when in rome

I'm sure you can find most of these photos a hundred times over on the web, but here are the main attraction of Rome from my lens.

Day 1 in Rome was "Old Rome", which included the Colosseum, Palatine hill, Roman Forum, and Pantheon. We managed to see all of these in about 2 hours. I remember a lot of walking, but not much else. We also stopped by the Trevi Fountain.


The colosseum.


Doric column at the Roman forum.


Capitoline Hill, piazza designed by Michaelangelo.


Inside the Pantheon. I thought the waning sunlight looked like a jellyfish.


Lost on a street downtown while the sun was setting.


At the Trevi Fountain.


Consulting maps (we did a lot of this throughout the trip).

After getting completely lost trying to find a good restaurant for dinner, a local resident shepherded us out of the complex of apartments, onto the Campo de' Fiori, and into small, quiet, and delicious Ditirambo for a choice Italian dinner. Abe's mom was particularly fond of the Gorgonzola-pear souffle with balsamic vinegar. The carnivores in the family laughed at my choice of Calabrian eggplant meatballs, but they were one of my favorite dishes the entire trip.


Dinner.


Abe's parents enjoying souffle.

Day 2 was the Vatican, including the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, and Castel Sant' Angelo. Incidentally, Abe & I had watched Angels & Demons the week before, so I recognized most of the sights more from pop culture than my history books.


Photo of "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel, before we were told no photos.


Outside St. Peter's square.


In St. Peter's Basilica.


From the inside top of the dome at the basilica, looking down.


Outside at the top of the dome.


Endless winding stairs we had to climb. Surprisingly, didn't put me into preterm labor.


Brothers enjoying the view from the top of the basilica.


Circus poster and old bikes. This made me feel like we were living in a real city, not just a place for tourists.


Swapping gelatos after dinner. Nutella was by far the best.


Angel on the bridge by Castel Sant' Angelo.


Tiber river, winding through the Vatican.

Day 3 we took things much slower, spending a sunny afternoon strolling and playing Frisbee at the Borghese Gardens. For lunch, Abe & I split off to a pizza shop (driven by hunger, the rest of the family went to the first eatery off the bus stop - Burger King). We at the Piazza del Popolo and watched a great water fight between 2 Italian teenagers. They both had water bottles that they constantly refilled at one of two public drinking fountains on the piazza (we were sitting at the corner of one). At one point an Indian tourist was trapped in between them as they faced each other, juking right and left, with full water bottles in hand. After several moments of them using her as a defensive barrier, and with her looking increasingly worried, one of them paused and said with a shrug, "It's a tragic scene". Then he dashed off to the side and the other boy followed.


Borghese Gallery, part of the gardens.


Street-side pizza.


Reading "Michaelangelo and the Pope's ceiling" at the piazza designed by Michaelangelo.


Walking home.


At the end of the day we said goodbye to Rome with a family dinner at our apartment.

(More on Tuscany and Venice to come later)