The Odyssey of Sage


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Tuscany, Italy - Day 6: Finale Pienza -> Rome From Pienza, it was the last bus ride to get to the train station, Chiusi-Chianciano Terme. And I headed down for the capital of Italy. Rome was too hot and humid. There were people, people, people, and cars, cars, cars everywhere! I soon wanted to go right back to Tuscany where I appreciated peace and quiet with fresh air and majestic scenery. Although it was quite a long way from Termini Station, I walked to Trevi Fountain, Piazza Venezia, Colosseo, Forum Romanum, crossed over the Tevere river, entered the Trastevere neighborhood where I wandered around the maze of narrow lanes, and climbed up the largest hill in Rome called Gianicolo Hill.
I normally can get to the place I want to be, but Fontana di Trevi was so hard to find. After having walked through twists and turns, the fountain suddenly appeared. It was smaller than I had thought it would be. It was too crowded in every street, but tourists flocked to this area especially. And through the main street, Via del Corso, I made for the gigantic monument to Vittorio Emanuele II that dominates the Piazza Venezia. It is an amazingly colossal structure!


As I passed the huge monument, Colosseo could be seen in the distance. I wanted to stop by, but walked on ahead so as to get to Gianicolo Hill before it got dark. I soon found Forum Romanum, the Roman Forum. Having climbed up the gentle slope, I saw a multitude of ancient structures and the arch, Arcus Septimii Severi. I think this is the most concentrated area of ancient Roman structures, but as I walked through the alleys in Rome, there were several spots the ancient structures appeared out of nowhere, sandwiched between modern buildings.

And I came to the Tevere River at last, crossed it on the Ponte Sisto, and entered the Trastevere district. This medieval neighborhood was full of cafes, restaurants, shops in the down-to-earth atmosphere. A series of narrow meandering alleys, steep slopes and staircases led up the hill to the Gianicolo. By the time I passed by the Fontana L’Acqua Paola, I had felt so exhausted from having walked for some three hours from Termini Station.

And finally, tall imposing trees led me to Gianicolo, or Piazzale di Giuseppe Garibaldi, the finale of my journey. Atop the Gianicolo, Giuseppe Garibaldi was waiting for me and welcomed me.

So this is it! Gianicolo, the Goal. From up here I admired the view of the Eternal City for a while, and all those scenes in Tuscany flashed back in my head, those hilltop towns, valleys, people I met, and little trying moments I had gone through.

Arrivederci, Italia!
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