Arrivederci, Roma!

March 28:

This was our last full day in Rome... but we did manage to do a lot in that time.  Our first stop after a large breakfast at our hotel, was the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, located inside the Villa Borghese, within close walking distance from our hotel.  The weather was gray and rainy in the morning, so it was the perfect day to be inside perusing art.  We spent several hours inside the gallery, and saw the entire collection, including a whole lot of Italian art from various time periods, plus a special temporary Japanese collection.  No photos were allowed within the gallery.  Among other things, the original Verdi portrait by Giovanni Boldini was on display.

front steps of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna

portrait of composer Giuseppe Verdi, by Giovanni Boldini (1886)
[image courtesy of Wikipedia]

After the Modern Art Gallery, the rain had stopped, and we had a relaxing stroll through Villa Borghese Park, where we saw the famous 'Pines of Rome', which served as the inspiration for composer Ottorino Respighi's piece of the same name.  

a pigeon and some spring greenery

Fountain of Seahorses

among the Pines of Rome

Walking out of Villa Borghese, I said a visual goodbye to this beautiful city... we walked back into town the same way we'd gone on our first evening in Rome, enjoying a panoramic view of the city from the higher vantage point of the park.

view of Rome from the edge of Villa Borghese park

Our next stop was the Tiziano (Titian) exhibit... we spent quite a while inside, admiring 39 large paintings by the famous 16th century master.  It was really a stunning exhibit.  I bought a small book (in Italian) with some of his works, and came away inspired with an abstract idea that I might try to translate into music in my next piece.  

outside the Titian exhibit

changing of the guard outside Quirinal Palace, where the president lives

There were a couple of other things (well, many more things!) I would have loved to have time to see and do in Rome, but we were tired by the time the gallery closed, and we headed back for dinner at a small pizza place near the Euclid station close to our hotel.  It was a relaxing and low-key evening... a perfect way to wind down a very busy and exciting past couple of weeks.  

On the way home tomorrow, we will be connecting through Frankfurt, then Montreal, and home to Vancouver.  Arrivederci, Roma!  My first visit here was amazing, and I definitely hope to be back again someday!