Gelato @ Trevi Fountain

A very nice weather welcomed us at the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy.  There were a lot of coins in this world-famous fountain and I wanted to be "in" so I also threw some for prosperity and good wishes.  They say there are about 3,000 Euros being thrown everyday.  "A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome." Well, I wish to return to Rome with a "special someone" if God permits :)

This Baroque-style fountain was featured in memorable movies from my favorite director Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" to the beautiful and regal Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday." 

My most happy and fulfilling discovery was getting a gelato (ice cream) a few steps from the Trevi Fountain.  It was the BEST gelato I have ever tasted in my existence.  It was a last-minute decision and I am glad I dragged my feet to the ice cream parlor. Above is my gelato with the Trevi Fountain as background.  If you can see me, my smile was from ear to ear.  In Wikipedia, it says: "The history of gelato dates back to frozen desserts served in ancient Rome and Egypt made from snow and ice brought down from mountaintops and preserved below ground."  So if you want to taste the best gelato in the world, it is in Italy---right in front of the Trevi Fountain!

Sistine Chapel

Three years ago, we went into a European pilgrimage and visited four countries---France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. It was a generous blessing for it was an all-expense paid trip for a career that I love doing.  My last European trip was in 2000 but I stayed only in Amsterdam, Netherlands when digital cameras  were not yet "in."  I saw Vincent Van Gogh's artworks in his museum and knowing that my trip will bring me to Rome, I had to visit the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican city to see Michelangelo's masterpieces.  I discovered the Renaissance artists because of the paper I have done in high school featuring Leonardo da Vinci and I have learned to love their style.

I hid my camera inside a bag to get this "forbidden" shot.

I am posting the photo above because it was forbidden and a "sin" to shoot inside the Sistine Chapel. But I had to get a souvenir shot so I hid my camera, removed the flash and clicked the shutter. I have not come all the way from Manila NOT to shoot the Sistine Chapel.  There were a lot of Vatican security guards (in their James Bond-style suits and earpiece radio) watching all the tourists NOT to take photos.  They were also very vocal telling everyone that camera is prohibited.  So with nervous hands and a deadpan face, I shot inside and got my souvenir photo.

Below are some images from the internet.  If you need to read the background, read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel.

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

The famous "Creation of Adam"

The Sistine Chapel is a bit small.  It was full of tourists when we visited so the solemnity of the place was a bit compromised.  But the grandeur of the paintings was amazing.  Never mind if one would get a sniff neck from looking up/down the ceilings and watching the walls filled with biblical interpretations from the painters.

I sat on a bench in one corner, silently prayed and gave thanks to the many blessings in my life.  I was inside the Sistine Chapel and I was in heaven.