We flew from Cagliari Elmas airport in Sardinia to Rome Fiumicino on Good Friday 2018. A driver was supposed to meet us at the airport and take is to the S Suites, where we would stay for four nights. For some reason that we still don't know, the driver wasn't there, so after some hand wringing and unanswered phone calls, we took a taxi to the hotel. More confusion followed, but we finally got settled. Although the S Suites had a couple of problems, it was comfortable and well located to all of Rome's major sights.
The receptionist at the S Suites recommended Jul's Bistrot for dinner, which was right across the street. It is a tiny place, with just a few tables, but charming and quaint, and expertly run by Julia and her husband Sergio. We had a wonderful meal, which ended with not only some of the best tiramisu Joe ever ate, but a warm invitation for us to join them and their family for Easter dinner! Since we were half a world away from our family's Easter dinner, we accepted! Of course, over the next day and a half we wondered what we may have gotten ourselves into.....
Just a few blocks away from the hotel, toward the Vatican, was the magnificent Palace of Justice, or Palazzo di Guistizia
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The front of the Palace faces the Tiber River and the Umberto I bridge. The rear facade, which is just as amazing, faces beautifully green Piazza Cavour, with it's great fountains.....
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| No telling what unsavory character you might see hanging out at a Roman fountain.... |
A couple blocks west, in the direction of the Vatican, is the incredible Castel Sant'Angelo. Like the Palace of Justice, it too faces the Tiber, and the pedestrian Sant'Angelo bridge, which is lined with statues of angels....
A few blocks past Castel Sant'Angelo, Via della Conciliazione leads you straight to the Vatican....
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| The amazing St Peters Cathedral..... |
We decided to brave the crowds on Easter morning and walk over to the Vatican to hopefully hear the Pope address the faithful. The crowd grew large as we neared St. Peters Square. You could hear many different languages being spoken. We inched up as close as we thought safe, in case we decided to leave early. The curtain on the Pope's balcony opened and closed a few times, and each time it opened the crowd roared, but....no Pope. Suddenly there was a great deal of excitement in front of us, and it was the Pope in his Popemobile! He came within maybe 200 feet of us.
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| Walking along the Tiber toward the Vatican... |
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| Crowds increasing.... |
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| St. Peters behind us.... |
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| St. Peters, and security.... |
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| The Pope! |
After the Pope retreated to St. Peters, we decided to walk back to the hotel and ponder what might be in store for us at the Jul's Bistrot Easter Dinner. Well, it turned out great! What a thrill to share a traditional Roman Easter dinner with a Roman family. Jul's husband did the cooking. Here are some photos...
A wonderful and delicious experience. Next mission is to locate the "Talking Statues" of Rome.....
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