May 3, 1998 was our 25th Anniversary.....So,
on April 22 we headed out on our "Trip of a Lifetime". Patti and I left Los Angeles and flew
to Rome, Italy with a stop at JFK Airport. We flew into Fiumicino International then took the train to Roma Termini, a taxi
to the Hotel Marcella Roma. We then headed out walking. We found the walking to be so easy in this city that we used no other means of transportation
except from and to the train station. It was early afternoon and we wanted to stay awake until later
so that we could adapt to the new time zone. A trip to the Spanish Steps was just the excursion we needed.
(click on thumbnails for larger view)
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| Patti - On Our Way to Spanish Steps |
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| The Spanish Steps |
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| Roger - At Spanish Steps |
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| Patti - At Spanish Steps |
The next morning was another bright
sunny day and we headed for the hotel's breakfast area. We were in for a real treat when we found it was on a rooftop
terrace overlooking Rome. St. Peter's Basilica could be seen off in the distance.
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| The Rooftop Dining Area |
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| View From Rooftop Area |
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| First View of Saint Peter's |
And then it was time to head out on
a full day of adventure. Santa Maria Maggiore was originally built in about 440 AD but was an ongoing work of art through
the late 1600s. The Trevi Fountain, however, is a more recent creation. This fountain was completed in 1762. Can you say,
"Three Coins in a Fountain"?
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| Santa Maria Maggiore |
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| Santa Maria Maggiore |
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| Patti - Trevi Fountain |
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| Trevi Fountain |
We walked on and made new discoveries around
every corner. Keeping our "Eyewitness Travel Guide" and Fodor's "Exploring Rome"
books close at hand for reference was like have a personal guide with us. They were well used before we left Rome and had
brought copies for each of our stops during the trip.
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| Vittorio Emanuel Monument |
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| Vittorio Emanuel aka The Typewriter |
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| Trajan's Column & DiLoreto |
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| Mussolini's Mansion |
On the way to the Forum, we passed the monument
to Victor Emmanuel Italy's first King. In that same Piazza Venezia area is the mansion of Benito Mussolini.
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| Looking Through the Forum |
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| Basilica of Constantine |
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| Temple of Antoninus and Faustina |
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| Looking East to West |
The Forum was
the center of political, commercial, and judicial life in Rome. Some of the buildings date back to 300-400 BC. But
the area was actually built on over a period of about 1,100 years and by 46BC was abandoned when Julius Caesar built a new
one.
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| One of Many Headless Statues |
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| Arch of Titus |
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| Temple of Antoninus and Faustina |
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| Temple of Augustus |
In the 18th century AD, archaeological excavation began in the Forum area.
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| Temple of Vesta |
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| Temple of Castor and Pollux |
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| Patti in Front of Caesar's Tomb |
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| From Forum to Colosseum |
It was
absolutely the strangest feeling to know we were walking through and around structures that pre dated Christ, some by a thousand
years. These were places straight out of the history books. We have seen many buildings in our country demolished and rebuilt
because they were a hundred years old. And speaking of old, we walked out of the Forum area right into the Colosseum area.
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| Roger.....at a Colosseum Photo Op |
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| Patti....Same Spot |
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| Beneath the Arena |
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| The Interior of the Colosseum |
The Colosseum
dates back to between 75-80 AD and was a sight to behold. Going from the Forum to the Colosseum left one imagining what it
would have been like constructing buildings such as these with the processes available in those days. The floor of the Colosseum
was excavated in the late 19th century, exposing the network of underground rooms where the animals were kept.
Above are views
we found around the Pantheon Plaza. Below are scenes around the Piazza Navona. An interesting factoid here is that
the foundations of the buildings surrounding the oval plaza are actually the ruins of the grandstands of the Stadium of Diocletian,
built around 285 AD.
In the Piazza
Navona we found a shop that had a special noteriety.
Tre Scalini is a famous Gelateria (Ice Cream
Parlor) in the Piazza known for its expensive but "heavenly" chocolate tartufo. Here we see Patti getting
ready to sample some of this treat......maybe thinking about taking off with mine too while I am busy with the cameras.
There were so many interesting side
streets and buildings. We just kept walking with eyes wide open and cameras snapping.
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| Looking Down the Spanish Steps |
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| Looking From the Colosseum Thru the Forum |
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| Ponte (Bridge) Fabricio |
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| The Arch of Constantine |
Below
are some photos along the Tiber River. The bridge with all of the statues is the "Breezy Maniacs" Bridge. In a couple
of the photos St. Peters Basilica can be seen in the background.
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| St. Spirito Hospital |
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| Bridge of Breezy Maniacs |
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| Looking Down the River Tiber at Saint Peter's |
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| Closer of Saint Peter's |
The
following are some more typical street scenes and architecture.
So much to see and so little time. Patti even found her dream car parked along one of the streets. Would it
survive on our highways? More importantly, would the driver?
We visited
the Curch of Santa Maria Della Pace (Saint Mary of Peace) built in the 1400s, shown below.
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| Church of Santa Maria della Pace |
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| Santa Maria della Pace |
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| Mouth of Truth |
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| Mouth of Truth |
We also
visited the Bocca della Verita, The Mouth of Virtue or the Mouth of Truth. According to our Eyewitness Guide, "this may
have been a drain cover dating before the 4th century BC. Medieval tradition had it that the formidable jaws would snap
shut over the hands of those who had told lies".
On the Sunday while we were in Rome,
the Pope (John Paul II), was going to be speaking from his balcony so we decided that would be the day to visit Saint
Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. That was a decision we have never regretted.
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| Saint Peter's Square |
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| Saint Peter's Square |
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| the Pope at His Window |
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| Pope John Paul II |
We
continued our adventure at Saint Peter's......
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| Roger on Saint Peter's Square |
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| La Pieta |
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| Over the Entrance |
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| Inside Saint Peter's Dome |
.......and on into the Sistine Chapel with its incredible art work.
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| A Sistine Stairway |
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| A Michelangelo Masterpiece |
From
Rome we boarded a train and traveled to Venice with a few hour stop in Pisa to see the leaning tower. And
The Adventure Continues.........
