Around Rome

Pics from Around Rome

Piazza del Popolo, near our Hotel

Our hotel,  a good quiet location and semi-central to what we wanted to see

Our patio outside our room

 The Tiber River that runs through Rome

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the 4 Rivers, in the Piazza Navona), designed by Bernini, under commission by Pope innocent X in 1650.

Castel Sant'Angelo,  near the Vatican, is the Mausoleum of Hadrian, and was commissioned by the Roman Emperor as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum.

 The Pantheon, built in 126 AD, is circular with large granite columns in front under the pediment.  The rotunda inside, has a circular opening at the top, and still is the worlds largest unreinforced concrete dome.  The base of the dome is 5 ft thick, which gradually gets thinner as it rises.  given the year it was built, it's still a magnificent structure. 

 

A typical street in Rome

A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the Trevi fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome.  This was the theme of 1954's "Three Coins in the Fountain" and the Academy Award-winning song by that name which introduced the picture.

One of the guides told us to look for old coffins used as water fountains.. 

The Mouth of Truth is an image of a man-like face, located in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. The sculpture is thought to be part of a first century ancient Roman fountain, or perhaps a manhole cover, portraying one of several possible pagan gods. The most famous characteristic of the Mouth, however, is its role as a lie detector. Starting from the Middle Ages, it was believed that if one told a lie with one's hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off. This church is also home to the supposed relics of Saint Valentine. 

The Circus Maximus is an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium.  It's 6 football fields long.

Tiber Island

View from the top of the Spanish Steps.