Full day in Rome April 3,2017

St Peter's Square

    We all woke up early and headed to breakfast downstairs.  Coffee is espresso with warm milk according to our waiter's Español. Continental breakfast with bread, meat, cheese, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, pastries and fruit.
    We got ready for our 10am Vatican tour by heading out at 9am for the Metro at Repubblica Station. Wow, it was a squeeze to get in, but luckily a lot of passengers got off at the next two stations. So glad to have paid for a tour because of huge crowds.   We enjoyed a full three hour tour of the Vatican museum, Rafael rooms, and the Sistine Chapel.  A marvelous sight to see in a room full of people.
    Next stop was Saint Peters Basilica and the priceless sight of the Pietà. Dad was in awe at the detail that Michelangelo was able to carve into the marble.  We all marveled at the sights, including the dome by Michelangelo and the Bronze alter canopy by Bernini.

     We headed out for lunch. By now we all needed to sit down anyway, so we found a nearby restaurant. Ramsey had spaghetti and the men had Lasagna. Alan said it was the best lasagna he ever had.
      There was a lot more to see, so we started the long walk back towards our hotel.  First stop was Castle Saint Angelo. The castle was built in AD139 as a tomb for Emperor Hadrian.  Next we crossed the river Fiume Tevere on this really cool bridge adorned with many sculptures. We walked to Piaza de Campo Fiori and to the park at Largo de Torre de Argentina . Next, on to the Pantheon (built by Hadrian in AD 128) and waited in the long line to go inside. It was well worth the wait. The ancient columns and amazing dome of the Pantheon were amazing to see.

     Next was a short walk to the Trevi Fountain.  On the way we stopped to see the Colonna Marco Aurelio, which is a tall column wrapped in a spiral of carved pictographs
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     The Trevi fountain has been beautifully restored to gorgeous running green water. It was a very popular site, and the huge crowds kept us from getting as close as we would have liked to.  Next stop was at a Fountain by Bernini, which we found out was closed off and drained for renovations. We were still able to get a few pictures anyway.

     Next stop, the Pantheon. It was an ancient temple built to honor the Roman gods, and was later converted into a Christian Cathedral. The massive columns holding up the portaco are so cool to see, and we waited in line to go inside. Once inside, we marveled at the famous dome, built with unheard of precision for the time. There is a hole in the middle, and we watched a bird fly out through it. We hung around for a bit, then headed back to the hotel.

     The streets in Rome are poorly marked and not very tourist friendly, and we took a few wrong turns. No problem, and we got to see the US Embassy as well as more churches of importance.  I have no idea how much we walked today, but it was a lot. We will all sleep well tonight.
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The Pietà 

Hadrian's Castle

St Peter's Bascilica