After lunch, we set off to see our first site of the day, the Pantheon, a very impressive structure that has withstood the test of time. Architects can’t seem to figure out how the dome is still standing after all these years (there are no support columns, arches or braces) – the Pantheon is simply a cement dome. Following the Pantheon, we walked a few streets over to Piazza Navona. It was a piazza filled with colorful buildings, bars, cafes, craft and food vendors, and three large fountains. Unfortunately, the middle fountain was under renovation.
We then walked towards the Vatican City to see Castel Saint Angelo. From there, we had a great view of St. Peter’s Basilica. We walked a couple more kilometers down to the Trastevere area where we had a nice view of the Basilica at dusk from one of the bridges over the Tiber River. Above us were swarms of small black birds flying all around, forming different shapes like a school of fish would. We witnessed this event the night before and were intrigued with the collective behavior of these birds. In one of the Trastevere piazzas we had the best pizza in Rome! It was the San Calisto Pizza: olives, eggplant, tomatoes, mozzarella, and mushrooms. YUM! Following our dinner we visited the Santa Maria Church that was located in the same piazza that we ate our pizza in. Santa Maria was another massive church with gold mosaic work on the back wall and above the altar.
We left Trastevere and headed towards the Vittorio Emmanuel II Monument and the Coliseum for some nice night pictures. When we got there, lo and behold, there was a taxi strike. All of Rome’s taxis were stationed around the Monument and all along Rome’s busiest and oldest road (parallel to the Roman Forum), preventing traffic from entering and allowing pedestrians to walk in the middle of the street towards the Coliseum.
After seven hours of walking we finally returned to our hostel. Who knows how many miles we logged today?!? As large of a city that Rome is, it is definitely walkable. Just remember to stretch your legs and hip flexors in the morning!
We head to Napoli next!
1 comment:
hey guys!! your blog is awesome, but i have to say that the entry about rome has been the best! i might be a little biased since i lived there for a bit, but it definitely looks like you guys got to see most of the big sights! love that you noticed the "amoeba" birds...i used to sit watching those flocks forever!! isn't it crazy how they change shape and form so quickly?? anyway, enjoy the rest of your trip, and i look forward to catching up when you get back :)
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