Last Day in Rome

We are fried and cranky and have no plan. I don’t know if that is a better way to deal with the day or not. Bob announces he wants to check out the Castel Sant' Angelo so we trek down the boulevard in front of St Peter’s Square. The castle was used by the popes during times of war, and then as the treasury, which they needed to fund the bazillion pounds of gold leaf that is apparently necessary to truly glorify God. The castle was pretty cool and we were able to wander around the battlements and towers and get more great views of the city.

The day turned into a hiking day as we headed over to Piazza Navona and Campo de Fiori. And Ryne found a McDonald’s. 

I indulged in a diet coke WITH ICE – OMG, it was soooo good. Haven’t had a drink with ice since Paris, where they would give you all of three cubes in your drink, and even those were hollow.

This behemoth is the monument for Victor Emmanuel II, which is quite spectacular and can be seen from all over town. It seems to serve several purposes that I am still unclear about. But it means something important to Italians, to the point that you have to follow "church rules" of no sitting, loud noises, disrespectful behavior, etc.

Then we headed back around to Trajan’s Forum and via die Fori Imperiali,  which they close to traffic on weekends. And found this really awful Second Coming of Michael Jackson.

The photo does not do justice to how truly bad this guy was, and I have no explanation for the huge crowd that surrounded him. Maybe they were as horrified as we were and simply could't tear their eyes away.