Author Archives: winifredcreamer

We decided to go see Pope Francis. When he is in Rome, he holds and audience on Wednesday mornings. To obtain a free ticket you need to write to the pope directly (!) three months before your visit. But! I  read that if you show up and go through the metal detector, you can standContinue reading “Part II–The Vatican Double Whammy”

Starting our day, we arrived at the cafe in the center of Piazza del Risorgimento at 7:30 am and met our guide. We stood in line until the doors of the Vatican museums opened at 8 am and then we kept moving until after 11 am. We declined stopping for a quick coffee because weContinue reading “The Sistine Chapel/Vatican Museums–Part I–Great art”

Some things are different for the constant traveler and I was reminded of this while reading an online advice about travel in Rome. The writer suggested that all the major sights are so close together that it is really a waste of time to use public transit. The author’s attitude was “you can walk everywhere.”Continue reading “Not by the guidebooks–public transit in Rome.”

The Galleria Borghese is a monument to more is !! MORE !! in the world of art (I need some neon here). The building is a masterpiece of construction, consisting of two large floors that are built, lined and encrusted with mosaic floors, beautiful stonework, painted wall panels and ceilings that make it difficult toContinue reading “Art! ART!!! Galleria Borghese”

In Rome, everything seems big, or huge, or ginormous. Monumental may be the best word. We felt this when we visited the Coliseum and it continued through our visits to the National Etruscan Museum and the Forum. The National Etruscan Museum is in the Villa Giulia, built in 1551-1553 by Pope Julius III. The buildingContinue reading “Monumental means really really big, and a long walk.”

We discovered that Easter Monday is a national holiday in Italy. Since there were no more stores open than on Sunday we bought a few things to eat and then went to be tourists. At Termini, the main train station and subway crossing, we were able to get SIM cards for our phones and monthlyContinue reading “Easter Monday was a holiday–but the Coliseum stayed open.”

It was a struggle to pass up all those movies and free drinks, but I did, and managed to get a few hours of sleep on our flight from JFK to Rome. We arrived at noon and met our taxi driver, who was kind enough to stop at a cash machine (enlightened self-interest) and inContinue reading “Roma!”