The kids didn't want to do anything today but I wasn't having that. After agreeing that we would have a slightly more low-key day we took off and headed for a park. Okay, so the Villa Borghese is a little more than just a park. I promised them trees and shade as well. Situated on 148 acres the Villa Borghese isn't the largest public park in Rome. That honour goes to the Villa Doria Pamphili which I only found out about after returning home and researching some facts. Never mind. I'll put that on my list for my next visit.
We only saw a tiny portion of the lovely Villa Borghese gardens. Once again it was a stifling hot day. We had managed to find a bus which took us most of the way up the elegant Via Veneto leaving only a short walk uphill to reach Porta Pinciana, the 5th century gate of the Aurelian Wall that marks one of the entrances to the park. Scattered among the numerous trees and gardens there are galleries, museums, fountains and even a small zoo. It is home to the Temple of Diana as well as several more recognisable monuments. For us on this hot day it was simply a place to sit in the shade and enjoy whatever breeze we could take advantage of. It was nice to just relax under the shade of the trees.
Of course the day wasn't entirely without incident. I lost my map. I probably left it on the park bench while I was juggling bag, camera, water bottle and purse and trying to figure out if we had enough money to hire a pedal car for an hour. These are called Riscio and can seat two or four people, have a roof or canopy over, are powered by pedals assisted by a small motor and steered with a steering wheel. We have run our money down and have very little cash on us. I have transferred more to our travel cash card but it won't be available until tomorrow. The map I lost is one I bought that is not only a little more detailed than the free one from the tourist information office, it also has bus route numbers and is laminated as well. Oh well, we'll just have to manage using our brains and intuition from here-on.
We only saw a tiny portion of the lovely Villa Borghese gardens. Once again it was a stifling hot day. We had managed to find a bus which took us most of the way up the elegant Via Veneto leaving only a short walk uphill to reach Porta Pinciana, the 5th century gate of the Aurelian Wall that marks one of the entrances to the park. Scattered among the numerous trees and gardens there are galleries, museums, fountains and even a small zoo. It is home to the Temple of Diana as well as several more recognisable monuments. For us on this hot day it was simply a place to sit in the shade and enjoy whatever breeze we could take advantage of. It was nice to just relax under the shade of the trees.
Of course the day wasn't entirely without incident. I lost my map. I probably left it on the park bench while I was juggling bag, camera, water bottle and purse and trying to figure out if we had enough money to hire a pedal car for an hour. These are called Riscio and can seat two or four people, have a roof or canopy over, are powered by pedals assisted by a small motor and steered with a steering wheel. We have run our money down and have very little cash on us. I have transferred more to our travel cash card but it won't be available until tomorrow. The map I lost is one I bought that is not only a little more detailed than the free one from the tourist information office, it also has bus route numbers and is laminated as well. Oh well, we'll just have to manage using our brains and intuition from here-on.
RSS Feed
