A busy weekend in Roma

Saturday there was a "gathering" of 300,00 students, teachers and parents at St. Peter's Square with the pope called "la chiesa per la scuola"...the church for schools. As we strolled through the Centro Storico we passed by groups of students from all over Italy shepherded by their teachers which filled the streets:

Took me back to field trips with my own students and I was really happy to just be taking pictures of them! In the afternoon we could hear the crowds in St. Peter's Square cheering, singing and clapping as the sounds drifted over the buildings to our street which is  about  half a mile from the Vatican.

On our stroll I was amazed by the crowds at the Trevi Fountain:

can you almost see the fountain there??? Remember that movie Three Coins in the Fountain? As I remember the characters could just walk right up to the edge of the fountain and throw in their coin! Needless to stay I did not wend my way through this throng to try and make a toss...I went and got a gelato instead!

In the afternoon we took a bus to Via Veneto just to get a look at a more "upscale" neighborhood than ours...here's a boutique of scarves and ties with more of that great color I like!!!

We went up the hill then down again to the Spanish steps via the gate of the Villa Medici park:

Some of "La Dolce Vita" was filmed around here and they have all sorts of pictures in cafes about that.

As we came down the Spanish Steps there was an orchestra playing and there were people dancing the "lindy" at the top of the stairs:

JC and I thought we might join in with some salsa but we'd been walking for quite a bit so we decided instead to go to our favorite splurge cafe the Antica Caffé Greco! Don't you just love these cups???

Apparently Wild Bill Cody and Sitting Bull came to this café among other famous individuals (JC and me too)...there are pictures all over the walls. The waiters are dressed in tails...it is very elegant and cozy!

This café is not far from the house Keats lived and died in near the Spanish steps. On an outing on Friday we went over to the Protestant cemetery in Testaccio...the site of Keats grave:

Here is the outside wall

This fellow lives here I think! Sort of like the crow in the Peter Beagle novel "A Fine and Private Place."

And here is Keats

and here.... just a few yards away, is an English class from some academy in the cemetery discussing poetry!!! I thought this was so perfect don't you?

Saturday night we met friends from Portland who are living in Rome for a few years and work at the American Embassy. We had dinner outside in a very Roman family style restaurant (sorry no photos) but while we were having our delicious meal we were asked to play the "background" scenery for an Italian documentary about the opera Tosca!! They put candles on our table and asked us not to look over at the camera while actors were talking at a table next to us. We were having so much fun we didn't have to be cautioned!

Well...I have a ton more to write but truth be told I am kind of sleepy so I'll save it for the next time!

I think I'll leave with this shot of JC at the Campo di Fiori...you can tell how much he likes to go to markets! ;-)