Beautiful places of Barcelona and Catalonia: ITALY

For five days we enjoyed the fantastic sightseeings of Rome and we walked for hours through the streets of this wonderful city.

Our third day in Rome was quite intense. We visited San Giovanni in Laterano, San Clemente and San Pietro in Vincoli. In the afternoon we enjoyed the impressive views of Rome from the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica and the lively environment of the Trastevere.

One of the best views I enjoyed in Rome was the Saint Peter's square from the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica

DAY 3 - 21 SEPT 2010

Visits of the day

- Scala Santa
- San Giovanni in Laterano *
- San Clemente- San Pietro in Vincoli (Moises de Michelangelo) *
- Piazza Venezia *
- Saint Peter's Dome *
- Gianicolo
- Trastevere (at night) *

* Strongly recommended

Scala Santa

A tourist group began to go up kneeling the Scala Santa in Rome as soon as they arrived

San Giovanni in Laterano

The imposing facade of San Giovanni in Laterano, the cathedral of Rome and of the bishop of Rome, the Pope

Dedicated to John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, the Basilica of St. John Lateran (Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano) is the first among the four major basilicas of Rome

San Clemente

The Basilica di San Clemente (Basilica of St. Clement) is an early Christian basilica in Rome dedicated to Pope St. Clement (d. 99 AD)

Inside San Clemente we enjoyed tiles like this one. The church has a beautiful interior, but it is especially notable for its three historical layers. The 12th-century basilica is built on top of a well-preserved 4th-century church (with many frescoes), which was built next to a 3rd-century Mithraic Temple

San Pietro in Vincoli

San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, best known for being the home of Michelangelo's statue of Moses, part of the tomb of Pope Julius II

Reliquary containing the chains of St. Peter in San Pietro in Vincoli

Piazza Venezia

The Piazza Venezia in Rome takes its name from the adjacent Palazzo Venezia, the former embassy in the city of the Republic of Venice. The piazza is at the foot of the Capitoline Hill and near the Roman Forum. It is dominated by the imposing Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

Overview of Piazza Venezzia with the Palazzo Venezzia on the left. Traffic is intense and a bit caotic on this square

Views from Saint Peter's Dome

The great dome of Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican soars above the altar and the baldacchino, sumptuously embellished with mosaic and stucco ornaments

Around the base of the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican we can read the solemn words from Matthew's Gospel with which Jesus invests Peter with supreme authority. The text reads: "Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam mean et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum" ("You are 'Rock' and on this rock I will build my Church, to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Mt 16:18)

Above the windows, the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican is divided into sixteen ribs and as many segments, decorated by majestic figures on six ascending concentric levels

One of the best views I enjoyed in Rome was the Saint Peter's square from the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica

View of the white Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome from the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica

This fantastic view of Saint Peter's Square is the most beautiful one I enjoyed from the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

The building of Vatican Museums from the dome

Governorate Palace viewed from the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica. On the right can be seen the Vaticano Radio Station

Walking over the main nave of St. Peter's Basilica where there is a souvenir shop and a postbox I mailed a postcard to Barcelona at

Gianicolo

View of Piazza Venezia from the Gianicolo hill in Rome. This hill does not figure among the proverbial Seven Hills of Rome, being west of the Tiber and outside the boundaries of the ancient city

Trastevere

From Gianicolo we arrived to the always lively Trastevere. Before having supper we visited Santa Maria in Trastevere. The square in front of this basilica is one of the centres of Trastevere nightlife

Trattorias are the typical restaurants of Trastevere in Rome, where you can enjoy a delicious pizza

Trastevere is a nice place to have supper. The environment is peaceful and lovely, perfect to relax after an intense day visiting Rome

Clicking on the next link, all what we visit in Rome the next day. Besides, clicking on the next link, you will find more links to the other interesting places in Rome we visited during this trip.

You can see more pictures of the days I spent in Rome last year clicking on the next links: