Roma! Part 2...Day 2 (May 31st): Spanish Steps; Vista of Rome; a palace musum; Trevi Fountain

 Day two in Roma: My brother/tour guide does not believe in taking the metro or buses anywhere... so it was another day of pounding pavement to see the various sites.  He initially claimed that everything worth seeing is fairly close...not true! With a car or other vehicle, sure... but not in terms of walking distances. Still, my brother is tireless... I am NOT! It was a long and tiring day of walking... but of course as interesting as the previous day. Without further adieu, I show you the sites of day two: 


Forgot to mention that his aging dog, a Japenese Mastiff named Grueby, was also along for the tour on this morning! 

Vista of Rome from our climb up to Borghese Park

Jeff and Grueby, in front of the famous "Spanish Steps" 

The steps lead up to yet another cathedral, of course...did I forget to mention that, per my brother, there are something like 900 churches/cathedrals in Rome?!! Seems incredible, but one sees SO many traversing the streets here, I totally believe it!!! 

Upside down whale, perhaps!? Very strange fountain in front of the Spanish Steps! 


Yet another monument to someone... I liked the shot because of the historical buildings and beautiful skies. There were occasional showers in the afternoons... it was generally warm during the day but not too hot, so truly, it was a perfect time to be here! 

Can no longer recall what this structure was... but loved the columns... and yes, they were everywhere in Rome, of course! 

The one museum we made it inside of: lesser known, was part of the home of a noble family. Breathtakingly beautiful... the walls were filled with classic art, but the ceilings were my favorite part... 

...along with the classically tall archways... in the case of this palace/museum, AND the churches we saw, all that glitters IS, in fact, gold!!! The wealth and general opulence on display in the churches and palaces were simply not to be believed... 

A tomb for someone, not sure who... but considering how ornate and difficult the stone carvings are, it had to be someone of great importance, I presume! 








Soldier costumes, dating back 200 years... 

                                            
My brother pointed out the amazing skill it had to take to hollow out the stone in order to create the deep holes of this collar. Not to mention, the difficulty of NOT chipping or cracking the stone marble, which was incredibly thin as it looped around the neck. HOW is it possible!?! Cannot even begin to fathom...!
                                              


The famous "Fountain of Trevi" -- one of the most famous spots in Rome, so it does require an explanation: "The Trevi Fountain (Italian: Fontana di Trevi) is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762[1] and several others. Standing 26.3 metres (86 ft) high and 49.15 metres (161.3 ft) wide,[2] it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world."    
(It was made even MORE famous by its starring role in the classic Italian movie, La Dolce Vita.)








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