Fountains and Ancient Rocks - Traveling with Anima

We took a quick day trip to Rome to get the beads for Auntie Irene, a feat that we accomplished by mid afternoon.  I was also desperate to show Ani the Colosseum and at the end of the day after hours of walking in the heat, we were speechless before it.

I had not expected to feel so excited at the sight of it and yet, the closer I got  faint music (ok - The Gladiator, laugh all you want)  rushed through my head.

Ancient energy or the effects of heat stroke? We can only theorize...

Ani, by this time was tired and ready to head back home to Bagno Vignoni - on anyone's agenda Rome in a day is silly -  but we gave it a good try and have some great impressions to work with for our future projects.

A word on the gorgeous Roman water fountains: they are not only beautiful masterpieces but also serve to refresh and cool off travelers and citizens alike.

 It's true, that in Piazza Navona we were shooed away by the city guardiani but for the most part, the fountains are accessible, as long as you don't lounge in them and just give yourself a quick splash on the arms or face it seems to be de riguer for the inhabitants of the city.

Also, the Nasoni are all over Rome, all 2,500 of them!  A godsend to anyone spending time in the Eternal City, especially on a hot day in August.

@ the Spanish Steps

The water from the fountains that are located far and wide throughout the city is totally refreshing and safe to drink. We didn't know at first but after seeing people fill up their bottles (2 euro at the store) time after time and Romans taking sips for themselves throughout the morning we became wise.

Across from Osteria Le Streghe

Even in front of the Colosseum we found this one just before entering the Metro Station

which as a last note is a wonderful way to navigate Rome, easy and cheap, with plenty of policemen standing around watching out for problems and ready to serve if needed, fairly clean and free of hassles. Beautiful graffiti!