ITALY - ROME (III)

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:

• Pictures of our first day in Rome
• Pictures of our second day in Rome
• Pictures of our third day in Rome
• Pictures of our fourth day in Rome
• Pictures of our fifth and sixth day in Rome

You can see more pictures of other fantastic places I have visited in Italy clicking on the next links:

- Venezia

- Tuscany

• Florence
• San Gimignano
• Siena
• Pisa
• Lucca

- Lombardia

• Milano
• Lago di Como and Bellagio
• Bergamo

Finally, other great cities I have already visited are:

• Barcelona
• Berlin
• New York and Washington
• London
• Dublin in Irleland
• Istanbul in Turkey
• Saint Petersburg
• Paris
• Florence in Tuscany
• Lisboa in Portugal
• Madrid
• Dubrovnik in Croatia

• The Greek Islands and Athens
• Bruges, Ghent and Brussels in Belgium

• Helsinki and Lapland in Finland

• Tallinn in Estonia

• Tortuguero, Caribe, Arenal, Monteverde and San José in Costa Rica

• Marrakech in Morocco

ITALY: ROME (II)

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

After visiting La Fontana di Trevi in our first afternoon and night in Rome, the main attraction of our second day in Rome was the visit to the Colosseo. I have an special feeling for this impressive roman monument since I was a child. But that day had a surprise in store for me: the old quarter with the Pantheon, Fontana di Trevi, Piazza Navona and its narrow and cobbled streets.

I have felt like visiting the Colosseo since I was a child

Day 2 - 20th september 2010

Visits of the day

- Foro Traiano *
- Colosseo *
- Arco di Costantino *
- Foro Romano and Palatino *
- Campidoglio *
- Pantheon *
- Piazza della Minerva *
- Santa Maria Sopraminerva- San Luigi dei Francesi (Two fantastic Caravaggios) *
- Piazza Navona *
- Santa Maria Maggiore *
- Piazza Barberini - Fontana del Tritone *
- Piazza di Spagna *

* Strongly recommended

Il Passetto

The Passetto di Borgo, or simply Passetto, is an elevated passage that links the Vatican City with the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome. It is an approximately 800 m long corridor, which served, on several occasions, as an escape route for Popes in danger

Foro Traiano

Next to the base of the Colonna Traiana in Rome

Overview of the Foro Traiano in Rome, with the Colonna Traiana as main reference

From the Foro Traiano we went to the Mercati di Traiano

Colosseo

The Via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome led us from the Foro Traiano to the Colosseo

There is always a long queue to enter the Colosseo. We didn't have to line up thanks to our Roma Pass :)

Arco di Constantion from the Colosseo. Behind this well preserved arch, the Palatino hill appears

Impressive overview of the stands of the Colosseo and its elliptical arena

Reading about the Colosseo we learnt that the elliptical arena was 83 meters by 48 meters

The Colosseo still looks magnificent 20 centuries after its construction

Capable of seating 50.000 spectators, the Colosseo was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions or dramas based on classical mythology

Arco di Costantino

The Arco di Constantino is a triumphal arch erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian bridge. Dedicated in 315, it's the latest of the existing triumphal arches in Rome

Foro Romano

Overview of the Foro Romano from the Palatino viewpoint where The arch of Titus and the Colosseo can be easily seen

Remains of the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine. The building's northern aisle is all that remains. It was the largest building in the Forum and it's almost 40 meters high are quite imposing

From the Campidoglio there is another great overview of the Foro Romano where the Temple of Saturn and the Arch of Septimius Severus appear in the foreground

The three white columns which appears in the middle are the remains of The temple of Castor and Pollux

Finally, a last overview of the Foro Romano from the Campidoglio where the imposing the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine can be seen on the left

Campidoglio

Piazza Campidoglio in Rome, on the top of Capitoline Hill, was designed by Michelangelo. In the middle of this square stands a replica of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius and, in the background, the Palazzo Senatorio (City Hall of Rome)

Pantheon

Detail of the Bernini's obelisk of Piazza della Rotonda, where the coat of arms of the State of Vatican City can be seen. This square of Rome is always lively and charming

Inside the Pantheon, one of the Roman buildings better preserved in Rome

This holes drain the rain which enters the Pantheon through the oculus of the dome

Piazza della Minerva

Another Bernini's obelisk, now in Piazza della Minerva

The young elephant under this obelisk is really nice. It's another Bernini's brilliant idea

Santa Maria Sopraminerva

Colourful transept of Santa Maria Sopraminerva, is considered the only gothic church in Rome

An sculpture of Jesus near the altar

San Luigi dei Francesi

The Inspiration of St. Matthew on the left and The Martyrdom of St. Matthew, on the right painted by Caravaggio, can be admired in this church

The Calling of St. Matthew, another masterpiece of Caravaggio

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is one of the most interesting places in Rome and one of the places I liked the most. It's always lively and an open-air museum where you can admire two Bernini's fountains: Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi with its obelisk and Fontana del Moro

Santa Maria Maggiore

Inside the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, what surprises me the most was the gold ceiling. It seems curved because of the gold weight

Apse of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the Papal Basilicas you can visit in Rome

Piazza Barberini - Fontana del Tritone

Fontana del Tritone in Rome is another Bernini's masterpiece. I really liked this fountain

Piazza di Spagna

Sitting on one step of the well-known staircase of Piazza Spagna we enjoyed a view of this always lively square of Rome

Clicking on the nex link, you will find more pictures of our third day in Rome. 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:

• Pictures of our first day in Rome
• Pictures of our second day in Rome
• Pictures of our third day in Rome
• Pictures of our fourth day in Rome
• Pictures of our fifth and sixth day in Rome

You can see more pictures of other fantastic places I have visited in Italy clicking on the next links:


- Venezia

- Tuscany

• Florence
• San Gimignano
• Siena
• Pisa
• Lucca

- Lombardia

• Milano
• Lago di Como and Bellagio
• Bergamo

Finally, other great cities I have already visited are:

• Barcelona
• Berlin
• New York and Washington
• London
• Dublin in Irleland
• Istanbul in Turkey
• Saint Petersburg
• Paris
• Florence in Tuscany
• Lisboa in Portugal
• Madrid
• Dubrovnik in Croatia

• The Greek Islands and Athens
• Bruges, Ghent and Brussels in Belgium

• Helsinki and Lapland in Finland

• Tallinn in Estonia

• Tortuguero, Caribe, Arenal, Monteverde and San José in Costa Rica

• Marrakech in Morocco