Thanks to their extensive research and diligent planning, we stayed in a cozy condo-type-of-flat and had a thorough and exciting itinerary for the trip. The condo was owned by an long generation of Italian families. The location of the condo couldn't have been any better as we were just about 500 meters from Piazza Navona and just 1 kilometer from St. Peter's Square inside Vatican City.
>Piazza Navona: one of the many Egyptian obelisks found throughout the city.
Because we were in such a great location, we mostly walked to all of our sightseeing destinations. During one of the walks down our street, I noticed this familiar mascot:
The cobblestoned streets around Trevi fountain was adorned with Christmas lights and cozy outdoor restaurant seating. The sweet-talking Italian hosts all tried luring us in to try "Rome's Best Pasta" dish. Coincidentally, we found many delicious pasta dishes throughout the week.
We slept off our jet lag (well for my family that is, since I only had a 1 hour time difference) in preparation for our long day at the Colosseum the following day.
Absolutely breathtaking.
The sheer size of the Colosseum was astounding and after listening intently to our knowledgeable tour guide, I gained a deeper understanding of the Roman Empire. Emperor Vespasian ordered the Colosseum to be built in order for his people to enjoy food and entertainment. He figured these two offerings were the fine ingredients to a successful and happy empire. This great structure took less than 10 years to build. Can you imagine the vast amount of slaves and hard labor that they encountered?!
History channel's article & videos about the Roman Colosseum
Surprisingly, the tickets were free! All of the Romans were enticed to come and there was plenty of seating for them...the amphitheater could hold 70,000 people! The seats were sectioned off by social class, with the noble people in the front and the women and poor at the very top. The "games" held at the Colosseum were rare occasions. They would only occur about 2 or 3 times a year; however they would last for days, even up to a month. During lunchtime, the executions were conducted. This was a way for the emperor to remind his people of the law and wrong-doing. The most famous and entertaining games that were held were the fights among the gladiators. The gladiators were slaves that were forced to fight against one another. However, there were also man vs. animal fights that would conclude with the gladiator being kept alive rather than the lion because they were worth more and more expensive.
The foundation of the Colosseum was built with Travertine, a very heavy type of rock (as shown to the left). Iron clamps held the rocks together. In the picture, you can see the empty holes in the travertine where the clamps were. A lighter stone and brick was used up top to build the many sections and columns. The Colosseum was very grandeur in its day, with marble statures proudly standing within each outer arch and the walls outside and within were all covered in marble. Unfortunately, through fires, erosion and theft much of the Colosseum and it's grandeur are gone. The iron clamps were stolen out of the walls during the Middle Ages. The marble that once adorned the walls were "recycled" by the Vatican and can now be seen on the columns of St. Peter's Basilica.
To prevent further looting, in 1600 AD Pope Benedict declared the Colosseum a holy place.
This picture shows the very center of the amphitheater. There was a platform (like shown in the picture) that contained sand on the arena floor. Actually the word arena means sand and they used sand specifically because it absorbed blood and caused for good traction, which was needed for the fighting. Underneath the platform is where the animals and gladiators were held.
< Apparently if you kiss this cross inside the Colosseum, then you'll have 150 years of good luck :)
A picture of the palace LONG AGO
<A picture of the remnant of the palace TODAY
This was the emperor's throne room. It was designed so that the emperor's voice would be amplified and an echo could be heard. Good strategy!
The palace sits on a hill and can overlook the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Circus Maximus.
Current day Rome has a lasagna-type-of-foundational format in that it is composed of different layers according to the different time eras. This was easily visible from walking through the Roman Forum. This is a rectangular forum that is surrounded by the remains of important government buildings. Around many of the buildings and monuments the letters SPQR are engraved. It means "built by the Senate and people of Rome". The remains below were all found through excavation. This is not the same elevation that present day Rome is at.
The cobblestone roads and architecture of the buildings made the journey around the city exciting and nostalgic. The first night that we arrived, we went straight to the Trevi Fountain and fulfilled our goal of tossing the coin into the fountain. Tradition has it that if you toss a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder with your back to the fountain, that you will return to Rome. This place was jam packed, but a source told me that if you go really early in the morning (4-5ish), then it's empty and you can get a full view of it.
Below: My cousin and I throwing the coins into the water. We didn't learn about the tradition of throwing the coin over your opposite shoulder until the following day. So of course we had to go back and do it again later in the trip!
We slept off our jet lag (well for my family that is, since I only had a 1 hour time difference) in preparation for our long day at the Colosseum the following day.
The sheer size of the Colosseum was astounding and after listening intently to our knowledgeable tour guide, I gained a deeper understanding of the Roman Empire. Emperor Vespasian ordered the Colosseum to be built in order for his people to enjoy food and entertainment. He figured these two offerings were the fine ingredients to a successful and happy empire. This great structure took less than 10 years to build. Can you imagine the vast amount of slaves and hard labor that they encountered?!
History channel's article & videos about the Roman Colosseum
Surprisingly, the tickets were free! All of the Romans were enticed to come and there was plenty of seating for them...the amphitheater could hold 70,000 people! The seats were sectioned off by social class, with the noble people in the front and the women and poor at the very top. The "games" held at the Colosseum were rare occasions. They would only occur about 2 or 3 times a year; however they would last for days, even up to a month. During lunchtime, the executions were conducted. This was a way for the emperor to remind his people of the law and wrong-doing. The most famous and entertaining games that were held were the fights among the gladiators. The gladiators were slaves that were forced to fight against one another. However, there were also man vs. animal fights that would conclude with the gladiator being kept alive rather than the lion because they were worth more and more expensive.
The foundation of the Colosseum was built with Travertine, a very heavy type of rock (as shown to the left). Iron clamps held the rocks together. In the picture, you can see the empty holes in the travertine where the clamps were. A lighter stone and brick was used up top to build the many sections and columns. The Colosseum was very grandeur in its day, with marble statures proudly standing within each outer arch and the walls outside and within were all covered in marble. Unfortunately, through fires, erosion and theft much of the Colosseum and it's grandeur are gone. The iron clamps were stolen out of the walls during the Middle Ages. The marble that once adorned the walls were "recycled" by the Vatican and can now be seen on the columns of St. Peter's Basilica. To prevent further looting, in 1600 AD Pope Benedict declared the Colosseum a holy place.
This picture shows the very center of the amphitheater. There was a platform (like shown in the picture) that contained sand on the arena floor. Actually the word arena means sand and they used sand specifically because it absorbed blood and caused for good traction, which was needed for the fighting. Underneath the platform is where the animals and gladiators were held. < Apparently if you kiss this cross inside the Colosseum, then you'll have 150 years of good luck :)
From the Colosseum, we walked over to Palatine Hill which held the Imperial palace of Emperor Domitian. Like the Colosseum, this place was also worn away and almost inexistent.
A picture of the palace LONG AGO <A picture of the remnant of the palace TODAY
This was the emperor's throne room. It was designed so that the emperor's voice would be amplified and an echo could be heard. Good strategy! The palace sits on a hill and can overlook the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Circus Maximus.
Current day Rome has a lasagna-type-of-foundational format in that it is composed of different layers according to the different time eras. This was easily visible from walking through the Roman Forum. This is a rectangular forum that is surrounded by the remains of important government buildings. Around many of the buildings and monuments the letters SPQR are engraved. It means "built by the Senate and people of Rome". The remains below were all found through excavation. This is not the same elevation that present day Rome is at.
If you look closely, you can see the distinct color line in the columns and the building. This shows the eras that this building has been through.
Right above the Roman Forum stands Capitoline Hill. The Capitolini, the yellow building behind the Marcus Aurelius statue, and the square was designed by Michelangelo. This famous statue of a woman warrior that is adorned in bronze is Roma herself.
Florence day trip: We took a train from Rome to the birth of the Renaissance, Florence, for a day. It was an easy train ride and it sure was fast. If you read Dan Brown's book Inferno, then you'll have an immediate connection to these buildings, monuments and works of art below. Unfortunately, I didn't read the book until months later, but seeing Florence first hand made the book seem very surreal.
Since we only had about 8 hours in Florence, we had to pick and choose what was worth seeing for the entire group.
Gates of Paradise, designed by Lorenzo Ghilberti, was one of the first pieces of art that arose from the Renaissance. This specific door shows bronze panels that depict the timeline of the Bible. Apparently the real doors are inside the Duomo museum, but despite that these panels were detailed and impressive. 
Not far from the Duomo, is the Basilica of Santa Croce. Many famous Italians have tombs here: Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and a statue for Dante Algheri as shown to the right. We also went to the Accademia Gallery to go pay a visit to Michelangelo's David. I was taken aback when I first laid eyes on him. He's so tall! I didn't realize that the sculpture was a mere 17 feet tall. It was a magnificent and flawless piece of art.
While shopping at a Florence outdoor market, we ran into a state that resembled a Razorback. Once again, it's good luck if you rub his nose with a coin and let it fall down into the water drain. This was all fine and dandy until a homeless woman walks right up to the statue and in front of the crowd grabs the coins. No rush at all, just making sure she got every last coin. #badkharma
I haven't mentioned it yet, but the gelato is PHENOMENAL...and yes we had to get some at least every day we were there :)
Back in Rome:
The Mouth of Truth--People believed that the mouth of the marble face would close if anyone put his hand in it and told a lie. Looks like we gals are pure of heart :) I HIGHLY recommend that you previously book a private tour before heading into Vatican City. The morning that we walked to the front entrance, we passed nearly a thousand or so people waiting in line to enter. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and gave us many recommendations on how to ring in the new year in Rome!
This was surely one of the highlights of my trip. Our tour guide told us that on average the Vatican sees 15,000 visitors a day. A busy day reaches up to 27,000 people! Unfortunately, this was a busy day because it was New Year's Eve day. I recommend not going during a busy season (not really sure when that'd be) because it really did get very crowded and the nostalgia wore away after dealing with a constant crowd.
The view from entering St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica in the background. As you may already know, Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It consists of only 44 square acres. There are 900 residents, but only 500 of them live within the walls. There is no tax in the city, lucky them! The Vatican employs 1,500 men and women.
< Looking out St. Peter's SquareThere are many museums, halls, chapels and living quarters all within Vatican City; however, our tour guide took us through the main parts: St. Peter's Basilica, museums, Sistine Chapel and the decorated halls throughout these chapels.
There were many beautiful paintings and sculptures in the museums. The walls and ceilings of the halls were adorned with quilted pieces of art, oil paintings and old aged maps.
<This looks like a sculpture on the ceiling, but it's actually a painting!All we walked through the halls, our tour guide prepared us for what we were about to see in the Sistine Chapel. She told us that the Popes and Priests commissioned Michelangelo to paint both the ceiling and the wall behind the altar. Michelangelo was 33 when he painted the ceiling and it took up 4 years of painting fresco (had to paint quick and precise because it dried quick) on his back. The ceiling was high so it was hard to get an accurate and detailed look at it, but the paintings were large. I actually didn't realize how large they were in real life. I was mesmerized by the Creation of Adam painting and I'll never forgot how amazing it felt to see such a grandeur work of art that held meaning to me. My words and pictures online don't do it justice. Besides painting the ceiling, Michelangelo also painted The Last Judgement , but at 55 years old and it took him 6 years. I could have spent hours in the Chapel admiring these works of art; however, as I said earlier it was so very packed with people and the guards were basically moving the line along. You weren't allowed to talk or take pictures, so we all felt a little rushed.
We then moved into the gigantic St. Peter's Basilica. This is the largest church in the world and it took more than a century to build. The church is extremely lavish and grandeur. There are no paintings in the church, but they are all mosaics. A few Popes have tombs and are buried here as well. Pope John Paul II has recently been named a Saint and his tomb was here.
A little blurry, but this is Michelangelo's Pieta sculpture that he completed at 24 years old.
Remember what I mentioned about the Vatican "recycling" the marble from the Colosseum?! Well, here is that marble that forms the pillars outside of St. Peter's Basilica. For New Year's we all went to Circus Maximus that was hosting a huge open concert and fireworks display. There were thousands of people and the fireworks display was amazing! Circus Maximus was where the Roman chariot races were held.
Pope Francis was holding a special New Year's Day mass at St. Peter's Basilica, so my family and I went. The church was packed full of people, but we got to sit in the front row just outside of the church. Pope Francis then gave his new year blessing to all the people in St. Peter's square. It was awesome to be able to see him in real life. You can see him standing in the 2nd window from the right. Apparently many of the preceding Popes lived in this lavish apartment; however, he chose to stay in his simple apartment that he stayed in as a cardinal. 
We girls did some shopping in the markets in order to stock up on the Italian spices and leather. The open markets were sprouting with fresh vegetables and fruit, salami and cheese. We cooked a few dinners in the condo and one night the condo owners prepared an Italian family dinner for us. We even got to help them prepare the tiramisu! That was delicious!
We also visited the Museum and Crypt of Capuchins. This was an underground crypt that artistically displays the remains (bones) of 3,700 Capuchin friars. I'll admit that it looked a little freaky, but it was definitely neat to see first hand.
Another monument that was very near to our apartment was Castel Sant'Angelo. This was built for the tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian. This place was very old and a little spooky.
Bronze statue of Archangel Michael that stands on top of the Castel.
You can stand on top of the Castel and look all over Rome. Here is a picture of my cousins, Ben, Mary Grace and I. We all had such a great trip and hopefully I'll get the chance to go back there one day!
