myverysketchylife

Well, I’m really on holiday now. In Roma! Where else in the world can you walk out on the street, look across the bridge and see this…

Everywhere you look it is history come to life. Art, architecture, traffic, crowds, cafes – the energy is incredible. I can hardly walk in a straight line with so much to see.

But map in hand, I take off for Piazza Navona. It looked to be the easiest thing to get to from where I am and something I can visit that is not a paid sight. It is just a very famous square.

I immediately get turned around but I’m not worried. I know I’m headed in the right general direction. And soon I see a sign that confirms it. That boosts my confidence a bit. But I didn’t realize until I downloaded this photo later where I made my mistake. See the arrow for Navona pointing to the right? In my excitement, all I saw was the arrow ABOVE it and I went straight…

Oh well, par for the course. I ended up stopping and asking where I was again and had to adjust course. I get in a lot of walking that way!

Eventually I came out right in the middle of Piazza Navona and what a surprise! Can you imagine walking up on this…

Bernini’s Four Rivers Fountain depicts four burly river gods who represent the four continents that were known in his day – 1650. Absolutely magnificent…

The square is filled with more artists and entertainers than you’ve ever seen in one place – a perfect location for some people-watching. So I found a front row seat in a cafe and got a half bottle of white wine. I decided not to eat here – even a bowl of soup is 12 euro! So time to just sit and take in the view for a while. Fantastico!

yes he’s a real man…

always some music…

lots of art…

From there I walked to Campo Fiori, another neighborhood, and got turned around again. But I just kept stopping and asking shop owners to tell me where I was on the map. Sometimes it was surprising to see how far I had gone in the wrong direction, but it is a nice tour! And eventually I stopped to eat and take my advil. By then it was dark and there was a full moon. Here’s a few shots of the walk back to the room…

magnificent bridge entrance

so many birds!

full moon in Roma

bellisimo

I did make my way back to the room. I was amazed at myself, walking the streets of Rome alone at night, but there were plenty of people around and I was back by 9pm. Amazing first day in Rome. And it’s only the beginning…