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Palazzo Barberini in Rome

4/8/2018

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PictureCasa Santa Lucia Fillippini

     When traveling solo you set out when you’re ready, turn left or right, and you’re on your way. This morning I slept in,* something I hardly ever do, but really, there’s no reason to get up at 5:30 in Rome. It’s just as well I didn’t have specific plans because roads were blocked around the city all day to make way for a half marathon that crisscrossed ancient, renaissance, and modern Rome.

   *I stayed at Casa Santa Lucia Fillippini, a monastery turned bed and breakfast that I found on monasterystays.com.
It was quiet, safe, inexpensive, and centrally located, right near a major bus stop.; my room was en suite. I definitely recommend staying at monasteries whether you aretraveling alone or with others. 

  

Picture
    They say that when in Rome do as the Romans do, so I wandered where I could, and found myself using the pedestrian underpass at Piazza Barberini, which landed me at the entrance to Palazzo Barberini.

      This Baroque palazzo was built for the Barberini pope, Pope Urban VIII. Several artists had a hand in its design: Carlo Maderno (1556-1629), the H-shaped layout: Gian Lorenz Bernini (1597-1680), the square staircase: and Borromini (1599-1667), the circular one.
Borromini staircase
     I wandered through the 32 rooms that displayed many of the Barberini acquisitions. These were primarily Italian works of art, from trecento icons to paintings by Caravaggio and Bernini. And this was in a small section of half of the palazzo!!
       Now I sit in the garden eating the salami, arugula, and cheese sandwich I bought along the way. A cat just walked by but didn’t stop. I tell you, there is lovely solitude here in the garden.
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    Author

         I love to travel alone, and so I do. My husband of 54 years loves to stay home and garden, and so he does. But he knows I love to go off by myself for extended periods of time. For five years (2009-2014) I rented a cottage by the sea, an hour and a half from our home, and spent the weekdays there alone. For the past twenty years I’ve been traveling by myself, primarily to Scotland (Iona, the Highlands, and Edinburgh) and Italy. When I say Italy I really mean Florence, with occasional short stops and excursions around Tuscany and Umbria and to Rome.
        A Cottage by the Sea is about my longing for silence, solitude and simplicity. When I travel I post my thoughts and experiences “On My Mind”. This section, “A Solitary Traveler” is where I post articles about my travels.
         You may be thinking, “If she’s been married 54 years, how old is she?” I’m 77. Maybe my next article will be about how to keep traveling alone as one gets older.

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