A Rainy Day in Rome

Rome Walks Part IV - Trevi Fountain and the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Main site of the Museo Nationals Romano

We awoke to rain on our first full day in Rome last November. And the forecast was for heavy showers off and on. What to do?

Our first stop was mandatory: the Trevi Fountain! On our previous trip we had thrown a coin over our shoulders into the fountain to insure our return to Rome. We thought it only fitting to make the Trevi Fountain our first stop.

The Trevi Fountain was completed in 1762. It is located at the junction of three streets, hence “tre - vie” or Trevi!

We put a deposit down here to guarantee another trip, then headed towards the main branch of the Roman National Museum, the Palazzo Massimo, near the Termini Station and the Diocletian Baths.

This museum is a must for those seeking an understanding of ancient Roman art and the important role it played in daily life.

Busts and statues of ancient Romans greet you as you walk through the first floor galleries.

The sculptures are extraordinary. Clockwise from upper left: A young woman, Philosopher, Caligula, and Caracalla. The bottom two are considered bad guys but they look pretty well-behaved here!

Counterclockwise from upper left: Lancellotti Discobolus, Dying Niobid, Woman emerging from her bath, Bronze statue of a prince of the Seleucid Dynasty (Greek).

Many of these were originally in the villas of wealthy Romans, who adored the style of classical Greece. Their villas were also adorned with mosaics, as at Pompeii.

I was struck by this painted fragment from a Roman Villa.

Above: Sleeping Hermaphrodite.

This one really grabbed me. Wife and child? Or is it a merman?

It is Thetis and Triton, second century AD, a Roman copy of a Greek sculpture. Thetis was a deity, a sea god, married to the Greek hero Peleus, and the mother of Achilles. “Tritons” were mermen.

This is our favorite gelato place, Giolitti! Only a 2 minute walk from the Pantheon and 4 minutes from the Trevi Fountain, at Via deli Uffizi del Vicario. Check out the Giolitti website for some delicious gelato pics!

This place has been around since the year 1900! First you pay at the counter shown above, then take your receipt and stand in line.

We prefer to do as the locals and enjoy our gelato standing up outside. But if you like you can sit at a table, pay lots more, and a waiter will take your order and attend to your every need!

Ciao~!

Tomorrow a muskrat! Later: Horses of Rome and the Piazza Navonna! Lots to do in Rome! Thanks so much for reading~!