On to Roma

2010042201775

2010042201776

2010042201778

2010042201779

The "Forum". A large, bustling business district during the Roman period.

2010042201788

The "typewriter" as the Americans called it during WWII, a slang name adopted by the locals. A monument built in the early 1900's to the first King of a unified Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, who reigned in the mid 1800's. Too big, too bright, pompous, and cut into the ruins of this ancient hillside, it's generally not well-liked.

2010042201792

2010042201794

Fountain at the Place de la Republique

2010042201799

2010042301813

It could hold 50,000 spectators.

2010042301826

A view into the underground, a two-level network of tunnels, hinged platforms, lifts, etc., used to hold and raise animals, gladiators, and props to the arena surface.

2010042301827

2010042301828

2010042301844

The Trevi Fountain

2010042301864

(E.g., as seen in When in Rome, and other movies...)

2010042301867

In front of the Spanish Steps

2010042301872

Adrian, on the Spanish Steps

2010042301877

In the National Museum

2010042401883

2010042401885

2010042401891

2010042401897

2010042401902

Inside the massive, Diocletian bath house. It could hold 3,000 bathers. In use until the Goths disrupted the aqueducts that fed them in 537. Later converted into a church.

2010042401907

2010042401908

Walking around the Forum

2010042401913

2010042401923

In the town I grew up in, they preserve a hole in a house which some claim came from a stray bullet fired during the first battle of the US Revolutionary War, over 200 years ago. Here, they use 2,000 year old pillars as picnic benches.

2010042401928

2010042401941

Contrary to a popular belief, which began to surface around the 16th century, there's no evidence that early Christians had been martyred in the Colosseum.

2010042401942

Saint Peter's square. Ngoc actually saw the Pope come out to the balcony, and apparently request a cappuccino.

There's no gate into this huge square, but to get into the church, or the museum, there's a 1-2 hour line.

2010042401949

In the Vatican Museum now... this modern sphere sculpture slowly spins (e.g., search youtube for "vatican sphere sculpture")

2010042501971

2010042501972

2010042501975

2010042501976

2010042501978

A fabulous hallway with ancient, yet highly detailed maps of all sections of Italy painted along the walls.

2010042501987

The Roman gate to the city

2010042501992

Now on Appian Way, built by the Romans, originally for connecting and supplying military bases in the South of Italy.

2010042501995

The first section was completed in 312 BC.

2010042501996

The best milk-shake creations ever, at a cafe at Via Appia Antica & Via Cecilia Metella

2010042502006

2010042502012

We had to bike a couple miles past the gates to the city to reach the original Roman pavers

2010042502014

Our last view of the Colosseum

2010042502025