Rome - Part 2

As we finished at Trevi Fountain, we next walked to the Pantheon.

Again, we walked through narrow streets and saw some very interesting sights as we walked.

At this point, we did not have a map of Rome and our tour guide had explained to us how to get to the Pantheon. I decided to start taking pictures of the street signs should we need to find our way back to the meeting point. This is what all the streets signs in the old part of Rome looked like. They were attached to the buildings and had at least two on different buildings showing the intersection.

As we round the corner, the Pantheon is there is all its glory.

As we walk up to the Pantheon, we found several people in costumes handing out fliers for the opera house.

At the entrance to the Pantheon, here is the sign about the building. The Pantheon was originally built as a temple to all the Gods in Ancient Rome. The original Pantheon was built in 31 B.C. and rebuilt by Hadrian around 126 A.D.

The columns at the entrance are amazing.

As we continue inside, it is surprising that this building still exists in the shape that it currently is in. Keep in mind, that it has gone through several different uses, including being converted into a church by the Pope.

Raphael was an Italian painter and an architect of the High Renaissance. Originally the architect of St. Peters, upon his death he was buried in the Pantheon.

On our way out, we took notice of the massive doors which escaped us when we entered.

Outside, we ran into some more people dressed up as Roman military. They wanted to take pictures with us and the family agreed. When finished, my son offered them 10 Euros and they demanded 20 Euros. He grudgingly agreed (keep in mind he is tight with his money) to pay this amount. Later, we were told that these people are protected by law and they can charge anything they want if not negotiated up front. Our guide said he has heard of them asking for 100 Euros and when the people refused, the local cops were called and the tourists were ordered to pay up or else. I guess 20 Euros was a good deal after all. This is another thing we will keep reminding my son whenever the needs arises.

I have to admit that it was pretty exciting to see Romans walking the streets. It just brought everything into focus.

Later...

Rome - Part 1

Today, I would like to start sharing our visits to Rome. We have so many pictures, that Rome will be divided into several parts.

What most people do not realize, is that the Boat docks in Civitavvechia, Italy, which is about two hours from Rome. Most people go from Civitavvechia by either bus or train. This makes for a very long day.

Since this was our first time in Rome, we took a tour of the highlights of Rome and the Vatican. So, we start with typical countryside as we drive into Rome.

As you can see, this area is very dependent on agriculture.

As we get closer to the outskirts of Rome, we pass a number of interesting structures, including an old Roman viaduct. It seems that everywhere we look we see old (I mean really old) things.

Our first stop is the Trevi Fountain. Like all European cities, we are not dropped off at the fountain, but several blocks away. So, we begin walking, one of many for this day.

As we walk the narrow streets, we quickly realize that these narrow streets are just not for pedestrians.

As we come to the Piazza Di Trevi, we find out that this Piazza is nothing more than where five streets come together. At first, you can't even see the fountain because it is lower than the street level. At this point, I am a little "un"-impressed with this famous fountain. Where is it?

As we get closer and look down, there it is. I mean, there it is!

The building is actually an integral part of the fountain. It is truly amazing and I take back all "un"-impressive thoughts I had at that point.

And then, we begin to see the individual items of the fountain.

While your attention is drawn to the fountain, the buildings around the piazza are impressive in there own right.

From here, we are going to walk to the Pantheon. But before we do that, it is tradition that you must throw a coin into the fountain over your shoulder. Folk lore insists that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you will return to Rome again.

As you can see, the early morning shadows made taking pictures of the fountain difficult. However, I think you can see that Rexie and I did throw our coins into the fountain.

Guess what? The folk lore is true! It was not a week later that we once again came back to visit Rome.

In the next blog, I will continue our visit to Rome and especially the Pantheon.