Touring the Eternal City

We have been very fortunate in our hotel choices on this trip.  The villa in Greve was wonderful with a great location, the hotel in Venice was quaint with a good location as well, and Hotel Genio in Rome would prove to be a great choice also.  

Davin and Christal haven't been as fortunate when it comes to the rooms themselves in the hotels. We won our pick of the room in Greve, so we picked the room over the pool with a balcony that overlooked Greve. In Venice, their air conditioner didn't work and in Venice and Rome, they got two twin beds instead of a queen bed. I will be sure that there is a letto matrimoniale in our room on our next trip, because two twin beds in a room is very common in Italy. 

Hotel Genio had a nice outdoor patio on the roof with a breakfast waiting just inside the door each morning.  Breakfast is Italy is completely differnet than what we are use to in the US, but they do a pretty good job of supplying a few options for the tourists.  You will not find scrambled eggs and pancakes for breakfast in Italy at a hotel.  Coffee with milk and a pastry or biscotti is the norm in Italy.

The View was stunning and it also served a purpose.  We could see all of the major landmarks from the rooftop with ease, which also helped us to gauge distances and plan our days.  The pictures below show the Pantheon, the Vatican, and the Forum all viewed from our patio!

For many years, Kelly has made me get my picture taken with various things on the side of the road or sidewalk, today I got my revenge.

Here are a few churches near our hotel on the short walk to Piazza Navona.

We continued to peek down each little alleyway for treasures.  This appeared to be a tiny lace making shop.  

The ancient road was still very intact.  These roads, built in the 1st century had layers of sand and gravel underneath for drainage and stability just like today's pavers that we put down.  They also had gutters, drains, and the corners banked to maintain speed in the corners.  And yes, all roads do lead to Rome.

Piazza Navona is built on the site that once contained the Stadium of Domitian (Stadio di Domiziano) that was built in the 1st century AD.  It is now a common meeting area filled with grand sculptures and ancient churches.  It is home to daily markets, restaurants, and gelato.

I wish that I would have taken more pictures of the parking situation in Italy, but here are a few more examples.

We made a quick stop for some Processo, meat, and cheese.

Delivery Truck!

The next stop is the Spanish Steps, but the road to the steps is Via del Condotti and it is the shops that we have been waiting for.  I got a new wallet and the girls got shoes.  It was nice to see a men's store and a women's store of each designer side by side.

After a decent array of shopping, we made it to the steps.
We came, we saw, we climbed, we stopped at a bar at the top and had mixed drinks.  It is another hot day in Rome.

Public Service vehicles including a diplomatic escort!

The Pantheon is arguably the most well preserved of all Roman structures after a remodel by Hadrian in 126 AD.  One of the contributors to the building's longevity is the fact that it is still an active church.  It is nearly impossible to describe the sheer size of this structure.  The building is over 140 ft tall.  The pillars alone are approximately 40 feet tall!

The bronze doors that were originally plated in gold are 40 ft. tall as well as about 4 ft. thick.  That is not a pillar that Kelly is knocking on... that's the door!

The oculus, with its 30 ft. diameter, is the only source of light for the entire structure.  To give a glimpse of the genius of Roman engineering, the density of the rocks in the concrete was decreased in the higher levels of the concrete and the thickness of the concrete was decreased as well near the top.  Volcanic rock was used at highest points in the dome to keep it as light as possible.  One unique side effect to this oculus is that when it rains or snows, it comes inside and exits via the ancient drains in the floor, so you can stand inside and watch it rain in front of you while you remain dry.

At least this is nice bra, but I can't say that it accents the outfit.
A funny side note.  We kept seeing signs for this mystery McDonalds.  We weren't actually trying to find it, but everywhere we went, the signs kept saying that we were almost there and then the next one would point us back to where we had just past.  This one points right for 50 meters and we still never saw it!!!

Trajan's Column was constructed by Emperor Trajan after a victory in the Dacian Wars.  The column consists of a frieze or a scroll that wraps around the column telling the story of the battle.

A little clowning around to pass the time.

The Trevi Fountain.  As Kelly said with a smile, "It looks just like the one in Vegas." as Davin rolled his eyes.

What you can't tell from the pictures above that this is another one of those places that may not have a slow tourist time of the day, except for very early or very late in the day, because for the shots above, the fountain actually looked like this:

Ah, the many offerings of Rome.  Europe is much more liberal than the Puritans of the US.  A little rubber with your absinthe, anyone?

Or maybe some other tasty treats.

Or maybe it has been a long day and it is time to retire for the night?

A quick change of clothes, some dinner, and then it's time for bed.
We ate outside (on the street) at this little caffetteria.  I think it was called Novecento (900), if I remember right.
The street was so narrow that as cars struggled to meander down the alley, Davin and I actually started touching the cars as they went by.  Space is at a premium in Rome.



Go to 6/23/11