Sunday 28 February 2010

Italy Trip - Rome

Wonderful Cherubs - St Peters Basilica

St Peters Basilica

The Swiss Guard - The Vatican


Margaret on St Peters Square

St Peters Square

The Spanish Steps

The Trevi Fountain



Me and Margaret

The Colosseum


It was an early start as myself and my Auntie Margaret set off for the eternal city on the 6AM Bus. A journey that would take us about four and a half hours to get to Rome. I slept through most of it !

The city of Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber river within the Lazio region of Italy.
We caught the Metro to the centre and our first port of call was the Colosseum. (70–80 AD), the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire. Originally capable of seating 60,000 spectators, it was used for gladiatorial combat. You could really sense the atmosphere and imagine the Gladiators doing battle.
Next port of call was the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain)which is a spectacular sight. Standing 25.9 meters (85 feet) high and 19.8 meters (65 feet) wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city.
A traditional legend says that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. I hope so.
After a quick beer and Tiramisu stop it was off to the Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) dominated by the church of Trinità dei Monti. The Scalinata is the longest and widest staircase in Europe. These days it seems to be a very popular meeting place for chilling out.
To get to the Vatican a bus was required (number 62). It was a beautiful day and the temperature was over 20 degrees. It was just lovely to lay on the steps in St Peters Square. Or at least it was until the Police came along and moved me along !!! We then visited the amazing St Peters Basilica which was stunning. My photos don't do justice to the amazing architecture and sheer size of the Basilica.
St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the Basilica. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age.

Considering that we only had such a short time I think we did pretty well to see so many of the wonderful sights. Of course we only really scratched the surface and didn't have time to check out the many famous galleries and museums. I was amazed at the number of monuments and statues almost everywhere. Truly a fantastic place and one of the worlds great capital cities.

Thankfully we caught the train to Naples before our connection to Sorrento. An exhausting but wonderful day. Bella Roma !!!!!!

1 comment:

  1. Hii!,
    and thanks for the comment =).
    I already have a few plans for the money, so I will definately make good news of it =D.
    Haha, if I ever need a bodyguard i will be sure to contact you ;p.

    Thanks for your concern!
    Love, Lisa <3

    ReplyDelete

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