again.

We found it beautiful and relaxing along the Italian Riviera; the season was just winding down after the very busy months of June, July and August. So our thoughts are May or September for an ideal holiday - good weather, less crowds and a guaranteed ocean-front restaurant table.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of days, beginning with Jim on the Cinque Terre track between the villages of Riomaggiore and Manarola. The smoothness of the path is apparent here; it really is a very comfortable walk. Along the trail, some images of a very friendly gull, and looking back to the village of Riomaggiore. It's a dream landscape, isn't it?

Cinque Terre

Last night we had dinner at a local restaurant in Camogli and the seafood was fresh and delicious. There was no english spoken so it was challenging to converse only in Italian! While waiting for our food, we were intrigued by the enlarged photo montage along one wall of the restaurant showing some of the events at Camogli over the last 60 years or so.

One photo showed a statue being raised from the seabed by ropes; two scuba divers appeared to be cleaning the figure as it was being raised. Our waitress wrote down 'Cristo degli Abissi, San Fruttuoso' which, when we Wikipedia'd, we found was the statue of Christ of the Abyss, dedicated to Italy's first scuba diver who died in the late 1940's. The statue was set on the sea floor in 1954 close the monastery we had seen the day before and is 17 metres below the surface. It was raised for cleaning in 2003, hence the photographs. A similar statue has been sunk in the Caribbean and another at Key Largo in the Florida Keys. We had seen a glass-bottomed vessel hovering near the harbour entrance the day before so it must be possible to visit the site, and the visibility must be fantastic.

Today we set off for the town of Riomaggiore, southern-most town of the Cinque Terre. Our intention was to walk the trail to Manarola, an easy 20 minute walk. The sky was blue, the sun shone and it was a marvellous walk along the track, the tiny town visible along the edge of the outcrop. Along the way we stopped for many photographs as the scenery is unbelievably lovely. Trails lead down to the water's edge and it was an ideal day for a swim - 28 degrees and no breeze whatsoever.

Unfortunately the track was closed from Manarola to Corniglia due to recent rains so we back-tracked to take another look at Riomaggiore before taking our train. A stream was roaring through the town, active even at summer's end. Grapes and terraced fields surround the cluster of town buildings and we were rather keen to taste some Ligurian wine! We did stop for lunch at a cafe near the Manarola track and I had a glass of white wine, which was cool and good so I'm hoping it was local to the area.

Tomorrow we leave for Milan for our last couple of days; we are staying at Oleggio and planning a trip into the city and also a trip to the Lakes. The italian weather is expected to continue fine and we're looking forward to warmer temps when we head home.

Camogli, San Fruttuoso, Portofino

Here we are on the Italian Riveria. We are staying right on the beachfront at Camogli, and from our windows we see the seafront promenade, with its row of shuttered villas, the shingled beach and the domed belltower of the old church. Further along the bay the port of Genoa is clearly visible; it seems enormous at night with all the city lights glittering.
Ferries take passengers along the Ligurian coast to Portofino, and further on to the Cinque Terre, the five 'lands' of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. Unpassable for most of its history, the Cinque Terre opened up to tourism in the 1980's and is now a national park and a designated 'area of outstanding natural beauty'.

The towns cluster along the rocky outcrops with spectacular walks between them along paved coastline paths. For 5 euros, you can walk the trails easily (5 hours) or with more difficulty by taking the higher and steeper option (12 hours).
Our first day, and from Camogli we take the ferry to San Fruttuoso, a tiny stretch of bay dominated by its 10th century monastery and final resting place of christian martyr Saint Fruttuoso. There are three 'hypotheses' as to why this bishop, who suffered his martyrdom in Tarragon, Spain is buried in a remote cove in the Capodimonte. The most popular theory is that the saint himself indicated where his remains should be laid, speaking to some of his disciples in a dream.
We explore the monastery. From the upper cloister, mullioned windows face out to a very blue sea just metres below. The lower church reveals excavations of medieval tombs and, in a lower cloister the more recent tombs of the Doria family, Genoese wealthy merchants who enlarged and improved the monastery and church in the 13th Century.
The tiny cove at San Fruttuoso is slowly filling up with sun-worshippers, some who have come via the many walking trails. Hikers unload their backpacks with relief, strip off to their bathers and take a swim. Many are walking with their dogs, and we watch one terrier rub himself along the shingle until he's throughly got rid of his itch, and then leap into the water with his owners.
Another ferry takes us further on to Portofino. We learn from an Italian guide that Portofino means "bay of dolphins" from the italian Porto Delfino. The water is azure and so clear we can see fish swimming just below the surface. The approach is truly beautiful, with the rose, ivory and sepia-coloured villas clustered around a harbour dotted with sailing boats and ocean cruisers. We stop for a picnic lunch and watch the ferries come and go from the jetty, it's busy but not frenetic and the pace of the town feels relaxed.

Il Campo, the moving image

Jim has been experimenting with his camera, which unlike my SLR, can take moving images. Here's Siena's Piazza del Campo. The Campo was first laid out in the 1100's on the site of the Roman forum. The turretted tower of the Palazzo Publico can be seen; this is today's civic museum and contains the Simone Martini frescoes I've written about in my post below.
Thanks Jim! (and you might see a Where's Wally moment.. didn't realise Jim was filming :-0)

Siena

A very quick trip to Siena today; three hours at most.

Time to admire the main piazza, the Campo, where the annual bareback horserace - the Palio - is held. Siena is flying the flags of the many contrade who compete in the race each year, the turtle, the unicorn, the lion and so on.

Another kind of race is taking place today, with vintage cars tooting their way through the Campo as they begin their rally. We visit the Museo Civico and admire Martini's Guidoriccio da Fogliano, Captain of the Sienese army, riding victorious against the Montemassi. The fresco stretches the entire upper wall of the room and the landscape of Siena is barren against the midnight sky. On the opposite wall Martini's Maesta of the Virgin Mary enthroned is all gilded arches and blazing blue and rose tints.

Our last stop is the amazing facade of the Duomo; carved saints, angels, animals, flowers and fruit jostle for space on the green and white marble surface. The belltower, banded in black and white and rightmost in the photo, was completed in 1313. This church is massive and impressive - as my guidebook says, Siena had defeated Florence 80 years earlier and the city was 'feeling its oats'. Siena was by now its rival's equal as a middle-class ruled republic.

Siena has a brief and sharp downpour as we head back to the main stazione and our last evening in Montepulciano. Tomorrow we travel up to the north of Italy, and the Cinque Terre for the last leg of our trip.

The Tunnels of Montepulciano

What a surprising town we have here in Montepulciano. Walking along the main Corso, many tiny shopfronts advertise wine-tasting, art, clothing and shoes for sale. Really most of them look too small to accommodate more than a handful of people, but, descend their stairways and twist and turn round some corners and you can suddenly find yourself several layers down in an Etruscan tomb.

Evidently there is a maze of these underground basements and tunnels in Montepulciano once connecting the palaces above. It does give the feeling of living on a giant anthill. Yesterday we explored the tunnels below the Pulciano wine cellar, descending past rows of wine barrels and looking through various holes in the levels to the well below; eventually we fetched up at an Etruscan tomb. And rather incredible it was, 30 feet or so below the wine cantina to look in on a cave scratched out of the stony earth and marvel at a structure made centuries before Christ.

We climbed the Palazzo Communale later in the day to take some pictures of the main square, the Piazza Grande. The view from the tower is marvellous, stretching away to Lake Trasimeno in the distance and the hazy mountains of Tuscany. It was blowing a gale up there, making me clutch on to the decrepit iron railing for support.

Feast

Yesterday we walk down to the farmer's market, which is held every Thursday close to the lower town's bus termini. Our apartment is on the via Poliziano, which runs onto the main street of Montepulciano and then takes a sharp downhill curve to the old town gate. This is where most people try and leave their cars rather than tackle the impossibly sharp, and often one-way, streets of the upper town.

Along the corso, we stop for coffee at the Cafe Poliziano, a Liberty-style cafe that maintains its late 19th century glamour with banquettes, gilt mirrors and lots of polished wood. The cafe, like most of Montepulciano, is perched on the edge of a cliff and its tiny terrace has spectacular views out over the Val d'Orcia and neighbouring hill towns.

The market is in full swing by mid-morning. There is an orderly procession of stall holders, beginning with those selling farm implements, moving on to kitchen goods (including an enormous pizza oven), clothing, shoes, table linen, detergents and soaps. Next comes the fish vans, some selling fried fish and chips as well as fresh seafood, the rotisserie vans, cheeses, meats, stalls selling porcini and other mushrooms, and finally the fruit and vegetable vendors. The air is filled with the smells of cooked meats, strong cheeses, and even stronger dried porcini mushrooms.

I get by pretty easily ordering in Italian - italian food words are somehow easier to learn and memorise than everyday words. Up the hill we trudge with a rotisseried duck, rosemary potatoes, zucchini blossoms, fresh mozzarella, peaches and far too many roma tomatoes. Several feasts.

Close to our apartment, the Crociani cellar has two white wines for sale: oaked and un-oaked Trebbiano/Chardonnay blend. Two bottles is 10 euros. So, at our sitting room table overlooking the valley we have a long lunch, watching the light change on the vineyards below.

Florence

Jim and I have been in Florence for the last two days. It's been warm, sunny and busy. I think it would be safe to visit any other major city at present and have it to yourself, because everyone is in Florence. It's heaving.

We stay at the B&B Ghiberti Guesthouse, a block from the Duomo, Baptistery and Giotto's Belltower. We're on the first floor of an old palazzo, where Ghiberti worked on his paradise doors for the Baptistery. Our room has a frescoed ceiling and looks into the courtyard of another 15th C building under restoration. We're completely soundproofed behind our glazed windows and it's rather strange to see people passing on the busy street below and hear no footfalls.

Back on the street, we walk down to the Ponte Vecchio and cross the bridge among swarms of bodies. Above the goldsmiths and silversmiths, Vasari's corridor runs from the Oltrano to the Uffizi gallery. I'm reading about the Medicis and their transformation of Florence, including the building of this corridor that would take them above the then-butchershops and fishmongers to their offices on the other side of the Arno river. Every where you look in the city, you'll see the Medici coat of arms - on buildings, on statues, on monuments. The design is even woven into our frescoed ceiling at the hotel.

We walk Florence at dusk. The piazza della Signoria is quiet, and David's statue looms up in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Along the loggia, the Donatello is gleaming, Perseus holding Medusa's head aloft. There's a flautist playing near the Uffizi, and groups of people are sitting on the steps of the loggia listening to the music.

Today we decide to visit the San Lorenzo street market, primarily to buy some leathergoods. Stalls selling handbags, belts, jackets, silk and wool scarves, jewellery, linen and sportswear line all sides of the piazza, and snake through the surrounding streets. A little further on, the Centrale food market is a wonderland of cheeses, meats, cured products, breads, fruit and flowers. Near the church of Santa Croce, we buy some artworks that are carefully wrapped between carboard sheets for the journey home. Our good intentions of visiting the Pitti Palace are waylaid as we simply run out of time. Nonetheless, we've enjoyed a mix of sightseeing and shopping and are now back in Montepulciano, nursing our sore feet and tired bodies. Tomorrow is market day here and we're curious to visit an Italian farmer's market. We hear this market is one of the best produce markets in Tuscany.

Pienza, San Quirico, Montechiello

Today we travel in a circle, leaving Montepulciano with the hills still shrouded in early mist, to make our way to Pienza. Pienza pays homage to local-boy-turned Pope, Pius II, who in 1458 began to rebuild the city in his honour. Pius only got as far as the piazza before the papal coffers ran out, building a magnificent church on one side, a palace for himself, a palace for the bishop, and a palace for the government. Pius died in 1464, and Pienza left the church as it was and largely as it appears today. Built right on top of a cliff edge, the church is beginning to show subsidence as you can see large cracks in the side walls, and through the altar floor, where it threatens to slide off the edge.

Pienza showcases pecorino cheese, with dozens of small enotecas and delicatessens offering fresh, semi-aged and aged varieties. Shelves are absolutely stacked with whole cheeses, cheeses wrapped in vine leaves, cheeses infused with truffles. We buy some aged, and semi-aged cheese to have later with wine.

Driving on from Pienza, we reach San Quirico d'Orcia by midday - an immaculate honey-toned hill town with two bleached 13th C churches. San Quirico is absolately bursting with greenery, vines winding in and around doorways, enormous terracotta pots of perennials and herbs. We stop by a medieval church front to admire two stone lions supporting the entrance doors; they're worn almost smooth over time and have a fantastic patina of age.

On to Montechiello, high up on the oak woods around southern Tuscany. Montechiello is still at lunch, and we are flagging after climbing yet another steep slope to reach the upper town. We're back in Montepulciano by mid-afternoon just before the thunderstorm begins. The rain is so heavy that our view of the valley below is completely obscured. Thunder rumbles around the bowl of the valley and lightning flashes very close. As I write this, the storm is over, the stars are out again and the street below us is shining from the rain.

Montepulciano

We are floating on a sea of wine, 605 metres above sea level.

Bottles of Nobile di Montepulciano, the premium red of the district, appear in almost every window, or at every shopfront. It's a winelover's paradise, and combined with the beautiful renaissance and medieval architecture of the town, the sunny blue skies and the lazy pace we find ourselves relaxing almost immediately. I say almost immediately, as driving through the historic centre, with its tiny lanes and hairpin bends is enough to scare the lights out of both of us. I'm in the passenger seat and I'm nearly as keyed up as Jim, who navigates our car through some impossible-looking turns. The GPS is not being helpful, suggesting we go down yet another impassable street to reach our apartment on the Via del Poliziano. Eventually we turn back and try another approach to the town, much easier this time and park the car with relief. Giacomo, who owns the apartments is very happy to see us, and we are very happy to see him.

It is lovely here. Montepulciano became part of the Medici empire in the 16th century and there are many palaces, important civic buildings and renaissance artworks. It caters to tourists, but it still has a feeling of living slow. Our windows look out over vineyards and distant hill towns. The valleys are green and sepia with many villas and farmhouses, their approaches lined with dark green cypresses. Far away to our left we can see Lake Trasimeno, the largest stretch of water in Umbria. Below us, an avenue of lime trees leads to the tiny church of Santa Maria.

Via del Poliziano becomes the main street of the town. It's not cobbled (hooray) but faced with large blocks of stone and the buildings are honey-coloured. Giacomo tells us many Romans have their retreats here to escape the summer heat and we can believe it. It's several degrees cooler than Rome.

Today we visit the early market in the main Piazza. Facing us, the Palazzo Comunale, with its crenellated tower is a smaller-scale copy of Florence's Palazzo Vecchio. The local artisans have some beautiful items for sale, including papergoods, crafted silver and textiles. Later on this week, Montepulciano has its farmer's market in the lower town and our host tells us it is the best market in southern Tuscany. Aside from wine, the district is famous for pecorino cheese, cured meats, honey and olive oil and the thin hand-rolled pasta, called pici.

Below the town, the church of San Biagio is lively with local townspeople, celebrating the festival of their contrade. Contrades are local districts within villages, and each has it's own banner, or palia. The blue and yellow flags of the Montepulciano contrade are flying. There's a group in mediaeval costume in front of the church, and local kids kick a soccer ball in and out amongst all the ceremony. A huge fire is being stoked for a late lunch of grilled meats, and there are a group of women making pasta at tables in the church hall.

We have lunch at la Grotta, facing San Biagio, and sitting in the shady courtyard the dome of the church is almost overhead. Service is attentive and very courteous, with many complimentary tastes of wine and food. We finish with a selection of fresh and aged pecorino and goats cheeses, served with pears, local honey and pinenuts. Absolutely satisfied, we begin the steep climb back up towards the town, the only people out walking in the mid-afternoon heat. Most shutters are tightly closed as people take their siesta.

Ciao Roma

Yesterday we packed up our belongings (two cases have magically expanded to three), had a final coffee and cornetto in the Campo and took a taxi to the Termini, Rome's main railway station, for our trip to Montepulciano. A final look at Rome, then, through the eyes of a local graffiti artist. History, modernity, satire - don't you love it?

Der Pallaro, and Castel San'Angelo

Right outside our apartment, on the Via dei Chiavari, the lane deviates into a tiny piazza called the Largo Pallaro. The square is always packed with scooters and cars but on the edge is a restaurant called Der Pallaro. It has a reputation as a good, cheap eat and there's no menu - the italian cook decides on what you'll have for dinner.

Last night we have drinks in, as we have a good selection of wine and bar-snacks on hand. With the tall windows open in both the sitting room and bedroom, the usual babble of voices, scooter engines and snatches of music drift on up. About 8-ish, which is considered early for dinner by italian-standards, we wander on over to find a table. The place is absolutely packed, with no tables free outside. We obviously look a little crestfallen, as the cook appears, grabs us by the hand and literally tugs us past the open kitchen and through a series of rooms to the one remaining table in the furtherest corner of the restaurant. We're squeezed in beside an american tour group, who are debating on getting taxis back to their lodgings rather than walk the hour or so. In hindsight this is not surprising, as by the time we've struggled through the four-course menu we can hardly move ourselves.

First, a jug of red wine and a bottle of mineral water appears. Then antipasti. Then two types of pasta. Next roast veal, potatoes, mixed salad. Finally, homemade torta. We eat perhaps half of everything. The bill is 50 euros, all up (about $75). Amazing value for Rome.

Late breakfast today as a result, standing at the bar on the Via dei Gubbionari, located 400 metres or so down our street. I've been finding the cafe 'normale' to be incredibly strong, so try for a caffe lungo ("long" coffee, ie more water). I think perhaps 15 ml of water is added to the usual expresso. Oh well, the caffeine will keep me going. Somewhere between an Italian coffee and an Australian one would be perfect.

We're doing our last shop today at the Campo. Tonight we plan to have tagliatelle with fresh porcini mushrooms and we buy some perfect specimens from one of the many market stalls; the owner tucks in some fresh parsley so they'll be perfect cooked in butter, tossed with the pasta with some oil and parmesan. Yum yum.

A quick stop to drop off these goodies and we head along the Via Guilia, which is where I want my Rome apartment. We peer in at the back of the Villa Farnese at the most perfect italianate garden; raked gravel paths, immaculate lawns, orange trees in tubs. All the way along the Via Guilia, which runs parallel to the Tiber, there are glimpses into beautiful leafy courtyards and they are such oases on hot days like this one.

Our last Rome historic site this trip is the Castel San'Angelo, designed as Hadrian's mausoleum and used in the middle ages as a castle, prison and papal hideout. Archangel Michael sheaths his sword at the top, signifying the end of the plague. The climb up winds us through courtyards, frescoed rooms and maze-like passages. Up at the top, we can look out over Rome and see the Vatican, our neighbourhood church of San'Andrea delle Valle, and far away, the hills surrounding Rome. It's all shimmering in the heat, another perfect day in Rome.

Evil Shoes

The cobblestones have been waging a war on my feet the last few days. Before I left, I eagerly planned a wardrobe of floaty summer dresses and skirts, selecting some favourite shoes to go with them to add much-needed height to my 5'3" frame.

Day one was ok, and even day two.

By day three, I had taken to lagging along behind Jim, whimpering to no-one in particular. I got excited every time I spied a Farmacia, hobbling in to buy more sticking plasters, heel-guards and gel inserts.

Day four (yesterday) I was walking on my blisters and where possible, on the sides of my feet. Eventually I gave in and bought a pair of flat, cork-soled slip-on shoes. I'm absolutely in awe of Italian women, who manage the cobblestones with ease. Do they have leather soles on their feet?

Buon Compleanno, Jim!

Today (Wednesday) is Jim's birthday. Usually Jim claims the whole week but has agreed to economize this year and limit official celebrations to a single day.

In order to make this, then, a day to remember, we start off with caffe latte and cornetti in the Piazza Farnese. We sit outside looking on to the Farnese Palace surrounded by other travellers taking a leisurely breakfast. Inside, crammed at the bar are the local Italians having their coffee and pastries on the go.

A little lane connects the Piazza Farnese to the Campo dei Fiori square and the market is in full swing by 9am. Predominantly the market sells fresh produce, including the most delectable peaches, nectarines and berries. Peaches are 1 euro 50 per kilo - just a little over $2 - and they are perfumed and delicious. We've bought them every day so far and they are addictive. Also in season are fresh porcini mushrooms. I'm thinking of my foodie partner-in-crime, Roz, as we walk past a stall with these mushrooms piled high. I think we could do a great risotto with these, or maybe a frittata? Definitely on the shopping list before we leave Rome. At home, we can buy dried porcini, and they do add some oomph to italian dishes but I suspect, like most fresh produce, the taste is much better.

A quick stop at our apartment to drop off the shopping. We have 74 very steep marble steps up to our third-floor flat (74 stairs = 1 gelato) and I remember at the end of my stay last year my quadriceps were like iron. Today we're still trying not to gasp as we reach our front door.

We need to get to Rome's termini today to buy our tickets to Chiusi, the etruscan town in Tuscany where we'll pick up our hire car on Saturday. After lunch at an outdoor trattoria halfway down the hill and bit of shopping on the way (separate gloat entry to follow) we head back home for a late siesta. As we pay for lunch we get asked the inevitable "Where are you from" question ('You're from Perth? I have a cousin/uncle/aunt/brother in Perth!') we find that our waiter actually does have a grandfather who lives in the Dandenongs. He can't believe, like many italians, that we are crazy enough to spend 20 hours in the air to get to Italy.

We get back just before the storm begins. It's been sultry weather all day, and a low rumble and sheet lightning begins just minutes after we reach the flat. The downpour is spectacular, and sitting at the long windows in the bedroom we watch the water teem off the roofs opposite. Afterwards, the sky is quite eerie and lights up the terracotta and sepia buildings with a red/orange glow.

Before we left on our trip Jim was very definite on having his birthday dinner in the Pantheon square. Tonight also, the Altar of Peace is lit for the last time in the 2010 Festival season, with lasers to show how the marble was originally coloured 2,000 years ago. Our plan is to have dinner looking out over the facade of the equally ancient rotunda, and then head up the Corso to the Altar to see, what we hope, will be a spectacular view of the huge marble structure dedicated to the emperor Augustus' successful campains against the barbarians abroad.

The Pantheon is gently glowing in the evening light, as are all the surrounding buildings, and even the central fountain. We have an outside table on the square and both sit looking out over one of the most beautiful piazzas in Rome. Dinner is huge bistecca, medium-rare, and a bottle of red vino Nobile.

The Ara Pacis can be seen dazzling away as we approach along the Tiber. Originally sited on the Field of Mars, a little to the north of where it now stands, it had lain buried under the mud and silt of the Tiber floods for nearly 1,600 years, until various fragments were excavated. Mussoli gathered together the scattered parts and reassembled the Altar in 1938. Now, the monument is housed in a controversial glass cube, the first modern building in Rome's historic center since the 1930's.

At 11pm people are still trickling in to admire the structure. You can see the scale in one of the photos above. Along the sides the frieze depicts triumphal processions, and the figure of Augustus can be seen, half-damaged where the marble fragments have been lost, halfway along the line of priests, dignitaries and members of his family. A little further on, Marcus Agrippa, soldier, engineer of Rome's aquaducts, and son-in-law to Augustus, can be seen with his priest's cowl over his head.

The layers of Rome

Today's been another scorcher - around 30 degrees, patchy clouds/sun and very little breeze. Rome is sweltering. The gelaterie are doing a roaring trade, as are the fruit vendors and the mobile food stands - not only in mineral water, but also brightly coloured parasols and straw fedoras. The modern-day gladiators are wearing shorts under their armour, and they're sweating profusely. There's hardly a blade of grass on the parks surrounding the Forum, and as we head up the Campidoglio, Michelangelo's beautiful square on the Capitoline Hill, we can look down on the Forum and see a few figures plodding among the ruins. It looks much more appealing up above the Forum, on the Palatine Hill, where Rome's great senators built their houses and where Rome's founders, Romulus and Remus supposedly camped. It cool and green up there and surprisingly empty.

Today, though, we are heading to San Clemente, the three-level church that is behind and a little uphill from the Colosseum on the Via Labicana. On the way down the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the street that runs from the Forum to the Colosseum, there are several living "statues", motionless in the blazing heat. I see a gold-wrapped Tutenkhamen - he was there last year when I walked the same road. We get beckoned by a statue painted in white greasepaint, wearing a white robe and strings of pearls. He shakes hands very theatrically with us, and we're still holding hands with him as we take photographs.
Although much of ancient Rome is buried under the layers of the modern city, there are still sites with access to the temples, houses, tombs and public buildings of the early Romans. One of these is San Clemente. In the1850's the Irish Dominican monks began to excavate the foundations of their church, expecting to find some remains of an early building underneath. They found two structures - the early 4th century church, still following the exact outline of the church above, and below this 4th C building, earlier pagan and Roman domestic building of the first century. So, 60 feet below modern Rome, you can contemplate a Roman courtyard, giving on to a series of rooms with herringbone brick floors, domed ceilings and central openings to let in the air and light. A corridor runs along the outer wall of the courtyard, and next to this is the pagan temple of Mithras. A smallish room with stone benches contains a central carved altar, with a relief of the god Mithras wresting the bull, his foot crushing the serpent below. At this level, the Roman springwater from a subterranean stream rushes on by, louder in places where grills expose the water foaming on below.

Back on ground level again, we head back along the V. Fori Imperali to the Piazza Venezia, today humming with crowds and parading soldiers - something big is happening. As we head down the Via Vittorio Emanuel, we see TV cameras and even more police holding up the pedestrian traffic around the Berlusconi residence. Looks like a visiting dignitary might be about to arrive, but the evening news might tell us more. For now, we head back for a late lunch in the Navona district - and ideal time to be lingering over a salad and wine while the commercial sites close down for the siesta.

Rome is where the heart is

My heart is singing.

Here we are back in Rome. And day one has been a mixture of activity and rest, with a prior late night arrival at Fiumicino, lllooonnnnnggggg wait to get Jim through the non-EU arrivals line, even longer wait for luggage. We eventually find our driver patiently holding a "Mr Lloyd" sign; he's been standing looking out for us for a couple of hours due to delays in leaving Dubai (diagnosed fuel line leak into the rear engine, plane sitting on the tarmac in a 41-degree heat, faulty air-conditioning and can it get any worse). He zips us into Rome past the Pyramid of Caius Cestius, praetor 1st century BC, and gives us a whistlestop commentary via the Piazza Venezia, into the Campo district and onto our apartment in the Center. Jinkie, who I met last year when I stayed a month, meets us and hands over the keys. She is clearly relieved to see us after wondering if we were ever going to arrive. We dump our luggage and head out again for gelati. The Campo is alive with college kids and most of the outdoor cafes tables are filled. And its hot, hot enough for the lightest of summer clothes.

By the time we're walking our gelati around Rome, we've been awake for 24 hours.

Today we wake to the bells of our surrounding churches, the Sant' Andrea pealing closest. We count to eight which means we've had our regulation hours. I ponder the meaning of the various bell peals, as we hear a series of notes before the eight tolls. With the shutters open the sun is blazing overhead and street noises drift on up from the Via dei Chiavari; vespas buzz away and patrons from the bakery shout and laugh . Opposite at eye level we can see the Grotta Pinta curving the ancient line of Pompey's theatre.

Outside, its all ochre and gold and terracotta roofs and sunlight. We have early coffee at a table on the Piazza Farnese, opposite the austerely beautiful Farnese Palace and I sit and soak it all up while Jim goes off into the adjacent Campo to buy some provisions. I'm still sitting, wishing I had a sketchblock and HB, when he returns with peaches, prosciutto and cheese. Which we stow back at our apartment, along with some prosecco and red wine. Lunch is all of these, plus some fresh pesto and olives from the Salumeria on the corner.