Summer in Europe: The final part of the vacation: Rome

[Fireworks over San Angelo Castle in Rome. We were in Rome for St. Peter and St. Paul day, a local holiday.]

We began our vacation in Athens and ended it in Rome. Everyone was wearing down, but we had a great time. Sorry this post is coming so late -- the internet connection isn't working in our apartment in Berlin, so strangely internet has been harder here than anywhere else.

Florence has great stuff, but feels overwhelmed by tourists. Rome, by contrast, felt very much like a real city. It helped that we didn't stay in the city center, but instead near the Vatican.

Rome is full of piazzas -- city squares, generally with fountains powered by ancient aqueducts, and often full of people. On our first day, my friend and colleague Fabrizio showed us around the town, helping us get a sense for the city. He also pointed us to a great restaurant and gelateria.

The first site we saw was the Colosseum -- which is quite an impressive building to be inside.

[Constantine's arch and the Colosseum to the right.]

The floor was covered and what you see on the ground are the rooms that were under the floor, where wild animals and sets were kept.

That day in Rome was so hot, we had to go home after the Colosseum. After a siesta, we went out for a very nice evening walk from the Spanish steps to the Pantheon.

[Trevi Fountain.]

The pantheon really is remarkable and beautiful. A roman pagan temple very well preserved in the center of Rome, since it was converted to a church early on.

The Roman forum meant a lot more to me now that I understand Roman history a bit better and care more about that time period. This was the political and social heart of the Roman empire.

[This gate was erected when Rome suppressed the Jewish rebellion and tore down the temple. They brought Jewish slaves to Rome and made them all march through it. When modern Israel was created, evidently some of the military marched back through it the other direction.]

[Part of what was a giant basilica.]

Rome just has a ridiculous number of sites that in any other city would be a highlight. The Michelin for Italy doesn't even have descriptions of all of the 3-star sites in Rome. We happened to be walking by the church of Maria Maggiore, which is an amazing, giant church with 5thC AD Christian mosaics.

The Archeological museum had a great collection of statues and mosaics, along with whole painted rooms.

[Wrestler, with bruises and wrestling gloves.]

[A truly amazing sarcophagus.]

Paper-thin Roman style pizza:

[our local market]

On the last day, we went to St. Peter's -- the largest church in the world -- and to the Vatican museum, which has an amazing collection of ancient sculpture, and amazing Renaissance frescoes: the Raphael rooms and the Sistine chapel (no photos allowed).