We did play a new golf course which was pretty good value for money because the owners are trying to promote their real estate development and with the poor state of the economy they have not had the money to maintain the course in a condition comparable to other courses in the area and certainly not like Augusta National.
On Sunday Bob and Isa McConnell arrived after visiting Poland and Prague. We picked them up at the airport as the regional trains had been shut down by a 24 hour strike. Their arrival definitely improves the standard of cooking here as Bob is a master chef and last night's pasta with a fresh fish marinara sauce was superb. Yesterday, Monday, Lynne and I visited the palazzo Doria Pamphili and its museum in the heart of Rome. It was another example of how the landed aristocratic families who claimed the papal throne made out like bandits with the tithes of the peasants helping to pay for sumptuous palaces and staggering art collections. This collection included a who's who of Italian and Flemish masters. One of the corridors in the palace called the Hall of Mirrors is shown in the photo.
And one of the bandits, a Pope painted by Velazquez, was the uncle of Count Carmelo Pamphili who built the place. On seeing the portrait, the Pope was reported to have been quite upset because it was far too perfect a likeness for his taste.
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