sandr018

While planning my trip to Rome everyone told me to stay at JK Place Roma .  Instead I stayed in another more central location in the city but after spending a relaxing afternoon at JK Place my next trip will definitely be spent at JK! We made the library our home-base for a few hours after exhausting tours around the city, perusing the collection of books with cocktails and nibbles. The only way it could have been perfected was if the fire had been lit!  After the hustle and bustle of Rome, even during non-peak tourist season, the quiet and sophisticated interiors were better than a nap.  The staff made our afternoon so comfortable we decided to stay for dinner!  The stylish restaurant is adjacent to the library (seen at the end of the enfilade above). Great use of mirror and reflective surfaces make this the most glamorous restaurant in the city. Keep in mind you have to be buzzed into the hotel but once inside the friendly staff will make you feel at home either fo...

On vacation last month my number one destination whilst in Rome was a pilgrimage to one of the most fascinating and influential buildings known to architects; Bramante's Tempietto. Overlooking Rome from high upon the Janiculum hill, San Pietro in Montorio is a 15th century church supposedly built on the site where Saint Peter was crucified (which replaced an earlier 9th century structure).  Works by Michelangelo, Vasari, Raphael, and Bramante originally decorated its' halls; a veritable who's who of the Renaissance. I can tell you it was a pilgrimage as the walk up this hill is brutal; bring your climbing gear! But the reward at the end of the slog is one of the masterpieces of the High Renaissance which would inspire architects for centuries to come including Palladio who included it in his Quattro Libri  (and don't miss the astonishing views of Rome!). Once inside the museum ( The Spanish Royal Academy ) one weaves through cloisters and exhibition spaces to come to ...