Rome 10.8.08

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Europe. We flew Ryanair from Frankkfurt-Hahn in Germany to Rome Ciampiao in Italy airport on Tuesday the 7th of October. We arrived fairly late and were focused on finding a place to stay. When we woke up on the morning of the 8th Rome was ours for the taking. "When in Rome" was mentioned far to many times to count during a short stay. The following are pictures from our first full day in Rome.

The day started out with a short train ride to the Spagna station. When you walk onto the street from the station the Spanish Steps are just around the corner to your left. This fountain sits at the bottom of the Spanish Steps in the Piazza di Spagna. Following the fountain picture is a view up the stair cases. The Roman fountains were so intricate and clean and were spread though out the city. The water from these fountains is drinkable and quite tasty I might add.Trinta dei Monti at the top of the Spanish Steps.
A view from the top of the 137 steps that were constructed in the 1720s. It was neat to see the erosion that has taken place as many locals and tourists ascended and descended the stairs for nearly three centuries.
From the Trinita dei Monti we walked to the Fontana del Tritone. Here's a picture of that fountain.

After the Fontana del Tritone we searched for a Hard Rock Cafe so that Brent could purchase a pin... yeah he's what they call a "pinhead." Following the purchase of a Coliseum guitar pin we made our way on foot to another famous square. The next four pictures are from the Piazza del Popolo in Rome. When translated this is the square of the people. The square was huge and a very busy tourist spot. This piazza lies at the Northern edge of the city of Rome right near the Fiume Tevere (Tevere River).All of this walking was causing us to crave something tasty. We grabbed some Gelato, one word can describe this fabulous treat...AMAZING! Not only was the treat amazing but the man who worked at the Gelateria was extremely animated making for a very memorable time! He kept saying "no whipped cream to party!" with his wonderful creepy accent.
Following the Gelato party. We walked to Vatican City where we began a three hour tour of Vatican City. I was amazed to learn about the massive art collection that is housed inside the City. According to our tour guide Sarah if you took each work of art at the museum and placed it side by side and spent only 15 seconds looking at each piece it would take more than a year to see the entire collection. Each Pope has requested that additional works be added to the collection. Within the museum there is everything from Roman statues to maps and tapestries. There was a time when maps were more valuable than gold. Pirates who would take over a ship often took the maps and left the gold behind.

While in the Vatican we also saw the Sistine Chapel, unfortunately because of the fresco technique that Michelangelo used when creating the masterpiece no photography is allowed inside the chapel. Seeing it in person was really amazing. Our tour guide was really great at explaining many of the detail and passion behind one of Michelangelo's best known works. The frescoing in the chapel was begun in 1508 and completed in 1512. When you know what to look for you can really see Michelangelo's evolution as a frescoist throughout the ceiling. Wow!Following our three hour tour (I sound like the Gilligan's Island theme song) we headed to the Fontana di Trevi. This was by far one of my favorite sights in Rome and without a doubt the most amazing fountain I have ever seen. The statues that make up this masterpiece are amazing. It's quite huge 85 feet tall and 65 feet wide. Construction on the fountain was completed in 1762. Brent and I made wishes and tossed coins into the clear water.