In Rome

October 16, 2024

A city built for sensible shoes

Today was a day full of walking and seeing more of Rome. Many of the city`s roads are built with a surface of small square rocks providing a cobblestone like, uneven surface. The sidewalks, although they are asphalt paved, can also require tricky footing too. As we walk the streets we must continually be aware of the surface and be sure footed. Rarely do we see any ladies with high heels!

We started the day by exploring the Jewish quarter and then crossed the Tavere river into a neighborhood tucked into a bow of the river known as Trastevere. It is a popular place to stay in Rome with piazzas, narrow streets as well as many unique shops and restaurants. Many people suggest it is the best area to stay. It is easy to see why. We enjoyed our time there and had a nice lunch at a restaurant with tables lining the roadway.

We see a number of organized cycle tours but few dedicated marked cycle lanes. Rome does not appear overly cycle friendly.

We walked past many properties with high walls and wonder what is behind the curtain?. As walked pass this one, the doors opened to a park like setting.

We found this archeological park interesting. It is a place where old structural building parts are randomly stored when they are discovered during city construction.

The remains of the Portico d'Ottavia complex in the Jewish quarter.

A closer look at the rear roof line of the Portico d'Ottavia shows a range of materials with some of the materials being secured with straps.

A street in the Jewish ghetto. The street surface is very common.

Street cafes are great places to stop and have a coffee to watch the passersby.

A very sad remembrance plaque on a synagogue in the Jewish quarter.

Ponte Palantino crossing the Tevere intoTrastevere. One section of the 2200 year old historical bridge still remains.

Restaurant delivery man. The cargo bike is a perfect way to get around the narrow streets.

His tattoos show that he is committed to his work.

Upon returning to our hotel we checked the weather forecasts. It appeared that our first two days of planned riding may have some rain. Rather than chance it, we decided to skip the initial ride down south and instead we will take a train directly from Rome to the Adriatic to begin our ride. We walked to the train station and bought two tickets to Barletta. From there we checked off another Rome sight - the Spanish steps -and then found a nearby restaurant for dinner. By the time we finished our day we had walked over 32K steps totalling 19.3 KMs.

The top section of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

We walked down the Spanish steps. So much easier. It is quite a popular piazza.

Selling chestnuts at the foot of the Spanish steps.

A late night view of the colosseum from our roof top deck.

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Patrick O'HaraLooking forward to following along. Ah...we look forward to travelling during the off season!
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