Rome

Late afternoon in Rome at Piazza della Repubblica. Pam braved the traffic of the busy roundabout to get a close view of the Fountain of the Naiads and its four nude bronze nymphs.

Close up view of the spouting dolphin.

Spanish Steps as we begin an evening walk on our first day in Rome.

How modern Romans spend Saturday night: walking and shopping along the many attractive pedestrian-only streets.

The gorgeous Trevi Fountain at dusk. Later we watched a political protest in Piazza Venezia (it seemed like a very European thing to do).

Roman Colosseum on a rainy day.

The damp weather reduced the crowds and added to the surreal feeling of walking through the ruins of ancient Rome.

For all we'd heard about Roman ruins, nothing prepared us for the actual experience. It truly connects you to the roots of our culture (good and bad).

Above Piazza Venezia in the heart of Rome.

The Pantheon, built in 125 A.D., is considered one of the best-preserved ancient structures in western civilization. It was originally a temple to the gods (completed in 27 B.C. and later rebuilt) but became a Christian church.

Piazza della Rotonda, outside the Pantheon, is one of the most scenic spots in Rome.

Pantheon Fountain, complete with dolphins, an important symbol in ancient Rome.

We stroll to beautiful Piazza Navona as dusk approaches.

Our comfortable small hotel is in a quiet neighborhood with a surprising amount of graffiti...not the artistic version either. More the random unimaginative version. It's a fairly widespread problem in Europe and doesn't necessarily indicate neighborhood blight. This particular hotel (Pam's pointing at the entrance to the building that includes our hotel) had one of the best rooms of our five-week trip.

St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Our visit inside is one of the highlights of our visit to Rome and includes spectacular art, such as the famous Pieta sculpture by Michelangelo.

St. Peter's Square as we leave the Basilica.

Our Vatican Museum tour ends in the Sistine Chapel. Although the artwork is astonishing, we have the same reaction to the "creation of man" fresco (lower part of this picture) as to the Mona Lisa: it's so small! Nevertheless, after enjoying Michelangelo's most famous sculptures and paintings, it's easy to see why some consider him to be the greatest artist who ever lived.

We jump on a double-decker bus for an open-air tour of Rome.

After an hour of enjoying stunning architecture scattered throughout the city, we end up back at the Colosseum.

Even in ruins it is an impressive structure to see in person.

View from the other side.

Cat sanctuary in the middle of Rome.

Several of the dozens who live among the ancient ruins.

Looking across the Tiber River at Castel Sant'Angelo.

Fall foliage along the Tiber River.

An Egyptian obelisk built in 1300 B.C. is at the center of Piazza del Popolo.

Twin churches face the piazza. This area of Rome features pedestrian-only streets, stretching to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, along with endless shops and great pizza from small vendors.

How Roman teenagers relax on a Monday evening.

Late the next morning we are back along the Tiber River with a view of St. Peter's Basilica.

We walk to Piazza Navona in search of a lunch spot on the first warm sunny day of our Europe tour.

Soaking up the sun and sights of an Italian piazza in late November. Rome is an impressive, enjoyable city but a little exhausting due to crowds, even in November. After four days, we are ready for the small-town portion of our Europe tour.