It was a long travel day but happily there were no train changes! Our seats were good, and except for the coughing youngster kicking my seat, it was uneventful.
2.74 miles, rain, 53 degrees, humidity 90%.
Richard’s ReLive video best covered the day. Get it here: https://www.relive.com/view/vr63WdxPdd6
We picked our apartment solely by the neighborhood. The comfortable living room/kitchen was recently updated.
The bed was better than usual and the room had enough floor space to open our suitcases.
There is some construction in the inside terrace area, just outside our apartment. Italians aren’t terribly picky about the street appearance of their buildings, but the garden and terrace is important. It’s also the storage space, as you see with the bicycles here.
Our entryway. The apartment is a few steps up on the left.
After a wonderful dinner, we went searching for the pensione where Jan lived for a summer in 1973. It has been sold, but we found the building even though the street has been renamed and the doorway is renumbered.
This was Sant’Elisabetta, run by German nuns. You rang to be admitted, then were greeted by a nun in the office (only until 9 pm—any later and you had to wake up the Mother Superior). There were two floors above with tiny rooms, and a few WC’s. There was a communal dining hall on the second floor. Downstairs (below street level), there was a kitchen, and an area where I could iron my clothes. On the second floor, there was a door to the convent only for nun, that wrapped around the building side.
There is a gate here that leads to the garden. I know there was parking there, but also seating and some religious statues.
It’s been a long time, but so many memories of that summer came flooding back. Even though there have been some changes, I’m grateful the basic building is still as I remember it.
4 Responses
Yes, Mary was the mother of God so she is indeed venerated. She was the patron saint of many armies in the early days of Europe as she was seen as strong. Well, there is more to all this, just say it makes sense there are many churches that honor her. It also says why an army would follow Joan of Arc. A chosen woman had special status. Well, I am sure you learned much about Joan in your travels to Rouen. All your church visits are worth a lot of credit in a history class. There are also female saints given attention in the first thousand years of the church. I think it is great. Anyway, back to you and your travels. I see that you have arrived in Italy. Isn’t this practically like home to you, Jan? Your place looks comfortable. Does opening the suitcase fully help you organize or is it hopeless by this time of the journey? You don’t have to answer. I am wondering about how both the shoes and socks are holding up by now. I am enjoying your pictures and stories of what happened, missing trains, missing a visit to a great pipe organ, yet somehow what you do see never causes you to go to bed disappointed. Will the next posts be in Italian?
I love all the churches and try to understand the saints’ stories. There are always different tales to learn.
We are enjoying Italy, and it’s great fun in Milano rehashing my 20’s. I wish I could post in Italian, but so much is lost. We visited with friends over weekend and they have wonderful English.
Richard has lost a couple of bar of socks, and CB munchies have an open flap, but I think we’ll make it homey less we choose to dump something along the way. There’s not so much walking right now.
Rome is crammed with visitors since it is the Jubilee Year. We have to plan a bit more but even if we miss something, there are many things to see. I can always be happy.
The suitcases are always an issue, and most hotels do not have enough floor space to lay them out. Like the toy that never fits back into the box after Christmas, our suitcases are growing without even buying much. Luckily we had some extra room.
Fun to visit places you have been previously. Liked your apartment. Very cute! Wendy and Dan
We had such a good time here. Like Paris, it is a diverse neighborhood mostly with locals in the shops and restaurants. Of course, I loved remembering a summer when I grew up experiencing really being on my own.