Vatican City

Today was all about the Vatican. we took another Dark Rome Tour that was again informative and got us around many of the lines. We had to get to the Vatican early and were surprised on how busy it was before 8:00am. Nice tour of the Museum, The Sistine Chapel and St Peters. After the tour I managed to talk the ladies into climbing St. Peters Dome, exercise and a view all in one. Whew!

St Peters

St Peters

Inside St. Peters.

Inside St. Peters.

Sydney inside St. Peters.

Sydney inside St. Peters.

Up in St Peters Dome

Top of the dome, Ma!

Top of the dome, Ma!

On the roof of St. Peters.

On the roof of St. Peters.

On the roof of St. Peters.

Lunch near the Pantheon

Lunch near the Pantheon

Central Rome

All I can say is not all WiFi systems are built the same…

It is nice to be in Rome in July… really! We have enjoyed the heat and the great mix of people that are visiting. The nights are vibrant, people are out having fun. Of course this means the monuments and museums are packed but with a little planning and $ for a private tour we managed to get around the worst of them. Kim set up a tour of the Roman Forum and Flavian Amphitheater with Dark Rome Tours. Our guide Francesca was very knowledgeable and Sydney and her got along well. Kim and I have been to to these locations before but it was nice to have details pointed out that we did not know in the ruins. Also the tour had access to parts of the amphitheater that are hard to visit, the rebuild floor, the underground and the very upper sections. Very nice.

After lunch we visited my favorite building in Rome, the Parthenon. Originally a pagan temple it became a church and because of that is well preserved. An interesting building, it is just the right size to be accessible, impressive but not imposing.

In the Roman Forum.

In the Roman Forum.

Palatine Hill.

Palatine Hill.

In the Roman Forum.

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The Forum from the Flavian Amphitheater.

The Forum from the Flavian Amphitheater.

The Flavian Amphitheater

The Flavian Amphitheater

 

Sydney and Francesca.

Sydney and Francesca.

The Flavian Amphitheater

The Flavian Amphitheater

The Pantheon.

The Pantheon.

 

One Last Stop In Italy

Today we moved on from Siena to our last stop in Italy, Rome. Quite the change from our recent locations.

Mostly cars and trains today but we did manage to catch a few sights once we arrived. The pictures tell all.

Happy Birthday Mrs. Halaby, wherever you are.

The Pantheon.

The Pantheon.

A close-up of the Trevi Fountain.

A close-up of the Trevi Fountain.

The evening crowd at the Trevi Fountain.

The evening crowd at the Trevi Fountain.

She wants to return...

She wants to return…

A choral group singing in the portico of the Pantheon.

A choral group singing in the portico of the Pantheon.