Return to Rome - 2006, Part 3 of 3

Like Pompeii, Ostia Antica is an ancient city now in ruins. Not as famous as Pompeii, it is, mercifully,
much less crowded. It is also much closer to Rome (45 minutes versus 3 hours). Pompeii was destroyed all
at once by a volcano and preserved under the ashes; Ostia was a port city gradually abandoned when the Tiber
silted up, and preserved under mud.

As an international port, Ostia accommodated all religions.

These huge storage jugs might have contained grain or olive oil.

Remnants of frescoes, carvings, and mosaics can be seen throughout the site. This decoration is on a tomb.

Sculptures like this were repositioned during excavation and restoration.

Elaborate mosaics decorate the floors of many buildings. Nautical themes are common.

The remains of a public latrine stand across from the entrance to the baths.
The Romans used running water to keep everything clean.

This ancient theater has been partly reconstructed. It is used regularly for concerts.
(In the summer of 2006, Jackson Browne was one of the scheduled performers.)

The courtyard of the Vatican Museums.

The line of tour groups waiting to get into the Vatican Museums was already about a quarter mile long
half an hour before the doors opened. Individuals wait in a different line, which is even longer (and slower).

The Vatican's art collection spans thousands of years and includes a vast array of classical,
historical and religious objects. This room contains nothing but animal sculptures.

The walls and ceilings are covered with decorations, and sometimes the floors, too.

The "Belvedere Torso" is the remaining fragment of an ancient statue of Hercules.
Michelangelo considered this a beautiful example of classical sculpture, and it helped
inspire the muscular figures in his "Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel.

The popes who commissioned, collected, restored, or rearranged the rooms and their
artworks have been commemorated in various decorative ways on the walls and ceilings.

Many of the corridors are lined with hundreds of sculptures of all kinds.

The ceiling in the Hall of Maps seems to glow with gold in the light.

The Raphael rooms were once the personal living quarters of the popes. Floors, walls and ceilings
are dramatically decorated. This huge fresco is one of many classic examples of Renaissance art.
The figure in the left foreground, leaning on a block of marble, is a portrait of Michelangelo.

Rosemary pauses in front of a ceremonial door.

After leaving the museums, we enter St. Peter's Basilica. The top of the dome is 430 feet above
the floor. It is possible to take an elevator to the gallery ringing the base of dome and then climb
323 winding steps to the top. We chose not to do so.

This "Pietà" is one of Michelangelo's best-known sculptures. Since being damaged by a madman in 1972,
it is shielded by bulletproof glass and the crowds are kept at a distance by a railing, making it
difficult to get a really clear view.

The 90-foot obelisk in the center of St. Peter's Square was created in Egypt more than 2000 years ago.
It was brought to Rome by the emperor Caligula.

The Swiss Guards look spiffy in their colorful uniforms.

Some people complain bitterly that McDonald's is everywhere, one more symptom of an unpleasant
"homogenization" (by which they really mean "vulgar Americanization") of worldwide culture. But
is that accurate? Or is McDonald's itself undergoing "internationalization" as it adapts to local
tastes and habits? Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between.

The McDonald's near Piazza di Spagna doesn't look very big from the outside, but it is one of the largest
in the world. The entrance is a spacious area containing just a gelato/dessert stand. It leads to a wide
corridor lined with bistro tables and atmospheric murals. Turn right at the statue, and you will soon find
yourself in an enormous room lined with busy food service counters and tightly packed with tables.
Of course, there are tourists, but the majority of customers seem to be local folks. What struck me most
powerfully was that the place smells exactly like a McDonald's in the U.S. Whatever differences there may
be in the menu, the grease remains the same.

"Try the pleasure of a good breakfast." Coffee and a sweet roll would never be called a "good breakfast" in the U.S.

In addition to a prosciutto sandwich, the Roman McD has something else not found in the
U.S. version - a fresh salad bar, with Italian-style salads, including a seafood salad with octopus.

But still, seriously, in a city rich with wonderful Italian cuisine, with so many choices
of appealing local restaurants and cafes, why would anybody set foot inside McDonald's?

You can get a soft drink with ice in it You can sit at a table without paying extra Nobody cares if you walk around and take pictures They have gelato You can use the toilets It's air conditioned

We were fortunate to be able to stay in some outstanding five-star hotels during this trip.

Venice: Danieli

Guidebooks describe this as the most elegant hotel in Venice. It started as Palazzo Dandolo, built around 1400. Its owner in the early 1800's, Giuseppe Dal Niel, converted it into a hotel and gave it his nickname. During the next two centuries, the hotel annexed the adjoining palazzo on one side, and added a new building (in the 1940's) on the other side. Linked by bridges (over canals, of course) that serve as hallways, the three buildings work together as one. Tourists slip through the revolving doors just to gaze and photograph the gothic style of the lobby and atrium. Both in its earlier incarnation as a Palazzo and in its new life as a hotel, it has been the place for important political, literary, artistic, and social figures to stay in Venice. The rooms are decorated with antiques, including Murano glass chandeliers and sconces. The rooftop terrace restaurant, where we had breakfast every morning, has a fantastic view, as well as very good food. The location is wonderful, just a few steps from a vaporetto stop, and a block or two from the Doge's Palace and St. Marks Square.

The Danieli provides gracious, old-fashioned service, including enormous keys (they also sell the famous fringed key fobs as souvenirs) that are stored at the desk when guests are out. The bed linens were real linen (cool in the hot, humid summer) and turn down service included chocolates on the pillow every night. Despite the traditional decor and a floorplan that preserves the atmosphere of an ancient palazzo, the plumbing in the bathroom was thoroughly modern, including the very satifsying overhead shower (something not always available in Italy).

Florence: Savoy

This is now our favorite hotel in the world. From the moment we were greeted by an impeccably-dressed doorman (wearing a top hat!) to the morning we were helped into our taxi to leave, we were always treated with friendly courtesy and a genuine desire to be helpful at all times. The bar/restaurant was very pleasant, with its street-level view of the Piazza, attentive service, and a good breakfast. The charming concierges were excellent, providing us with car rental, gallery tickets, and great dinner reservations.

The hotel is decorated in a bright, contemporary style. Our junior suite had a walk-in closet, a full bathroom plus a powder room, comfortable furnishings and plenty of space. A welcoming bottle of dessert wine with cookies was awaiting us upon our arrival, and a lovely fruit plate appeared one afternoon. At night, complementary bottled water was left on the night stand, along with a weather forecast card. The Savoy is one of the Leading Hotels of the World, and also a Rocco Forte Hotel. We love these guys.

Rome: Hassler

This is often listed as one of the top two or three hotels in Rome. Its biggest claim to fame is its location above the Spanish Steps, making it easy to find, but also exhausting to reach, especially in hot weather. The rooms are elaborately decorated in traditional style, with heavy drapes and lots of upholstery. Here we also had excellent housekeeping service (including an afternoon fruit plate), a modern bathroom, and plenty of closet space. Rome is an unbelievably noisy city, and a hotel room in this location can't be expected to be really quiet, but the shutters and the drapes muffled the noisy enough that we could sleep. Even so, the Hassler suffered in comparison with the previous two hotels. This is the kind of place where everyone is expected to be well-dressed at all times. Both the downstairs and upstairs restaurants have a dress code for dinner, which excluded us. (On our previous trip to Rome we had brought a sports coat for Steve and a dress for Rosemary, only to find that we never needed them. We decided to save suitcase space this time.) The buffet breakfast was sparse and not nearly as well prepared as at the other hotels. Whereas there was no charge for use of the Savoy's business center, and a normal-range charge for Internet access in the room, the Hassler placed a high price on both. The concierge was nearly overwhelmed by our request for a casual restaurant (although we were not badly dressed, it was clear our wardrobe made the task challenging for him). The restaurant he sent us to wasn't actually open at the time of our reservation, so we went elsewhere and didn't ask for his help again. The only time we saw him smile was when we asked how long it would take a taxi to get to the airport.

To the Hassler's credit, they were quick at solving problems. A technician was sent to our room within a few minutes of our 10pm phone call when we had a problem with Internet access. The morning we were to leave, the doorman came to us at breakfast, to warn us that there was a taxi strike. We will always be grateful for that. The concierge was able to arrange for a car and driver to get us to the airport on time. Neverthess, this wasn't really our kind of place.