Finishing up in Rome

We celebrated Barbara's birthday with a gelato cake.  Yum! 

 More shots from our neighborhood wanderings

 "Fashion sucks"

 The Trevi Fountain is being restored so we could only walk past and look at it through a plastic barrier

All too soon, our week in Rome had come to an end.  We needed months and months to be able to see everything there is to see, but we got a great start!  Our driver friend Marco came back to get Mom, Barb, Brenda and Vesta to take them to the airport to begin their journey back to the US.  Soon after, Rich and I hauled our suitcases to the taxi stand and made one last trip to the Termini Station to catch the train.  We'd ride from Rome to Genoa and then switch to a commuter train to Savona, where we'd catch our next cruise.  Arrivederci, Roma! 

Repubblica, Quattro Fontane, and Pantheon

After walking around one day, we got on the metro and instead of going back to our apartment, we decided just to ride along and get off in a different part of town.  We found ourselves in the Repubblica area and spent an hour or so exploring.

At the intersection of Via del Quirinale and Via delle Quattro Fontane are four unusual corner fountains. Commissioned by Pope Sixtus V and built between 1588 and 1593, they represent the Tiber River (the symbol of Rome), the Arno River (the symbol of Florence), Juno (the symbol of fortitude) and Diana (the symbol of faithfulness).

 Juno

 Diana

Arno

I couldn't get a good angle to get a photo of Tiber because of all the people and traffic.

Then on to the Pantheon, one of the best preserved ancient Roman buildings.  This particular structure was completed by the emperor Hadrian around 126 AD but retained the original inscription from an earlier building from the time of  Augustus (27 BC to 14 AD) which has caused some confusion about when it was actually built.  (Either way, wow!  Amazing it's still standing!)

It contains the world's largest un-reinforced concrete dome (hard to get a picture with the sun streaming in!) and the only natural light inside the building comes from the oculus at the top of the dome and the front doors.

And it has been in continuous use throughout its history.

The inside is quite beautiful and is in use today as a Catholic church dedicated to St. Mary and the martyrs.  As with many of the sights in Rome, I am just amazed that this ancient place is still standing and still functional as a part of the community of today. 

Campo di Fiori

We love open air markets so we had to visit the Campo di Fiori.  We enjoyed strolling through the booths and Rich picked up a few items to bring home.

We had a nice lunch in a little cafe right there at the market.  A friendly young guy was encouraging people to come in and I was cracking up watching him trying to entice more customers (he was pretty good at it)!

Birds eating the sample pizza!

Spanish Steps

Our apartment was within walking distance of the Spanish Steps.  The day we chose to go was Liberation Day, celebrating  the Allied Forces'  liberation of  Italy in 1945, so we got to join hundreds of people in the streets!

Out on the Street: Roma

Really, our favorite thing is just wandering the streets anywhere we go.  I love the people, the buildings, the look of a city, wondering who lived here once and who lives here now and what they do and what their lives are like. 

Our apartment was on Via Angelo Brunetti, though this is not our building.  :)  And interestingly enough, Angelo Brunetti was  a liberal and a champion of the common people in the 1800s, a member of the city council elected in the first democratic municipal elections in 1849.  He fought to defend the republic against the French army in the same year, but was caught and executed.

Here are some photos from right around our neighborhood.  Most days we got out and walked up and down different streets just to see what we could see.

 I think these guys look like stereotypical Italian men!