Hi!
So, Rome was our first stop on our 10 day journey around Europe. We stayed in a hotel near the Vatican, and it takes a bus journey to take us there. It was quite enjoyable although we almost got lost searching for the bus, and when we actually got on the bus, we finally understood why there are so many accident rates in Rome! The bus driver was a little nuts, but in a good way..... :)
First day: we woke up bright and early and decided to explore the Vatican area. First up was the Musei Vaticana, which houses the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel was very crowded, and there was no photography allowed. The rest of the Museum (which is arguably as big as the Louvre) was virtually empty, and so we wandered and saw very interesting artifacts....globes, maps, tapestries, sculptures, etc. After the museum we wandered down to St. Peter's Square and went into Basilica San Pietro. Inside the basilica there is a statue of St. Peter, and to rub his right foot is to have good luck. His foot is seriously rubbed down--you can't even see the toes anymore! After the Square we walked down to Castel Sant'Angelo, which is a fortress-museum, but the real impressive part of it is the walkway leading down to it. The walkway is guarded by statues of angels sculpted by Bernini. We stopped for a lunch, and shortly made our way to the Colosseo. The Colosseum is famous, so there is no need to describe it. We also made our way over to Foro Romana. The forum is mostly in ruins, but combined with the Colosseum in the background, it makes a great sight. We stayed by the Colosseum until after dark, and was rewarded by a nighttime shot of the building.
Second day: Second day we decided to stay in Northern and Central Rome. The first thing we did was visit the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a perfectly preserved building since AD118-28. There is an opening at the top of the Pantheon, and rain comes in and falls on the marble floors during the wet seasons. After the Pantheon we wandered over to Piazza Navona, where we bought some paintings and saw a beautiful fountain. We then walked over to the famous Fontana di Trevi, where it is said to be good luck to throw a coin into the fountain. After that we shopped along Via Condotti, which is chock-full of the famous Italian designers- Gucci, Prada, Cavalli, Ferragamo, Armani, etc. Heaven, even though I couldn't afford anything! :) We then had a leisurely lunch outside on a little alleyway, and shortly after, headed back to Piazza di Spagna, where the famous Spanish steps are, and the Fontana della Barcaccia, which has a sculpture of a half-sunken boat. This fountain is the first fountain the river flows into, thus, I'm assuming, containing the freshest water! The same river also flows into the Fontana di Trevi.
Ciao!
-Kristen (picture captions by Kyle)
Rome Day 1
The highlight of the Sistine Chapel for Kristen: a fan! After all, it was 100 degrees.
The famous ceiling by Michelangelo! Kyle took this picture right next to a sign that said “No photography.” Needless to say, he got yelled at, but he said it was worth it. You only live once. Hence, the next picture as well.
A little blurry, but tried to snap the shot before getting kicked out.
Is there anything more beautiful? The staircase is nice too. This was a highlight of the Chapel.
I could totally take this guy.
St. Peters. It lived up to its reputation. Very, very, cool.
One of Bellini’s Angels on his bridge leading to Castel Sant' Angelo.
“I think he knows what Rome is. Rome is the mob. The mob is Kyle Pozza.” –Gladiator. I’m pretty sure that’s how it goes.
Hard to mix romance with the Coliseum, but I think we pulled it off.
“My name is Kylemus Desimus Badassimus. Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Phylix legions…”
Better overview shot, without my big head in the way.
Rome near sunset. Two guesses who the shadows on the ground belong to.
Talk about dinner with a view. We kept ordering small things just so we could stay for a few hours to take it all in.
Colisseum at night. And a special thanks to our good friend Gevork at UB for lending us his extremely nice lens, without which pictures such as this wouldn’t be possible.
Day 2
Piazzo di Spagna and the famous Spanish steps.
The Fontana di Barcaccia in front of the Spanish steps.
Outside the Pantheon! A very cool building. Can’t believe it was free.
View from the inside of the Pantheon. Top of the dome is wide open. Too bad it wasn’t raining, could have been an exceptional picture.
Outside the front doors to Pantheon. See how the beam of light is shining down on me…I always knew I was blessed. Jk. I’m going to get struck by lightening now (karma).
This awesome authentic Italian painter/drawer sold us a couple paintings on the cheap. Really nice guy. Kristen wanted the picture in the middle with the shoes, but for 250 euro she figured she could actually go out and buy new shoes.
Most famous Roman Fountain, the Fontana di Trevi. It is common knowledge that if you throw a penny in this fountain and you have good luck for a lifetime! And she looks so cute doing it.
Didn’t take long for that good luck, apparently she met a handsome Italian guy.
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