We took the fast train from Florence to Rome on Monday morning. I love that train. It pulls out of the station and instantly puts on a picture show of Tuscan hills and fields, country houses, and the gorgeous golden and earth tones of the Florentine landscape. One hour and 18 minutes later, it pulls into Roma Termini. The US is sooo far behind the rest of the world in sooo many ways!!!
We quickly grabbed a taxi, loaded up our luggage, and headed to the hotel. Not just any hotel, oh no. My extremely generous ex-step-brother-in-law booked us at the St. Regis so we could live like queens for 2 days and nights. It was gorgeous!
We separated the bed into 2 twins so it wasn’t quite as romantic as it looks. 🙂
Looking up at the staircase in the St. Regis.
We had A LOT to do, so we immediately headed out to walk the city. First destination, the famous Spanish steps at the Piazza di Spagna. The steps, built 1723-1725, are the widest staircase in all of Europe.
There is a church at the top…
…and a fountain at the bottom…
…and tons of people hanging out in between.
Next stop – lunch!
Nothing is better than this.
And then…
The Trevi Fountain, built 1732-1762, made of travertine from Tivoli.
Oceanus, God of Water, is in the central niche.
We made our wishes and with our backs to the fountain threw our coins in over our shoulders. I forgot to specify a time limit on my wish…oh man…
The Pantheon, a mausoleum built in 126 AD by the roman emperor Hadrian.
It is one of the best preserved building of Ancient Rome.
The rotunda has a coffered concrete dome with an oculus, a central circular opening to the sky.
The fact that the ancient romans could build something like this is mind-boggling.
Two Italian kings are buried here…
…as well as the great artist Raphael – his bones and ashes.
There are other notables buried here as well.
I loved the fluted Corinthian columns. Made me want to study design all over again!
After the pantheon, we found ourselves exploring some ridiculously gorgeous churches. They didn’t look like anything from the outside, but on the inside….holy….mother…of ….whatever….just have a look.
If you could only see how plain the outside was…
These ceilings are incredible.
Wish I could remember the name of this place!!
Gorgeous.
This is actually Michelangelo’s statue of Jesus Christ. Yeah, Micky’s work is all over Rome. Seems he was a busy guy back in the day. Lots of commissions.
This is another church we happened upon. We had to pick our jaws up off the floor. The painted walls and ceilings are beyond words.
Straight up
The apse.
Again, straight up.
They painted this all upside down!
I loved comparing the different Jesus sculptures – this one is so skinny compared to Micky’s Jesus.
The final destination of this long walk was the Colosseum, and as we walked toward it we got to view many of the ancient Roman relics and ruins that have been unearthed since that time.
The Roman Forum, a rectangular plaza that housed many ancient Roman buildings that made up the center of ancient Rome.
And finally…
The one, the only…The Colosseum. And me.
This is just incredible.
The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in the world.
It was estimated to hold between 50-80,000 spectators.
Built between 70-80 AD
The lower level under the arena’s floor was a series of tunnels used to house animals and slaves.
Ruins that belonged to the ancient building have been found
Most of the marble from the original facade had been destroyed from earthquakes and fires and was reused in other buildings, but some ruins still remain.
By the late 6th C, these vaulted spaces under the arcades were converted to workshops and housing until the 12th century.
We walked all the way around this incredible structure. So lucky to be able to see and appreciate it!
What a day!! We were exhausted by the time we got back to the castle…I mean, the hotel…and quickly fell asleep for a good 2 hour nap! But we were able to get ourselves up and moving for dinner…found this adorable little local spot that had the best eggplant parmesan ever!!! And meatballs. And wine. Fantastico!
The next day was all about the Vatican. We had hired a guide to take us through which, in hindsight, was the smartest thing ever, because you skip all the lines!! And of course, you get educated!!! So our guide, we called him Daniel the entire day until we were saying our goodbyes and he gave us his card which read “Eugenio”, met us at the hotel and we all grabbed a taxi together and drove to the country of the Vatican. Did you know the Vatican is its own country? I didn’t! Pretty cool, ay? So the Vatican was a pretty busy place that day because 2 popes, John XXIII and John Paul II, were canonized two days prior and 800,000 Catholic pilgrims came to witness it in St. Peter’s square, while another 500,000 watched it on giant screens set up all around the streets of Rome. We were lucky to be there at this important time! John Paul II was the reigning pope for much of my life (1978-2005) and our timed visit to St. Peter’s allowed us to be among the first to view their final resting places that are now made public in St. Peter’s Cathedral.
St. Peter’s Basilica
We went through the Vatican Museum first.
The architecture is the finest I’ve ever seen. Yes, ever. Look how this arch twists to expose the interior only on the right side.
The collections are vast and can’t be seen all in a day.
So we were only able to hit the most notable.
I would love to wander here for weeks!
This piece is what influenced Michelangelo in creating all of his works. He was asked to “fix” this, and his reply was something like “I can’t. It’s already perfect.” He used this as his model for the human form. The chiseled chest, the muscular thighs are all seen in his sculptures.
One of many magnificent ceilings in the Vatican.
This is a HUGE Roman bath. It’s hard to see the actual scale here, but it’s enormous and it’s all been carved out of a single piece of marble.
Another gorgeous ceiling that goes on forever…
The pope lives just down the stairs…
Loved this detail of cupid helping his brother…
I know, but they’re all picture worthy!!
And these are the doors that lead to St. Peter’s Cathedral.
The interior of St. Peter’s is all done in mosaics. There is no paint in here.
Michelangelo’s Pieta.
I don’t know how this is carved from a block of stone. It’s interesting to note that Mary is young and beautiful here, although Jesus was already 33 when he was crucified. But Michelangelo either wanted to convey the youthfulness of being chaste, or he was influenced by Dante’s poem Paradiso pertaining to the Trinity, ” Virgin mother, daughter of your son”. Since Christ is one of the three figures of Trinity, she would be his daughter, but she also bore him.
The detail of her fingers and his ribs is mind-boggling.
This is just pure genius.
Pope John Paul II’s relics.
Pope John XXIII remains waxed and on full view. Crazy!
Kim rubbing this saint’s foot for good luck.
THE dome.
Bernini’s altar.
Bernini’s Throne of St. Peter
The exterior of St. Peter’s Cathedral
Kim and me in front of the chairs that sat the VIP at the canonization of the 2 popes at St. Peter’s Cathedral.
St. Peter’s Square
On our walk back from the Vatican, we stopped at Castel Sant’Angelo, Castle of the Holy Angel, and the Bridge of Angels.
Another view of the Bridge of Angels, Ponte Sant’Angelo, over the Tiber River.
An angel.
This is Michelangelo’s Moses, that was commissioned by Pope Julius II for his tomb. It is in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli which also houses St. Peter’s chains. This was our last stop after the Vatican.
And that’s a wrap, folks!
So this is how it ends…..
Limoncello martinis at the St. Regis.
Ciao, Italia.
Toured Home 
What incredible photos! What a wonderful, enriching adventure. It must have been very difficult to end this journey, but another one is beginning. I will miss your blogs. It took me to places I may never see and I learned so much from your thorough narratives. Now it is time to write that book! Welcome home!
I’m not home!! Journey is still continuing!! Stay tuned…
So happy to hear that the journey is continuing. I, like Barbara, loved living vicariously through your blogs. The awesome pics recently brought me right back to our 2004 trip to Italy… Ohhhh, how it seems like yesterday and I can’t wait to get back! Safe travels and keep us posted.