Europe 2010 - Rome

Rome was another one of our highlights because we got to see our dear friends Rene and Sarah and their new baby boy! They were even gracious enough to put us up in their condo despite Rene having just been released from the hospital for early stages of kidney stones.

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9/3/2010
Venice -> Rome

Early up, quick breakfast and coffee. We jumped on the nearby water bus and got off at the train station. We got our reservations to Rome and boarded our train.

This train was much nicer than our previous Italian train experience because it was a high speed one as opposed to the earlier regional transport train. However, the food was miserable and over-priced. We were able to spend the first half of the trip talking to an American couple from Ohio so that helped pass the time.

Upon arriving in Rome, we grabbed a quick bite at McDonald’s to supplement the bad food we had on the train. Then we caught a taxi to Rene and Sarah’s house. The cab drivers tried to take advantage of the fact that we were tourists by quoting us over 25 euros for the short trip even though Rene told us it would be around 10. So, we told them no and finally got one to take us for 15. Needless to say he didn’t get a tip.

It was a short walk from where he dropped us off to their house and we made it there around 2:30 in the afternoon. We had a great time hanging out, catching up, and meeting Pietro (their new son).


The Colosseum in Ancient Rome
Later, we had a chance to catch a bus up to ancient Rome and walk around the Colosseum. We grabbed dinner at a restaurant just down the street before heading home and calling it a night.


After dinner, the sun was setting so Alan had to run back to get a picture of it lit up!

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9/4/2010
Rome

We decided to take it a bit easier today, so we slept in and had a lazy morning before going out to see more of Rome.

Our friends prepared us a large Italian pasta lunch which was delicious and then we caught the bus toward all the monuments.

The first stop on our walk was Piazza di Spagna which has a large fountain and a huge staircase ("The Spanish Steps") in front of an old church (Trinita dei Monti).


Looking up the Spanish Steps at Trinita Dei Monti
From there we walked to Fontana di Trevi, the famous “Trevi fountain”. We read that they pull up to 3000 euros a day out of the fountain. The money has been used to support a food bank of sorts for the poor of Rome.


Trevi Foutain
We continued walking down Via del Corso until we got to the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (aka "Altare della Patria" or "Altar of the Fatherland"). This huge, marble monument is dedicated to the first king over unified Italy. It was completed in 1935.


Altar of the Fatherland
After seeing that, we walked toward the Pantheon (not to be confused with the Parthenon in Greece). However, on the way we ran into what became one of Tracy’s favorite monuments. It is found in the Piazza della Minerva and is an elephant with a huge monolith on his back.


Bernini's Elephant Obelisk (Tracy's favorite of the many statues and obelisks we saw in Rome)
The Pantheon is one of the ancient buildings of Rome dating back to 27 BC. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times (still within the age of the Roman Empire). Then 609 it was given as a Catholic church and it remains such today. In fact there was some kind of service going on when we were there and we weren’t allowed to go inside. The building itself looks so familiar nowadays because its portico and dome structure has been replicated in many more modern buildings (such as the US Capital Building).


Pantheon (sorry for the crop, the other half was being repaired)
Our final stop in our walk was the Piazza Navona with its fountains and monuments. The square was also full of artists, human statues, and street performers.

From nearby we caught a bus back to our friends’ house and met some of their friends and went to bed early. The heat, crowds, and walking had taken it out of us!

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Walking the ancient streets of Rome


Column of Marcus Auerelius (it stands just over 130 feet tall!)


Trinita dei Monti


Tracy in front of Altare della Patria


Bread in Europe is not the same, so our thoughtful and gracious hosts found us some "American Sandwhich Super" bread for toast in the morning!