Rhea's Italian Adventure

Last week we went to Rome (Roma in Italian). We decided to skip school so we could spend an extra day in Roma with Xander and family. Rome is really different from Florence. There are definitely more fountains in Rome than in Florence. My favorite fountain in Rome is the turtle fountain. It is a fountain of people having fun and turtles. There is a bricked up window and this is the story of the turtle fountain and the bricked up window.

Once there was a merchant. The merchant and the nobleman worked together. The merchant had a son and the nobleman had a daughter One day the Merchant’s son came up to the noble man and said, “Your family and our family have worked together. We have become friends. May I marry your daughter”? Then the noble man said “No. I’m sorry. My daughter needs to marry another noble man.” Then about a year later the nobleman had a big party. He invited other nobleman and the merchant’s family. Everybody danced and had a very fun time. Then the merchant’s son said to the nobleman “I would like to show you something” “Of course” said the noble man. The merchant’s son opened up a window and standing out side was a beautiful fountain. Then the merchant’s son said “As good things can happen like this fountain I can make good things happen to your daughter.” Then the nobleman bricked up the window because he would never see such a beautiful sight as this. Later Bernini added the turtles.

Most of what we did in Rome was play. It was really exciting to see friends from home. We stayed in this big apartment off of the Piazza Farnese which has two big bathtub fountains that used to be in real roman baths.

Besides playing we walked around the city and Gary told us stories. We went to The Vatican and St. Peter’s (the museum was closed), we ran around Castle Sant’ Angelo, we went into the Pantheon, we played in the forum and we went to bocca della verita. We had fun seeing the city but mostly I enjoyed seeing my friends.

On Saturday we went to Ostia Antica, the ancient roman city of Ostia. We got there by a small train. I have read books that have taken place in Ostia. They are called The Roman Mysteries, so that was exiting. We saw an amphitheater. We did some coloring there. I particularly liked climbing on the walls of the houses and exploring independently. I found a fresco on a wall. I could not tell what the fresco was but I am sure it was a fresco. In that same place there were stones that looked like they had held a column. They were decorated with designs of flowers. In another place we saw a ancient bathroom (not porta-potties). There were only bathroom seats. They led down to the sewer. In some places there were holes that led down to the sewer so that you could go through the tunnels that have once been sewer. We had fun running around down there.
………Rome has the best pizza and maybe bean soup.