Italy, Rome and Siena

Facilities Manager presented me with a mighty gift for my birthday this year. On a cold January night he handed me two tickets to Egypt. Oh. My. Gawd. For real? After a long, chilling day working at the nursery, hot and sandy Egypt sounded fabulous. We love history, after all, as well as travel. For me, the more ancient the history the better. But. After digging a little more it turns out that for such a trip a guide is highly recommended. We don't really do guided vacations and the cost of hiring guides became prohibitive. What then? FM chose Italy instead. Italy sounds lovely. We could easily do that without a guide. Off then for a two-week anniversary celebration in Rome and Siena.

ROMA

Rome is a big city, yes, but oh my gosh it's fabulous. I had been years before and the vibrant memories had me wanting to return. For this trip, however, we hadn't really realized until after the tickets were purchased that #1 it was nearly Holy Week in the center of Catholicism on earth, #2 it is the Catholic Jubilee year which comes every 25 years and #3 we were staying a few blocks from the Vatican. Uh oh...BUT, even with all of the extra pilgrims coming to celebrate it didn't feel too crowded in our neighborhood and let's face it, getting smiled at by a group of excited nuns made me feel kind of blessed. While I am not Catholic I appreciated the happy vibes. 

I contemplated whether or not I'd do a post about our trip because let's face it, nobody really wants to see other people's vacation photos. I left my camera at home (it was our anniversary trip so botany was not high on the priorities) and only used my phone, something I have never done before. So, even though the photos are not spectacular I think there are enough with some form of botany in them to merit a post.

This photo above is one of my favorites because it's such a flat picture - no filters or effects - looking out to the Vatican Gardens through a Vatican Museum open window. It reminds me of a Tom Fawkes painting. It's the only photo I'll show from the Vatican and the garden was the one place we couldn't get to that I really wanted to go. No tickets available, sorry. A photo looking out of a window will have to do.

The Tiber River runs through the heart of the city and was just a few blocks from our apartment. On either side at water level there are very inviting walkways for strolling, something Italians are very good at. I appreciate that so much. It's a very walkable city if you avoid the super touristy areas.

This is the view from one of two balconies of our fantastic apartment. Saint Peter's is the dome in the distance.

There are touches of green everywhere and often the scent of orange or lemon blossoms fill the air.

The Pantheon is one of my favorite sites in Rome. Built in the second century CE, it is one of the oldest and best preserved sites of Roman antiquity. It has been in continuous use since its creation and has worn many hats over the years as a temple to admire several Roman gods, as a mausoleum (the famous Renaissance artist Raphael is buried here for starters) and currently as a Christian church and tourist hot spot. That light on the wall is coming from an opening in the center of the dome (the largest in antiquity by the way) and, yes, it does rain inside the Pantheon. Cleverly, the foundation was built so that water drained away into camouflaged exit points on the floor. 

The portico, and the dedication reads "Marcus Agrippa the son of Lucius made this." Hadrian who had rebuilt the structure after its destruction by fire dedicated it to its original builder. I love this structure because it's so ancient and survives in a beautiful state. I also love that it started life as a Pagan temple.

Near the Pantheon, we stumbled upon the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi.

On the back side of Castel St. Angelo a now-drained moat surrounds a small forest of Pinus pinea or stone pine. These iconic trees are everywhere in Rome.

The main street in our neighborhood at sunset. We had many fabulous meals here and I even found a dedicated gluten-free place where I had authentic pizza. Heaven.

OK, this country is so civilized! We could learn a lot. Free, fabulous spring water for anyone who wants it. And oh, did you say bubble water? Frizzante? No problemo.

FM taking a pisolino on our wonderful garden balcony before heading out on some adventure or another.

On our anniversary proper we visited the Colosseum and Roman Forum. It was a little overwhelming for me because of the crowds inside the Colosseum. This is obviously one of the most visited sites in Italy and mid-day it was painfully crowded. FM purchased the tickets online as soon as they opened up for our desired date and let me tell you they sold FAST. If you go, go early. That's my one bit of advice.

The Forum had fewer crowds and more interesting architecture if I'm honest.

From the back of a church looking out past very old olive trees towards the Temple of Castor and Pollux.

Colosseum interior where it is estimated between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators could fit.

Arch of Constantine just outside of the Colosseum, created in the fourth century CE.

There is a botanical garden in Rome, which we visited. As I had not slept the previous night it was a bit of a blur. I found a few charming moments such as architectural details. Honestly, there weren't any spectacular moments for me, but it was lovely to have visited. Many familiar plants in corralled garden beds such as cistus and phlomis, but my photos are not anything to write home about.

An amazing climbing rose.

A lot of people enjoying a Saturday in the gardens, mostly locals enjoying their city.

Some hot vibes coming off of this garden bed.

After what was a long day, I went in search of Carciofi alla Romana, Roman style artichokes. I found just the place for this delicious dish thanks to this ingenious advertising. Yes, they are real and, yes, they were delicious.

A colorful scene around the corner from our apartment.

SIENA

Siena is a much smaller city when compared to Rome. A hill town in the heart of Tuscany, south of Florence, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site that rose to greatness in Medieval Europe. Known for food, architecture and home to the oldest bank in the world (Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, founded in 1472 and in continuous operation since), it is definitely worth a longer stay than one day. FM thought Tuscany would be a nice place to visit on our trip and since Florence is so crowded, we chose Siena for the second half of our stay. After a few hours on the train we found ourselves in beautiful, if rainy, Siena.

The Duomo (Opera Duomo, also known as Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta) in the background with its iconic black and white striped marble visible even from a distance. This magnificent church sits atop the highest point in Siena. In my mind's eye, this image is what I see when I think of Siena.

So many gorgeous shops with delectable treats, especially for the Easter season.  

Il Campo, the central plaza with city hall straight ahead. This is the heart of the city and is fabulous for people watching and strolling. Siena is an amazingly walkable city built on three hills, sometimes quite steep. The architecture is rich and old, nearly every building has a tale to tell, so for us, it was a joy to get lost in its back streets.

Inside the Duomo with its iconic stripes (I suppose technically dark green and white but they read as black and white marble). The dome with its dark blue ground illuminated with gold stars is glorious.

Very richly decorated library inside the Duomo with frescoes that date from the early 16th century. Painted by Pinturicchio they celebrate the life of Pope Pius II and have that fabulous Italian Renaissance sense of atmosphere, perspective and landscape that one would see in Italy.

More garden-esque views of this small city with lots of Cupressus sempervirens.

A square with the Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the oldest bank in the world.

Same square at night. Siena is delightful after hours as most architecture is illuminated.

View looking out over treetops.

FM found a weekly market not far from our apartment full of flea market socks, blankets, cheap jewelry and the like. I made a beeline right for the seed man. He was so gracious and let me go into his inventory in the back of his van to see ALL the seeds. I had been on a hunt to find veggie seeds and had had no luck until now.

Also in the market, fresh flowers, potted herbs and annuals made me happy.

Basilica of San Domenico, very close to our apartment, perched atop a small hill. Typical structures and homes of Siena with tiled rooftops and trees tucked in everywhere.

Siena also has a botanical garden, this is associated with the University of Siena. Full confession once more - I wasn't feeling it here, either. There were splendid moments but overall it felt as if there weren't appropriate funds to maintain this six-acre park. Plus, I was sick. The day we arrived in Siena by train it was raining. And cold. From sunny warm Rome in the 70's to 50's. It was a struggle to get to our apartment and once we did, we realized it was actually pretty cold and damp and dark. Bummer. Beautiful, but cold. Turns out I contracted Covid so I went downhill quickly which I was totally feeling at this point in the trip. Nevertheless, not knowing how sick I was thinking it was a chill, we explored the conservatory until I gave up the ghost and we went back to the apartment.

A rather cool Euphorbia tirucalli

The bedroom ceiling of our apartment which I stared at for hours and hours while sick in bed. I studied it and enjoyed it, it brought much comfort. The entire apartment was painted as such, all hand done, no applique here, thank goodness.

Sweet flower shop all decked out for Easter.

Siena is well-known for its contrade or districts of which there are 17. Each one has its own animal symbol; this lets us know we are in the crested porcupine or Istrice district. I think our apartment was in the dragon district.

Facade and main entrance to the Duomo with striking pale pink marble sections.

Wide view from atop a park called Fortezza Medicea where we enjoyed a long, quiet walk among trees.

A wonderful parting image of youth being taught flag throwing and display skills. From the little time we were in Italy, it was clear that families, friends and quality time spent together on evening walks, meals out and everyday life are a huge priority. I love that. I also love the sense of tradition and pride in keeping it alive.

Ciao Roma, Siena, Italia. You were very good to us.

While being sick on vacation is no fun, it just added layers to my life experience. That's how I choose to think of it now several weeks away from this lovely country. Admittedly at the time I was pretty miserable but if you're going to be sick with covid for the first time ever, this is the place to be. I didn't realize I had covid until our return home when it hit me HARD. I busted out the covid tests and, yes, indeed I had the dreaded bug. Now pretty fully recovered, I can look back on our vacation with a smile on my face.

The whole country is a giant garden, extremely picturesque, especially the countryside as seen from the trains between Roma and Siena. We traveled through many artichoke fields, olive orchards, vineyards and backyard gardens. It seems everyone along the train tracks has a garden, something that brought me much joy. I was proud to tell Italians I am, back in America, a giardiniera. I always got a delighted expression and a smile when I mentioned this.

While this wasn't a particularly garden-esque post I do hope that it has brought you a little joy seeing such a beautiful place. We are very fortunate to have been able to travel and experience Italy and its incredible food, people and culture.

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. As always grazie mille so much for reading and commenting, we do love hearing from you! Ciao from our neck of the woods. Happy gardening, buon giardinaggio!

FM post-script: Italy was wonderful. I like to say there are many aspects of the country to enjoy but the best part is simply interacting with the Italians. From the taxi-driver who kept throwing up his hands and shouting "Mama mia!" to the snickering ladies at my favorite gelato shop in Siena, well, just because I could speak no Italian and they could not speak English, did not mean we could not communicate. Finally, this trip was to celebrate 15 years of marriage to my sweet wife. How about that?