Napels, Pompeii and Sorrento

What an amazing day! Pompeii is both fascinating and sobering and Sorrento is beautiful.

Mountains on the drive to Napels

Busy Napels

Castle in Napels

Living in Napels

Pompeii

 

Around 20,000 lived there when the volcano erupted.

Pots found under the ash

The shell of an ash-covered boy

An oven for baking bread

Pompeii columns

Gladiator training area

Looking towards Sorrento

 

The grounds by our hotel

Looking down towards the sea

View from our room

Vatican and Catacombes

Today we went to the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican and the Catacombs. Beautiful buildings with lots of people viewing them.  We couldn't take photos of the Sistine Chapel or the Catacombs, but they were very interesting.

This looks like a painting, but is a mosaic, as are all the pictures in the Vatican

It is hard to understand the huge size of the interior by looking at this photo

This is part of the courtyard that holds 300,000 people

This was at the Catacombs.  The letters of the word fish stand for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior

These next two photos are from another of the churches owned by the Vatican

The Colosseum

Today we had our first guided Perillo tour.  We went to the Roman Colosseum and other ancient structures.  We walked along streets that had been used for over two thousand years.

The Arch of Constantine (Italian: Arco di Costantino) is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312.

This is the side view

These three photos are of the Colosseum

The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators, having an average audience of some 65,000; it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

 

This flower was on the Via Sacra

The Arch of Titus (Italian: Arco di Tito) is a 1st-century honorific arch, located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in c. 82 AD by the Roman Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus' victories, including the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The Arch of Titus has provided the general model for many of the triumphal arches erected since the 16th century—perhaps most famously it is the inspiration for the 1806 Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, completed in 1836.

Note the depiction of the Jewish menorah

Looking across the Roman Forum at a part of the city

 

Hmm...something familiar about this street name

Angels with their trumpets

All roads lead to Rome

 

Looking down at part of the Forum

Two angels and the Lord Jesus protecting the soldier

Part of the tomb of the unknown soldier

The Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven

 

 

The old and the really old

 

A VW turned ice cream store

A striped church

Part of the Roman Forum

 This is the Piazza Colonna, and the column was the Column of Marcus Aurelius, which is made of marble and has stood in the exact same spot since 193 BC! It’s a Roman victory column built in spiral relief with an internal staircase lit by slits in the column

Details of the column

 

 

 

Bus Tour

Today we decided to walk less and ride an open air bus.  It took us on a circular tour past many of the famous landmarks of Rome.

This was the bus we rode on

 

 

The Barberini Fountain

 

Narrow streets and lots of people

 

A number of people in Rome have lost their heads

 

 

Another view from the upper deck of the bus

 

 

Another part of Rome's great heritage

 

 

The Romans seem to love stairs

 

The Circus Maximus is an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium.

 

The Palatine Hill is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 metres above the Forum Romanum, looking down upon it on one side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other.

 

Fountains & Churches

Today we walked over nine miles and saw a lot of things.  It was beautiful blue sky all morning but this afternoon it poured with rain.  I even bought Dorothy an umbrella!  Besides the fountains and churches, there are a lot of narrow streets filled with scooters.

Looking up in the Sacripanti Chapel

 

An attractive fruit stand

 

Scooters are parked all over Rome

 

One of the many fountains

 

Bridge over the Tiber River

  

The Mausoleum of Hadrian, erected between 134 and 139 AD, is usually known as Castel Sant' Angelo (English: Castle of the Holy Angel), is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum. The Castel was once the tallest building in Rome.

 

 

Jet Lag

Well, here we are trying to get over jet lag, and it is midnight and we are both wide awake. I think that we started sleeping somewhere around 5 or 6 pm.  It will take a day or two to get adjusted.

Rome

Here we are in Rome, Italy, beginning our adventure! We walked about six miles all totaled, mostly in a park near our hotel--NH Vittorio Veneto. We sat on a bench and listened to a wonderful classical guitarist.