Beautiful Rome

Ever since I was about 17 years old, I have always wanted to go to Italy.  I read "The Agony and The Ecstasy" when I was in high school and fell in love with the story of Michelangelo.  So, our trip to Italy was everything I had hoped for--minus the LONG flights and layovers.  Oh well, I guess if you really want to see beauty, you have to be willing to sacrifice.  I have been so excited to see the "Pieta," which was ever so much more beautiful than I had imagined.  My picture doesn't do it justice.  I stood and looked at it for about ten minutes.  What a priceless and beautiful work of art and is located in St. Peter's Basilica.

The Vatican Museums contained so much beautiful and ornate artwork.  Vatican City is the world capital of Catholicism and is the world's smallest state.  It occupies 106 acreas within high walls watched over by the Vatican guard.  They say that it is where Peter was martyred and buried.

I wish I could have taken pictures of the Sistine Chapel, but I didn't dare, as the guards would have scolded me.  Shelley got some great pictures of the Chapel ceiling and "The Final Judgment."  Take a look at her blog and you will be able to see the beautiful ceiling.

St. Peter's Basilica -- below is the door that is opened every 25 years and where people can enter and be forgiven of their sins.

St. Peter's Basilica is the largest Cathedral in the world.  Imagine the Colosseum fitting inside the basilica.  That's what Scott's and Shelley's tour guide told them.  It is enormous.

In addition to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica, we were able to visit the "Colosseum" a giant

sporting events stadium that was constructed in AD 80 by Emperor Vespastian.  His aim was to gain popularity by staging deadly gradiatorial combats and wild animal fights for public viewing.  Sounds nice?

The Pantheon, the Roman temple of all the gods, is a well-preserved ancient building, which was possibly designed by Emperior Hadrian in AD 118.

The Roman Forum, which were ruins of an early republic.  It housed many food stalls and shops, as well as temples and the Senate House.  Later, the food stalls were replaced with business centers and law courts.

Trevi Fountain--where the movie "Three Coins in a Fountain" was filmed.  Yes, I stood and threw a penny over my shoulder into the fountain.

The Spanish Steps.

Our tour of Rome was awesome.  We had a great tour guide.  We had these little receivers around our necks with an earphone in one ear.  Here is Mae and Richard Pattee, along with Dick.

Our guide, the middle blonde, would talk softly into her microphone and we could all hear it.  She was so good and knew everything.  She really was the best guide we had our whole trip.

We walked about seven miles that first day.  At the end, we were all very tired and slept well that night.  But, what we saw was breathtaking.  We loved Rome and all it's art and history.