June 22nd: We took a Hop On-Hop off bus to take a fun tour around the city and to become more familiar with the location of the most popular historic sites. Sitting on the upper level of the bus was great. The only thing I didn't like about the bus was the long stops to pick up and drop off more people. I think that doubled our time on the bus.
After going around at least one whole route, we got off at the Vatican City stop so we could walk to St. Peter's Square to see St. Peter's Basilica, and then from there to see the Pantheon--both incredible works of architecture. It took us an hour of waiting in line to go inside the Basilica, and about two hours to go inside the Pantheon. But we met really nice people while waiting in line. We got to see the Trevi Fountain too, so this was a major historical sites tour for us!
My favorite building is St. Peter's Basilica with its many beautifully carved and painted arches and domes, marble sculptures, marble columns and floors, and gorgeous paintings throughout the building.
 |
The main Terminal/train station that we walk through before heading into the city
Our Hotel Corot is located just down the alley from the mainTerminal |
 |
| These photos were taken from the tour bus. Much better ones later. |
 |
| Ruins at Palatino Hill seen from the Colosseum |
 |
The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, or church of Santa Maria Maggiore--the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome. It was started in 435 AD
and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary
|
 |
Altare della Patria, or Altar of the Fatherland--a monument built in honor of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy.
This building is situated between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill. |
 |
Michelangelo's La Pieta (Mary with her son Jesus after His crucifixion)
inside St. Peter's Cathedral/Basilica |
 |
The Basilica is enormous, and it's magnificently adorned in beautiful
marble, gold, paintings, intricate carvings, reliefs, and statues |
 |
| This is my favorite dome in the Basilica--so gorgeous! |
 |
| Such a beautifully decorated interior with lots of marble and gold |
 |
| I love this beautiful painting of Christ coming down from Heaven |
 |
| My favorite sculptures fo Christ and his leading disciples--Peter, James, and John |
 |
| One of the tombs of the Popes in Rome |
 |
| I love the way light filters in from the dome windows |
 |
| One of the pretty carved confession booths for Catholics |
 |
| A closeup of my favorite painting inside St. Peter's Basilica |
 |
| A list of the Popes who have led the Catholic Church |
 |
| Breathtakingly beautiful! |
 |
The Vatican guards wearing uniforms designed by Michelangelo
Besides the famous stuff, I love just taking in the culture wherever we go, and in Rome you can find it on the streets! Outdoor Cafe's, flower shops, old buildings, people dressed up, people dressed down, and splashes of color everywhere.
|
 |
| Cute flower shop |
 |
| We enjoyed a lunch of pizza and pasta here |
 |
| The Pantheon with it's famous cement dome and eye of the dome behind it |
 |
| This cathedral has the largest and heaviest cement dome in the world |
 |
| Virgin Mary with baby Jesus |
 |
| Beautiful tile work inside the dome |
 |
| And gorgeous paintings |
 |
| Look at all those beautiful paintings! |
 |
Such amazing artwork
 |
 |
| Cute little nuns in Rome |
 |
| More outside cafes |
 |
| The Trevi Fountain |
 |
| Colorful store front in Rome |
 |
These streets are made of black stone tile blocks
and some streets are steep and narrow |
No comments:
Post a Comment