Rome

April 6 - 13, 2014

After arriving in Vicenza, we went on spring break vacation with the Gonzales family. We stayed in Tivoli, but our first stop was Rome.  On the first day, we visited the Colosseum, the Forum and Palatine Hill, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain.  We walked by the Victor Emmanuel Monument, the Quirinale Palace, and ended up on the Spanish Steps at night.
**Information about people and places is mostly from Rick Steves's book and Wikipedia**

Packed and almost ready to hit the Autostrade

Waiting in line to pay toll and exit Autostrade

Break for refreshments

     

Expensive gasoline

Silly boy!

Our hotel in Tivoli; we drove to the metro station and rode the train into Rome

The restaurant in our hotel

Benjamin fell asleep before his meal came

He was raring to go the next morning!

An orange tree on the patio

First stop, the Colosseum

Its real name is the Flavian Amphitheater

A new area with displays of artifacts was added since our last visit.  This is a mosaic of a tiger.  Animal skulls and architectural pieces found in the amphitheater were on display.

A wooden floor was covered with sand; slaves, gladiators, and animals were kept below.

The holes are where the marble was attached to the exterior.

Our tour of the Colosseum included a tour of The Forum, which was open to everyone when we were here in 2005. Now a combo ticket costs twelve euro.

The Arch of Emperor Septimus Severus in the Forum

The Forum with Victor Emmanuel Monument in background

Arch of Constantine; in 312 A.D. he became emperor and legalized Christianity

Detail from inside Arch of Constantine

Santa Francesca Romana church next to the Forum
 

Rory, our Forum guide, has a dramatic British accent.

Canopy pines at the top of the arena, used for chariot racing at the Palatine Hill

Opposite end of arena

Canopy pines- David calls them "asparagus trees."

Vanessa and Benjamin

Still on the Forum grounds

Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, Italy's first king, who united the country in 1861.

              Monument to Victor Emmanuel;  WWII pilots called it "the wedding cake."

 The Palazzo del Quirinale (Presidential Palace) is the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic. It looks yellow in the setting sun.

         David racing Vanessa and Benjamin up and down the stairs

                                 The fountain and statues in front of the palace

                                                                 Taking a break

The outside of the Pantheon looks like a temple; the domed interior is beautiful!

The altar in the Pantheon

The oculus (eye or skylight) of the dome is 142 feet high and wide;still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome

The oculus lets in the rain which drains into these holes in the center of the floor.

The Pantheon is 2,000 years old and is the only ancient building in Rome continuously used since its construction.

The tomb of the artist Raphael in the Pantheon

The tomb of Italy's first king, Victor Emmanuel II

The beautiful Trevi Fountain

We did not toss three coins in the fountain.

The Spanish Steps (138 of them; David taking a photo of the family (lower left)

 On Thursday, April 8, we took the Metro to the Circus Maximus stop.  We walked by the huge Circus Maximus area where the Rolling Stones will be giving a concert in June.  There is no seating or chariot race track any more, only sloping hillsides down to where the track used to be.  Many elementary schools had congregated on the far end of the field for some sort of field day event. 

Circus Maximus

We walked past the site with the Palatine (Imperial Palace) on the opposite side of the field to the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin to see the Mouth of Truth.  I always wanted to see this since I saw the movie Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.  I had Benjamin going  and asking questions about the legend that liars who stick their hands in the mouth get them bitten off.  Cannot wait to show him the movie!

Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth)

Inside the Santa Maria in Cosmedin Church

Below the painting is a reliquary containing the skull and bones of St. Valentine.

The Fountain of Triton across the street from the church is also in the movie Roman Holiday.

Ruins at the Circus Maximus

Back on the Metro, we headed to Saint Peter's Square and Castel Sant'Angelo.  Chairs were set up for mass on the expansive square (which is not a square).

St. Peter's Square

Detail at St. Peter's



We spent a long time climbing the stairs and exploring Castel Sant'Angelo that was built by Hadrian for his tomb and for other emperors since no one could be buried within the walls of Rome. It also served as a fortress and a prison, and a place of refuge for threatened popes. In 1277, it was connected to the Vatican by an elevated hallway at the request of the Pope. It is connected to the city by two bridges over the Tiber River.  
 

 Castel Sant'Angelo; can you see the people standing below the angel?

Model of the mausoleum as in Roman times (A.D. 139); Hadrian in chariot on top

Getting a drink before exploring the Castel

Looking up at the ceiling of the covered walkway

 We were not allowed to take photos inside the beautifully painted rooms of the castle.

Best views of Rome

Patrick is out of focus, but the view is amazing!

 

At the top of the Castel;  
"In 590 the archangel Michael appeared above the mausoleum to Pope Gregory the Great. Sheathing his sword, the angel signaled the end of a plague. The fortress that was Hadrian's mausoleum became a fortified palace, renamed for the 'holy angel.' "