With Christmas fast approaching, I’m having a hard time believing it was just two months ago that I was in Italy, where fall weather meant lows of 65 in Venice and highs around 90 in Rome. It’s been cold and wet in NYC, so to brighten your (and my!) week, here are a few images and stories from sunny Rome.
When I traveled to Italy in college, I made a quick visit to the Circus Maximus, now just a grassy field with runners and ball players and readers. From it, I could see the palace on Palatine Hill, and I was fascinated by the extensive ruins. On this recent trip, I took a quick walk around Palatine Hill, and this time I was fascinated by this view of the city, including the dome of St. Peter’s.
Here’s a nice view across the Circus Maximus to Palatine Hill, with a sign saying “Belvedere Romulus e Remus”. “Bel” means beautiful, of course, and “vedere” means to see, so it’s not surprising that “belvedere” means scenic overlook. This particular overlook is named for Romulus and Remus, the two brothers who founded the city of Rome. It was the perfect place to rest our feet and eat some gelato.
The famous “Bocca della Verità” or “Mouth of Truth” from the movie Roman Holiday is in a church near the Circus Maximus. You can stand in line to take a picture, or sneak one through the bars like my mom and I did. Somehow it’s not as exciting without beautiful Gregory Peck there hoping to scare you!
After we saw the Pope give his address and got our free Italian Bibles, we took a walk away from St. Peter’s toward the river. Along the way I stopped to take a picture of this public fountain which sported a dragon.
One of my favorite parts of our tour of the Vatican Museums (booked through the Vatican itself) was seeing this tapestry version of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. I’m sure the fresco is impressive, but this tapestry is huge.
All of St. Peter’s is gorgeous, but I was especially struck by this little golden window. It’s hard to see, but at the center is a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, a source of inspiration.
The famous Trevi Fountain is under construction, but we visited it anyway and tossed in coins since, according to legend, doing so ensures you’ll come back to Rome.
Hey, it worked for me the first time!
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