Rome!

Despite an unexpected stay overnight at the airport Holiday Inn in Athens because of flight from Istanbul left so late we missed our connection, we finally made it to Rome the next day at around noon.

Our "bed and breakfast" turned out to be an apartment with the individual bedrooms (about six of them) rented out to guests who all shared the one bathroom (not quite how the website described the situation . . .). As soon as we checked in, we headed out toward the Colosseum on foot. On the way, we saw this neo-classical building,

an aqueduct,

an Egyptian obelisk topped with a Christian cross,

and finally my first glimpse of the Colosseum!

We stopped for some authentic Italian pizza and then gelato on the road leading to the Colosseum.

Just next to the Colosseum is the arch of Constantine and the Roman forum. We checked them out before getting in line to go inside the Colosseum.

Inside!

Within the corridors were exhibits featuring items found in or related to the Colosseum like these gladiator lamps.

On our way out, we walked through the Palatine Hill area and museum.

As we continued to explore the city, we ran into this familiar face.

and this familiar monument, the column of Trajan now topped with a statue of St. Peter.

We also decided to get a closer look at the majestic Ministry of Culture and Heritage building.

We started the next day at the Vatican Museum. We'd bought our tickets online ahead of time so thankfully we didn't have to stand in the line that stretched all the way around the building and down the road quite a ways.

We ran into another Caesar in the giftshop but Octavian/Augustus was decked out in full color.

We decided to start with the Sistine Chapel, instead of end there as is traditional. As no pictures are allowed, I have none to share, but it was stunning. We sat on a bench along the wall for a while just soaking it all in. Then, it was time to explore! Some highlights include a giant bowl,

my favorite emperor, Claudius, looking much manlier than I imagine he ever appeared in real life,

a bust of the Greek general Pericles,

my favorite marble sculpture of all time, the Laocoon, which turned out to be much smaller than I imagined it to be,

the Belvedere Apollo,

a sleeping satyr,

an Etruscan bronze statue,

Oedipus and the Sphinx,

Herakles in a pot,

the Prima Porta Augustus,

a gorgeous Athena,

the personified Nile,

and Demosthenes.

Of course, there were plenty of non-ancient things but they weren't as cool as the ancient sculptures, clearly.

In the course of our afternoon exploration, we had a look at St. Peter's Basilica

and the Castel Sant'Angelo, also known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian (its original purpose)

from which we had a nice view of the Tiber River!

Some highlights from the rest of our walking adventure.

A very skinny church,

the Spanish steps,

the Pantheon, which is now a church,

the grave of Raphael is inside the Pantheon!

That evening we had our picnic dinner at the Trevi Fountain.

On our walk home, we took pictures of the Colosseum with the moon.

Our hotel owner told us about a parade in which the Italian president and military would be involved beginning at the Colosseum so we started the next morning by staking out a good spot on the grass.

Other nations with embassies in Rome also participated in the parade. Look! Evzones!! They were the only ones who marched so extravagantly.

Another favorite was the ski corps!

On the walk to our next destination, the Palazzo Massimo National Museum, we saw this calendar I was tempted to buy.

Some highlights from the museum: Augustus as Pontifex Maximus,

bits of the Roman calendar,

the dying Niobid,

and my favorite ancient bronze sculpture, the Boxer (!!),

a bust of Commodus,

and whole rooms of wall paintings!

We stopped by the Barberini Fountain and found it much smaller than anticipated.

As it began to get dark, we passed by the Pantheon again.

In search of a famous gelato shop, we went to the Piazza Navona and enjoyed having a look at the paintings and other artworks for sale.

We saw these lovely views on the walk home.

And before we leave Rome, flowers!