Our second full day in Rome was an excellent one. We began the day by sleeping in until 8:30, enjoying a lovely breakfast provided by the Hotel Joli, and then taking our own sweet time to get ready for the day. That was such a luxury and we loved it!
After venturing outside into the beautiful Roman sunshine we did a little "window shopping" before hitting the sight-seeing trail again. Our first tour of the day happened quite by accident. The Castel Sant'Angelo was the nearest building in sight when it began to rain a bit, so we decided it looked quite interesting and ran inside (and boy were we glad of our accidental discovery!).
Built in 139 A.D., the Castel Sant'Angelo was constructed as a tomb for Emperor Hadrian and was later used as a last resort hiding place for the pope in times of trouble. There was even a tunnel constructed that connects the castle directly to the Vatican itself! From each window a spectacular view of Rome awaits:
The structure now exists as a delightful museum that feels like a storybook fortress. As we climbed the staircase that wound about the entirety of the fort's cylinder shape, I remarked to Joy that this would be the perfect place to be held captive and then rescued by a prince in shining armour :) Its bowels were full of ancient prison cells and mysterious hidden chambers - my imagination was positively reeling!
In the upper level rooms of the castle we were able to view some magnificent works of art, mainly paintings and sculptures. But the real treat was reaching the top of the fortress, where a 360 degree view of Rome took my breath away. A beautiful sculpture of Michael the Archangel greeted us upon arrival (see above); by then the sky had cleared and the clouds displayed themselves proudly against a baby blue sky.
We had fun taking pictures against such a majectic backdrop! Check out the whole gang in the picture below hanging out in Hillary's shades:
By the time we left the castle it was past lunchtime and our stomachs were alerting us to the fact loud and clear! We figured out the direction of the Pantheon and kept our eyes peeled for a quick place to grab food along the way. We found a place with terrific pizza (which I proceeded to spill all over my purse because I have never been good at eating and walking at the same time) and then sallied forth towards the Pantheon. Along the way we got a bit turned around and ended up at - of all things - a cat sanctuary (hundreds of cats living together in a designated square of old ruins ... it was quite a sight to behold!). While the others labored over the map I struck up a conversation with a nearby British couple who looked like they knew what they were doing. The delightful old gentleman guided us in the right direction while his wife laughed about men, women, and their methods of remembering - and giving - directions.When we finally reached the Pantheon I was overcome by a surreal sense of awe. I was in Rome - and the Pantheon was right before my eyes! There were tons of people about lobbying for a place to take pictures, but by the time we got inside there was a bit more room to enjoy the remarkable structure.
My favorite aspect of the Pantheon was by far the open dome at the height of the ceiling. It was so massive and perfect. There's just no other way to describe it. I stared until my neck rebelled and said I had looked long enough! One interesting thing about the Pantheon is that they still conduct mass within its walls. None of us had any idea it still functioned as anything but a tourist site.
As we left the Pantheon with Roman ruins, the Colosseum, and Circus Maximus in our heads, the weather began to take a turn for the worse. We never let it dampen our spirits though - after all, we were in ROME!
And now my camera battery has declared itself low and refuses to unload any more pictures ... the brute! Right before I posted about the Colosseum too! If I can I will run back later this afternoon to post a few more ... sorry about the abrupt stop.Baci!
Bekah
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