I think the first time I saw the Trevi Fountain was in Roman Holiday. Looked like a pretty neat place in the movie.
We passed by the fountain on our second evening in Rome and stopped to take a few pictures. It was a good deal more crowded than it was in the movie.
The fountain is a pretty impressive looking structure, and pretty large. With all the people around, it’s kind of difficult to get too close for a good look at some of the sculptures.
Near the end of our trip, we stopped by the fountain again to see what it looked like in daylight. Just as nice, just as crowded.
The piazza around the fountain teeming with people. I can only imagine what it’s like during the height of the tourist season.
To get into St. Peter’s Square required passing through security check points and sending things through x-ray scanners (like at the airport). Once inside, the square (really an oval shape) is pretty big. The size of the “arms” that wrap around most of the square make it seem not as large though, but you could definitely fit a few football fields in there comfortably.
While you’re busy looking up and admiring all the sculptures at the top of the arms looking down on the square, don’t forget to look down. In a few places you’ll see stone medallions embedded in ground marking various things. Around the central obelisk are markers for 8 cardinal compass points, while slightly off to either side of the obelisk are markers that indicate the center point of each of the arms.
Compass point marker
Center point of the “arms” of St Peter’s Square
There are also markers for the astrological signs, positioned where the shadow of the obelisk falls at noon of the day each sign starts.
Capricorn astrological sign marker
A marker marks the spot where Pope St. John Paul II was shot
Where Pope John Paul II was shot
The Basilica is huge. HUGE. You can find plenty of stats and lots of pictures about it online, but it’s one of those things that until you see it in person, it’s hard to appreciate the enormity of the place. Seriously, it’s really big.
St Peter’s Basilica
Look at all the tiny people!
Everything in the Basilica is just stunningly beautiful. Murals, sculptures, paintings, everything. Take your time wandering around.
La Pieta
The feet of the statue of St. Peter are pretty worn from people rubbing them.
Sculpture of St Peter
The main altar, built over top of the tomb of St. Peter. The baldichin (the canopy over the altar) is 20m tall!
Main altar in St Peter’s Basilica
If you can, make sure to go on the Scavi tour (the necropolis underneath). It’s quite a fascinating tour that takes you beneath the Basilica and to the tomb of St. Peter. You need to book it well in advance and the tours are limited to small groups.
St Peter’s Basilica lit up at night
It’s also worth the effort to climb up to the cupola at the top of the dome of the Basilica. Tickets are pretty inexpensive, and for a little bit extra you can pay for the elevator ride up to the dome level and climb the stairs the rest of the way. Totally worth it I think. It’s a lot of steps to climb even after the elevator, but it’s definitely worth the effort.
View from the top of the dome of St Peter’s BasilicaView of St Peter’s Square from the top of the Basilica dome
The churches in Rome are without a doubt, spectacular and breath-taking. Even the simplest and smallest churches there that I saw made the ones I’ve seen here in the US seem plain looking by comparison.
We visited the four papal basilicas, the Pantheon and stopped in at a few random churches we happened to be walking by. It’s not hard to find a church in Rome. They’re more numerous than Starbucks in the US. Seriously, you can’t walk past more than a few buildings without encountering a church.
Basilica dei SS Ambrogio e CarloBasilica dei SS Ambrogio e CarloBasilica dei SS Ambrogio e CarloBasilica dei SS Ambrogio e Carlo
Most of the other churches were similarly decorated. If you leave Rome without having stepped into a church or two, you’ve missed out on admiring a lot of artwork.
Connie taught me a few words and phrases in Italian before and during our trip, so by the end of our trip she was able to send me out to get groceries or food. I managed well enough, and most of the people I encountered could speak English well enough so that there were no significant miscommunication.
My brain, however, would constantly slip into trying to reply to people in what little French I still remember, because it’s the only other language I kinda sorta know. I think at one point I might have actually responded to someone in a mix of French and Italian.
I kind of surprised myself with how much French I still remember though.
Hotel La Scaletta was our home away from home during our vacation in Rome. It’s one of the places Connie stayed last year and we returned this year because she enjoyed staying there so much.
Our Rome home away from home
Hotel La Scaletta is a very nice place to stay. By US standards, it’s pretty small (only 21 rooms), and the rooms are small as well. The rooms are comfortable though, the staff are friendly and speak English (can be very handy). It’s across the street from the beach, a short walk to a stop on the Roma-Lido train line, and there are lots of food choices nearby to pick from.
Our room was on the side of the hotel with a long skinny balcony that ran out to the front with a very nice view of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
View of the seaPanorama view from the hotel
Although you’re outside of Rome, it’s pretty easy to get to. A short walk (~10-15 minute stroll) over to the Lido Centro station. and then ride the train to the Porto San Paolo/Piramide stop (at the very end) where you can transfer to a metro train that takes you further into Rome (you can also transfer to the metro train at two other stops before the end).
If you’re looking for a nice, inexpensive place to stay in Rome, I highly recommend Hotel La Scaletta.
