Rome! 2015

Images of Rome, September, 2015
  • The Colosseum in Rome, perhaps the city's most recognized landmark.
  • What's the first thng you do in Rome? Find a nice, outdoor restaurant! This one was actually in the street. The green thing on the left is a train.
  • The in-the-street thing is even more apparent here. We don't look too bad for being up for - I forgot how many - hours. : Rome, street
  • This was our meal. It's the closest thing we could find to a pepperoni pizza. This is actually salami. But very tasty. : Rome, street
  • This is a drawing of of St Peters, St. Peters Square (which is round), and the Vatican on the right. We visited St. Peters on our first day in Rome, but couldn't go inside the basilica. The Pope was doing a Mass or something. The nerve of the guy. Who does he think he is? We did get to visit the Basilica on our last day of the trip.
  • This is Anna, our very outgoing, vivacious and extremely knowledgeable, tour guide. It was not raining at that point. The umbrella is held up so we can spot her in a crowd. : Rome, st peters square
  • Here we are in St. Peters Square. The basilica is in front of us, or, behind the photographer.
  • We met many new friends on the trip. Here are (L to R) Mark and Lou and Toni and Frank. Frank is a great guy and we hit it off immediately. This was our first dinner in Rome, at the Sheraton.
  • Another of our favorite couples, Morri and Sandy. Wine was served every meal. And usually plenty of it. : Dinner, Rome
  • This is one of many enterances to the Vatican, but the one tourists use. If you go, get there early because the lines and the wait can be awful. If you're on your own, you can join a "tour group" on the spot to get head-of-the-line privleges. But, buyer beware. : Rome, vatican
  • The Huge statue known as the Pigna (pine) or the Fontana Della Pigna depicts a giant Pine Cone. It is located in St. Peter's, in an area called the court of the Pigna. An yes, this text was plagarized from the net.
  • Part of the ceiling in the Vatican Museum. It is not the Sistine Capel. We were not allowed to take photos there.
  • St. Peters Basilica after a short shower. This was taken from somewhere in the Vatican. : Rome, vatican
  • This is the old spiral stair case in the Vatican. Unless you're with a special tour group, you probably won't see this because once you get to the top (where this photo was taken), the only way out is back down. With the Vatican crowds, that simply would not work.
  • A fresco in the Vatican Museum.
  • We got to the Vatican early, and were able to bump the line. This is a light crowd - very light. Normally, this would be a sea of elbow-to-elbow people. : Rome, vatican
  • A view of Rome from a window at the top of the old stairway in the Vatican. : Rome, vatican
  • A tapestry in the Vatican.
  • Somewhere in this photograph is where the smoke announcing a new Pope is released.
  • In the Gallery of Tapestries scenes from the life of Jesus are depicted, based on drawings by pupils of Raphael. In the Resurrection tapestry Jesus's eyes follow you as you move along the gallery. Spooky.....but also a brilliant example of 'moving perspective'. Credit Google for the text. : Rome, vatican
  • This famous tapestry is the Resurrection of Christ. It is one the best examples of ‘moving perspective in the history of art, and the best executed on a tapestry. : Rome, vatican
  • This is the new spiral stairway. Here there are amazingly few other people in the photo. : Rome, vatican
  • This is a stained glass window called "Mother and Child" in the Vatican. : Rome, vatican
  • This gathering in front of St. Peters Basilica was why we couldn't go inside on our first day. The people under the awning on the left are couples waiting to get married. The people in white in the center of the frame are priests, and the Pope is in there somewhere, but we've not been able to spot him. The Pope does not perform the wedding ceremonies, but does bless the new couples. : Pope, Rome, vatican
  • This is the Colosseum, which we visited on our second day of the trip. It has held up pretty well for 2000 years. : Colleseum, Rome
  • The colosseum is larger than we expected, and it remains the largest amphitheater ever built, being able to seat 50,000 to 80,000 spectators. The ancient Romans were a blood thirsty lot, and the Colusseum is the single most barbaric sporting venue in history.
  • In this view, the passages and tunnels under the bridge were below the floor of the Colosseum, which allowed gladiators, and all manner of wild beasts to seemingly pop up as if by magic. It is even recorded that the Colosseum could be flooded, which allowed for full-sized naval battles involvoing as many as 3000 men. : Colleseum, Rome
  • Our tour guide Anna, dressed in her usual colorful manner. How she could walk miles in shoes like that amazed us.
  • You will not have trouble finding a pizza in Rome, or anywhere else in Italy, for that matter.
  • "Checking his Phone"
  • Oh, Golly, if it only would!! : Rome, street
  • Most restarants in Rome are very small, so the tables are out on the street. : Rome, street
  • This is the Trevi Fountain, made famous in many movies. It is the location of one of the most famous scenes in Rome movie history: Anita Ekberg wading through the waters, getting Marcello Mastroianni to come join her, in Fellini's 1960 blockbuster La Dolce Vita. If you go to Rome, do not try to recreate the wading scene. You will be arrested and fined.
  • Sadly, for us, the fountain was undergoing extensive renovations when we were there. This is normally one of the most crowded places in Rome. With the construction of modern buildings, there is very little open space around the fountain. : Rome, street
  • Along with pizza, all restaurants serve gelato, which is similar to ice cream, but has a more silky texture and less fat becasue it is made from milk, not cream. : Rome, street
  • A closeup of gelato. It is very tasty, and I don't think a day went by without our "gelato fix" - or two.
  • A colorful restaurant waiting for customers.
  • Santa Maria in Aquiro in Rome, Italy. It is dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, and is located on Piazza Capranica. The church is ancient – it was restored by Pope Gregory III in the 8th century, and thus must have existed before then. We caught it while the bells were ringing.
  • "Two guys hanging out" Taken near the Pantheon. : Rome, street
  • This is the Pantheon, not to be confused with the Parthenon. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. It has been in continuous use since its construction in the first century. For whatever reason, the originally designed columns were not available, and shorter (by about 10 feet) had to be procured in Egypt. If you look carefully, you can see where the portico doesn't match up.
  • The interior of the Pantheon, which means "All gods." This is the apse and altar by Alessandro Specchi (who collaborated on the design of the Spanish Steps) was commissioned by Pope Clement XI.
  • Inside the Pantheon is “St. Joseph and the Holy Child” by Vincenzo de’ Rossi (1548).
  • This is the dome of the Pantheon. The ocular in the center is open to the sky, which allows rain in. The designers solved the problem by slightly raising the center of the floor so water would run off. The panels lighten the dome so that has stood for 2000 years without collapsing. : Pantheon, Rome
  • This is an alley way off the Piazza Navona, not far from the Pantheon. Quaint little restaurants are tucked away anywhere they can find the space.
  • This was our dinner spot on the Piazza Navona. Inviting, isn't it? : Piazza Navona, Rome
  • A display of wine in the restaurant on the previous slide. I think we had the wine second from the right. : Piazza Navona, Rome
  • This was our dessert, which we did split. It's a yummy brownie topped with a gelato cone. : Piazza Navona, Rome
  • The Piazza Navona dates to the 15th century. The Fontana del Moro is in the foreground, In 1874, during a restoration of the fountain, the original statues were moved to the Galleria Borghese and replaced with copies. Note: Piazza is not the same thing as pizza. : Piazza Navona, Rome
  • Our good friends and traveling companions, Sandy and Morri.
  • After the evening in the Piazza Navona, we returned to our hotel for much needed sleep. We awoke the next morning and continued on our journey, first heading south to Pompeii. This shot was taken on our return to Rome the last full day of the trip when we finally did get inside St. Peters Basilica. This is the line to get in, but it moved rather quickly. : Rome, st. peters
  • St. Peter's is one of the largest churches in the world. Catholic tradition holds that the Basilica is the burial site of St. Peter, one of Christ's Apostles and also the first Pope. Supposedly, St. Peter's tomb is directly below the high altar of the Basilica. This is the apse. : Rome, st. peters
  • The light beam here focusing on the alter is called a crepuscular ray. This was not enhanced in photoshop. We just happened to be there at the right time. This view, with the beam of light, was simply breathtaking and very moving.
  • Michelangelo's Pieta.
  • Another view. It is behind a glass wall. : Rome, st. peters
  • Looking up into the dome. : Rome, st. peters
  • These are the Swiss Guards, who guard the Pope. They are probably tough guys, but with those costumes, they're not very intimidating. : Rome, st. peters
  • Another Swiss Guard. He' holding a pike, which in the middle ages was a fearsome weapon used against mounted warriors.
  • An interior view.
  • This is the Statue Of St. Helena - St. Peter's Basilica. Google is a wonderful thing.
  • "Overwhelming" doesn't beging to describe the feeling of being in St. Peters.
  • After visiting St. Peters, our bus took us to a restaurant outside of Rome for our final dinner togther. It was a festive time with great food and plenty of wine. : Rome, farewell dinner
  • Morri, Sandy, Dave and Sue : Rome, farewell dinner
  • Getting on our bus for the trip back to the hotel. Our driver, Alfrrrrrrrrrr-edo (Anna forced us to learn to roll our "Rs") was a super guy. : Rome, farewell dinner
  • Anna and Alfredo. They were the best. Note the shoes.