Another Gorgeous Day In Roma
I'm sorry. I know many of you are experiencing a last blast of winter, but it was in the upper 60s and sunny again today. So, we set out for Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.
A word about getting around in Rome - the metro is easy, but signage is scarce once you come up from the station. A map is a must, and even then it takes a few tries to get going in the right direction (no we did not bring a GPS). Coming up into a piazza is even worse, where anywhere from 3 to 6 streets might converge. Another thing I would do differently is get a better guidebook. I bought a Fodor's and I don't like it. And you really need to have one with good descriptions of sites because there is rarely any English signage - and what there is can be an interesting translation.
Back to the Trevi:
I am tossing a coin over my shoulder into the fountain - my wish is supposed to come true AND I will return to Rome...or something like that.
The Pantheon was originally dedicated to various deities before being taken over by the Christian church. The oculus is the only source of light and is not covered, and looks really cool, like this:
We hopped back on the metro and then a bus to get to Appia Antica, or the Appian Way. This was the first road to Rome, and it is now a park. The catacombs - underground cemeteries - are located here, outside the city walls. No photos allowed here, but the whole idea is morbidly fascinating. Level after level of niches that held linen-wrapped bodies...including many of the first bishops of Rome, before Christianity was "legalized."
A word about getting around in Rome - the metro is easy, but signage is scarce once you come up from the station. A map is a must, and even then it takes a few tries to get going in the right direction (no we did not bring a GPS). Coming up into a piazza is even worse, where anywhere from 3 to 6 streets might converge. Another thing I would do differently is get a better guidebook. I bought a Fodor's and I don't like it. And you really need to have one with good descriptions of sites because there is rarely any English signage - and what there is can be an interesting translation.
Back to the Trevi:
I am tossing a coin over my shoulder into the fountain - my wish is supposed to come true AND I will return to Rome...or something like that.
The Pantheon was originally dedicated to various deities before being taken over by the Christian church. The oculus is the only source of light and is not covered, and looks really cool, like this:
We hopped back on the metro and then a bus to get to Appia Antica, or the Appian Way. This was the first road to Rome, and it is now a park. The catacombs - underground cemeteries - are located here, outside the city walls. No photos allowed here, but the whole idea is morbidly fascinating. Level after level of niches that held linen-wrapped bodies...including many of the first bishops of Rome, before Christianity was "legalized."