Man, yesterday was such a busy day and I definitely earned my gnocchi that I had for dinner. We ended up walking 23,000 steps according to my jawbone which is 10.1 miles! It was a lot, but we saw so much! After class, we did a little homework and ate lunch before heading out again. We are staying in Trastevere, which is the southern part of Rome, across the river. So walking up to the Spanish Steps, which was our first destination was nothing short of a hike. But as usual, the view from there was amazing and definitely worth the walk!
From the Spanish Steps, it only takes a short walk and a very steep ramp to get to the Borghese Gardens. These gardens are absolutely phenomenal and there is so much to do- they even have a zoo! We didn't really get to explore the gardens because we had monuments to see! But I will definitely be back to explore some more and just enjoy the beautiful views.
From the Borghese Gardens, it is just another quick walk to Piazza del Popolo with the twin churches, obelisk and the Santa Maria del Popolo. We went to the Santa Maria del Popolo first because that is what I really wanted to see. Sadly, they don't allow pictures but behind the nondescript facade are two beautiful Caravaggio's, a Raphael altar piece, and Bernini sculptures. Unfortunately, the Chigi Chapel where the Raphael and Bernini's are is being restored so I couldn't even sneak a peak. The Caravaggio's were absolutely stunning. I read about all of these masterpieces, but I can never really understand how truly amazing they are until I see them. Caravaggio is always able to knock me back a little with his attention to detail and pure talent. It is even more interesting to see these works because there are so few Caravaggio's in the world. After Santa Maria del Popolo, we were getting hungry so headed towards the Trevi Fountain instead of going in the twin churches, but I will definitely check them out on one of my return trips to Piazza del Popolo.
We decided that we wanted to see the Trevi Fountain at night because I had heard it was quieter at night and the pictures were better so we planned on eating around the Fountain somewhere. After an hour searching for the perfect restaurant, we finally plunked down at a random place on a side street neat the Fountain. We were the only people there and it actually turned out to be pretty delicious. I had four cheese gnocchi that I sadly don't have a picture of because I inhaled it so quickly. Walking is hunger-inducing work! After dinner, we grabbed our gelato and headed to the Fountain to wait for the sun to go down. Although it was still very crowded, it was nothing like the mobs you normally see during the day. Also, my pictures turned out beautifully! It was a long day but very fun and we saw A LOT of the city! I hope y'all are having a wonderful week. XO