Rome - Italy Road Trip May 2018

ROME

Norm did an amazing job of driving through Rome.  It's a good thing we had  GPS and Brad to help navigate....that drive is not for the faint of heart or nervous backseat drivers. 

   

Our hotel, A Trastevere by M E  is a guesthouse on the 4th floor of a very old building in the Trastevere area (can walk to all famous sites). The rental woman, Elisa was excited when there was a parking spot in front of our building. She had Brad and I stand there and shoo away cars while she drove with Norm  “around the block ha ha”  . We parked the car there for 3 days - street parking for free!  Apparently it was very unusual to find a parking spot right in front of the hotel.

Here is one of the little streets we had to drive up; and yes it was a real street even though it looks like a sidewalk.

Our  Hotel:  A Trastevere da M.E. ~ This hotel was located on the 3rd floor with just 4 hotel rooms and is really listed as a guesthouse since it is so small .  Elisa was the manager (and maybe owner) and was fantastic!  She had maps and told us about restaurants and just about anything we needed to know.  And the hotel room was spacious and modern.  I would definitely stay here again when in Rome.  We could walk everywhere, but transit was nearby.   We highly recommend this hotel for anyone wanting to stay in Rome.

Front door of Hotel, then you get on the little cage elevator to the 3rd floor.

The view across the street from our room - and we got church-bells every  hour - nice!

We were always blocked in, so we never knew if we would be able to get out to the airport-  Anyway, no problem since a homeless man Norm always gave money to, just shooed the other cars and drivers away for us when we were loading up.

Front of Hotel

Our room was right above the balcony over the front door.

Great location for a hotel - All our favourite places have a red star.

The next morning, we headed out toward the Colosseum and Roman Forum

Largo di Torre Argentina is a square with the remains of Pompey's Theatre and spot where Caesar was killed.  It also houses a cat sanctuary.

  Victor Emmanuel Monument  (also known as Altare della Patria)  at Piazza Venezia

We walked by the Roman Forum to the Colosseum - those clouds did open up a couple of times and we got some rain later in the day.

 Lots of people!

Brad and Norm on the old Roman Road in front of  Arch of Constantine

The Colosseum from Palentine Hill

Jasmine was out in full bloom

Roman Forum seen from Palentine Hill

Arch of Constantine and Colosseum

Had some lunch and then headed to the Trevi  Fountain and Spanish Steps.  What a beautiful old city to wander around!

Armed guards at the Museum

Trevi Fountain

I forgot how big this fountain really is.  It is the size of a 4 -5 story building and is wow impressive ... and huge.

At the Spanish Steps

Parthenon

On the way back to our hotel , we headed for the Pantheon.
This very old building is very impressive in both age and construction.  
 It was built in 120 AD by Emperor Hadrian.   


 Here is some interesting info from a  travel guide:

Even today, almost 2000 years after its construction, the breathtaking pantheon is a remarkable building to see. The spectacular design, proportions, elegance and harmony are a striking reminder of the architecture of the great Roman Empire. When Michelangelo saw this wonder for the first time he said that it looks more like the work of angels, not humans.   The exact composition of the material is still unknown and appears to be structurally similar to modern day concrete!  

The most fascinating part of the Pantheon is its giant dome, with its famous hole in the top (The eye of the Pantheon, or oculus).  There are no other windows.  The dome was the largest in the world for 1300 years and until today it remains the largest unsupported dome in the world! 

The diameter of the dome is 43.30 meters or 142ft (for comparison, the United States Capitol dome is 96 feet in diameter) and is in perfect proportion with the Pantheon by the fact that the distance from the floor to the top of the dome is exactly equal to its diameter.  

The 16 massive Corinthian columns supporting the portico weigh 60 tons each. They are 39 feet (11.8 m) tall, five feet (1.5 m) in diameter and brought all the way from Egypt. 

Apparently,  for some reason rain rarely falls through the open dome, but it did today and the wet marble floor was roped off

An incredibly talented street musician was performing outside and advertising for a concert.  He had a huge crowd listening to him play Leonard Cohen's Halleluia.

We grabbed some street food and headed back to our hotel for the night, exhausted from a huge day of walking. 

St. Peters and Vatican City

We had a beautiful hot, sunny day to walk over to the Vatican.  It was about a 15-20 min walk beside the Tiber River.

   Bridge Vittorio Emanuele  and Castel Sant'Angelo (a circlular 2nd century castle, now a museum)

This way to the Vatican City

Entering the Vatican

 The line to enter St Peters is pretty long.  You can see people standing in line on the right of the photo by the pillars.  We are in that same line while taking this picture ....way back.  Only took half an hour or so.

Saint Peters was absolutely huge - look at the size of the people in comparison to the doors, pillars and size of this bascilica.

Getting close to the entrance

Looking back from the front doors

Vatican Swiss Guard 

Michelangelo's Pieta

The Dome

The Front Alter

Looking back to the front doors

Side chapels

Foyer

Looking Up

Piazza Navona

Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651) 

Dinner at Osteria da Fortuna

A great place to eat!  The lineup to get into the restaurant was so long, it blocked traffic in the square.

After dinner, we walked around the city.  All the piazzas and restaurants were filled with people enjoying the warm evening.

Leaving Rome for the Airport

LOL   Only at the Rome airport! ....  all the big Italian designers had a boutique here: Valentino, Prada, Gucci, Versace,  Ferragamo, Veneta, Pucci, Fendi, and on and on.  This gives airport shopping prices a whole new meaning.

Ciao Bella ROMA!