Rome about Town

Our journey in Rome took us to some of its greatest hits, as well as some of its lesser known treasures. Because nothing in Rome is unknown. Unless it's underground. But we'll eventually find it.



The Colosseum is Rome's largest building. Built as an amphitheater, it could hold between 50,000 to 70,000 people.



Before arriving in Rome, we knew many of the sites charged a Caesar's ransom to enter, so we had to be selective about where we would visit. But then Italy said, "Hey, let's have a week of culture and make everything free!" (Well, not everything. Just all the museums and many of the archeological sites.) So they did and it was and we saw everything. Like the inside of the Colosseum.



The Arch of Constantine was built in 312 A.D. by, guess who, Constantine. Apparently he did something great. Talk about insecure. Why does he always have to build a monument when he wins a battle?



A view of the Roman Forum with a clearer sky. The Colosseum can be seen in the background.



Beautiful flowers, including wildflowers and roses like these, could be found all over Rome. And maybe even on a few desktop screens in Austin...



The Fontana di Trevi, or Trevi Fountain, is a beautiful sight, especially at night (although it seemed nearly every visitor to Rome had the same idea we did). Legend holds that throwing a coin into the fountain ensures one's return to Rome. A second coin guarantees a wish. We, of course, each threw a coin (or two) over our shoulders into the rushing waters!



Michelangelo's Moses is displayed in the church San Pietro in Vincoli, or St. Peter in Chains. It was originally intended to be a much larger piece containing 47 statues, but the monument was never finished. As an interesting money-maker, the church charged 50 cents to light the monument for about one minute. It became a huge game among the hoards of tourists to see who would cave in first.



The church was built to house the chains, pictured here, that imprisoned St. Peter in Jerusalem.



The Spanish Steps were built to connect the Piazza di Spagna and the church Trinita dei Monti. Ironically, the 138 steps were funded by the French. The poet John Keats lived in a house just to the right of the steps, which you can barely see in the edge of the picture.



This is the angel, the angel, the angel.



The angel guards the bridge, the bridge, the bridge.



The bridge leads to the fort, which guards Vatican City. The end.



The Pantheon is the best preserved of all Roman buildings, having been built and dedicated in 27 B.C., and rebuilt around 126 A.D. It houses the tombs of Raphael as well as several kings of Italy.



The Pantheon's dome and facade have served as inspiration for many other structures throughout the world, including the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.



Here, Julius Caesar spoke his famous last words: "Et tu, Brute?" That's right, Caesar was killed right here. And Shakespeare saw the whole thing.



One of two beautiful fountains in front of St. Peter's Basilica. The Piazza di San Pietro was designed by Giovanni Bernini, a renowned sculptor and architect.



We had one more visit to (great gelato) St. Peter's Basilica in us. We wanted to (get more great gelato in XXXL servings) see the Basilica with the sun setting behind it, and were not disappointed (the gelato was bigger then ever!)