Day 46 - When in Rome

Today was our sightseeing day in Rome. It was hot and humid, so we saw the sights as early as possible. The key to walking in Rome on hot days like today is to walk in the shadows, and many of the smaller laneways have plenty of shadows. As Rome was super busy, we decided we wouldn't stand in long queues to see attractions. Seeing them from the outside was s sufficient.

We ventured up and had a look at the Vatican City. Vatican City is the smallest country in the world in terms of both land area and population. The Vatican is the spiritual centre of the Roman Catholic Church and is home to the Pope, the head of the Church. From St Peter's Square, we walked a lap around the perimeter of the Vatican City. Our decision not to go inside was vindicated when we got to Viale dei Bastioni di Michelangelo and saw the long line of people waiting to enter the Sistine Chapel. We were just as happy to walk past them.

We then went to the Pantheon, a former Roman temple, which is now a church. It was first built in 27 BC, but the current building was completed during the reign of Emperor Hadrian in around 126 AD. It was very nice to sit in the shade of the Pantheon for a rest. We then retreated to our hotel room to escape the heat.

After some rest, we ventured out late afternoon to see more of Rome. By the end of the day, we had covered almost 20 kilometres on foot and felt quite tired.Weiterlesen