Thursday October 10, 2024
The Trevi Fountain, Rome
Fun Facts about Italy
The Italian Police Force uses Lamborghinis (sometimes). The famous car brand and the Italian police have been working together for 20 years. Lamborghini provides cars to be used for special services that need extra fast support, such as the transportation of organs to patients.
An Italian superstition says you will receive good fortune if you hear a cat sneeze.
Italians believe it is unlucky to place bread upside down on the table.
Yesterday (Wednesday), we left the ship and took a train to Rome. I am happy to say we successfully navigated the Italian train system and made it to our hotel in Rome without incident. We took a hop-on hop-off bus in the afternoon to help us get oriented and plan our next two days in the city. Then after dinner, we took a Night Tour to see some of the iconic sights lit up at night.
Thursday - Sightseeing
Today we went on a walking tour, planned by Karen. We had fun and didn't get lost! And it included a stop for Gelato, and one for shopping!
Rome is a beautiful city, with a long and rich past. One of the fun things about walking around Rome is that there are ancient buildings, walls, and ruins everywhere! Only the biggest and best are tourist attractions, but there are many more. The city and residents honor their past and work hard to protect and restore it.
Here are some of the highlights from today's walking tour:
The Four Fountains -
These are an ensemble of four late Renaissance fountains located at an intersection, with one fountain on each corner. This is one corner with the relevant street sign.
The Spanish Steps
The steps, that were built in 1724, consist of 135 steps that connect the Piazza di Spagna to the church of Trinità del Monti above.
Trevi Fountain
The fountain was completed in 1762. It is 86 feet high, and 161 feet wide, and carved from travertine. Trevi means "intersection of three streets", which it still is. In keeping with tradition, we both threw coins into the fountain to ensure a future return to the city of Rome. This popular superstition results in approximately 3,000 euros being thrown into the fountain each day, all of which is used for charity work.
The Pantheon -
This is a former Roman temple (125 AD), and then a Catholic church (609 AD). It has 16 granite Corinthian columns, a concrete dome with a central opening (an oculus). It is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.
When you have a hole in the ceiling, there are a couple side effects: 1) You need drains on the floor (middle picture); and 2) On sunny days there is a bright spot of light that slowly moves around the dome counter-clockwise.
Tonight we have reservations at Osteria Barberini suggested by our friends Jon and Yvonne! Can't wait....
Tomorrow we will be taking a guided tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica (and hopefully skipping the long lines)! We'll let you know if it works in our final blog for this trip!
P.S. We hope get to see Pope Francis....but, it's a long shot!
The food was delicious!
Wonderful photos and a nice sunny day in Rome. Enjoy the voyage.
Looks like I may return to Rome one day as I threw a couple coins into Trevi with on an EF tour with Eastlake students and Dra. Walker. Perhaps not the same peaceful exploring as you but unforgettable. Ciao
Great photos. Rick Steve’s app has a ton of cool stuff about Rome. I even downloaded one of his walking tours and listened while I had my headphones in one day. If you get a chance, take a walk through the Trastevere neighborhood. It’s beautiful and there is a cool viewpoint there.
Ooh, the pressure is on. I hope you love Osteria Barberini as much as we do!