I can already sense that we are not staying long enough in Italia. It takes at least 2 days to master the Bank O Mat, the Italian telephone card, argue with the Rental Agency and find where I packed my shampoo.

We are briefly staying at 30 via Francesco Crespi almost next door to the Modern Art Museum...which is closed for restoration. This is a steep hilly area near the Spanish Steps which suits us fine since the primary reason for traveling to Italy is for the Boot Camp activity it offers.

Today was the long hilly hike to the Santa Maria Maggiore. 3 Annunciations up high resulting in 3 fuzzy shadowy photos. No postcards available... (For those of you who don't know, I track down Annunciations) Also to the nearby Santa Prassede finding 1 Annunciation.


Later, after pasta and vino to Sant' Ignazio. 3 Annunciations, more or less: 1 fragment, 1 fresco, 1 looming large pure white marble by Filippo della Valle, 1750. It was so large I almost missed it.

On to St. Luigi to see the Caravaggios. They, of course, were in restoration mode but could be partially seen through the scaffolding. Powerful none the less. One Annunciation with no post card. Organ music suddenly filled the church....Bach....I almost converted. How did they know to build those churches for sound?



We ate at a real Ristorante .... not a Trattoria, or Pizzeria or Osteria. Not sure if we were the proper customers for the place, but more about that at some other point. They did bring in a local guitarist as we were preparing to leave. He played The Maple Leaf Rag.



Thank you for all your comments...appreciate them.

nota bene: I have a phone and incoming calls cost me nothing 001139 333 720 2419