The Eternal City

Saint Peters Square

After Assisi we moved to Rome for the rest of our holiday. Our first day in Rome saw a torrential downpour which was quite a sudden change from the hot days we had been enjoying. Coming from Macclesfield we put on our waterproofs and stoically plodded on but it must have been unusual in Rome as the news programmes gave it enormous coverage. One advantage was that the queue for the Sistine Chapel was a short one.




Fortunately the next day the sun came out and shone for the reminder of out stay and we did the usual tourist spots. (Alistair may have been heard to mutter about the amount of places I thought we could fit into our visit!) Here he is at the Trevi fountain steadfastly refusing to throw in a coin.










A view of the Forum from the top of the Victor Emmanuel building (looks like a wedding cake but the views from the top are fantastic and the restaurant isn't bad either).



Alistair on the other side of the roof with the dome of St. Peter's in the background.















One of the new (to us anyway) features of guided tours is the individual short range radios that meant everyone could hear the guide clearly without having to keep uncomfortably close.















On our last day we were up early and visited the Palatine Hill before the queues and crowds. This meant we were able to visit some recently excavated areas and got to see some murals in situ from the time of Augustus. The colours were so bright and of amazing quality. It was a privilege to see them.