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”.)

Villa Borghese…

I am now a huge Bernini fan. That guy could sculpt! At the top of Rome is a park (much like Central Park is to New York). It is a huge park with lakes, palaces and museums. The most famous museum is the Galleria Borghese. It was once a palace belonging to the amazingly wealthy Scipione Borghese. He, of course, wanted everyone to know how incredibly wealthy he was, so he made this very ornate and expensive mansion. Being an art lover – he collected, commissioned, and sometimes stole incredible art. There are several Bernini sculptures, the most notable being- the young David; Apollo and Daphne; Pauline Bonaparte and Plato and Prosepina. There are also several Caravaggio and Raphael paintings.

We started out as a family and then the boys decided they would rather go to the amusement park. That left the girls and I to a leisurely hour and a half of audio guide heaven. It was so nice and relaxing to just wander and listen to the backgrounds of each piece. I have never seen a sculpture like those where it looks like clay the way it is so lifelike and smooth. How they do that with marble is amazing to me.

After the museum, we rented a surrey and pedaled through the rest of the park. What a delightful afternoon. It even rained during some of our ride, but we were protected by the canopy and didn’t care!

when in Rome…

We loved the two places where we stayed in Rome. The first was right off the Campo de Fiori. This is what the outside looked like.

This is the really cool looking neighbor’s home with gorgeous flowers.

This is the view from the apartment towards the Campo.

In this apartment, we were right in the center of the action. It was so fun to be a part of the energy of the city. In the morning there was a farmers’ market and in the evening there were people walking aound, performing and restaurants lined the square with their patio dining. This was Jon’s very favorite neighborhood and we even came back to eat our last dinner here and walk around.


The boys loved knowing how to use the "nose" fountains to get drinks of water!

Two minutes away was another very fun square, Piazza Navona. The kids loved watching all of the artists at night painting and doing caricatures. Their favorite was a painter who was using spraypaint (both by spraying and by dabbing the paint) to paint a landscape picture. I loved the fountains by Bernini.


The second apartment we stayed in was a little bit farther north. Still in the city center, but at the top of it.

I loved this apartment because it felt like we were living in a real neighborhood where Romans lived. It was a little less touristy, yet not far from it. The owner was a very sweet man who lived a floor beneath. When we checked in, and he was showing us around, we asked him where we might buy a new stroller as we lost our other one on a train and swere going to the Vatican that afternoon. He said he thought that he had a stroller we could use, and ran downstairs to get it.

So we went to the Vatican, as you know, and having the stroller helped so much! On the way home, we went to the pizza place two doors down to grab some pizza, and then home. The next day we went to get the stroller and realized it was gone. In panic, we searched the apt and then recalled our previous day. We realized we had left it in the pizza place and went back to find it. They said that it was there, but someone came in and asked for it and they gave it to her.

I couldn’t believe that we had to go to sweet Giancarlo and tell him that we lost his stroller. Of course we did, and he was so kind. He told us not to worry about it. When we insisted, he said he would talk to his wife and let us know how much it would be. Later, he knocked on our door and said they would not want us to pay for it and that it was no problem. Amazing graciousness! I loved that apartment. It was on the 5th floor and the kitchen had a balcony that looked onto the Villa Borghese Park. From the front windows, we could look onto the Piazza de Popolo.

This is the building with the apartment.
From our fifth floor apartment, this is our view to the right.

This is our view from the left (notice the archway to the Piazza de Popolo).

This is the view from our kitchen patio.

Yay!! Laundry!! We fit right in, drying our underwear on the patio. I must say, they come out so fresh and nice.

Here is our trusty washer that we really worked hard. It is right in the kitchen.

Speaking of kitchen, is this cool or what? The cupboard has a built in dish rack that drains into the sink. So you wash your dishes, put them in the cupboard to dry and then the next day you already have your dishes put away and ready to be used again. Why don’t we do this at home??

This was the elevator in the building to get to the 5th floor. You close the little doors and the gate and go up. The kids loved it....except Lauren. She said it reminded her too much of the Tower of Terror ride at Disneyland, so she happily walked up and down the stairs most of the time.

Here is our dear new friend, Giancarlo.

the vatican...

This was a good day. We packed up our suitcases, left them in our apartment and then walked around the Campo dei Fiori market. The girls and I found a few cute clothes in a little store near the market and then we moved apartments (more about that later). After we checked into our new apartment, we left for the Vatican.

That is an inspiring place. There is SO much to see (and so much to walk) that we had decided previous to our tour that we would only hit the "main sights" so as to preserve the sanity of all those who must deal with Andrew. I did my research at home before we came here and found a step by step guide to the necessary shortcuts, etc. to make the most of our visit. It worked perfectly! (Although I did need to beg in Italian for one guard to let us through a "tour guides only" door!)(I was pretty proud of myself.)

In the middle of the Vatican museums, with St. Peter's Basilica in the background.

The beautiful spiral staircase which is actually the exit.

A copy of the Pieta by Michelangelo. The original is in St. Peter's Basilica but didn't photograph well. This is a very moving sculpture that shows the love Mary has for her Son.

NOT the Sistine Chapel. But it got me thinking...here is an INCREDIBLE ceiling - why is this one not so famous. There are actually a lot of incredible ceilings in a lot of churches around Rome. It is interesting which ones become the must see famous ones, and which ones you kind of walk through to get to the famous ones. By the way, look at how many people! We felt fortunate to leave with all four children at the end of the tour!

Close up of the Not Sistine Chapel ceiling. Speaking of the Sistine Chapel, it really is quite an experience to see what you have read and studied so much, in person. It is incredible. It is in this big chapel with tons of people in it. We found a bench to sit on by the wall and just looked all around, above us. Even Andrew was moved and sat still and quiet. It could be because of the security guard that would, every 15 seconds, clap his hands and yell "Silence Please!" "No Photos." We recorded his voice so that we could use his authority at home. Of course we didn't dare take any photos either!

St. Peter's Square. They were getting set up for the Papal audience the next day.

In St. Peter's Basilica. It is so ornate and huge.

I love being with these guys!!