A view from the Piazza del Popolo looking up towards the Pincio Gardens which were designed in the early 19th century by Giuseppe Valdier, who also designed the Piazza del Popolo.
Piazza del Popolo -- The twin churches of Santa Maria di Montesanto (left) and Santa Maria del Miracoli. In 1589 the great town-planning pope, Sixtus V., had the obelisk erected in the center by Domenico Fontana. The oblisk is over 3000 years old and was originally brought to Rome by Augustus to adorn the Circus Maximus after the conquest of Egypt.
The Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy.
Trevi Fountain, inspired by Roman triumphal arches, was designed by Nicola Salvi in 1762. Tradition has it that a coin thrown into the water guarantees a visitor's return to Rome.
Another view of the Trevi Fountain.
Pantheon -- In the middle ages, the Pantheon, the Roman "temple of all the gods," became a church; in time this magnificent building with its awe-inspiring domed interior became a symbol of Rome itself.
The Pantheon -- The rectangular portico screens the vast hemispherical dome; only from the inside can its true scale and beauty be appreciated. The rotunda's height and diameter are equal: 140 feet.
The Pantheon from the side -- The opening at the top of the dome, the oculus, provides the only light inside. It was designed by the Roman engineer Emperor Hadrian (AD 118-125) as a replacement to an earlier temple built by Marcus Agrippa, son-in-law of Augustus.
Piazza Navona -- with the Fontana dei Fiumi (Bernini designed this fountain supporting an obelisk), and the Santa Maria dell'Anima in the background (This is a German church which has existed for 4 centuries in Rome).
The Fontana del Moro was remodeled in 1653 by Bernini, who designed the central sea god. This is also located in the Piazza Navona.
Fontana dei Fiumi - Bernini designed the fountain. The great rivers then known - the Ganges, the Danube, the Nile, and the Plate, are represented by four giants. The athletic figure of the Plate, cringing with arm upraised, is supposed to express Bernini's fear that the church will collapse. Sadly this tale had no basis in fact, as Bernini had completed the fountain before Borromini even started work on the church.
A mime in the Piazza Navaro.
The river Tiber.
Entrance to the Forum with the bell tower of Santa Francesca Romana in the background.
Walking the ruins in the Forum area.
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina -- first dedicated in AD 141 by the Emperor Antoninus Pius to his late wife Faustina. In the 11 century it became a church.
Santi Luca e Martina -- was an early medieval church that was completely rebuilt in 1640 by Pietro da Cortona.
Temple of Saturn
Central courtyard of the House of the Vestal Virgins. As soon as a girl became a Vestal she came to live here. Originally this was an enormous complex with about 50 rooms on three stories.
Walking towards the Colosseum.
Colosseum - Rome's greatest amphitheater was commissioned by the Emperor Bespasian in AD72 on the marshy site of a lake in the grounds of Nero's palace, the domus Aurea. It could hold some 55,000.
Victor Emmanuel Monument in Piazza Venezia.. It was begun in 1885 and inaugurated in 1911.
Here we are having lunch......we tried to find a table on the piazza, but the waiter took us upstairs in the restaurant, opened up the doors, and we had the entire upper floor to ourselves !!
The courtyard at the Vatican Museum
Sherrie at the Vatican Museum
Inside St. Peter's Basilica.
Underneath St. Peter's Basilica are the tombs of the Pope's
Piazza San Pietro, outside St. Peter's Basilica where the Pope appears on special religious occasions.
Eating lunch at the Piazza Della Rotonda, just in front of the Pantheon.
Our room in Rome -- at the Hotel Valadier.