Beautiful mountain range just south of Cinque Terre
Autogrill, a pit-stop off the toll highway.
Outside the walled Piazza dei Miracoli
The beautiful baptistery, cathedral, and leaning bell tower
The leaning, seven-story bell tower
Our flat in Rome, another VRBO.com find.
Heading out for our first evening - a little apprehensive
First stop, Piazza Navona, minutes from the flat.
Our first day in Rome on the Via Appia Antica
First stop, St. Sebastian's Catecombs. No bones on the tour.
The Tomb of Cecilia Metella, erected about 50 B.C.
We rode roughly 5 miles out and back...VERY roughly!
We stopped for lunch and waited for a squall to pass
At the far end of our journey, the ruins of the Acquedotto Claudio.
Back at the bike rental, the shopkeeper sold us bus passes back to Rome
The ancient Aurelian city walls
Circus Maximus, a site of chariot racing back in the day.
Short walk to the Tiber river
View of Tiber Island
Small piece of the original bridge with inscriptions stapled in place.
After drinks and appetizers in Trastevere, we wandered into St Celia church
Spectacular sunset in Trastevere.
Piazza di Santa Maria church
St. Peters from the St. Angelo bridge
Day 2 - the Roman Forum and the Colosseum
The Forum, the center of ancient Rome, excavated only 200 yrs ago.
The Arch of Titus, erected by Jewish slaves to commemorate the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Great story from the forum is the Vestal Virgins
The Roman Colosseum
The site of the most gruesome executions and gladiator battles
I was mesmerized with this guy, completely befuddled, until I saw ...
The pole extends up his sleeve, down his back, and connects with a big steel plate on which he sits
National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II.
Great views from the top, like this one of the Pantheon
Mausoleum of Hadrian, aka Castel Sant'Angelo, erected about 130 AD.
Our Lady of the Cell Tower, circa 2000 AD. And just to the left, St. Peter's Basillica.
The Caffe Granita, super caffeine rush!
The Roman Pantheon, one of the oldest functioning buildings in the world.
The ancient Romans believed in many gods, all honored here.
We ate at the restaurant with the nicest looking and/or loudest barker.
The last time I saw my hat.
And then a gelato
Last day: walk to Trevi fountain, the northern neighborhoods, and the Vatican.
Lots of good street entertainment...
...and then these guys.
The Spanish Steps, where tourists go to sit on the steps...nothing more.
The Mausoleum of Augustus, no longer open to tourists
Castel Sant Angelo was modeled after the Mausoleum of Augustus
The pope lived here for many years. This was where he kept his money.
The view from the roof was spectacular
Our last stop, the Vatican with a rare night-time tour of the museums
From back to front is 730 ft
Bronze statue of Saint Peter, his right foot worn from years of touching.
The Pietà by Michelangelo when he was only 23 yrs old
A model of the Vatican that we were about to tour.
And here is a map of the tour
The ceiling in this hall is flat
A close-up of the ceiling; again, COMPETELY FLAT! Even the trim!
The Sistine Chapel, where June was yelled at for sitting on the stairs.
