Northern Rome ~ Parioli!

Since I am indulging myself in a whole week in Roma I have moved up north of the Borghese Villa to a neighborhood called Parioli.  It's a fairly posh area, I think, and there are many huge villas of ages past that are now apartment buildings.  There is also a lot of post-WWII stuff as well.  Typical flats with terraces:

Here is the way to the door of my apartment building:

Jasmine is in full bloom all over Rome!  Here is my bed:

I spent the day wandering around the Borghese gardens.  Then made my way to Castel St Angelo because I've always wondered what it's like inside.  It's a huge, mangled, somewhat dilapidated barracks, not unlike the Liberal Arts building at Boise State.  It was a defense building, made to look imposing and impenetrable.  There are lots of romantic stories of popes running for their lives, catapults, cannons, swashbuckling and torture sessions... again, not unlike the LA building back home.  If you're in to weapons, go see it.  If not, the highlight is surely this beautiful St Michael:

And then you have to stroll across the Ponte St Angelo and marvel at M's angels:

  A presto!