Enough already. The break has been too long.

I have been totally slacking off.  I know it.  Shame on me.  Well, that's all going to stop now.  I have so much to catch up on.  First stop?  Roma!

Easy Peasy... (Rome, Italy)

A quick flight to the airport, a short train ride into the city centre, a short walk from the train station to our hotel, and viola!  We are in Rome.  We swore off Italy.  We have been there so many times.  I mean its beautiful, but there are so many other countries, you know?  

On the other hand, there's Rome.  

Our first stop. (Rome, Italy)

Palazzo Barberini and Fontana del Tritone (Triton Fountain).  Not only was this palazzo and fountain very close to our hotel, I had requested it as a first stop because of the bees.  Yes bees.  Gian Bernini "is the artist who probably left the strongest personal mark on the appearance of the city of the Rome."  Bernini designed this fountain, and placed bees (the crest of the Barberini family) all over the fountain.

Look closely...see the bees?

Trevi Fountain. Oh yeah! (Rome, Italy)

By now, nightfall had set in and we thought it might be a "quiet" time to visit the Trevi Fountain.  "The backdrop for the fountain is the Palazzo Poli, given a new facade with a giant order of Corinthian pilasters that link the two main stories. Taming of the waters is the theme of the gigantic scheme that tumbles forward, mixing water and rockwork, and filling the small square. Tritons guide Neptune's shell chariot, taming seahorses (hippocamps)."

Doesn't he look cute?  (As you can begin to see, when you are in Rome, you are never alone.)

We went to Rome in November.  We thought this would be a good time to go, less tourists, crappy weather month...we did not, however, remember that it was a three day Italian holiday weekend.  Oops!

 

Personally, I am not interested in all these people.  So, my second goal, after seeing the beautiful fountain, was to find a spot where there were no people.  :)  (Or at least, the fewest amount of people!)

Piazza Colonna (Rome, Italy)

"Piazza Colonna is a piazza at the center of the Rione of Colonna in the historic heart of Rome, Italy. It is named for the marble Column of Marcus Aurelius which has stood there since 193 AD."

Here is the column the next day.  I think its gorgeous.  You can't, however, see just how gorgeous it is until you see it close up.  All those carvings.  It is intricate and amazing. 

See how amazing it is?  Considering how old it is, its gorgeous.

Dome. Dome. Dome. (Rome, Italy)

I am standing in front of the Pantheon.  "The Pantheon is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to 'all the gods' of Ancient Rome.  It is the best preserved of all Roman buildings, and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world. It has been in continuous use throughout its history.  Since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Christian church The Pantheon is currently the oldest standing domed structure in Rome.”

Here is a shot of the ceiling outside the entrance to the Dome.  It is in such magnificent shape for being so old, and frankly having wood through its structure. 

 

As with everywhere else we went in Rome, I needed a people break.  Here I am outside the Pantheon, camera'ing, but also avoiding a crowd entering in the doorway!

 

This is the altar.  Its really ornate and there are tombs on either side of the altar.  What's actually amazing about the Pantheon is that it is a true dome, and there is a hole in the middle of the dome to allow light in.  The hole is wide open -- meaning rain, wind, etc...all come through.  It was really hard to photograph though, because the centre area (where you can see the chairs in this picture) is roped off for services.  So, instead, we shot our pictures straight on!

Here's the cool thing about Rome...

There are ruins everywhere.  I mean everywhere. 

You might be looking at this photo thinking we are somewhere important.  You would be wrong.  Just as Jason and I were when we stumbled upon these ruins and spent the 20 minutes trying to find them in the guidebook.  Turns out.  They are just ruins.  (See me filming them?  We have no idea what they are and neither does the guidebook.)  They sure are impressive though!

The Roman Forum (Rome, Italy)

The Roman Forum is filled with ruins.  Seriously.  Its hard to blog about.  There is just so much stuff.  Columns, basilicas, temples, and statues.  Everything you ever wanted to know about history is here.  And its beautiful.  (This is coming from someone who has a hard time picturing how rocks would have looked thousands of years ago!)

"The Temple of Saturn (Latin: Templum Saturni or Aedes Saturnus) is a monument to the agricultural deity Saturn, that stands at the western end of the Forum Romanum in Rome. It represents the oldest-surviving foundation in that area, having been established between 501 and 498 BC."

Here I am standing underneath the  Arch of Septimius Severus.

Oh where to start?  Let's just call this the Roman Forum. 

 

This is the side of the House of the Vestal Virgins.  "The priestesses who tended the sacred flame in the Temple of Vesta lived here.  The house was originally a large rectangular building around a central garden."  The grass in this picture is the central garden.    

Another one for the cat lovers! Roman cats! (Italy)

This is one of my favourite pictures!  I love the ruins and the black cat.  They are so striking against each other. 

 

Colosseum -- Just what you have been waiting for! (Rome, Italy)

First things, first.  The crowds.  Like everything else in Rome, always remember you are never alone! 

Once inside, well, the crowds slightly thin.  It doesn't really matter though, because the coliseum is so incredible that time (and people) seem to fade away.  You are left standing alone, picturing life as a gladiator would.  Its really incredible.

The most impressive thing...the flooring structure.  In the back of this photo, is a false cover, demonstrating what the colosseum would have looked like.  Underneath the floor are all the corridors where the gladiators and the animals were kept prior to the matches.  

Trajan's Market

Rome is to ruins as Europe is to churches.  I am certain that all the church pictures were getting a bit tiring.  But its Europe, its filled with them and they are almost always beautiful.  That's how Rome was.  Turning every corner, is something else.  Surprisingly, so many are so incredibly well preserved, that rather than looking at ruins or rocks, you actually can walk hallways, look in a market stall, etc.  You actually can imagine living or working there.  Its a really cool and unique feeling.

Here's what the market is:

"The upper levels of the market were used for offices while the lower part, in front of Trajan's Forum, had shops selling oil, wines, seafood, groceries, vegetables and fruit. Medieval houses built on the top floor face the semicircular segment of the Via Biberatica. The lower part of the market today shows two levels: a ground floor level for shops, with an entry made in travertine, surmounted by an arch. The second level was formed by adjoining shops selling wines and oil. A third level, today visible only as some walls, was discovered at the Via Biberatica and was probably used for grocers' shops. On the lower part there are also two large halls, probably used for auditions or concerts. A shop housed in the Market is known as a taberna."

I am standing in Trajan's Market and behind me is the Victor Emmanuel Monument.

This picture is the best for looking at after reading the description of the market layout above.  You can really see where all the stalls were and how the day to day business was conducted!

Subway O'Rama! (Rome, Italy)

Its a miracle that Rome can have a subway at all.  Seriously, think about it.  Digging a subway tunnel in a city as rich as that??  Well, they have managed to do so, and its quite convenient!

  

As you already know, Jason hates these shots!  But I love them.  So here we go...the inside of the Colosseum Subway Station!

Here is a train heading in the opposite direction!  The graffiti, I thought, was really cool!

Another Jason!

Finally, what you've all been waiting for!

The inside of the Vatican!  Ready?  

The entrance to Vatican City!!

Once inside, our tour group paused in this courtyard for some history on the Vatican.  The courtyard was amazing!  And if you are wondering, that's St. Peter's Basilica in the background.  (But more on that later!)

Are you recognizing a pattern here?  Our headphones worked for the guide all over the place, so I took a few minutes to step away and soak up the sun, the courtyard and of course, the view!

Vatican City a la Wikipedia!

"Vatican City, officially State of the Vatican City (Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae; Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano), is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. At approximately 44 hectares (108.7 acres), and with a population of around 900, it is the smallest state in the world by both population and area. 

The state came into existence by virtue of the Lateran Treaty in 1929, which spoke of it as a new creation (Preamble and Article III), not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756 to 1870) that had previously encompassed central Italy. Most of this territory was absorbed into the Kingdom of Italy in 1860, and the final portion, namely the city of Rome with a small area close to it, ten years later, in 1870.

Vatican City is a non-hereditary, elected monarchy that is ruled by the Bishop of Rome — the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all clergymen of the Catholic Church. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Apostolic Palace - the Pope's official residence - and of much of the Roman Curia.

For almost 1000 years (324-1309), the Popes lived at the Lateran Palace on the Caelian Hill in the east of Rome. On their return from 68 years in Avignon in 1377 the Lateran building was out of repair, and since then they have lived in the Vatican or, for a while, at the Quirinal, now the residence of the president of Italy. The Lateran Treaty by which the Vatican City State was set up is so called because it was signed in the restored Lateran building, which is now the residence of the Pope's Cardinal Vicar General for the City of Rome.

There have been two Vatican Councils, but five Lateran Councils. The Basilica of St. John Lateran, not the St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, remains the Pope's cathedral. Vatican is one of the most visited places of worship in the world with more than 25 million devotees coming every year."

The Inner Courtyard! (Vatican City)

The first inner courtyard.  Our (actually everyone's) first official stop before proceeding into the museums.  There are many people and many different tour groups, so I will take a moment to tell you about ours and what our guide told us.  From our guide: The Vatican museums were never intended to be museums.  At least, that's not how they were originally designed.  Instead, its actually the priest's house (a massive, beautiful, ornate house) -- more or less.  Consequently, the museum is very narrow and full of tight spaces.  So, the Vatican placed big signs and photographs around the courtyard, so that the visitors and tour guides could orient themselves prior to entering the cramped spaces.  

Hence, why the first official stop.  I didn't really get it at first, but once inside you certain appreciate the time outside focusing on what you really want to see, in order to maximise your time inside! 

  

Here is Jason facing the gorgeous wall in the picture above, and the globe is the most modern sculpture in the Vatican.

More views from the courtyard!

The Sistine Chapel. (Vatican City)

Since the chapel has been renovated, people are no longer allowed to take photographs or videos inside.  So I copied this photograph from the internet.  What was different about the day we were there was the people.  I mean, the chapel was filled wall to wall with people.  It was still really incredible to see the ceiling.  But it was hardly the the quiet moving experience I thought it might be.  Along the walls are benches, so after awhile, Jason and I moved to the benches, had a seat and admired the view.   

Here is a picture of the ceiling.  These next two pictures are the ones that are in the courtyard at the Vatican.  If you look closely you can see the entire ceiling and all the details.  One thing that is very interesting, but I am not sure if you will be able to see the detail.  Historically, martyrs are painted with their manner of death somewhere on their body.  So if you look at the martyrs in the photo, Michelangelo painted their manner of death in them, like if they were skinned or burned, they might be holding their skin or ashes.  I'm not describing this very well, but its really cool.

  

More of the ceiling!

Garden of Statues (Vatican City)

Before entering the museums, there is a garden of statues.  Jason was in love with the statues so here are some of his prize photos.   

A Bathtub fit for a Pope. (Vatican City)

Yes, this is a bath tub.  Solid marble, and seriously, you could fit maybe 6 or 7 of me in it.  It was enormous.  Anyway, Jason got a kick out of it, so I thought I would include the picture here!