The 'Episode' of 2010

After being refused once again in our attempt to go up to the cupola at St. Peter's, we decided to venture over to the Spanish Steps.

There were hordes of people but we hiked on up to the top.

After that little adventure I drooled over the windows at the shops nearby. Gucci, Bulgari, Prada...

Then I got over it and we headed up a bit further to the Borghese Gardens for a stroll. This is when the Spring incident of 2010 happened. It wasn't pretty. It involved me and street sellers. Let's just say we don't get along.

Our main goal that afternoon was to see Parco della Musica, designed by Renzo Piano.

It's a large public music complex north of Rome. It's composed of three separate bug-like halls inspired by musical instruments

Each concert hall differs from the other in terms of dimension and functions. Each are characterised by a flexibility of their space and can be regulated and adjusted according to the nature of event being held. And the floor and ceiling can be moved to adjust the acoustic properties as well.

It's a little odd for my taste but the idea and concept are interesting.

Next, we ventured on to the new Zaha Hadid Maxxi National Museum. It will be opening in June so we couldn't go in.

Not a big fan of this one either but Eric likes Zaha's use of concrete.

(incase you're wondering :))

The Richard Meier design, built for the ancient Roman Ara Pacis (Alter of Peace), has stirred some controversy amongst the Romans. Many don't like that it's a modern building for an ancient piece of history surrounded by historical ruins. The mayor, Gianni Alemanno is threatening to tear down the new structure. What ashame because I really enjoyed this space. It isn't trying to grab attention, nor is it trying to make a statement. It's just a peaceful place to sit and enjoy the moment.

Our last night we HAD to get a photo of the colosseum lit up at night before we left. It is beautiful.