Rome May 2019

We flew May 25th from Tunis to Rome. We have scheduled tours on the 26th and 27th and return home on the 28th. 
Flight to Rome had one episode of turbulent air. Stopped beverage service - just after we got ours. Glad I did not request hot coffee. 

Should have taken a picture, but we were to look for a driver holding our name. There had to 70 - 85 drivers holding names. Ours not to be found, but I did find the name of our tour service. He had not yet put our name up and our driver was stuck on the highway behind an accident. He was only about 15 minutes behind. 
On to Rome and the Romanico Palace. 
BC
Our driver pointed this out as the oldest stone left in Rome. The first wall of Rome. When Kings were in charge after 750 BC.

 On our way Sunday to the Spanish Steps. There are several spires like this as tribute to various persons or times. 

 View from the Spanish Steps down onto the town. 

An Older building left in the midst of the steps. 

 Some facts about the Spanish steps. The Spanish steps were built in 1723-1725 by a design of the rather little known architect Francesco de Sanctis and were financed by French diplomat Étienne Gueffier’s bequeathed. It was built in order to link the the Trinità dei Monti church that was under the patronage of the king of France, with the Spanish square below. The long, triangular Spanish square is named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. In the 17th century, the area around the embassy was even considered Spanish territory. The idea of connecting the church with the square below originates from the 17th century, when the French also planned a statue of King Louis XIV of France at the top of the staircase. This plan was never executed, due to the refusal of the Pope.
For more: https://romeonsegway.com/7-facts-about-the-spanish-steps/

This column originally had Agustus on the top. The church took him down and replaced it with St. Peter. There is a story being told upwards on the column.

 Ah the Pantheon. Well this is all you get. The line to get in was probably 90 minutes long. On to the next site. 

 When you say a basilica in Rome, there are many. This is the back side to one of them. I believe this one is Santa Maria Maggiore, constructed in 435 AD. 

 Just a neat street view that caught my attention. 

Now we begin our 3 hour tour....  a bus ride to the area adjacent to the colosseum and around. Here you see a portion the aquedecte in Rome. 

 This area is known as Palatine Hill. 

 This is one of a couple of arches. This one I think is to Constantine. The Arch of Constantine is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. Dedicated in 315, it is the largest Roman triumphal arch. Wikipedia

A great view of the Colosseum. 

We are working our way around the Pallantine hills to the colosseum. This is the Roman Forum. 

The Temple of Antonius & Faustina is classic Roman recycling: A church installed in the ruins of an ancient pagan temple. (Photo by sonofgroucho

  The next  pictures are of the Temple of Vesta: The Temple of Vesta is an ancient edifice in Rome, Italy, located in the Roman Forum near the Regia and the House of the Vestal Virgins. The temple's most recognizable feature is its circular footprint. Since the worship of Vesta began in private homes, the architecture seems to be a reminder of its history

The Arch of Septimius Severus:  The emperor Septimius Severus came to power in 193. On 31 December 192, Commodus had been assassinated and succeeded by the old general Pertinax, who had in turn been lynched by soldiers on 28 March. The imperial guard had sold the monarchy to another general, Didius Julianus. On hearing the news, the conspirators who had put Pertinax on the throne, decided to act again. Severus, the governor of Pannonia, gained the support of the army of the Danube and marched on Rome. Julianus was executed on 1 June, and the Senate recognized Severus.

The last of some columns standing in the Roman Forum. 

Out of sequence - but a selfie at the Pantheon. Taken with my cell phone. 

 A great exterior view of the colosseum. Lots of renovation going on. Built of travertine, tuff, and brick-faced concrete, it is the largest amphitheatre ever built. The Colosseumis situated just east of the Roman Forum. Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir, Titus.

A close up view of some of the carving in stones.

Interior view of the colosseum. We had to put our bags through xray and we as well went through security. The police and military are everywhere. I wanted to take a picture but thought better of it. 

Just different angles of the colosseum. 

The white looking flooring on the right is actually a glass cover where there are more archeological digs going on to further uncover what is there. yes still. 

Our trip back to our hotel was interesting. We got lost and turned around about 5 times. What should have been a 20 minute walk took us more like an hour. And yes with rain on/off.

Monday a semi private tour, so fewer persons. We will be picked up at our hotel, but must find our way back from Vatican City on our own. I think it will be taxi time. 
My legs and feet hurt last night with nearly 9 hours of walking on Sunday. And yes we found a McDonalds..... 

More to come. 

May 27th - Vatican tour -
Don't believe it when they say your group tour will get you right in and no waiting in line. hahah. 1 of our 3 hours of our tour was waiting in line to get into the Vatican Museum.  Oh and did I say it was raining too? Not a heavy rain. On average, 32,000 - 35,000 people visit the Vatican City daily. It appears most are part of a tour group. Groups are of every language you can think of. 

This is the exit to the Vatican Museum. 

Since no photos can be taken in the Sistine chapel, our guide spent time discussing the chapel paintings and their creation. This is a poster board of the paintings. Michealangelo began this painting at the age of 65.

This is a schematic of Vatican City. It is not just a city but it's own country, but you already knew that. 

From the museum, a shot of the top of the Vatican. 

There are so many beautiful sculptures in the museum, I cannot possibly post all that  I took pictures of. 

This sculputure signifies the damage to the Earth. 

A long shot of the hallway we just went through with all of the sculptures. 

 The ceiling art is amazing. 

 I do not recall what this was used for but the mosaic in the floor is also beautiful. 

Our guide spoke of the use of the eagle in a few of the sculptures and spoke of how we use it as well in the US. This is the Emperor Claudius. He was Emperor from 37 - 54 AD.

 This is a very decorative Urn for burial. 

While this all looks 3 dimensional, it is mostly a painting that has that appearance. 

The next was the tapestry room. Pics are a little dark as no flash is allowed.  There have been attempts to refurbish some of these but it is said they have lost some of their color in the restoration attempts. 

The ceiling in the Tapestry room. 

Next is the map room. Again so many maps and it is amazing as to how they completed these maps , so very long ago. This is Sicily. 

Ken checking out the map of Italy. 

No pictures and we were suppose to be quiet in the Sistine Chapel. It is not very big and Oh so crowded. Ken was asking our guide a couple of questions which she was willing to answer quietly, but Ken was pointing at something. She "smacked " his hand down because if she were "lecturing' in the chapel, she could lose her license as a guide. A person was taking a picture and was caught by a guard and was immediately escorted out. 

Below this is outside the Sistine Chapel on the way to the outer courtyard of Vatican City. 

Outside the museum and chapel, in the courtyard of Vatican City. 

Panoramic view of the courtyard. 

Area where the Pope says mass outdoors. 

The windows in the upper right - second window from the right is where the Pope will look out to greet crowds. 

On to St. Peters Bascillia

Again so many beautiful paintings and sculputers that I cannot share or show or photograph them all. 

The Vatican Guard. 

 Sculptures even long the streets of the city. This is an active fountain with potable water. 

And so ends our day, in the rain. Time to find a taxi to go back to the hotel, get some dinner and set the alarm for our transportation to the Airport. Hope you all enjoyed the photos.