We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to check in a relax a bit. Our flight to Rome, Italy was at 1805hrs, arriving at 2020hrs.
When we arrived at the Fiumicino Aeroporto, we caught the train to (Trenitalia) the Termini Train Station in Rome. From there we got on the Metro and went up a few stops to the Piazza del Popolo which was close to our hotel. We were shocked at how dirty the subway system was in Rome. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years.
We stayed at the River Palace Hotel, which was a great location. Our room, though, left much to be desired. The room was so small we could barely squeeze around the bed. There was barely room for our suitcases. I think the bathroom (which had been renovated and was lovely!) felt bigger than the room! The bed was so hard Andrew ended up with a horrible back ache and my hips hurt so much we were both taking Advil. We asked for another room 3 nights into our 5 night stay, but there were no other rooms available. There was no restaurant in the hotel, so no way to get anything to eat for dinner, so we had protein bars and water to get us through the night! They did serve a nice breakfast every morning downstairs, which was a good way to get started each day. We also discovered a very roomy bar area near the lobby where we spent several hours relaxing a couple of evenings since there was no place to sit in our room.
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Saturday, February 8th
We had a 'free' day, with no set plans. We decided to go out exploring. We had a general idea of what we wanted to see and had discovered that everything was pretty much within walking distance of our hotel, which was great! We weren't thrilled about using the metro system there, it was very dirty.
First, we went out towards town through the Piazza del Popolo.
and down to the Fiume Tevere (Tiber River in English) which goes through town. The level of the river was very high and we had heard that it had been much higher the week before we arrived.
We made our way to the Piazza Navona which is the sight of the Sant'Agnese in Agone Church and beautiful fountains.
We walked....and saw so many beautiful buildings....
We came upon the "Vittoriano Museum"/Altar of the Fatherland (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier)
We decided to take the elevator to the top of the building to get a view of Rome:
Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi)
The Trevi fountain, inspired by Roman triumphal arches, is the largest and most famous Baroque fountain in Rome (standing 25.9 meters high and 19.8 meters wide).In 1629, Pope Urban VIII, asked Bernini to sketch possible renovations of the fountain, finding it insufficiently theatrical. After the Pope's death the project was abandoned. Bernini's lasting contribution was to situate the fountain from the other side of the square to face the Quirinal Palace (so that the Pope could see and enjoy it).
The Trevi Fountain as we know it today, was designed by Nicola Salvi in 1732 and competed in 1762.
The central figures of the fountain are Neptun (God of the sea), flanked by two Tritons. One struggles to master a veru unruly "sea horse", the other lead a far more docile animal. These symbolize the two contrasting moods of the sea.
Appropriately for a fountain resembling a stage set, the theatrical Trevi Fountain has been the star of many films shot in Rome, including romantic films such as "Three coins in a fountain" and "Roman holiday", but also "La dolce vita", Federico Fellini's satirical portrait of Rome in the 1950s.
Tradition has it a coin thrown into the water guarantees a visitor's return to Rome.
Of course, we had to keep to tradition.....and we threw some coins into the fountain! We read that over €3000 is thrown into the fountain daily! We hope the money is used to maintain the fountain, it sure is beautiful!
We walked some more......
saw some unusual 'trinkets'!
police everywhere:
saw some unusual 'trinkets'!
LONELY PLANET REVIEW
A magnet for visitors since the 18th century, the Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) provide a perfect people-watching perch and you’ll almost certainly find yourself taking stock here at some point.
Piazza di Spagna was named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, although the staircase, designed by the Italian Francesco de Sanctis and built in 1725 with a legacy from the French, leads to the French Chiesa della Trinità dei Monti. This landmark church, which was commissioned by King Louis XII of France and consecrated in 1585, commands memorable views and boasts some wonderful frescoes by Daniele da Volterra, including a masterful Deposizione (Deposition). At the foot of the steps, the Barcaccia (the ‘sinking boat’ fountain) is believed to be by Pietro Bernini, father of the more famous Gian Lorenzo. To the southeast of the piazza, adjacent Piazza Mignanelli is dominated by the Colonna dell’Immacolata, built in 1857 to celebrate Pope Pius IX’s declaration of the Immaculate Conception.
Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/rome/sights/squares-plazas/piazza-di-spagna-spanish-steps#ixzz2tmWTsVK5
SPQR: Senātus Populusque Rōmānus. In Latin, Senātus is a nominative singular noun meaning "Senate". Populusque is compounded from the nominative noun Populus, "the People", and -que, an enclitic particle meaning "and" which connects the two nominative nouns. The last word, Rōmānus ("Roman") is an adjective modifying Populus: the "Roman People".
Thus, the sentence is translated literally as "The Senate and the Roman People", or more freely as "The Senate and the People of Rome".
Sunday, February 9, 2014
In the morning we took our time getting started.....no hurry, which was nice! We had a tour scheduled for 1400hrs, but we were 'free' till then. So, we had breakfast at the hotel and went out playing tourist just wandering checking out the city!
Across the street was a beautiful statue...
While walking around the area we were told to be extra careful of pickpockets. We usually are anyway.......One of the people in our group actually some some young girls (around 10-12 years old) carrying maps try to get into a woman's purse! They are very brazen!
We also had people try to shove things into our arms to force us to buy....flowers, toys, etc. One guy was so persistent I had to tell him 'NO' four times before he left me alone. We found that they follow you and keep trying....so we learned to not make eye contact and walk quickly and not stop to look at a map! There were people on the streets begging everywhere....I felt so bad I ran out of all my change giving it away. Then I finally had to start saying no.......
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy - visitor information
The Colosseum or Coliseum is today the most recognisable of Rome's Classical buildings. Even 2,000 years after it was built, and despite centuries when the abandoned building was pillaged for building materials, it is instantly recognisable ... a Classical template for the stadia of today. It was the first permanent amphitheatre to be raised in Rome, and the most impressive arena the Classical world had yet seen. And with accommodation for 60,000 seated and 10,000 standing, all of whom could enter and leave in a matter of minutes, courtesy of 80 entrances, this is a structure that the designers of modern sports stadia could learn from.
The Capitoline Wolf (Italian: Lupa Capitolina) is a bronze sculpture of a she-wolf suckling twin infants, inspired by the legend of the founding of Rome. According to the legend, when Numitor, grandfather of the twins Romulus and Remus, was overthrown by his brother Amulius, the usurper ordered the twins to be cast into the Tiber River. They were rescued by a she-wolf who cared for them until a herdsman, Faustulus, found and raised them.
After leaving the Colosseum, we walked some more! I think we walked around 10 miles a day while we were in Rome. I have an application on my iPhone to track how much we walk and one day tracked 13 miles! Of course, I didn't lose an ounce the whole trip, darn it!
That evening we made our way back to the Spanish Steps. It's so pretty there. Andrew found a perfect little restaurant (Il Palazzetto) at the top of the steps with a beautiful view and we could hear and see the church bells ring.
What a wonderful way to end the evening!
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Monday, February 10, 2014
We were schedule for a guided walking tour of the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Cathedral. We met at a nearby location (standing in the rain!) at around 0830hrs and walked over from there. We had 'skip-the-line' tickets, which was great! We walked right past people standing in line.
We made our way through the Vatican Museums....
The Sistine Chapel (Latin: Sacellum Sixtinum; Italian: Cappella Sistina) is a large and renowned chapel of the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in the Vatican City. Originally known as the Cappella Magna, the chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who restored it between 1477 and 1480. Since that time, the chapel has served as a place of both religious and functionary papal activity. Today it is the site of the Papal conclave, the process by which a new Pope is selected. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the frescos that decorate the interior, and most particularly the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Last Judgment by Michelangelo.
Then on to the St. Peter's Basilica...
The Body of John XXIII
VATICAN, Mar. 27, 01 (CWNews.com) - With visible emotion, Cardinal Virgilio Noe, archpriest of St. Peter's basilica, has noted that the body of Pope Bl. John XXIII, who died in 1963 and was beatified on September 3, 2000 by Pope John Paul II, has remained incorrupt.
VATICAN, Mar. 27, 01 (CWNews.com) - With visible emotion, Cardinal Virgilio Noe, archpriest of St. Peter's basilica, has noted that the body of Pope Bl. John XXIII, who died in 1963 and was beatified on September 3, 2000 by Pope John Paul II, has remained incorrupt.
"It is a providential coincidence, a sign of divine favor and of holiness," he said today during a meeting with reporters about his book, "Tombs and Monuments of St. Peter's and the Vatican."
On January 16, in the presence of Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State of the Holy See, Bishop Leonardo Sandri, and Cardinal Noe, the tomb of John XXIII was opened for the recognition of his mortal remains which will be transferred from the Vatican crypt (located under the basilica) into the basilica itself. After only one-half day of work, the witnesses could see the face of John XXIII, " intact and serene," said Cardinal Noe, who also revealed "the emotion" which seized them at the opening of the tomb.
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Tuesday, February 11, 2014, our last day in Rome.
We got kind of a late start on our last day in Rome. We had no tours scheduled and we thought we'd just walk around the city and see more of the sights.
As we were crossing the street we came across a man down in the middle of the street and a woman next to him screaming for help. Being in a foreign country, I hesitated momentarily and looked to see if anyone else was coming to his aid. When I saw no one coming forward, my training kicked in and I took charge of his care. I made sure someone was calling for help, then check to see if he was breathing. Andrew and another man helped me roll him on his back and I started CPR....Andrew helped me count. We got to 100 and help arrived. Paramedics continued CPR and I left my information with the Polizia. It was an emotional start to our day to say the least...
Looking back I realize that all those years of training really made it feel okay to do 'hands on' CPR. I realize now that I didn't even have to think about it, I was kind of on auto-pilot. Thank the Lord for all my training!
After that experience we decided to just kind of take it easy. We walked and walked. We went through some ruins and walked some more!
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