Rome Trip (15-18 June 2006) - Part 1: Introduction & Around Rome
OK, don't ask me why there are so many holidays here, but there just is. Anyway, it's the last long holiday on my calender before I end my tenure. So we decided to go to Rome, the Eternal City.
I think many of you do not need much of an intro to Rome, but I'll do it anyway. Rome is the capital of Italy, lying on the cross between the rivers Tiber and Aniene. It is also the city that encircles the sovereign enclave of the Vatican City, or "Citta del Vaticano" as it is known in Italian.
Rome is the largest Italian city and is also one of the largest in Europe, having a population of 3.5 million. The history of Rome stretches back 2800 years, where it has been the seat of government for every ruling power. The famous Edict of Milan by Emperor Constantine I in 313AD legalised Christianity and since then, Rome has been a focal point of the Catholic Church, with over 900 churches within Rome.
Rome is also home to many historical and famous monuments, such as the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and of course, the Colosseum. It's indeed amazing to see how a once-powerful and efficient people have become the notoriously-inefficient Italians of today. Take for example our flight was delayed for one hour at Munich airport because the airport in Rome was full. After we touched down, the plane had to queue up behind other aircraft to taxi to our de-planing point. After that, we even had to wait long for our luggage because it was lunch time and only ONE baggage claim conveyor belt was active, for NINE planes!!!
So that was a lousy first impression of the Aeroporto Leonardo da Vinci (yup, named after the famous citizen). Even the supposedly-express train, the Leonardo Express, from the airport to the main station in town was late by 10 minutes. "Welcome to Rome"...
So here we have some sights of Rome, randomly placed. Do note they're may not be anywhere near to each other:
This is the Castel Sant'Angelo, a circular castle that was a fortress for over a thousand years, used by Pope Clement VII as a refuge during the infamous Sack of Rome in 1527.
Well... this is Italy, so there's sure to be a Ferrari shop, and what's a Ferrari shop without the life-sized Ferrari model?
Pasta, original pasta
So now I'll go into the famous sights, starting with the Spanish Steps. The Spanish Steps were built from 1723-1725 by the French diplomat Stefano Gueffier to connect the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican.
The Spanish Steps
And there is also the famous Barcaccia Fountain in front of it
Climbing up the Steps
Almost to the top
And the view from the top of the Steps
And we had to sit down for a while, because that's what everyone else is doing
Following this, we proceeded to the Fontana di Trevi, also known as the Trevi Fountain. This is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and was completed in 1762 despite work starting in 1629, due to differences in ideas among the different popes. The fountain was restored in 1998 and is definitely the most famous fountain in Rome, maybe even Italy.
I had the luxury of reaching there just before sunset
The wonders of a tripod
Looks spectacular at night
Even in the day
Photobucket: Fontana di Trevi
Next up is the Pantheon, which many of you will associate with Greek mythology, however, this is not true. It was built in 125 AD as a temple for the seven deities of the seven planets in the state religion of Rome. Since the 7th Century, this place has been a Christian church and is the best-preserved Roman building, as well as the oldest important building in the world with the original roof intact.
The most interesting part of the Pantheon, a roof with a hole so that it rains inside, but 22 holes on the floor drain the water away
Beautiful interiors
Oh, did I forget to show you the outside? Well here it is:
As you can see, still in very good condition
So, just a small introduction to Rome. You can take a look at other sights in my photobucket. Now on to the bigger ones!
Photobucket: Around Rome
I think many of you do not need much of an intro to Rome, but I'll do it anyway. Rome is the capital of Italy, lying on the cross between the rivers Tiber and Aniene. It is also the city that encircles the sovereign enclave of the Vatican City, or "Citta del Vaticano" as it is known in Italian.
Rome is the largest Italian city and is also one of the largest in Europe, having a population of 3.5 million. The history of Rome stretches back 2800 years, where it has been the seat of government for every ruling power. The famous Edict of Milan by Emperor Constantine I in 313AD legalised Christianity and since then, Rome has been a focal point of the Catholic Church, with over 900 churches within Rome.
Rome is also home to many historical and famous monuments, such as the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain and of course, the Colosseum. It's indeed amazing to see how a once-powerful and efficient people have become the notoriously-inefficient Italians of today. Take for example our flight was delayed for one hour at Munich airport because the airport in Rome was full. After we touched down, the plane had to queue up behind other aircraft to taxi to our de-planing point. After that, we even had to wait long for our luggage because it was lunch time and only ONE baggage claim conveyor belt was active, for NINE planes!!!
So that was a lousy first impression of the Aeroporto Leonardo da Vinci (yup, named after the famous citizen). Even the supposedly-express train, the Leonardo Express, from the airport to the main station in town was late by 10 minutes. "Welcome to Rome"...
So here we have some sights of Rome, randomly placed. Do note they're may not be anywhere near to each other:
This is the Castel Sant'Angelo, a circular castle that was a fortress for over a thousand years, used by Pope Clement VII as a refuge during the infamous Sack of Rome in 1527.
Well... this is Italy, so there's sure to be a Ferrari shop, and what's a Ferrari shop without the life-sized Ferrari model?
Pasta, original pasta
So now I'll go into the famous sights, starting with the Spanish Steps. The Spanish Steps were built from 1723-1725 by the French diplomat Stefano Gueffier to connect the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican.
The Spanish Steps
And there is also the famous Barcaccia Fountain in front of it
Climbing up the Steps
Almost to the top
And the view from the top of the Steps
And we had to sit down for a while, because that's what everyone else is doing
Following this, we proceeded to the Fontana di Trevi, also known as the Trevi Fountain. This is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and was completed in 1762 despite work starting in 1629, due to differences in ideas among the different popes. The fountain was restored in 1998 and is definitely the most famous fountain in Rome, maybe even Italy.
I had the luxury of reaching there just before sunset
The wonders of a tripod
Looks spectacular at night
Even in the day
Photobucket: Fontana di Trevi
Next up is the Pantheon, which many of you will associate with Greek mythology, however, this is not true. It was built in 125 AD as a temple for the seven deities of the seven planets in the state religion of Rome. Since the 7th Century, this place has been a Christian church and is the best-preserved Roman building, as well as the oldest important building in the world with the original roof intact.
The most interesting part of the Pantheon, a roof with a hole so that it rains inside, but 22 holes on the floor drain the water away
Beautiful interiors
Oh, did I forget to show you the outside? Well here it is:
As you can see, still in very good condition
So, just a small introduction to Rome. You can take a look at other sights in my photobucket. Now on to the bigger ones!
Photobucket: Around Rome
posted by Chiu Weng | 10:34 PM
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