Rome By Day

Waking with the sun the two young travelers made their way to Vatican City. Pictured below is Amanda demonstrating the use of the personal audio tour for the Musei Vaticani.

Here is one of many painted maps that we happened across in the Vatican art museum.

My feet were already beginning to hurt from all the walking we had done, and when I sat down on a museum bench I looked up. This is the painting from the ceiling of that room.

This is Saint Peter's Square. The day was not really as overcast as it appears here. At the obelisk on the left tradition holds Peter was martyred, though then it stood in the Circus of Nero. On the right Basilica di San Pietro can be seen.

Inside the massive Basilica. Every inch of the huge interior was richly ornamented, it is just baffling how much work must have been put into its construction. Notice how small the poeple on the opposite side appear.

On the right as we entered, Michelangelo's Pietà can be seen.

This is the roof of St. Peter's. I'm not sure what saints are pictured here with Christ, but the whole front of the building was lined with statues like these.

I'm sure he was a talented guy, but judging from these Swiss Guard uniforms he supposedly designed, I don't think I'd ever be caught shopping in a Michelangelo clothes store.

That afternoon Mandi and I headed back to the center of ancient Rome. Here is a great shot of Mandi standing just outside the Colosseum with the Forums and Constantine's Arch in the background.

Here is a view of the inside of the Colosseum. Standing from this vantage point is where I finally caught just how large this place was.

From above we caught a view of these two men offering tourists a chance to pose with the Colosseum as a backdrop.

This shot is to prove that we were really there. Just look at all the history represented behind us.

This view of from the Palatine Hill shows a nice look at the Foro. Every new leader of Rome seemed to try to out do the last with these amazing buildings.

Steve looking excited on our walk up the hills above the Forums.

Mandi in a very statuesque pose.

And my last shot from Rome quite accurately captures Mandi's attempts to keep us following some sort of plan.

Back to Roma. On to Firenze.