Rome Day 3
Last night, after a wonderful dinner at a local restaurant right down from our hotel, JT and I realized that we completely forgot to go the top of the dome at the St. Peter’s Basilica. Today is the day that Jack joins our adventure, so we knew we had just enough time to squeeze it in before he arrived at lunchtime. We got some great pictures… but I’ve seriously never sweat that much in my entire life. Crawling up a 2 ft. wide 75 degree angle of stairs is not my idea of an enjoyable climb… but man was getting to the top worth it!
It turns out that once you reach the top of the dome, you realize that the entire ceiling is one giant mosaic. From the floor it looks to be like a painting, but no, Michelangelo is just that good.
Detail Shot:
Far away shot:
When we got back to the hotel we met up with Jack and quickly told him to drop his bags because we had a full afternoon ahead of us: the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and a fabulous dinner.
At the Coliseum, a flood of emotions ran through me. I was in complete awe at the magnitude and brilliant design that went into putting on massive productions and entertainment, but at the same time, mourning the lives of thousands of Christians that were used as the means of entertainment. No matter the part of it that you ponder on, you can stand in a shaded area and gaze in wonder of what it must have been like back then.
The Roman Forum is adjacent to the Coliseum and after listening to the audio tour (Rick Steves podcast) it is amazing to think how much history has taken place in this small square mile of land. Every decision and product of those decisions has shaped the world we live in today.
This will pain Kathy when I say this (she’s one of my best friends and is a history teacher), but I’m no lover of history. It was actually my least favorite subject in school… BUT I do have to say that coming here has opened a new found respect and appreciation for studying and learning history. So, tip to you Kathy, you need to bring your stubborn students to Italy in order to open their eyes to how their lives are directly impacted by what happened in Rome J.
JT in front of The arch of Titus
Looking at the ruins of Constantine’s Church.
Mamertinum prison, where Paul was prisoner in Rome.
After our filled day of site seeing, we got cleaned up and headed out to a recommended restaurant by one of our good friends, Amy. She actually lives in Rome, but was unable to be there when we were there… so instead, we ate at her favorite restaurant, Re Café. It was by far the BEST restaurant any of us have been to in a very long time. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, but know that it tastes ten times better than it looks.
After dinner, we started at the Spanish Steps and started our night walk tour by Rick Steves. My favorite stop was the Trevi Fountain.
We ended our walking night tour at the Piazza Navona, where there is a famous Gelaterria with the tasty flavor of Death By Chocolate. One word, AMAZING! I’m a lover of chocolate and this was absolute heaven. JT was plain and has his usual mix of Strawberry and Melon.
Death By Chocolate (Before)
(After)
Tomorrow, we head to the Catacombs and Tremonsoulli, to see Grandpa English company’s WWII memorial.
