At breakfast, and before on the BBC TV channel, we heard more rumblings about civil unreast in Italy regarding Berlusconi's activities. We booked for another night's stay, so we will leave tomorrow morning, exempting us from problems caused by the threatened general strike today.
Today we want to explore the Venezia Palazzo, and Jan had read about an elevator that takes us wwaaaaayyyyy up in the air for a great view of the city, and we think that it is around the Venizia Palazzo. Oh yes, and we want a dose of gelato, that frozen treat without which no Italian visit is complete. A full day.
From our hotel on Via Rasella we walked the two blocks to the Via delle Boccaccia, past the pub with the sign on the window that said 'Forget the Trevi, have a Bevi'. Cute, but we resisted. Crossed Via delle Boccaccia at the crosswalk, taking our life in our hands yet again. This is a very busy street, and the crosswalk is an alternative to the traffic light 30 yards away at the main cross street, Via Tritone. So 'everybody' uses the crosswalk by the pub. But there is no light there to stop traffic at the crosswalk, and Rome drivers WILL NOT STOP for a single person no matter if it is a crosswalk. So we huddle at the sidewalk with others of like mind and, when a critical mass is reached we move forward as a group into the roadway. Then the drivers stop for us, particularly if you lead with a baby in a stroller or a kid. Its a game of chicken I guess, and critical mass is everything. Once on the low side of Via Boccaccia its a five foot jog to the left and you are on the Trevi Fountain street, with the fountain two blocks away.
We retraced our steps of yesterday, past the Trevi Fountain and down to Venezia Palazzo. Yesterday we were too late to explore the Palazzo as they shutter the place at 4:00pm, but today we were in the door with no problem at all. Pictures, pictures, up the first set of stairs, pictures, pictures, the next set of stairs, pictures, etc, etc, you get the message. A totally impressive structure, masses of marble and statues in bronze and marble, an embarrassment of impressiveness. The size of these things alone is stunning to my 'new world' mind. About three fourths of the way up there is a monster statue of King Victor Emmanual (I think). He was a big noise in these parts in the mid 1800's and impressed himself so much he commissioned this whole show and a fifty ton statue of himself on horseback. So big that apparently, as construction was proceeding and he was inspecting the site, a lunch table was set for himself and others IN THE BELLY OF THE BRONZE HORSE. Whether they had horse meat for the meal was not mentioned in the information board beside the statue. Anyway, the thing is a monster and the whole site is so big that the statue of horse and rider does not seem out of proportion. Very impressive in a martial sort of way, as on the layer below the statue is the tomb of Italy's unknown soldier, guarded by three young soldiers in full dress, with a perpetual flame nearby. Makes you want to get out there and die for your country, doesn't it. 'Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori', as I learned in high school. Luckily that idea bounced off me and the closest I got to combat was rugby.
But, I read. And along the way I have read about the 'Winged Victory' statues, but didn't fully understand them. Today I saw them, and realized what I was seeing, and was blown away by the sight. Leaving the statue of the horse and rider, Jan and I moved into the body of the building behind. It is a museum to Italy's war history, up to but not including WWII. Losing a war is not something that is recorded for posterity, only the victors write the history books and their story goes into the museums. So we wandered around and eventually, out back on the way to the washrooms and cafeteria, we chanced upon the elevator Jan had read about. Most impressive, an external elevator, glass enclosed, fastened to the marble back of the building that housed the war museum. Fantastic, bought our ticket and up we went. Up and up and up and omygod don't look down, those are ants down there not people, omygod when is this thing going to stop I'm going to close my eyes. Those were Jan's thoughts, mine were more extreme than that, and one woman that we shared the elevator with was in full-on panic mode when we reached the top. We all crawled out of the elevator on hands and knees, .... Well, I exagerate a bit, I know.
But we were way up high, with a commanding and panoramic view of the Eternal City. We shot so many pictures, and I shot so much video, I think Jan and I both burned out a camera battery each at the top of the building. But most important to me, the long walkway at the top of the building was flanked by, at each end, a 'Winged Victory' statue. Damn, they are impressive. Each of the two statues is a chariot, drawn by four bronze horses abreast of each other, each in a rampant prancing pose as though racing at full gallop. On the chariot is a statue of a winged goddess, holding a laurel wreath symbolizing victory. The goddesses are women, obviously, in flowing robes, with huge wings unfolded behind them. The two statues are different in the way the women stand and the look of the horses, but both give the impression of motion, rushing forward with the news of victory on the battlefield. And they are HUGE, even from the bottom of the building. We were by the Roman Forum when we first saw them and they are even more of a commanding sight than the statue of the king on his horse. From the top of the building, maybe fifty feet away from them and slightly below, the sight raises the hairs on the back of your neck. Huge, and every much a work of sculpture art as 'David' or the statues from the Uffizi in Firenze. Makes you want to believe.
Oh yeah, I forgot. Just while we were hanging around the statue of the king on horseback we noticed some cops on the street below, three 'carabinieri' cars in the middle of the road. Odd. Only stray traffic now where it was very busy a minute ago. Then we see carabinieri cars blocking two intersections and moving into place in a third across the piazza from us. And the iron gateway to this Palazzo Venezia is closed now, no getting in or out. Very Odd. Then we hear a bunch of whistles off to the right, low down there behind the trees. By now the roadway and roundabout in front of the Palazzo are empty, and carabinieri cars block all but one exit. Then from the right, down behind the trees, three rows of uniformed police a dozen abreast in each row, start walking down the road from right to left, and we notice now that cops line the road in front of the Palazzo. Whatisthis, a parade? Now we hear more whistles, banging of drums - not a cadence, just noise. And now chanting, in Italian, the same stuff we heard yesterday at the demonstration. And that's just what this was, a big street demonstration, a manifestation of the general strike that has paralyzed Italys airports and trains and busses today, to draw attention to bad man Berlusconi. Now the parade/demonstration is in full force, moving across in front of us from right to left, flatbed trucks with speakers inciting the crowds, then a bunch of marchers, then another truck with music and people skipping and dancing along behind, then another truck with speakers, etc. Everyone wearing either red shirts/sweaters/jackets or purple ones. Quite a sight, and we were way up high in the best seats, at ring side. The only better seats were in the helicopter that circled above us, but that was either cops or the five oclock news. Took about half an hour to wind it all past us, down the road to somewhere on our left. Then the cops left as quickly as they had come, and Italy's Friday morning traffic took over once again seamlessly, no hole left unfilled. Definitely a better mood than the latest general strike and protests in Greece, we're happy about that. And we got to watch it all again on the BBC news after dinner.
Down from there to lunch at the gallery restaurant, completed with excellent Cappucinos. Then down by the forum and Colosseum again, then wandering back to the Trevi, looking back from time to time at 'Winged Victory'. Finally at the Trevi and our gelato stop, then to the hotel for a rest.
Tonight we went again to a favorite restaurant and were not disappointed with our dinner. Wine, bread, salad, gelato, as good as we could imagine, just beside the Trevi Fountain. Then 'home' to the hotel.
Tomorrow, 'home' to Lucca. Home is where the heart is, and that's Jan and I. We heard a song a couple of days ago, 'If we are lost, then we are lost together', a nice song with a nice tune. Sure, but then we're not lost if we are together and if we are together then everywhere is home.
