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Rome, Italy

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We took another private tour in Rome with a group of 14 people that we also met on cruisecritic.com.  Our guide was a young archeologist, Claudia.  She ended up being my favorite tour guide by far on the cruise, extremely knowledgeable.  Our first stop was the infamous Colosseum.  This was right up there with the Statue of Liberty and the Parthenon.  Just surreal.  After viewing the Colosseum we headed to the Roman Forum which I learned is so full of great history.  The tomb of Julius Caesar is here, they even found a skeleton dating from 10th Century BC here the week after we left...that is OLD! 

We then drove to the Trevi Fountain.  According to popular superstition and custom, throwing coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain is a practice that brings good luck. Throwing one coin ensures that the thrower will return to Rome; throwing two coins will ensure that the thrower will fall in love with a beautiful Roman girl (or handsome boy); throwing three coins, finally, ensures that the thrower will marry that girl or boy in Rome itself. Needless to say we only threw one coin! 

From the Trevi Fountain we walked to the Spanish Steps (you know. from the diamond commercial..I love this woman!) and the commercial definitely leads you to believe this area is calm and quiet.  Um no.  The church was under restoration, the steps were CRAMMED with people.  It was nice to see but not what I was expecting.

We stopped for lunch at a local cafe and then headed to the Pantheon.  The Pantheon was built in 27 BC.  It is the best-preserved of all Roman buildings and the oldest important building in the world with its original roof intact.  The dome is very impressive from the inside, it has a 27 foot opening in the top which they believed helped track the days and years with the sun movement.  Claudia also told us that when it rains no rain ever comes in through the hole, could be design, could be someone watching from above.  There are many tombs in the Pantheon, the two I remember most are that of Raphael the painter and Queen Margharita (yes we can thank her for the pizza! mmm). 

The last stop in Rome was St. Peter's Basilica   The dome was created by the famous Michaelangelo in 1546.  We were in Rome on a religious holiday so we were not able to visit the Sistine Chapel or the Vatican Museum.  We will be returning to Rome, I think it was my favorite port and Vinny enjoyed Rome and Istanbul the best.  In a way it was good we didn't get to see everything, we have an excuse to return!

 

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Typical Italian street...scooters and Smart Cars

Enterance to Colesseum

That's me!

Vinny on the way to the Roman Forum

The Roman Forum

Roman Forum grounds...this area contains tons of history. A skeleton dating from 10th Century BC was just found here the week after we visited.

Library with amazing bronze sculptures

Statue in the driveway of the equivalent to our 'White House'

A super cute flower truck!

VAMH and Trevvi Fountain

I will return to Rome :-)

and I wasnt fast enough with the camera for Vinny's coin throwing picture...sorry babe!

I could be humpty dumpty in this pic..ugh

Spanish Steps, disappointing....

Pretty flowers

Pantheon

It is the best-preserved of all Roman buildings and the oldest important building in the world with its original roof intact.

They stole the Pantheon's bronze roof to make the dome at St Peters Basillica

Inside, it was built 125 AD

The tombs of painter Raphael (no, not the ninja turtle) and Queen Margherita (yes she invented the pizza) lie within the Pantheon

The hole in the top was used to create calendars (basically a giant sundial)

Original marble floors

too bad they stole the bronze roof

St Peter's

Swiss guards

St Peter's

The northernmost door is the "Holy Door" in bronze, which is by tradition, only opened for great celebrations such as Jubilee years.

Dome inside of St Peter's

Vinny sharing the same view as the Pope