Day 2 - ROME!

Saturday, July 9

Breakfast on the 7th floor roof top patio was wonderful. I guess that comes with being gold club members of Marriott. We were pleasantly surprised that this breakfast is included with our stay - lots of fruits, hot and cold dishes while enjoying the view of Rome. Leaving the plates of food while going back inside for juice was a mistake as the seagull took off with my bacon and sausage!

We walked to Barberini Plaza to catch a two day "on and off" bus tour. They include 11 major stops that we can hop off, tour, and then hop back on for the next stop. Landon and Owen would love the Cars theme on our buses.

1st Stop - Termini
This stop is where the main train terminal is for Rome and for Italy. We didn't stop to see it (though the square in front and fountain are impressive), we stopped to locate a small church that I remembered from an earlier visit - Basicila Maria Delgi Angeli (Maria of the Angels).

2nd Stop - Santa Maria Maggiore
Santa Maria Maggiore is the most important - and possibly the oldest - of some 80 churches in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This Basilica was built between 432 AD and 440 AD. The ancient basilica's richly decorated interior is one of the best in Italy. Relics (fragments) of Christ's Holy Crib are enshrined beneath the high altar. The ceiling is gilded with gold. There is a 36-panel sequence of mosaics portraying episodes of the Old Testament.

3rd Stop - Colosseum
We viewed the beautiful Ministry of Cultural and Heritage building, had lunch in the shade overlooking some of the Roman Forum, walked down and partially around the Colosseum, and headed toward the Roman Forum. We decided we needed a guided tour and to do it earlier in the day when it wasn't so hot. So more about these wonderful ancient places on another day.

4th Stop - Isola Tiberina (The Island0
Tiber Island emerges at the center of the Tiber River and is linked by the Roman bridges. We crossed a bridge to the island and another bridge to reach Trastevere - a quaint enclave of the city. The focus of the main square is the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere. This church was reputedly founded in 222, which - if true - would make it one of the city's oldest churches. After visiting the church we had freshly squeezed Sicilian orange juice on the plaza.

5th Stop - Barberini (back to the beginning)
Okay, so we only got 5 out of the 11 stops covered today which means we sat through 6 other stops. It is HOT and we are tired of walking. More to come tomorrow. We walked up Via Veneto to our hotel. Yea, air conditioning and a cool shower.

My big purchase of the day was a hat from a street vendor! Walking street vendors were selling hats and umbrellas today to provide shade from the sun. It was well worth the 4 euros ($6.00)

Obika was the restaurant recommended for tonight. We took a taxi and enjoyed a wonderful salad and pasta at this mozarella bar.

Day 1 - ROME!

Friday, July 8

Marco drove us to the Bari airport to catch our 1 hour flight to Rome. We arrived in Rome about 1:30, took a taxi costing 60 euros (yes, it would have been cheaper to take a train to the main station and then another train close to our hotel. It seemed easier with suitcases to just pay the $90 and not be stressed about catching trains).

Wow, we love the Marriott Grand Hotel Flora on Via Vittorio Veneto. We love this luxury after living at the vacation village for basketball camp. We see the old Roman city wall out our window. After settling in we head to the Hard Rock Cafe down the street for a snack of beef nachos (yea we are hungry for American food) and iced tea. Delicious snack.

With map and guidebook in hand we take off walking to the Piazza di Spagna to see the Spanish Steps. The steps are the piazza's most famous sight. They comprise a majestic double staircase that cascades down the Pincio Hill from the church of Trinita dei Monti. Built in the 17th century as the Spanish Embassy. We entered the church to singing of a church service.

From the Spanish Steps we wound around and through many little streets to find Trevi Fountain. You stumble across it almost by accident. There it is as you turn from one of the three streets that lend the fountain its name (tre vie means "three streets) into the small piazza. It is famous for its tradition - throw a coin in the waters and you will return to Rome. Of course we did that! The fountain's designer came up with the novel idea of draping the fountain over the entire wall of the Palazzo Poli.

We ended the evening with gelato! YUM!

Basketball Camp – Monopoli, Italy

Don finished up his clinic on Sunday by 1:30 at Pesaro. Roberto and Marco from Jam Basketball Camp along with Tim, Kim and Rachel Hammond from Colorado picked us up to take us to the basketball camp.. We were informed the trip south along the coast would take about 3 ½ hours. Doubling that time would be closer to accurate. Before getting to the vacation village where the basketball camp is to be held, we stopped in Monopoli around 10 for supper. We enjoyed pizza in a quaint restaurant beside the sea. We proceeded on to the camp and settled in around midnight.

In Monopoli where we stopped for supper about 10 pm.

Happy birthday, Tim! Tim, Kim and Rachel are at Jam Camp with us. They are from Colorado.

Camp begins usually between 9 and 10 in the morning until 12. Lunch is from 12:30 to 1:30. We spend the afternoons on the beach before camp resumes at 4:00 until about 6:30. Supper is from 8 – 9. Needless to say, Don is not overworked at this camp. They use outdoor baskets so he’s getting a lot of sun.

Evidence of Don coaching!

This is our "room" at the vacation village for basketball camp. This village is a huge place where families come to vacation. This seems to be a popular way to do a "holiday" and it includes buffet food service for three meals a day, pool, location with access to the sea, activities planned for children & adults.

Swimming in the Adriatic Sea.

Rocky shore line, but very pretty.

Fields and fields of olive trees in this area.

Wednesday morning Kim, Rachel and I took a taxi to Monopoli. We walked through some of the old city along the sea. We went inside two churches and though a restored castle. We walked through the open-air markets of fresh fruits, vegetables, and clams. We enjoyed watching a fisherman mend his nets and others baiting small hooks.

Wednesday night we were treated to an evening at Tenuta Monacelle. What a lovely place up in the hills. The dinner party was fabulous with 5 courses of delicious foods: 1) cold salad/meat dish 2) pasta with octopus sauce, 3) pasta with olives and tomatoes, 4) beef in wine gravy, mashed potatoes and zucchini puff, 5) fancy cake dessert. The wine was poured freely as usual - red or white. We ate outside on a huge patio under big umbrellas. We returned to this same location Thursday afternoon for a press conference for the basketball camp. We were served champagne, juice, and appetizers after.

Notice the roof tops that are made from stacked up stones with no mortar. This is found only in this area of Italy.

Coaches at the press conference

Pesaro, Italy. Coaching Clinic.

Thursday, June 30 - Sunday, July 3

Pesaro is on the eastern coast of Italy and considered in Central Italy. The drive from Bologna to Pesaro allowed us to view the Italian landscapes of farms and villas, villages, grapevines, olive groves and cypresses on the rolling hills. We’ve toured this Tuscany region before and the highlights were Pisa on the west coast, Siena, Orvieto Lucca, Assisi, and Florence.

We are staying in the Cruiser Congress Hotel. We are on the first floor (second level up) and our balcony looks out at the Adriatic Sea. Our room is very nice. Vacationers abound. It appears to be a destination for Italian family vacations.

Meals have consisted of caprese salads (tomatoes and mozzarella cheese), with pizza bread, pastas of various kinds, pizzas and wine. Wine is served in pitchers and is relatively cheap. Our favorite dessert is gelato – a yummy ice cream. Deciding on a flavor (or two or three) is problematic.

Our last night in Pesaro we were invited along with about 40 others to a dinner party at the basketball club owner’s mansion up in the hills. We were served appetizers and champagne outside on a patio then later sent inside to a sit down meal. The 5 course meal included: 1) cold salad plate with 3 different types, 2) bowl of clams and muscles, 3) spaghetti with lobster pieces, 4) sea bass with thinly sliced potatoes, and 4) chocolate and pistachio gelato. The meal was served with continuous wine being poured and many types of bread.

Lunch by the Adriatic Sea!

House (mansion) of the dinner party. Appetizers and champagne were served here in the front. I did not take pictures, especially of the food dishes as it did not seem appropriate to do that. I wish I could show the wonderful foods that were served.