Trastevere and the Janiculum Hill

On Mondays Rome's museum are shut, so what does a sightseer do? Well most head to the Vatican, which makes it a bad day to visit if you want to avoid crowds. So I headed west across the Tiber to explore this area.

Trastevere is essentially the city's restaurant district now, a warren of narrow streets and pizzerias.

But one place that was open was the Villa Farnesina. As you will see, I didn't exactly have to do battle with the crowds in order to get in. Much of the villa's decorations are designed by, if not actually painted by, Raphael. All very grand, especially when you are the only person in these splendid rooms.

 Upstairs the highlight is Perruzi's Salone delle Propettive with its walls painted as if they were balconies overlooking a view of Rome. If you don't have a room with a view, paint one. (PS it helps if you are really good at painting.)

 And next door is the patron's bedroom. Decoration perhaps a little overwhelming for modern tastes.

And then equally empty but much larger, are Rome's botanical gardens. Possibly not at their best in early January, but I really enjoyed wandering around them in total peace and quiet.

An impressive bamboo garden

Good views of Rome 

 

 My favourite area, the Japanese Garden up on the hill. Very picturesque.

Some nice light effects in the low winter sun.

Its fair to say you don't get much in the way of floral displays in January, but I did my best with what was available!

From here I made the climb up the Janiculum Hill via the church of San Pietro in Montorio. Actually one of the nicer churches even if not the best known  More S&M of course. Top of the art works inside according to my guide book is a "graceful flagellation" by Sebastiano del Piombo. I will leave it to you to decide if graceful is quite the right epithet.

This church features a fine set of marble cherubs. I like the way this marble has been chosen with brownish discolouration around the nether regions as if to depict nappy rash.

Fontana dell'Acqua Paola

Evebntually, if you have survived the traffic on Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, you get to the top of the hill and are rewarded by the ostentatious statue to Garibaldi, the plane-lined road along the ridge and great views across the Tiber to the City.

If the equestrian monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi is ostentatious  this one to Anita Garibaldi is even more so. And its a reproach to whining working mothers of today. Although difficult to see from this photo, Mrs Garibaldi is cradling a baby in one arm while firing a pistol  with the other, all on a rearing horse. If you think you have it tough balancing nursery and office job, try that. On second thoughts, don't as I am sure the NSPCC would insist you use a car seat.

 Just over the hill is the Villa Dora Pamphilj, a park with a very grand entrance and  a fine baroque villa, sadly not open to the prying eyes of the tourist. I was about the only person in the park not out jogging.

Ok, so now back down the hill and with museums off the menu, sorry its back to churches. I know, I know, but there are so many, and at least they are open.

I should maybe at this point note that although they are open, they do say at the doors not to visit during mass. But sometimes one doesn't know until you get in that a mass is being held. However, here is the surprise to me. Even in Rome, the congregations are not so much small, as pitiful. Now, given the number of churches, the cost of upkeep and the fact that many of them are really rather badly lit, isn't it time to give up the pretence? Surely a better bet would be just to open fully to the public, charge a modest admission fee that one wouldn't mind paying, say a couple of euros, and spend some of the proceeds on modern lighting The priests could then just go to the congregation's homes to say Mass. After all, a lounge with a couple of decent sofas could comfortably admit the congregation. Although I do notice that rather than huddle together at the front, the congregations like to spread out and even sit at the back like naughty schoolboys, presumably so they can exit when they want and no one will notice if they aren't really paying attention. But the simple fact is that gawping tourists like me, even in January, outnumber genuine churchgoers by a vast number, possibly in the order of 50:1, so it seems bizarre not to reflect reality - they aren't places of worship any more, but unmodernised art galleries.

Anyway, this one is Santa Maria in Trastevere, which mostly dates back to 1140 and which is most notable for its mosaics.

As you get down to the Tiber again, there is across from Trastevere a little island in the Tiber, Isola Tiberina. This has very little on it, basically an old hospital to the left and the church of San Bartolomeo to the right.

Now back into central Rome, next church on the list is Santa Maria spora Minerva. Unlike all the others this is a Gothic church. Not northern Gothic, and so not evident from the exterior, its more gloomy blue interior is more familiar. And outside, a statue of an elephant by Bernini. With an obelisk on its back. Of course.

 Above is Christ Bearing the Cross by Michelangelo. Just so you know.

And a black mark if you don't recognise the next "church". Its the Pantheon, really a Roman temple lightly distorted by its spell as a Christian site. The pretence that this is a place of worship is particularly preposterous. If I am right and tourists outnumber the congregation vastly elsewhere, here the number of worshippers would only count as a trace element in homeopathic proportions. Unsurprisingly as this is one of the most famous landmarks of Western architecture. Even though it was hardly busy by summer standards (I do remember being here when inter-railing), it would have been even nicer to enjoy it entirely empty. Its the space that one really enjoys about it. The concrete dome is amazing. Not all concrete has to be ugly.

And as the sun sets, another must see sight in Rome, the Spanish Steps. Good at sunset for the views from the top. At this time of year, with added Christmas decorations, on a large scale.

And then a slow walk back to the hotel via Piazza Navona.

Had a nice dinner in the Campo de' Fiore, and within half an hour was back in the hotel, and throwing up said dinner into the toilet bowl. Obviously food-poisoning as I felt fine otherwise. Ah well, easy come, easy go I suppose. But it meant for a gentler day tomorrow than I had anticipated. I didn't really get going until late morning.