Day 98...When in Rome... - 2nd October

The first half of today was an absolute mission! We have been small camera-less since Ferrari (when I was an idiot and dropped it). We had done some searching for cameras in Florence, but no luck. The SLR camera takes up way too much memory and is a big bastard to carry around, so we need another one. So we had to search in rome. We had breakky in Camp dei Fiori watching the Roman mammas at the vege market.

Then we checked on the internet for places that sold Ricoh (harder than it sounds trust me). We found the closest place. After a really long hot walk, a train ride, more walking, followed by a half hour walk up a steep hill covered in sweat...we finally got the bloody camera by midday. It was a frustratingly long mission but we were so pleased we finally got one. Phew!


We returned back to the hotel, read on the roof balcony and calmed down. We had some lunch (a roll) made by a guy who looked like he had psoriasis of the head or something. Fretted about the runs.

When it cooled down, we strolled the streets of Rome to Trevi Fountain, via the Pantheon. The Pantheon was near our hotel and is the best preserved buildig of ancient Rome. The original tempe was built by Marcus Agrippa in 27BC. The entrance is the same, but it was rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian around AD120. The dramatic interior has an extraordianary dome - the largest masonry ever built, and considered the most important achievement of ancient Roman architecture. The hgue dome has a big circular hole in the middle to let in light, and the dome itself has geometric squares all over it. Very impressive. It was originally built for the planetary gods, then became a church in AD608 so the bloody catholics have got their mark plastered all over it. I was impressed by the building, but was in two minds. I wanted to see it in its original state, but if it hadn't been changed to a church it may have not been so well preserved! Nate was pissed iwth the catholics too. The Pantheon used to have a bronze exterior, but it was ripped off by the Catholics (ruined) to be melted down and made into a massive bronze altar for the Pope. Fuckers.

Everywhere in Rome you go, there is a church (the city has over 900 of them). There are tourists, nuns and priests everywhere. However there are less beggars than I thought there would be. Maybe they realise the catholic church are tight bastards.

Trevi Fountain was an absolute babble of tourists. Its one of Romes most famous monuments, dominating a tiny piazza (thats square to you) and was designed in 1732. Neptune is there and has two horses - one wild, one docile - to represent the two moods of the sea. It was a very pretty fountain and very large. We elbowed through the moshpit of tourists to take some photos. A famous custom here is to throw a coin over your shoulder, to ensure you return to Rome. So I did that. Why not? The papparazi and an entourage was there for Miss Italia - she was gorgeous and dwarfed us! She did the same ritual, but to the flash and pop of heaps of cameras!

We then wandered up to the Spanish Steps which were built in 1725 and lead to a church. The steps are a famous tourist attraction for some reason. Well they sure were some steps alright. All we saw were stairs and tourists, so we left, having a late arvo drink in the square overlooking the Pantheon. Our hotel is near Piazza Campo dei' Fiori, so we decided to have dinner there. The square is lively with a market and Italian mammas during the day, and a place for drinking at night. It was used as a place of execution during the Inquisition and there is a statue of a monk who was burned here for heresy in 1600. We ate at a pleasant Italian place, getting a litre jug of tasty red for next to nothing. Nathan drank most of it as I had cautioned him against buying it, as we were to clambour over hot ruins in the sun tomorrow. Nate had pasta again, and I had some Roman speciality of some tomato chicken dish. Then off to bed.