Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Postcards from Roma

@brittarnhild

   

 

Festa della Repubblica

@brittarnhild

Vi begynte å ane det allerede i går kveld, da vi gikk litt rundt i området nede ved Colosseum etter at vi hadde spist middag, at noe var på gang. Og så skjønte vi det da vi gikk gjennom samme området i dag tidlig. Det er jo Italias nasjonaldag i dag, Festa delle Repubblica.

Vårt mål var den kommunale rosehagen, Roseto Communale, ikke langt fra Circo Massimo. Dermed måtte vi gjennom området hvor nasjonaldagsfeiringen skulle foregå, noe som viste seg å by på utfordringen. Her var det nemlig satt opp mengder av sperringer og det var tett med folk over alt.

I Norge består nasjonaldagsfeiringen av barn og bunader og is og ballonger. I Italia er det landets militær som viser seg fram.

     

Via en lang omvei kom vi oss endelig fram til rosehagen. Jeg har vært der flere ganger, men aldri akkurat på denne tiden av året, når roseblomstringen virkelig er på sitt mest fantastiske. Roser i alle varianter, farger og dufter.

Vi slapp forresten ikke helt unna militærfeiringen her heller, med fly i formasjon og fargene til det italienske flagget som fløy over Palatinhøyden.

     

På Capri hadde jeg "oppdaget" pinsa, en type pizza som er en slags mellomting av focaccia og pizza. Virkelig en pizza etter min smak, og da vi kom til Trastevere og oppdaget at Enoteca Trastevere hadde pinsa på menyen var valget av lunsjrestaurant lett.

På vei fra Trastevere bort til Peterskirken gikk vi forbi Gallerie Nazionali di Arte, et flott palass i enden av den botaniske hagen i Roma. Utenfor hang plakaten om utstillingen Rara Herbaria, og føttene mine tok meg automatisk inn i palasset.

Nå viste det seg at akkurat denne utstillingen var stengt denne dagen, men resten av nasjonalgalleriet var åpent, så vi gikk inn og fylte sinn og sanser med vakker kunst.

Jeg visste forresten ikke at engler sloss!

 

Bones, turtles and breastfeeding wolves

@brittarnhild

We both know Rome quite well from precious visits, and we both agreed not to make any big plans for our days in Rome this time, just let the days unfold. And we wanted to walk around, no buses, no tubes, no taxis, just our feets.

Starting from our hotel after breakfast we walked up to Piazza Berberini where we had the days first cappuccino, and then continued up to Il Convento dei Cappuccini and the Cemetery of the Cappuccini. I took no pictures there, but if you have been there you know what an amazing place it is, if you have not, well, you really should go!

The park surrounding Villa Borghese was not far away, so there we went, with lunch in our backpacks, to eat outdoors. And as we have done before, we wanted to hire a rowing boat and go out on the tiny lake. Hot for Terje on the oars, perfect for me with an umbrella to keep the sun away. It looked like to turtles love the heath.

More walking on our way back to the hotel, and more walking and more walking. Shooting pictures of well known statues and sights, sitting down with something to drink, walk more and so on.

And then a long, relaxing afternoon in the hotel garden, or actually the monastery garden, since we stay in a tiny monastery, Il Rosario. With books, and my crocheting project,

before walking down to a nearby trattoria (which we know from previous visits) to have dinner.
And then some more walking.

 

Goodbye Capri, hello Roma

@brittarnhild

Time has run fast these days on Capri, and they have been filled to the brim with an exciting program. Now the last day is here and we have to say goodbye to the most amazing apartment we have been staying in, and where we hardy have had time to be. After breakfast I walk around shooting photos.

As I have already in a previous post, we are a group of 14 old friends enjoying Capri these days. Some had to leave early this morning, to move on, some will stay the day. Terje and I will catch a boat over to Napoli in a few hours. Just time enough for a cappuccino on the piazza and a visit to Capri Anfora where they have a colourful collection of ceramics decorated with lemons. Of course a souvenir had to come with me home.

Over at Napoli harbour we took a taxi to the train station, and then a train up to Roma.
Here I am, crocheting on a granny square blanket which is following me all through Italy these weeks. If you follow me on @brittarnhildskreativeverden on instagram, you'll know all about it.

We still had "most of the day" to spend when we arrived in Roma. We walked down to Il Rosary, a B&B monastery where we always stay when we are in Rome. Left our luggage there and walked out out into the eternal city.

First stop, cappuccino in one of the cafés near Pantheon.

Then over to Piazza Navona, ending up having dinner in one of the backstreets of the piazza.

 

Always on the lookout

@brittarnhild

As we were walking around in Rome, just as when I am walking around anywhere else, I am always curious to see what I find around the next corners, street artist, hidden corners, small gems.......you name it.

We were on our way to Trastevere, just reaching one of the bridges over the river Tiber, when we met this Peruvian woman, selling nativity sets from her homeland.

Unfortunately she spoke no English, only enough to tell me the prize of the different cribs. But that was enough for me to buy one :-)

Another day we met this man. He was making butterflies, critters and other small animals, simply by folding long, slim palm leaves.

I bought a grasshopper. Terje was sure it would not make it back to Norway, but it did, and is now hanging in my kitchen window, side by side with dried herbs from Santa Maria, my retreat center in Tuscany.

 

Near the entrance to the botanical garden in Rome we came across an open door. I could not resist peeking in, an soon we found ourselves visiting two different workshops, connected with an open door between them.

In the first room a man was doing mosaic. Putting tiny pieces of stone together to make amazing art.

The artists, a man and a woman, let is walk around, taking pictures, and I also took a video in snap. Good memories to have.

 What a patience!

In the room next door the woman was making beautiful pieces og porcelain.

We did not buy any mosaic, but in here I could not let this little while bowl go. Now it has found a new home here in the House in the Woods.

While the woman wrapped our new piece of art, there was time for more looking around, more  pictures.

 

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In my blogworld today:
(as always it will be updated throughout the day)

Britt Arnhilds dagboksblader, my online journal

Akeleiehagen, my garden journal

 

 

The Rosary Garden

@brittarnhild

In the heart of Rome, a couple of blocks away from Colosseum is a garden. A beautiful, quiet little garden, filled with lemon trees, roses, palms and other plants.

Virgin Mary, Maria is her name both in Italian and in Norwegian, greets you in to this sanctuary.

A well in the wall waters the late blooming red roses, helping them to cover the garden in their fragrance.

The garden belongs to Il Rosario, The Rosary, a dominican convent in Rome. A convent and a guesthouse.

Il Rosario is my favourite place to stay in Rome.

Here is the address to Il Rosario´s webpage

By the way, Il Rosario also has a roof terrace, with an amazing view :-)

 

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Ny posts in my blog world today:
(will be updated)

Fløy en liten blåfugl, my birding blog

Britt Arnhlds naturdagbok, my nature notes

 

 

La Traviata

@brittarnhild

I love opera. Simply love it! And when I discovered that La Traviata was to be performed on our last night in Rome, in All Saints Anglican Church, not far from Piazza del Popolo, well, I had to buy two tickets, didn´t I?

La Traviata one of the first operas I saw. The tale based on Alexandre Dumas´The Lady of Camellies. Romance, extravagance, love and of course, in the end, death. Everything you need to make the night complete.

Opera in a church is quite different from opera in an opera house. A handful musicians, the interior of the church part of the setting, close to the conducter, the musicians and the singers.

You don´t get the grand feeling of a huge concert house, but you get something else, you get to be part of the plot.......almost. And Verdi´s music is perfect to feel part of.

 

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My blog world today:

Britt-Arnhilds dagboksblader, where I now finally write out the complete travel tale of our travel. Day one is up.

Britt-Arnhild´s samlede, a new post in my collections blog

Med bøker på menyen, my reading journal

 

What to bring home? Food of course

@brittarnhild

The perfect souvenirs to bring home, food of course. We are in the food market not far from Termini, Nuovo Mercato Esquilino. A paradise for lovers of Italian food.

We have a lot of space in our suitcases this time, and can bring homer more or less all what we want. Not fresh meat, fish or seafood of course, but so much else.

I buy a bag of these garlics. I plan to plant a few of them and see if I can make them grow in our garden. 

I buy pepper and other spices,

I buy cheese and salami and parma ham,

and when Terje pays, I photograph citrus fruits.......everywhere.

 

Slow morning in Parco Borghese, Roma

@brittarnhild

Yesterday we had breakfast in St. Moritz in Switzerland, then a ride with the Bernina Express to Tirano just across the border to Italy. We shared a pizza in a beautiful garden restaurant across the train station, and then bordered the train from Tirano to Milan. In Milan we had half an hour, enough to board a third train, this time from Milan to Rome. In Rome we checked in at Il Rosario, a dominican monastery where I have stayed several times before, went out to have lasagne, and home to the monastery bed, where we slept like angels.......do angels sleep?

Today we spent a slow morning up in Parco Borghese. You can climb the park from the Spanish Steps, or like we did, from Piazza Popolo.

A slow morning meant rowing on the lake with Terje, sitting down listening to harp music,

strolling around, enjoying birds, turtles and flowers.

This time we are in Rome for a very special reason, which I will tell you more about later. May be already tomorrow night.

 

The treasures of the church

@brittarnhild

We arrived in Rome just in time for lunch and a table was booked for the 19 of us in a small, charming trattoria. Pasta in a lot of different ways seemed tp be the choice of the group, and as soon as we had finished our Italian coffees afterwards, it was time for sightseeing. Some in the group has never been here before, others know the city well.

 

The goal for our first day was to visit the main churches S. Giovanni in Laterano and S. Maria Maggiore, starting with the Lateran Baptistery. Well known churches to me, but I have never been there with a guide. One of my colleages has lived in Rome for a while and knows the city and its history well. He took us along, making history and art come alive.

Tomorrow morning one of my colleages and I will talk about the church today and at one point I will focus on the treasures of the church. What are our church´s treasures?

Churches filled with amazing gold mosaics?
Or the beggar rihgt outside the door?