~Italy: Rome~

Our room at Hotel Waldorf was very small but very clean (it had the best bathroom out of all the hotels we stayed during our trip). Location – very convenient, about 10mins walk to metro and a short bus ride to the Vatican City.

Mum & I went to an evening tour of the Pantheon, Forum, Piazza Navona & Palazzo Venezia (ironically located in Rome). The tour guide Christine was lovely. Very multi-lingual and knowledgeable.


Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona is one of the main squares in Rome. It’s within walking distance from Castel Sant Angelo (Angel’s Castle – by Bernini) which is built on top of Hadrian’s tomb.

In addition to the twin-towered facade of 17th-century Santa Agnes, the piazza boasts several baroque masterpieces. The best known, in the center, is Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi), whose four stone personifications symbolise the world's greatest rivers: the Ganges, Danube, della Plata, and Nile. I couldn’t tell which is which even though I read about it in the Da Vinci Code. At the south end is the Fountain of the Moor (Fontana del Moro), also by Bernini. The Fountain of Neptune (Fontana di Nettuno), which balances that of the Moor, is a 19th-century addition; it was restored after a 1997 attack by two men who broke the tail of one of its sea creatures.

The only downside was the fact that there was metal bar/fence with red stripes around all the fountains. The photos would have looked a lot better without them.

There are lots of restaurants and market stalls in the square if you get hungry or want to buy souvenirs.


Pantheon

The Pantheon is the oldest church in Rome. It was built in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa and was reconstructed by Hadrian in the early 2nd century A.D. It is an easy 15min walk from Piazza Navona passing through a labyrinth of tiny streets and all of a sudden the Pantheon hits your eyes and it was just huge.

The tour guide told us that you could fit a perfect sphere in the Pantheon. The real story of the oculus (opening at the top of the dome) is that they didn’t have the skill or knowledge to close the dome at the time it was built. Every time they tried to close that part of the hemisphere, it fell straight down to the floor (that’s what Dan Brown said in the Da Vinci Code). Michelangelo came here to study the dome before designing the cupola of St. Peter's (whose dome is .6m/2 ft. smaller than the Pantheon's). So, it is fair to say that the Pantheon houses the mother of all domes.

About 125 years ago, Raphael's tomb was discovered here. Vittorio Emanuele II, king of Italy, and his successor, Umberto I, are interred here as well. If you have read the Da Vinci Code, you would know the reference there.


Palazzo Venezia

The Palazzo Venezia (ironic since it’s in Rome), in the heart of Rome near Piazza served as the seat of the Italian government during the fascist regime. The balcony from which Mussolini used to speak to the people and declared World War II was built in the 15th century.


Piazza Venezia

Piazza Venezia situated within the Palazzo Venezia is a magnificent piece of architecture. I was confronted by its sheer size and height even when I was viewing it in a distance. It is constructed out of white marble and was a wedding present (I think) to Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of Italy. It is an absolutely stunning structure. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

Around the corner of Palazzo Venezia is Capitol Hill. The stairs leading up to the top were designed by Michangelo.

Roman Forum

Once you climb to the top of the stairs, you’re in the Senate Square. There’s a great big statute in the centre of it. As you walk through a little alley way on the right, you can overlook the Roman Forum. The ruins were amazing to observe. To think that there once existed a city of people who lived there is quite eerie.

Collosseum

Around the corner of Capitol Hill is the Collosseum which remains ancient Rome's greatest architectural legacy.

Long after the Colosseum ceased to be an arena to amuse sadistic Romans, it was struck by an earthquake, yet a large part of it remains standing today. I'm truly amazed that something built so long ago on such a grand scale back then has been so resilient and CityRail has to repair its 10 year-old rail-tracks weekly.