Saturday, November 9th

Our Saturday began on Friday night. Bags had to be out at 11:00 p.m. Some did go to sleep. Lisa and I decided to stay up in hopes of sleeping on the plane home. 

Breakfast was served at 2:15 a.m. (Coffee, packaged breakfast rolls, and cereal). We departed the hotel at 2:45 a.m. for our flight to Frankfurt. Arriving at the airport, the ticket counter wasn't even open! We had about an hour wait to get our bags checked, etc. Ridiculous!! Not a good way to end a wonderful time together.

We boarded our flight to Frankfurt. Once in Frankfurt we had about a 2-hour layover. Guess what Lisa and I did? You guessed it!

 

Flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta allowed many an opportunity to sleep. Others read. Some watched movies. 

Back in Atlanta around 3 p.m. Everyone was glad to get home! BUT - our pick-up had gotten the times confused! We had to wait for the bus!! Così è la vita!

We had a wonderful trip! Until next time, Ciao!

Friday, November 8th

Today was a day of leisure to explore the magnificent city of Rome! There were some in our group who chose to take an optional excursion to the following sites: The Catacombs of San Callisto, the Basilica of Saint Paul, and the Pantheon. 


The Catacombs of San Callisto (aka Callixtus). These are the largest and busiest of Rome’s catacombs. Founded at the end of the 2nd century and named after Pope Calixtus I, they became the official cemetery of the newly established Roman Church. In the 20km of tunnels explored to date, archaeologists have found the tombs of 500,000 people and seven popes who
were martyred in the 3rd century.

Basilica Papale San Paolo Fuori le Mure, or Saint Paul Outside the Walls, is one of Rome's most important churches. It is one of the four papal churches along with Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Rome's cathedral of Saint 
John Lateran, and Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Constantine had a basilica built above the grave of Saint Paul, marked by a memorial stone in a Roman burial ground two kilometers outside Rome's walls. The original basilica was consecrated in 324. Through the years, the Basilica of Saint Paul continued to be a popular pilgrimage destination and additions to the building made it the largest basilica in Rome until the construction of Saint Peter's Basilica in 1626.

The Pantheon is a building commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome, and rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian about 126 AD. The building is circular with a portico of large granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 142 ft. It is one of the best-preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, and since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs" but informally known as "Santa Maria della Rotonda." The square in front of the Pantheon is called Piazza della Rotonda.

Lisa and I took our sandwiches and fruit (from the breakfast buffet) and set out to explore Rome! 

The Roman Forum is a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome.

Victor Emanuel Monument. Officially known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, the enormous white marble monument that dominates Piazza Venezia was built as a tribute to the first king of a united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II.

Piazza Colonna is a piazza at the center of the Rione of Colonna in the historic heart of Rome, Italy. It is named for the marble Column of Marcus Aurelius which has stood there since 193 CE.


 

   

The Pantheon.
The oculus was used by the Romans, one of the finest examples being that in the dome of the Pantheon. Open to the weather, it allows rain to enter and fall to the floor, where it is carried away through drains. Though the opening looks small, it actually has a diameter of 27 ft (8.2 m) allowing it to light the building just as the sun lights the earth. The rain also keeps the building cool during the hot summer months.


Piazza Navona is a city square in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium.
In the piazza several artists were selling their paintings. We purchased three watercolors depicting various sights in Rome.

The Trevi Fountain was built in the 15th century to mark the ending destination of the Aqua Virgo, the manmade channel erected in 19 B.C. that brought fresh water to Roman bathhouses. The water comes from Salone Springs, eight miles outside of the city, but the length of the aqueduct is about 14 miles. Tossing a coin into Trevi Fountain, according to legend, will guarantee a return trip to Rome. The fountain is swept daily, and the money is donated to Caritas, an Italian charity. In 2006, BBC News reported that an estimated 3,000 euros was collected each night.

The Spanish Steps. Lisa climbed them. I watched and took pictures of her as she made it to the top. On the 20th March, 1986, the first McDonalds restaurant in Italy was opened near the Spanish Steps. Protests there against fast food led to Carlo Petrini founding the international Slow Food movement three years later.


Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the poplars (populus in Latin, pioppo in Italian) after which the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the northeast corner of the piazza, takes its name.
Also in the Piazza del Popolo are "twin" churches: Santa Maria in Montsanto (1662-75) and Santa Maria del Miracoli (1675-79).

The Piazza del Popolo is also a popular place for street performers. Here is a picture of one group that I can't figure out:

Our walk then took us along the Tiber River. Along its banks grew Poplar trees. At various points along the way the birds filled the trees. Walking beneath was dangerous! I bet some folks were surprised when they went out to their cars after leaving them parked under those trees.

We made our way to the Piazza del Tribunali where we saw The Palace of Justice, Rome (Italian: Palazzo di Giustizia), the seat of the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Judicial Public Library, located in the Prati district of Rome. The huge building is popularly called in Italian the Palazzaccio (the bad Palace).

After some panna cotta gelato we walked to the Ponte Sant'Angelo, once the Aelian Bridge or Pons Aelius, meaning the Bridge of Hadrian It is a Roman bridge, completed in 134 AD by Roman Emperor Hadrian, to span the Tiber, from the city center to his newly constructed mausoleum, now the towering Castel Sant'Angelo (Castle of the Holy Angel). The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum. The Castel was once the tallest building in Rome. A secret passageway, the Passetto, connects it to the Vatican. Castel Sant'Angelo was a site used in the movie, "Angels & Demons".

We ate dinner at RomAntica - a charming restaurant close to the hotel. We had bruschetta, (P) veal scallopine, (L) penne with vodka sauce, broccoli, asparagus with lemon and a bottle of red wine. We were serenaded with Italian music. We enjoyed our final dinner in Italy before walking back to the hotel after a full day of sightseeing!

Thursday, November 7th

We started the day with a sightseeing tour of Vatican City. Vatican City, officially Vatican City State, is a landlocked, sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. It has an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of around 840. This makes Vatican City the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population.

Vatican City is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state, ruled by the Bishop of Rome—the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergymen of various national origins. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See (Latin: Sancta Sedes) and the location of the Pope's residence, referred to as the Apostolic Palace.

In the city are cultural sites such as St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique economy of Vatican City is supported financially by the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications.

We’ll see the wonderful art treasures in the Vatican Museum and Gallery and Raphael’s Rooms. We’ll also view Michelangelo’s magnificent frescoes in the Sistine Chapel including the famous Last Judgment and The Creation of Man.

  

This afternoon we visited the remnants of “Ancient” Rome. We saw the Colosseum, that once held 50,000 spectators. Emperor Vespasian, founder of the Flavian Dynasty, started construction of the Colosseum in 72 AD. It was completed in 80 AD, the year after Vespasian's death.

     The huge amphitheater was built on the site of an artificial lake, part of Nero's huge park in the center of Rome which also included the Golden House (Domus Aurea) and the nearby Colossus statue. This giant statue of Nero gave the building its current name.

     The Colosseum was covered with an enormous awning known as the velarium. This protected the spectators from the sun. It was attached to large poles on top of the Colosseum and anchored to the ground by large ropes. A team of some 1,000 men was used to install the awning.

     Emperors used the Colosseum to entertain the public with free games. Those games were a symbol of prestige and power and they were a way for an emperor to increase his popularity.

  

We visited Trevi Fountain where legend has it whoever throws a coin in the fountain will one day return to Rome. The central figure of the fountain, in front of a large niche, is Neptune, god of the sea. He is riding a chariot in the shape of a shell, pulled by two sea horses. Each sea horse is guided by a Triton. One of the horses is calm and obedient, the other one restive. They symbolize the fluctuating moods of the sea. On the left hand side of Neptune is a statue representing Abundance, the statue on the right represents Salubrity. Above the sculptures are bas-reliefs, one of them shows Agrippa, the general who built the aqueduct that carries water to the fountain.

 

Leaving the Trevi Fountain we went to see The Spanish Steps. Climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, The Spanish Steps are dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top. The Scalinata is the widest staircase in Europe. It is a gathering place. The Early Baroque fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia ("Fountain of the ugly Boat"), built in 1627-29 and often credited to Pietro Bernini, father of a more famous son, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is at the base of The Spanish Steps. The fountain was being renovated.

We returned to the hotel. Prior to departing for the optional dinner excursion, Lisa and I made our way to see the Scala Santa (the Holy Staircase). The Scala Sancta (English: Holy Stairs, Italian: Scala Santa) are, according to the Catholic tradition, the steps that led up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, which Jesus Christ stood on during his Passion on his way to trial. The stairs were, reputedly, brought to Rome by St. Helena in the 4th century. For centuries, the Scala Santa has attracted Christian pilgrims who wished to honor the Passion of Jesus.

Back at the hotel we joined the group for the optional dinner excursion. The excursion took us to Caravano, an Italian restaurant, for a 5-course Italian meal with wine and music (opera). Those who went had a great time!