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| La Fontana di Trevi |
Sorry about the lack of posts, but my friend Kellie and I
have been cramming a lot into our days, and sitting down to write a blog post
hasn’t figured into it since I have taken so many photos and need to edit and
then share them.
I am taking a day off in Florence, while Kellie hikes the Cinque Terre. My left leg, isn’t quite there yet for me to go hiking, but hopefully in another month or so I can begin to do that.
I am taking a day off in Florence, while Kellie hikes the Cinque Terre. My left leg, isn’t quite there yet for me to go hiking, but hopefully in another month or so I can begin to do that.
Our time in Rome was great; we crammed a lot into 2 1/2
days, with a day of rain in the middle.
Rome is compact enough that if you plan it right you can see a lot in a short period of time, but that taste will have you coming back for more. We began with a Context Travel guided tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peters on a Saturday---word to the wise, get yourself a tour, it saves you time/energy, and it’s a great way to get an overview so that when you come back, you can see what you want.
Saturdays in Rome are crazy, with 10 cruise ships docking and their passengers flooding Rome. We decided that we would come back early on Monday before we left, and see if we could take the elevator to the dome---a great decision, since you get such an amazing view of the inside and the surrounding areas outside. Highly recommend the €7 elevator ride.
An interesting fact we learned during the tour of the Sistine chapel was that the reason you can't take photos is not because it will damage the frescoes, but because Fuji has a copyright on it till 2020!
Rome is compact enough that if you plan it right you can see a lot in a short period of time, but that taste will have you coming back for more. We began with a Context Travel guided tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peters on a Saturday---word to the wise, get yourself a tour, it saves you time/energy, and it’s a great way to get an overview so that when you come back, you can see what you want.
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| St. Peter's Dome |
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| Pine Cone Garden, Vatican Museums |
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| Entrance to St. Peter's that many popes have traveled |
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| window behind the alter, the alabaster gets thinner as it gets to the middle |
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| The reason you can take photos in St. Peters' is because the "paintings" are all mosaics--detailed view |
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| Swiss guards |
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| Great day |
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| St. Peter's |
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| Love these outfits |
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| Pieta |
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| Kellie at the foot of St. Peter where millions of pilgrims have laid their hands |
Saturdays in Rome are crazy, with 10 cruise ships docking and their passengers flooding Rome. We decided that we would come back early on Monday before we left, and see if we could take the elevator to the dome---a great decision, since you get such an amazing view of the inside and the surrounding areas outside. Highly recommend the €7 elevator ride.
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| inside the dome at St. Peter's |
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| Looking down through the bars from the dome |
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| The statues that are on the top of the basilica look tiny when you are looking at them from the street--they are massive! |
An interesting fact we learned during the tour of the Sistine chapel was that the reason you can't take photos is not because it will damage the frescoes, but because Fuji has a copyright on it till 2020!
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| Not sure who these people are, but everyone was taking their photos! |
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| The Vatican even has a zamboni |
We were hot and hungry, so took a cab to Eataly, and had a wonderful pasta lunch,
and toured this gastronomic emporium.
It’s a Metro stop at Pyramide if you are in a place where you can get
the Metro—we took the Metro back home.
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| Eataly has 4 stories of food, wine and Italian products |
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| Chickens |
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| No need to ask where's the beef here |
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| Craft beer making |
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| you can never have enough cheese |
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| smoked and regular mozzarella |
After a bit of rest, we headed out to Piazza Navona, the
Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. All of
these are beautiful at night, and it was a perfect evening, requiring only a
light wrap.
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| Pantheon |
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| piazza navonna |
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| Piazza Navonna |
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| Piazza Venezia |
The next day it was pouring rain, we headed to the Spanish
Steps and Via Condote, and then hit a small bar for something to eat, and
headed back home—with a stop at the Pantheon on our way back---the weather was
just too miserable to stay out, so we read books, and relaxed.
We ate an amazing dinner around the corner from our place at Ditirambo, and the next day headed to St. Peter’s --- it was almost empty except for a mass being said for these people---word to wise, go early on a weekday! The lines to the Vatican museums were still long that day. We headed up to the dome, and enjoyed that panorama.
After St. Peter's we grabbed a cab to the Colosseum, and took a few photos, then headed to Termini and took a train out to Spello. I figured with all that sightseeing, Spello would be a welcome respite between the big tourist areas.
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| Rainy day at the Spanish Steps |
We ate an amazing dinner around the corner from our place at Ditirambo, and the next day headed to St. Peter’s --- it was almost empty except for a mass being said for these people---word to wise, go early on a weekday! The lines to the Vatican museums were still long that day. We headed up to the dome, and enjoyed that panorama.
After St. Peter's we grabbed a cab to the Colosseum, and took a few photos, then headed to Termini and took a train out to Spello. I figured with all that sightseeing, Spello would be a welcome respite between the big tourist areas.
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| Colosseum |
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| The reason my grandfather left Italy was the man who used to stand in this balcony: Il Duce |
I just caught up on reading - I didn't know you are in Italy! I've been dreaming of visiting there for many many years and it was so fun reading your posts on vatican guided tour
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