Mountains and Cathedrals

Impressions of Rome

We left the Amalphi Coast a mere five days ago, feeling sad and unready to go home. Rome squeezed every last ounce of energy out of us so that yesterday we were ready to be done with this saga.

Carlo, an assistant guide on one of our tours has always lived in Rome. Many of his friends have moved to the suburbs, wanting a cleaner, greener place to live. Carlo explained, "Rome will never be a modern city. To live in Rome you must eat what the city offers--otherwise you will not thrive."

We ate and were sated in four full days. Of course the city showed her impetuous side as we left in the midst of an air traffic controller strike day...but we escaped her grasp.

It will be good to be home! This has been the trip of a lifetime that we all dreamed of! We've missed you all so much and are ready to re-enter our day-to-day lives again.

Finale: Pantheon

We ended our tour with Diane at the Pantheon. While the architect is still uncertain, she explained latest research that Hadrian is most likely due credit. This dome was not duplicated until very recently, that's how advanced its structure is.

Bernini Turtles

As we walked with Diane, we passed another fountain with turtles courtesy of Bernini. See them up there at the top? The fountain had seemed incomplete, so they asked Bernini to add something above the nymphs' hands.

Crypt of Balbi

Diane took us through this crypt, which is an active archaeological dig during the week and open to the public on weekends. She showed us the layers of antiquity being revealed. This spot had been a theater, then medieval housing, an industrial site, a renaissance convent, burial ground, dump--simply paradise for an archaeologist!

One Last Tour: Classical Rome

Diane was our last tour guide, and she was extremely knowledgeable. From Vancouver BC, she is a PhD architecture and archeology professor, in Rome for three years. This view of the Tiber river shows Ponte Fabricio, one of two bridges surviving from antiquity.