We hopped a train up to Piazza del Popolo to start our Day 3 trek (ugh, this was a super long day with lots of walking ... a little TOO ambitious):
An obelisk and me standing in the middle of Piazza del Popolo:
Mausoleo Di Augusto (closed for renovation):
We ran into Capt Sally Falco with her daughter while walking around!! Sally was in Okinawa while we were stationed there!
A view of Palazzo Di Giustizia through the trees (Hadrian and his chariot on top):
Duff Beer anyone - where's Duff Man?
Castel Sant'Angelo:
Castel Sant'Angelo was built as a tomb for the emperor, and used through the Middle Ages as a castle, prison, and place of last refuge for popes under attack. Ancient Rome had no tombs within its walls (not even the Emperor's!). Emperor Hadrian built this massive castle just outside the walls and across the river from the city. He built it as his mausoleum, and the top was crowned by a huge statue of Hadrian riding a chariot. For nearly a hundred years, Romans were buried here. This bridge was infamous as a place for beheadings.
A view from the top of Sant'Angelo.
In the year 590, the archangel Michael appeared above the mausoleum to Pope Gregory the Great and signaled the end of the plague. Eventually the mausoleum became a fortified palace and was renamed for the "holy angel".
Castel Sant'Angelo was connected to the Vatican via an elevated corridor in 1277 (Pope's request), and became a safe haven for Pope's fleeing the Vatican.
It is now a statue of the archangel Michael ... with Michael in front of it :)
We headed back to Piazza Navona for some bruschetta and gelato at Tre Scalini (had to try their decadent rich chocolate gelato!):
Four Rivers Fountain during the day:
The Pantheon during the day. The Pantheon was a Roman temple dedicated to all (pan) of the gods (theos). It was built in 27 B.C. by Augustus' son, Marcus Agrippa. After a few fires, pretty much what we see today was re-built by Hadrian around A.D. 120. The columns are 40 feet high - all one piece!
The huge door heading inside:
The oculus - the only source of light!
Michael inside the Pantheon:
Raphael's tomb:
One of the tombs of modern Italy's first kings, Victor Emmanuel I, inscription reads in Italian "father of his country".
Rome's greatest "column", the oculus spans 142 feet from the top to bottom.
After the Pantheon, we visited a few more local churches that were beautiful. This was the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. It is the only gothic church in Rome.
Church of San Ignazio, a Baroque church full of illusions:
The painting was painted on the columns extending up so that it looked larger and more realistic:
This oculus is painted on the ceiling!
The Temple of Hadrian ... attached to the Rome Stock Exchange, weird huh:
another area that is being restored ... it will eventually be opened back up as a theater:
new meets old:
Wide-view of Circus Maximus (and Palatine Hill in the background):
Michael in his favorite city ever :)
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