We
woke early to get our day started. Francesco
made us cappuccinos, tiramisu and pie for breakfast! He was the best!
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| Homemade pies for breakfast was a special treat! |
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| St. Peter's Basilica |
We headed to St. Peter’s Square and took the elevator
in the basilica to a certain level of the dome.
From there, we climbed 320 steps up a very narrow stairway that got narrower
the closer you got to the top, along with the roof slanting towards you! It was almost as if it was caving in on
you. At the very top, the views around
Vatican City were amazing!
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| A guard inside Vatican City - St. Peter's Square - The narrow staircase inside the dome |
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| One of my favorite photos...looking down on St. Peter's Square from the top of the basilica |
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| Bernini's Baldachin - inside the basilica - Nuns texting in St. Peter's Square |
After
spending some time atop the Dome and walking around inside the basilica, we
wondered through the square to Castel Sant’Angelo. The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as
the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a
towering cylindrical building. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor
Hadrian
as a mausoleum
for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a
fortress and castle, and is now a museum.
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Castel Sant'Angelo
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From Castel St. Angelo, we walked in and out of
many interesting churches. Also along
the way, we entered the Pantheon. It is
one of the best-preserved of all Roman buildings. Through great bronze doors, you enter
into a great circular room. The only natural light enters through an oculus at
the center of the dome and through the bronze doors to the portico. As the sun
moves, striking patterns of light illuminate the walls and floors.
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| Pantheon |
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| Pantheon - Bernini's Elephant |
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| Victor Emanuel Monument |
Another great sight was the Colosseum! The Colosseum, Coliseum, is a large amphitheater in
the city of Rome. The construction of the Colosseum started around
70—72 AD and was finished in
80 AD. It was used for gladiator
contests, and animal hunts, in which animals would hunt
and eat prisoners; or gladiators would fight against animals. There
were also executions of prisoners,
plays, and battle scenes; sometimes it
was filled with water to fight sea battles. In the Middle Ages it was
no longer used for performances. It was then used as housing, workshops, a Christian shrine, and as a supply of building stones. It has been said that about 500,000 people and over a million wild
animals died in the Colosseum games. We happen to be in Rome during Cultural week and almost all the museums and entrance fees were free!
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| Colosseum |
After
our long day of exploring the city, we went to dinner at Dino and Tony’s (Via Leone IV 60, Rome, Italy).
It had been highly recommend by several online websites. They took great care of us, and kept the
pasta and wine flowing at our table. We
too would highly recommend them, but call for reservations…. 06 397 33 284.
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posing with Dino and Tony
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