Today was one of the best days of my life. Erin and I had the perfect day in Rome. We had trouble finding an ATM this morning, which was our biggest problem and because of it we were able to explore a local market and feed our starving selves in the park close to our hostel.
(The local market)
Our first stop today was Vatican City. St. Peter’s Basilica is the most beautiful church that I have ever seen. It has so much history behind it and in fact, each pope has made an addition to the Basilica, which explains how it got to be so incredible.
St. Peter’s Basilica with Michael Angelo’s sky blue dome. Michael Angelo designed it to blend into the heavens to represent humanity’s ties to heaven and God.
(Erin and I standing at the Basilica and looking out on Vatican City)
A list of every pope, not including the current Pope Benedict XVI because he has not become a Saint yet.
The Catholics also have the tendency of creating wax statues or bronze statues of the popes and displaying them in a fake grave in the Basilica. These scenes were incredibly morbid for not even being the catacombs and they midly freaked me out because they had them posed for their burial, but...
...climbing the stairs to the top of the Basilica improved my spirits.
When reaching the top of the stairs music in the Basilica started. It seems that the band and the choir for the church had practice, so Erin and I were able to listen to their rehersal, whose music echoed up to the dome where we taking pictures of the mosaics and the church.
We thought that this was the only section to see at the top of Saint Peter's, but we were so wrong. There was a multitude of cramped, winding stairs to roof of the Basilica, where we were able to have a wonderful view of the city.
(Vatican City and Piazza San Pietro)
Just hiding behind some columns
Leaving The Vatican
(The famous Via Della Conciliazion that links the Vatican to the Castel St. Angelo)
(Rome has so many fountains and you can drink from them! This was my favorite one and I found it on e Via Della Concilizione)
This is when our crazy adventuring commenced. We saw numerous monuments crammed into one afternoon. Erin and I literally toured one third of Rome today, thanks to our handy-dandy McDonald’s map and our book of Rome to explain what we were seeing!
(Castel Saint Angelo)
(View of St. Peter's Basilica from the Ponte Saint Angelo)
(Piazza Navona. This square was filled with artists, musicians, restaurants and shops. It was extremely charming and felt less touristy than some of the
other parts of Rome.)
(The Pantheon. I was heartbroken when I saw that half of it was under restoration. There's no way to hide that in a photo!)
(Inside the Pantheon. I still wonder what they do when it rains there because of the huge opening in the dome)
(Temple Adriano after being newly restored)
(Saint Ignazio di Loyola)
(Palazzo Montecitorio)
(The Trevi Fountain. If you throw your coin into the fountain it ensures your return to Rome.)
(My favorite fountain. I should have thrown a coin in!)
(One of the four fountains on Via Delle Quattro Fontane)
(One of the Two Tritan Fountains)
Our first true Italian dinner was exactly what I wanted. We ordered two pasta dishes and split them. Erin and I split the Ravioli with a rose sauce and tortolinin with a tomatoe, olive and mushroom sauce, This way we could try two meals without spending a fortune.
They were delicious and the restaurant was in a perfect location. We were two minutes away from the Pantheon and we were on a charming street that reminded us a lot of the Latin Quarter in Paris. It was perfect. Good thing I am not living in Italy for the semester or I would be 500 pounds. The gelati, the chocolate, the pasta, the bread, the cheese and everything else here is amazing. Everything here just tastes better because its Rome. I will be sad to leave this city, but for now I have two more days left to explore some of the most touristy spots in Rome.
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