Another old post from my trip to Europe back in good ol’ October 2009. Can’t believe it’s been more than 4 months since we took that wonderful trip to Spain and Italy!
On the second last day of our trip, armed with a map and compass, we started the day with determination to hit as many places of interest as possible maximizing the last 24 hours of our trip before we leave Europe the next day. Here’s what we did!
1) A Visit to Castel St. Angelo. This building was built as a Mausoleum for Roman Emperor Hadrian and his family and was later used as a fortress and a castle. Now it’s a museum and cost you Euro 10. We did not think it was that worth it for the money we paid to see this old fortress. The Euro 12 we paid for the Colosseum (plus Palatine Hill and Roman Forum) is so much more bang for the buck! Verschaffelt's replacement of Montelupo's Statue (Bottom Left) located at the terrace of the castle.
2) Statue of St. Michael (1536) (Bottom Right) by Raffaello da Montelupo. He was Michelangelo's apprentice. This was located at one of the court yard inside Castel St. Angelo.
3) Part of Castel St. Angelo from the terrace area (Bottom Left).
4) View of Rome and Vatican city from the terrace of the castle (Bottom Right). View of St. Peter’s Basilica is just breath taking.
5) Santa Maria di Montesanto (1675) (Bottom Left). This is church has a "twin" on the right which is not in the picture. The church is located @ Piazza del Popolo.
6) Piazza del Popolo (Bottom Right) which translates into ‘People’s Suqare” is the largest square in Rome. An Egyptian obelisk of Ramesses II from Heliopolis stands in the centre of the Piazza.
7) Via del Corso, the main street running through the historical centre of Rome (Bottom Left). This is where we got the yummiest pizza ever!!!
8) Fontana del Tritone (Bottom Right) @ Piazza Barberini. Since we had all day, we decided to hunt down as many fountains as we can that day! This was one of the many fountains we saw.This is a 17th century fountain by Bernini.
9) Trinità dei Monti (church) (Bottom Left) built by the French in the 16th century, over looks the Spanish Steps & Piazza di Spagna. This church apparently belongs to the French.?
10) Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti or better known as Spanish Steps (Bottom Right). The Spanish Steps is the longest and widest in Europe.
11) Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain) completed in 1762 and is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome (Bottom). This place was packed with people wanting to get a shot of this world famous fountain. It is said that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you’ll return to Rome. I wished I knew about it earlier!
12) Quattro Fontane (Four Fountains) is a group of four Late Renaissance fountains located at the intersection of Via delle Quattro Fontane and Via del Quirinale in Rome. They were commissioned by Pope Sixtus V and put into place between 1588 and 1593. Pictures below are only 2 of the four fountains; The Goddess Juno (Bottom Left) and The River Tiber (Bottom Right).
13) Chiesa di Santa Susanna alle Terme di Diocleziano (Church of Saint Susanna at the baths of Diocletian) rebuilt in 1585-1603 (Bottom Left).
14) Santa Maria degli Angeli (Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs )was the official state church during the Kingdom of Italy (1870-1946). Although this church looks like it’s in the ruins (or built to look like one), its interior was just spectacular. Like any other churches in Italy!
15) The fountain with the four bronze statues of the Najadi by Mario Rutelli @ Piazza della Repubblica (Bottom Left).
16) Vending machines in Rome caught attention! Soda, beer, sandwiches, snacks, candies….just my kind of vending machine! =)
17) Pantheon at night was a spectacular sight (Bottom Left). This was built as a Temple of the Gods of Ancient Rome. The Pantheon’s dome is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. The best thing is, it’s FREE for all to visit! =)
18) St. Peter’s Basilica at night was another amazing sight (Bottom Right)!
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