In Rome: Carpe Diem (soleggiato)

November 2, 2021

Tempos fugit, tempos fugit, our high school Latin teacher would call out as the bell rang and we hurried to take our seats. That, Carpe Diem, and “Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres“ are about all that remains of my Latin memories. I never was that great with languages.

Yesterday was rainy, tomorrow looks to be as well, but today is beautiful. Carpe Diem! We could wander around the city collecting photos of ancient sights, but we’re here in Italy on a bike tour, not an urban ramble. The Eternal City can wait a bit while we test out the Pista Ciclabile along the Tiber River.

I’ll come back and say more when we’re back in rainy Portland, but for now we’re going to keep seizing the few Italian days we have remaining. Oh, and don’t forget to watch today’s video. Rocky insists.

Video sound track: Arrividerci Roma, by Valerio Zamboni

Our ride begins with a traverse of the broad, elegant green space of the Villa Borghese gardens. A beautiful space, which will draw us back to visit on foot tomorrow.

Details from the entryway to the zoological gardens.

And here’s some modern art now! I wish now that I’d taken the time to bike across the street to at least get its name.

On the Tiber cycle path. There are rough spots here and there, but for the most part it’s like this for about fifteen miles.

Some houseboats on a slack stretch of the Tiber.

We’re constantly passing bridges as we bike along the Tiber. This one, Ponte Giacomo Matteotti, is fairly modern, built in the 1920’s.

The striking pedestrian-only Music Bridge crosses the Tiber opposite the Olympic Village. Built in 2011, its design looks like it was inspired by the Spanish architect Calatrava.

There are about a dozen of these decorative arbors crossing the path in the countryside north of town.

About seven miles into the ride we start seeing agricultural activity along the river.

Looking across the small pond in the Parco di Tor di Quinto where we stopped for lunch on our way back to the city. If you stare hard enough, you’ll see a long, lumpy reef or log in about the center of the lake. Curious.

We’ve been passing hooded crows in the fields beside us for nearly a month, so common that I haven’t bothered to stop for a photo. This one stayed close by while we ate lunch though, and immediately colonized our bench as soon as we left looking for scraps.

On the Ponte Milvio. The bridge has undergone many renovations and reconstructions since the original was built in 206 BC.

On the romantic, pedestrian Ponte Milvio. This is the spot at which the ‘love lock’ tradition supposedly originated. A few cables along the bridge are completely covered with a dense collection of thousands of padlocks, but affixing them to the bridge itself or it’s lampposts is now illegal.

On the east side of Ponte Milvio we took a brief circuit through the gardens of Villa Glori before returning to the river.

Ponte Sisto is another replacement for an ancient Roman bridge. The current one is old enough though, built in the1400’s. The circular hole through the bridge was intended to allow flood waters to pass through and lessen risk of destruction.

Seems like the right spot to turn back. The path continues on the other side of this catastrophe, if we could figure out how to get there.

We cross back across at this point, over the small island Isola Tiburina. On this side is the reconstructed Ponte Cestio.

And on the other side of the island is the Ponte Fabricio. Built in 62 BC, it is the oldest bridge in Rome.

South of the Fabricio Bridge is the elegant tower of the 7th century Basilica of San Giorgio in Velabro.

I forget where this is. I recognize that biker though, so that’s something.

I don’t know where this is either, but Rome is like that - something astounding everywhere you look. I liked this especially for the light effects, which were as you see. The photo is unmodified except for cropping.

The Vittoriano, the monument of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of unified Italy.

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Ride stats today: 36 miles, 900’; for the tour: 2,645 miles, 98,800‘

Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 2,645 miles (4,257 km)

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Tricia GrahamI just love that video Rachel the best you have made. I hope you find the Ice-cream Factory never have I tasted such gelato. It is not far from the main railway station
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3 years ago