Rome!

Our next stop was Rome. There was so much to see there, and we beat ourselves up seeing it in only 2 days.

First, we climbed up to Palatine Hill. This is where the ancient palaces were, and our word palace comes from Palatine Hill.

View of stadium toward south end	Arches and exedral wall of Domus Augustana	More ruins.
Ancient Aquaduct	Monumental Fountain in Domus Augustana	More ruins.
Lots of trees	More trees	Some gardens
Tiered hallways	Inside of a palace	View of the Capitol
One of the Aviaries	Aquaduct powered fountain	A fallen column
Romulus Huts	Romulus Huts	A street sign
Artifacts being collected	Archived artifacts	A final view

Next came the Roman Forum. This was the political, religious, and commercial center of the ancient city.

The Arch of Titus	The Temple of Romulus	Romulus, Antoninus, and Faustina
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina	Temple of Antoninus and Faustina	The Curia
Spot where Romulus was slain	First example of written Latin	Forum Main Square
Caesar, Severus, and Capitol	The Arch of Septimius Severus	Temple of Saturn
Tomb of Julius Caesar	Where Julius Caesar was creamated	The Column of Phocas
Basilica Julia	Basilica Julia	An aquaduct

Up next was the Colosseum. It was named this after a colossal statue of Nero that stood out front. Contrary to popular belief, most fights were not to the death, and many Gladiators were spared.

Colosseum viewed from Palatine Hill	Walking to the Colosseum from the Forum	The three rings of the Colosseum
The facade has been stripped away	A Gate Number	Posing with Ancient Romans
Doric Column	Ionic Column	Corinthean Column
Interior view	View from Emporer's Seat	White Marble Flooring
The arena floor; lower level exposed	Outer Walkways	Outer Walkways
Ruins of a Gladiator School	Mosaic of fighting a tiger	The Arch of Constantine

Since 7 hours spent on Palatine Hill, the Forum, and the Colosseum didn't seem like nearly enough tourism for one day, we decided to take a night walk through Rome. This was one of our favorite nights of our trip.

Rome's Capitol Building	The horses and chariots on top	Other sculptures on Capitol
L'altare della Patria	More lions for mom	Represents the Valor of the Italians
Dinner Entertainment	Dinner Entertainment	Bruno
Four Rivers Fountain - The Nile	Four Rivers Fountain - Rio de la Plata	Four Rivers Fountain - Ganges
Four Rivers Fountain - Danube	Trevi Fountain	Trevi Fountain
Thowing a coin for a wish	Michelle at the Trevi Fountain	Michelle at the Trevi Fountain

After sleeping very well, we got up the next day to tour 4 miles of art at Vatican City.

Ancient Greek Sculpture	Ancient Greek Sculpture	Ancient Greek Sculpture
The Vatican Pine Cone	Don't forget behind your ears	Mosaic flooring is everywhere
Jeweled Eyes	Would you believe this is paint?	One of many gorgeous ceilings
One of many gorgeous ceilings	One of many gorgeous ceilings	One of many gorgeous ceilings
Raphael's School of Athens	Vatican Guard	The Jubilee Door.
St. Peter's Basilica	The dome in St. Peter's	Altar of Transfiguration
How many rows of columns?	The obelisk in the center	For the Dan Brown fans.

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