This photo is an exchange - we took one for the
nice American woman who took this for us! We are at the Emperor Augustus family
mausoleum in the center of Rome. The day was Tuesday, 16-MAR-04 and the weather
was beautiful.
I think John may even be smiling.
Day One 16-MAR-04
Below are a few pictures of Piazza del Popolo. Our hotel was not that far from the Piazza. It was located along the Tiber River on a very busy and noisy street. Earplugs were the order of the day.
<click on any image to enlarge>
We decided to use the resources we had and went for a self-guided walk from one of the books.
First stop on this one was the small church S. Maria del Popolo, which is famous for its design by Raphael and Bernini, and for its Caravaggio frescos and paintings. We were impressed, but John really liked the electric votive candles, which Athena is busy lighting!
We wandered down Via del Corso and found the Piazza
Augusto Imperatore, the Augustus family mausoleum pictured above. We then
zigzagged through the neighborhood until we found a nice restaurant in a little
piazza and ate lunch.
After lunch we went to the Spanish Steps. We did not climb
them. There was a metro
stop handy so we headed to the Circus Maximus. We were not sure what to
expect and were a bit puzzled when we actually saw it.
We didn't know that the Circus was the grassy spot in front of us. Behind that
are the ruins of the Palatine Hill and the Forum. The scale of the ruins makes
one feel but a speck in the scheme of things. Rome must have been a wondrous
place 2,500 years ago....
<These photos are from our walk to the top of the Palatine Hill.>
After the Palatine Hill, we went down to the Forum. I'm
quite sure we walked in the footsteps of
Caesar and Sulla and even Caligula! Along with the many other visitors who were
there that day. It's not even high tourist season yet and Rome was heaving.
