wow.

I was so hoping to see this! We arrived in Baschi (a small country town near Orvieto in the Umbrian region) this afternoon in this car:

I was a little nervous about the whole driving in Italy thing, but Jon did a great job. We even stopped here on the way for a little fresh mozzarella:


We settled into our rooms in the little farmhouse and then went to Civita di Bagnoregio. It is this city that was once on a hill, but has decayed into this island in the sky. It is breathtaking. You can only get to the city by walking this footbridge over a large valley. All around the area is stunning scenery.

I thought that would be enough reward for coming, but then we walked through the town. I could not believe how beautiful the buildings were. This is exactly what I pictured (actually better than I pictured) a typical, Italian countryside town looking like.

I couldn’t stop taking pictures.

Ali couldn’t stop taking pictures.

If I could paint, I would spend my days trying to paint these pictures.
On the twenty minute drive back to our farmhouse we found this restaurant.

It was built into the side of a cave. It was a really unique place and we had a great meal.

Great day.

the Pantheon…

The Pantheon is 2000 years old and still in great condition. Going here made me realize what great architects those Romans were and what incredible builders. I won’t bore you with details, but the way they built that dome to support the roof and the oculus which lights the whole building are really brilliant.

The columns in the portical (in front of the Pantheon) were made from one solid piece of granite taken from Egyptian tombs! That is some solid granite!

Here is the dome:

The Pantheon (which means all "pan" gods "theon") has several chapels around the interior of the building. Each originally had a statue of a pagan god. When the Christians took over, they made each a chapel.

It soon became a popular burial spot for the most important people. Kings were buried there. Artists as well...

This is where Raphael is buried:

In the main chapel, there is this artwork made of wood. They say it was made by St. Luke (as in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Who knew St. Luke was an artist??

I loved how they put holes in the marble floor to allow the rain that might fall through the oculus to drain through to the underground (where they had a sophisticated drainage system organized.)

Here is the back of the Pantheon. You can see the detailed arches and foundation work. 2,000 years old!

I also learned that you should never ask a stranger to take your picture who doesn't themself have a camera around their neck....you might end up with a picture like this:

We finished the day with the big night walk from the Campo de Fiori to the Piazza dei Popolo. A perfect way to end our visit in Rome. The kids all walked the entire way (and didn’t complain!)

the gathering places…

It was difficult for some of my kids to understand what the big deal was about the Spanish Steps. I mean, they are just steps. Yeah they have to do with the Spanish Embassy nearby, but are they different from other steps? Why are they a must see when in Rome? I explained how they are mostly just a gathering place where you could go and meet people or just people watch (which Lauren thought was kind of creepy). So, we met our obligation and visited the Spanish Steps. Although we had tell about 20 vendors in those 30 minutes that we did not want to buy their: 1. squishy tomatoes that when you throw on the ground turn into a squashed tomato but miraculously form back into a whole tomato again; 2. Friendship bracelets or 3. Roses…we had a nice relaxing time people watching and hanging out.

The second gathering place we went to was the Trevi Fountain. I knew we had to throw coins in for a ensured return visit, but I didn’t realize how huge and gorgeous it was. Again, I have become a big fan of sculpture. The fountain is beautiful! This was a big gathering spot and a fun place to hang out for a little while. (By the way, here the guys walk around with poloroid cameras trying to sell you a picture.) (Speaking of those guys, it is funny to me how they sell parasols when it is hot and umbrellas when it is raining…even on the same day….they remind me of that guy from Sesame Street who was always trying to sell a letter “s”.)