Via Giulia walk

Interesting Renaissance area street (1500s-1700s) which had less traffic. Not many shops or things of interest on it for Nancy but Doug enjoyed taking pictures and the architecture. MostlyLes mer
Dinner at Papa Re

Papa Re is a trattoria (definition of a trattoria is that which serves local/ Italian foods vs a Ristorante which also serves international food, (our foodie guide Riche told us that Rome is not knownLes mer
Day 4 Travels

Today's theme was Vatican City.
Took a taxi to Vatican at 07:00 and walked back. Home around 18:00.
Distance: 17.061 steps 11.8 km. Another active day.
Weather: Threatening when we went into theLes mer
Breakfast and a Walk in the Ghetto

As we did not have breakfast supplies we took off to find breakfast in the Jewish part of town across the river. We found the Jewish bakery visited by Rick Steves in his video and recommended on tripLes mer
Largo Argentina

Stopped here - it is right in the middle of the city. Paused to think what it must have looked like and muse that this is where Caesar met his end.
Today, Largo del Torre Argentina is largely knownLes mer
Chiesa del Gesù

The entrance to this church was hard to find only because the address was listed on the street behind when you simply enter the front, but interesting as the first and model Jesuit church. It is oneLes mer
Chiesa di Sant' Ignazio di Loyola

Nancy bailed out on this and the next church to spend more time at the Doria Pamphilj.
The church is set in a small piazza of gorgeous buldings. It is beautiful inside, but the most interestingLes mer
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

From Sant' Ignazio, Doug walked through Pz di Pietra past the Temple of Hadrian, an impressive collection of columns that has been incorporated into another structure as is so common in Rome, thisLes mer
Galleria Doria Pamphilj

The Doria Pamphilj collection is housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj and the collection is still owned by the Doria Pamphilj family. The stately home's rooms have been converted to galleries and youLes mer
Lunch at Caffe Doria

Doug had a pasta and Nancy had a rather small ie expensive salad and tea at this relaxing cafe after the visit to the palace. Pleasant and good service.
The Pantheon

Wow! Another feat of Roman engineering thankfully preserved by its evolution to a Christian Church and mausoleum. Raphael is here along with Emanuele, the first King of Italy (late1800s when the popesLes mer
San Luigi dei Francesi

The next church was a couple blocks from the Pantheon. It was fortunate that a funeral service had just finished and it was open. The interior has so much gold in it, but the feature was certainly theLes mer
Piazza Navona

This is a very spacious piazza with people enjoying themselves at restaurants and shops all around. Nancy purchased a small Christmas bulb to remember our time in Roma. Although there are some peopleLes mer
Sant Agnese in Agone

Designed by Bernini's rival Borromini. this is a 17th-century church with frescoes, large-scale sculptures & a shrine containing St Agnes' skull. It is notable for its mosaics, shrine of the virginLes mer
Santa Maria della Pace

We needed our map to find this in a maze of small alleys. It is less "over-the-top" in decorations, and has very a pleasing, more classical, architectural design and proportions.
A tiny church offLes mer
Dinner at Dar Buttero Hostaria

We were the first customers to arrive at 19:30, but it soon got quite full with lots of Italians. We had salads and shared a Roman pizza -- their "deluxe" with ham, basil, cheese and artichokes. TheLes mer
Day 5 Travels

Today' we toured "Centro Storico" -- the historic heart of Rome.
Our walk both started and ended at home.
Distance: 20,306 steps; 13.9 km
Weather: Sunny and warm, high of 23
LiveLes mer
Santa Maria del Popolo

We had breakfast of buns and cheese and fruit and took the bus to the east of the Vatican to start our visit to this area. Walked through the People's Square which has an obelisk topped with a cross.Les mer
Mausoleum di Augusto

We walked by this mausoleum built by Augustus for members of the family and then evolved over time into a number of other uses. Nothing stays the same even when we build great buildings hoping to gainLes mer
Ara Pacis

They have housed this archaeological puzzle in a very nice building. Not a must see but impressive it's own singular way. The Romans were certainly fascinating and busy people!
In 13BC the RomanLes mer
Spanish Steps

We were running late for getting to our scheduled ticket time at the Borghese Gallergy due to an unexpected closure on the Metro to get to the People's Plaza and then a later opening at the Ara PacisLes mer
Gallery Borghese

Yes, another amazing place. The masterpieces go on and on! With pre-booked timed entrances, you have exactly two hours to get through the treasures. The entire building and its' decorations areLes mer
Lunch at VyTA cafe in park

This cafe is part of a cinema at the edge of the park. Nancy thought they served a buffet but we did not find one. Service was slow and a bit abrupt, food adequate (Nancy pizza, Doug rustic sandwichLes mer
Baths of Caracalla

Waited about 30 minutes for bus #160 to take us south past the forum to the Baths of Caracalla. Tall ruins similar to the forum brought to life fairly well by the virtual headsets. Suggest sharing oneLes mer
Circo Massimo

Walked back from the Baths past the Circus Maximu with Palatine Hill in the background Can just see the trumpets, Emperor coming out and the chariot races beginning.
The Circus Maximus (Latin forLes mer