There is so much to see in Rome. You look at the map and say that looks to be the way back to the hotel and then you're in these back streets which are fantastic. This afternoon we did this and ended walking through antique shops, shops that sold clocks , wooden toys and other things, then you would walk into another small piazza with its own church, it really is amazing.
This morning started with a visit to Castel S. Angelo, actually like a lot of things in Rome it started life as a mausoleum for the Emperor Hadrian but ended up as a little retreat for Popes, this I assume was before the Vatican which doesn't seem half bad to start with.
This is our street, hotel about 3/4 of the way up on left Castel S. Angelo
starts with spirally walk up inside papal apartments (sneaky photo)
cafe latte in the bar top of the spirally bit back down the spirally bit and practising map reading
For those of you who have read this already you may be thinking , "is that all they did today" . Well no, I actually fell asleep over the laptop and didn't finish it, so here is part the second.......
No large service stations in the city, just roadside pumps to keep this lot going, scooters r us
On then to the Spanish Steps along with the other 10,000 tourists
On the right is Ronan Keatings house at the bottom of the steps....., no sorry I meant John Keats the famous dead poet......
Moving right along on the tour..... The Trevi Fountain, famous for appearing in the movie "Roman Holiday" of course there were less people about than today, just Gregory Peck and Audrey Heburn, and the song "Three Coins in a Fountain" . Just a word about the crowds though, we don't mind really as it gives a wonderful buzz to the experience, lots of different folks and languages.
Built by Nicholas Salvi in 1762 it has a great tradition that if you want to return to the City of Rome you must throw a coin into the water. I wonder if the Roman kids dive in and retrieve the money when everyones gone as there didn't seem to be that much in there considering the amount that must end up there.
Talking amounts of things, Alan and I were wondering about the number of photos taken each day in Rome, everyone here seemed to have a camera and one Japanese girl who was in my way as i tried to get a shot must have clicked off about 10, of the same thing from the same place. Multiply that by the number of tourists in Rome on any given day and the total would be astronomical. I only managed 220 today !!!
Here are Penny and Peter doing the thing for tradition !!!!
Roman soldier, Textus Lotsimus Hot but cloudy day - time for gelati .....
Just what every little wooden boy wants.... Steve Martin has suffered a career downturn
and now for the Pantheon. This has got to be the best so far. It is the most complete Roman building in the city, built in the 1st century by Emperor Hadrian as a temple to all the gods. It remained in this state until the 7th century when Christians in the city complained that they were being possessed as they walk past so the then Pope had it consecrated as a church. Inside are various tomb including the artist Raphael and King Victor Emmanual. The doors are the original bronze ones, as you can see in the photo they are very thick, the doors that is, I know what you were thinking but no joke here.....
Stop in the Piazza Navona in time for the communista rally, but still time for pasta.....
then a walk through the antiques street back to St Peter's and the hotel
