Saturday, December 26, 2009
November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving! We had the family at our house... given that we had so much cheese and pasta during our trip there was not an Italian dish to be had!
November 25, 2009
Getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, we had the fam at our house. We keep growing as a dog family. Here is my mom with all of the doggies. Aren't they cute.
November 23, 2009
Our last day, and we spent it at the airport, so here are some pics of us throwing our coins in the Trevi Fountain to ensure our return to Rome.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
November 22, 2009
Nothing quite like Italian Cappucino.
We started the day with a trip to the Pantheon, since it was closed during our walking tour. The dome is amazing, and I wonder if they will ever solve the mystery of how it was built and survived all of the earthquakes and such that destroyed Rome in the past. And of course, part of the novel Angels and Demons.
Then it was over to the Borghese Gallery:
Which houses a beautiful private collection that you cannot take pictures of, unless of course you are walking the outside gardens and the windows are open. So here are Bernini's Apollo and Daphane and the Rape of Persephone.
After the museum it was a tour of the gardens that ended with an overlook at the Piazza del Popolo, which was really pretty at night.
And to cap off the evening we went into the Santa Maria Del Popolo Church to see the Caravaggio of St. Peter's Crucifixion
and the Chigi Chapel (you know, Santi's tomb, the demon hole, the altar of Eart), thank you Angel's and Demon fans.
We started the day with a trip to the Pantheon, since it was closed during our walking tour. The dome is amazing, and I wonder if they will ever solve the mystery of how it was built and survived all of the earthquakes and such that destroyed Rome in the past. And of course, part of the novel Angels and Demons.
Then it was over to the Borghese Gallery:
Which houses a beautiful private collection that you cannot take pictures of, unless of course you are walking the outside gardens and the windows are open. So here are Bernini's Apollo and Daphane and the Rape of Persephone.
After the museum it was a tour of the gardens that ended with an overlook at the Piazza del Popolo, which was really pretty at night.
And to cap off the evening we went into the Santa Maria Del Popolo Church to see the Caravaggio of St. Peter's Crucifixion
and the Chigi Chapel (you know, Santi's tomb, the demon hole, the altar of Eart), thank you Angel's and Demon fans.
Monday, December 21, 2009
November 21, 2009
Got to sleep late again, which is seriously the best part of being on vacation. Well maybe not the best part, but it is a nice treat!
This afternoon we went on a walking tour, to see all of the spots in Rome that are considered important, but we hadn't seen yet.
Namely, The Spanish Steps:
And the Trevi Fountain (and yes we did throw our coins in to return to Rome):
We did do lots of walking including Bernini's House, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Navona, Campo Del Fiori, the Jewish Ghetto, Teatro Marcello, Capitoline Hill, and lots of other sights. It was a nice way to see the city. We had a small group, and a tour guide who reminded me of a friend back home.
All in all a good day!
This afternoon we went on a walking tour, to see all of the spots in Rome that are considered important, but we hadn't seen yet.
Namely, The Spanish Steps:
And the Trevi Fountain (and yes we did throw our coins in to return to Rome):
We did do lots of walking including Bernini's House, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Navona, Campo Del Fiori, the Jewish Ghetto, Teatro Marcello, Capitoline Hill, and lots of other sights. It was a nice way to see the city. We had a small group, and a tour guide who reminded me of a friend back home.
All in all a good day!
November 20, 2009
Today was all day Catholic Church and Vatican Day. I love old churches, so we spent the morning touring the four major basilicas of Rome: Santa Maria Maggiore, Saint John in Lateran, Saint Paul Outside the Wall, and Saint Peter's. All of the basilicas are simply breath taking, I have a ton of photos, shoot me an email if you want to see them all, but here are a few highlights for the morning tour.
The first of four Jubilee Doors, at Santa Maria Maggiore, that are only opened once every 25 years.
The Scala Sacra, a staircase brought back to Rome by St. Helen, believed to be the steps to Pontious Pilate's Palace that Jesus walked. you can only climb these stairs on your knees.
The Jubilee Door at St. John in Lateran. This Basilica is the Cathedral of Rome, and the Pope's true church.
The Jubilee Door at St. Paul Outside the Wall. Also in this church is the tomb of St. Paul. Very interesting.
And a few pictures inside my favorite church in the world, St. Peter's:
And yes we did touch the other Jubilee door at St. Peter's but for some reason we touched the inside with the cement closure and a cross, so it doesn't look much like a door.
The rest of the afternoon we spent at the Vatican Museum. It was actually interesting because we got to see an entirely different section of the collection.
Here is the Sistine Chapel from the outside. Looks like a fortress....
The first of four Jubilee Doors, at Santa Maria Maggiore, that are only opened once every 25 years.
The Scala Sacra, a staircase brought back to Rome by St. Helen, believed to be the steps to Pontious Pilate's Palace that Jesus walked. you can only climb these stairs on your knees.
The Jubilee Door at St. John in Lateran. This Basilica is the Cathedral of Rome, and the Pope's true church.
The Jubilee Door at St. Paul Outside the Wall. Also in this church is the tomb of St. Paul. Very interesting.
And a few pictures inside my favorite church in the world, St. Peter's:
And yes we did touch the other Jubilee door at St. Peter's but for some reason we touched the inside with the cement closure and a cross, so it doesn't look much like a door.
The rest of the afternoon we spent at the Vatican Museum. It was actually interesting because we got to see an entirely different section of the collection.
Here is the Sistine Chapel from the outside. Looks like a fortress....
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