We took the last few days off from ticketed destinations and just explored different neighborhoods. The weather is getting much nicer now. It's chilly in our apartment most of the time because it doesn't get direct sun, but out on the street we don't need jackets during the day.
On Saturday, we went window shopping in the Preti neighborhood north and northwest of the Vatican -- very chi-chi with lots of shady sidewalks and gorgeous clothing, like strolling the upper east side on a quiet spring day.
On Sunday, we decided to do a cheapo tour by taking a tram wherever it went. Sunday morning is pleasantly quiet, with a few people hitting bakeries and flower shops in preparation for Sunday dinner at mom's house. We saw the park-like areas in the north part of the city and landed in seedier parts east of the main train station and had a long trek back across the city on multiple buses, stopping at different neighborhoods here and there to explore and sample gelato.
Sunday was also Russian Orthodox Easter, as we were reminded at midnight Saturday when the bells in the church next door went off like crazy.
Today we hit the Tridente neighborhood, including the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. We're generally not very adept yet at figuring out the bus routes except for one well-worn path through the middle of the city, so we often have false starts trying to get where we're going. The adventure today is that we got on a particular kind of micro bus meant for very narrow and hilly streets and, more importantly, makes a one-way circle instead of a back and forth. We got on it at the furthest point in the circle from our goal and got jolted over the cobblestones trying to hold ourselves upright through the worst sudden stops and starts for about 45 minutes, including two passes by the Colosseum. I feel in someone's lap immediately, and my abs were killing me from the effort of trying to stay upright by the time we arrived at the tippy top of the Spanish steps. At least we didn't have to climb them.
One woman got on the bus with a dog who was terrified out of getting bounced around. When she tried to move to another corner once, the dog refused to lift a paw, and she dragged it like shaggy quivering footstool on a leash.
This was another great neighborhood for window shopping, and we found a great lunch spot. We also made it to the Chiesi di Santa Maria del Popolo where a couple of Caravaggios adorn one chapel. One disappointment though is that when we finally hunted down the Trevi Fountain, we found an empty cement pit that only a skateboarder could love with scaffolding over the statues. Renovations in progress.
