Italy 2015 - Rome Day Two - Trevi Fountain and Castel Sant'Angelo

Rome Day Two - Trevi Fountain and Castel Sant' Angelo


Dad and Maria had entrusted the navigation to me. Our official destination was another museum but I had some things I wanted to see along the way that they didn't really care about. Well, as the navigator it was up to me and we were going to see these sights whether they liked it or not! Hahaha

What could possibly be at the end of this street I wonder? Oh look Dad! We just happened by chance to stumble upon the Trevi Fountain! ;)

Sadly it was under refurbishment so the water was drained and there was a bunch of scaffolding but a trip to Rome is not complete without a visit to the Trevi!

Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain

Trevi Fountain

After the Trevi Fountain I led them through the city and we stopped once and awhile to admire the city. I had Dad pose next to this impossibly tiny car. 

We stopped for gelato during our wanderings. When in Rome one must eat gelato!

We ended up at the Tiber River for our next "coincidental" stop, Castel Sant'Angelo originally known as the Mausoleum of Hadrian before it was repurposed by the Catholic church. I knew I wouldn't be able to get them to agree to go inside but I wanted to see the building and the famous bridge. 

Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant'Angelo

We did not cross the Ponte Sant'Angelo, instead we walked south and crossed the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II. This bridge is commonly used to access The Vatican but we would not be going there on this trip as we have all visited in the past. 

Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II

Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II

Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II

This was the closest that we got to the Vatican on this trip. I will probably make a return visit next time I am in Rome. 

The Vatican

This is the Passetto di Borgo which is a walkway that connects Castel Sant'Angelo to the Vatican. 

Passetto di Borgo

From here we walked back over to Castel Sant' Angelo and walked around the exterior. There is a pretty park surrounding the back of it with a playground for children. This became a joke as Maria told us that Italy did not have park areas for children to play so every time I saw one I had to point it out "oh look, a children's playground!". She said things must have changed since she lived there...

Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant'Angelo

Pretty buildings surrounding the Castel Sant'Angelo. 

 Wonder what the rent is to live in one of those apartments behind the Castel?

We crossed the Tiber again at the bridge in front of the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court

Back on the correct side of the Tiber would I finally lead my Dad to the museum he wanted to visit or would there be more "coincidental" stops?

Italy 2015 - Rome - Day Two - Palazzo Massimo

Rome Day Two - Palazzo Massimo

On our second day in Rome we started our day off by walking a block or two to the east where we got to see some of the old city walls. I take much of my enjoyment when travelling from just walking around a city and taking in the sights. For instance, I loved that the sewer grate was stamped with SPQR.

We also stopped into the Termini train station to buy all of our train tickets for the rest of our trip. I was more than comfortable using the self-serve machines but Dad and Maria wanted to go to an actual ticket agent so that is what we did although it took much longer as we had to wait in line. 

Train tickets safely stowed away we went to our first museum of the day - Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. This museum is located close to the Termini train station in Piazza della Repubblica. This museum houses classical sculpture, frescos and mosaics and a collection of ancient coins. 

We received a discounted entry with our Roma Pass. Here is a small selection of photos from the sculpture collection. 

Funny and horrifying story about the above sarcophagus. We were in the room displaying this sarcophagus and nobody else was around. There was also no glass or rope to keep people away from it. My dad had gone up close to it to look at the detail and then he turned around to discuss something with me. He was tired and not thinking or paying attention he leaned his elbow on the ancient sarcophagus!!!! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I quickly scolded him and he jumped back not realizing what he had done. He was really lucky there was no security in the room. We would have been given the boot for sure. To this day I still laugh at him for this. 

The sculpture is all so impressive. The details on the sarcophagi are amazing and I can only imagine how long they took to create.

The mosaics and frescos were equally as amazing. I can only imagine living in a home with such detailed decorations on my floors and walls.

The two photos below are my favourite fresco that we saw and they are from the Villa Livia - wife of Augustus.

While touring this museum I saw somebody I had seen multiple times the day before; how funny to keep seeing the same person in such a large city especially as the Palazzo Massimo is not a museum that makes it onto most tourists must-see list. 

After the Palazzo Massimo we hit the streets and Dad and Maria learned to entrust me with the navigation. 

Piazza della Repubblica

Piazza della Repubblica

Italy 2015 - Rome Day One - Conclusion

After our visit to the Capitoline Museum we wandered the city for a bit.

We made our way down the street towards Teatro di Marcello. This ancient theatre was built during the time of Caesar and Augustus. In modern times the structure of the theatre has been incorporated into an apartment building structure.

Teatre di Marcello

As we continued our stroll we come across two temples still remarkably intact.

Temple of Portunus - Temple of Fortuna Virilis

Temple of Portunus or Temple of Fortuna Virilis - sources are unclear but the building has had many uses over the centuries. The building dates back to around 120 BC.

Temple of Hercules Victor

Temple of Hercules Victor dating to the 2nd century BC.

Across the street from the temples was this government building and a church with a tower. These are a familiar sight if you are a fan of the movie Roman Holiday.

Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin

The government building was the police station in the movie and the church (Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin) is where Bocca Della Verita is located (mouth of truth). I couldn't convince my dad and stepmother to go to see it sadly.

We walked along the Tiber River and crossed over to Isola Tiberina.

Isola Tiberina

Isola Tiberina

Isola Tiberina

Isola Tiberina

Isola Tiberina

There was nothing in particular we wanted to see this evening. The idea was to just stroll around and see the city. Maria, my stepmother, was pretty focused on finding a place to buy a SIM card for her phone. I told her she didn't need to bother as I had an international call and text plan on my phone for the trip but she was pretty insistent. She gave up after two days thankfully so we could stop wasting our time.

After leaving the Isola Tiberina I cooled my heels taking in the view of Largo di Torre Argentina while Dad and Maria went into a store inquiring about above stated SIM card. This square has the remains of several Roman temples and Theatre of Pompey. For those with a historical mind, this was the site of the assassination of Julius Caesar, he was killed in the Theatre of Pompey.

Largo di Torre Argentina 

Largo di Torre Argentina 

Largo di Torre Argentina 

When Dad and Maria returned we decided it was time to make our way back to the hotel for the night. We had been walking all day so we were pretty tired and what seemed like a reasonable walk that morning fell like forever for our tired feet this night. 

Il Vittorino

We had dinner at a restaurant on the same street as our hotel and then turned in for the night.