We had a few days in Rome so decided having a look around and getting our bearings on the first day was the best idea. Christy suggested we do a hop-on hop-off bus tour. We did the full loop and got to see lots of places (beautiful plazas, gorgeous buildings etc) and get our bearings of Rome.
Of course we drove passed the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. We also drove passed the Vittorio Emanuele Monument (see last day entry) and a mini Colosseum. We went up to the Vatican and saw St Peters Basilica and drove the edge of the Vatican.
We saw Castel Sant'Angelo and Piazza del Popolo (again see last day entry) and a few other things on the way. We knew we needed entire days for the Vatican and the Colosseum so we had booked in full days to see those sights and we wanted to focus on smaller things today.
After one loop on the bus we jumped off near the Piazza Navona, one of the main Piazza's (squares) in town. We stopped at a small restaurant on a side lane as we were starving and enjoyed some pizza and pasta (our staple diet for the next few days!). We then explored Piazza Navona's beautiful fountains and building facades. It was very busy too as there was a small market on.
We moved on to the Pantheon. Wow! What an amazing place. Built in the greek style it has been many things over the years including a temple and a church and is home to the tombs of Raphael and a couple of Italian Kings. The interior is a large circular rotunda which rises up to a dome with an oculus (a hole in the dome basically). So in fact there are holes in the floor and a slight decline so that the water will run away when it rains.
The oculus was used for ventilation and light and provides a sun dial effect within the building. I also found out that the height of the oculus is exactly the diameter of the interior circle. Pretty amazing stuff. The Kings tombs were guarded but Raphael's seemed to be the most popular. But ultimately it was the beauty of the place that caught my attention. The interior is simply stunning.
From the Pantheon we walked up to Trevi Fountain and man was it packed. You could barely move. I can't imagine what it must be like in summer. Trevi Fountain is Rome's most famous fountain and you can see why. It is beautiful, set in a surprisingly small square on the facade of a building. I think it does suffer a little from it's own fame, it was hard to really appreciate it with so many people around.
Christy and Will headed back to the apartment and Nick and I kept wondering around the little streets just soaking up Rome. We got back on the bus and jumped off at the roundabout we had seen on the first day. It was early evening but the Church was still open so we went inside and had a look around. It was called Santa Maria degli Angeli and although not one of the most famous churches in Rome I still found it beautiful and much more peaceful which made it very nice. I also got some great photos of the fountain all lit up.
We went out for dinner that night at a small restaurant down the end of the road. We happened to spot it the night before, and we were lucky because it was a blink and you'll miss it type place because it was down in the lower ground level.
When we got there it was full of locals and we weren't sure we would get a table but it was a good sign that we had come to a good place. The food was yummy although sadly Rome's pasta isn't as good as Milan's. I think the problem is in Rome its an entree so serving sizes are very small and it's rare to find one with meat in it (even a little bit of bacon or chorizo) so it doesn't quite hit the spot. But the pizzas were good.
We had a few days in Rome so decided having a look around and getting our bearings on the first day was the best idea. Christy suggested we do a hop-on hop-off bus tour. We did the full loop and got to see lots of places (beautiful plazas, gorgeous buildings etc) and get our bearings of Rome.
Of course we drove passed the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. We also drove passed the Vittorio Emanuele Monument (see last day entry) and a mini Colosseum. We went up to the Vatican and saw St Peters Basilica and drove the edge of the Vatican.
We saw Castel Sant'Angelo and Piazza del Popolo (again see last day entry) and a few other things on the way. We knew we needed entire days for the Vatican and the Colosseum so we had booked in full days to see those sights and we wanted to focus on smaller things today.
After one loop on the bus we jumped off near the Piazza Navona, one of the main Piazza's (squares) in town. We stopped at a small restaurant on a side lane as we were starving and enjoyed some pizza and pasta (our staple diet for the next few days!). We then explored Piazza Navona's beautiful fountains and building facades. It was very busy too as there was a small market on.
We moved on to the Pantheon. Wow! What an amazing place. Built in the greek style it has been many things over the years including a temple and a church and is home to the tombs of Raphael and a couple of Italian Kings. The interior is a large circular rotunda which rises up to a dome with an oculus (a hole in the dome basically). So in fact there are holes in the floor and a slight decline so that the water will run away when it rains.
The oculus was used for ventilation and light and provides a sun dial effect within the building. I also found out that the height of the oculus is exactly the diameter of the interior circle. Pretty amazing stuff. The Kings tombs were guarded but Raphael's seemed to be the most popular. But ultimately it was the beauty of the place that caught my attention. The interior is simply stunning.
From the Pantheon we walked up to Trevi Fountain and man was it packed. You could barely move. I can't imagine what it must be like in summer. Trevi Fountain is Rome's most famous fountain and you can see why. It is beautiful, set in a surprisingly small square on the facade of a building. I think it does suffer a little from it's own fame, it was hard to really appreciate it with so many people around.
Christy and Will headed back to the apartment and Nick and I kept wondering around the little streets just soaking up Rome. We got back on the bus and jumped off at the roundabout we had seen on the first day. It was early evening but the Church was still open so we went inside and had a look around. It was called Santa Maria degli Angeli and although not one of the most famous churches in Rome I still found it beautiful and much more peaceful which made it very nice. I also got some great photos of the fountain all lit up.
We went out for dinner that night at a small restaurant down the end of the road. We happened to spot it the night before, and we were lucky because it was a blink and you'll miss it type place because it was down in the lower ground level.
When we got there it was full of locals and we weren't sure we would get a table but it was a good sign that we had come to a good place. The food was yummy although sadly Rome's pasta isn't as good as Milan's. I think the problem is in Rome its an entree so serving sizes are very small and it's rare to find one with meat in it (even a little bit of bacon or chorizo) so it doesn't quite hit the spot. But the pizzas were good.
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