Italy: Day Two

Today was the day of the Long March. I must have walked at least 10 miles. I started off early to the Borghese Gallery, advanced reservations required. The painting gallery was actually a bit of a let down. There was a nice Raphael and Titian's "Sacred and Profane Love." However, several of the collection's Caravaggio's were out on loan, which was disappointing. On the other hand, the Berninis in the sculpture collection were well worth the visit. "Apollo and Daphne" and "Pluto and Persephone" are remarkable sculptural tours de force. The "David" is a quintessential Baroque metaphor, although it does not hold a candle to Michelangelo's version in Florence. His "Pauline Borghese as Venus" serves as a monument to even a great artist's succeptibility to being co-opted by power and weath. From the Borghese I hiked a few more miles to the Etruscan museum at the Villa Guilia. They are a facinating people, seemingly great partiers. There is a very touching sarcophagus lid depicting a couple reclining in an eternal gesture of celebration. From there, an other long haul to the Piazza del Popolo where, at the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, Caravaggio's great "Conversion of Saint Paul" resides.

Italy: Day One

Day One: After what seemed to be an interminable flight on Swiss Air, I arrived at Fiumicino. The guide book refers to Aeorporto Leonardo da Vinci, but I saw little reference to that name. I had arranged for a airport shuttle, which was a little late. There was evidently a mix up on my arrival times. However, I was glad to have had a driver who could find my hotel amid the complex rabbit warren of narrow side streets that characterize the older sections of the Eternal City. The Hotel Navona lived up to its unprepossessing appearance: surly, diffident desk staff, astonishingly cramped single room, and a great location. I wandered the area north of the Piazza Navona, very hip and teaming with night life. Finally, I settled into a undistinguished sidewalk restaurant and had a pleasant dinner of prosciutto wrapped melon and a spaghetti with an intense crab flavor. The waiter suggested a pleasant white from the Piedmont area, Gavi de Gavi. I headed back to my monk's cell, anticipating the day ahead.

This is my first post, so it seems appropriate to start with a facet that largely defines who I am. I have been climbing for about 30 years, and it has taken me to many wild and beautiful places and introduced me to as many equally wild and beautiful people.