A Papal Audience

Our plan today was to visit the sights centred around the Trevi Fountain. We decided to drop by St Peter's on our way to the city centre as today is Wednesday and the Pope typically holds public audiences on Wednesdays. We were quite surprised by the buzz of activities around the basilica and the throngs of people bustling about. There was even a large press photography gallery set up. As it turned out, the Pope was celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Pontification this week while we were in Rome !

We did not know that celebrations were being planned and we were quite happy by this coincidence and that we had the opportunity to participate in some the celebrations.

1. St Peter's Basilica		2. This was a very special Papal audience indeed with all the world's cardinals present for the celebrations.	3. He's not a very happy chappy.

Understandly, the security was very tight but we were still allowed to enter the protected area without tickets (but we had to stand). More photos of the Vatican tomorrow !

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Piazza Navona

Rome is an incredibly walkable city and the weather was perfect for a walk. From St Peter's, we crossed the Tiber and made our way on foot to Piazza Navona. The stadium of Emperor Domitian (AD 81 - 96) used to occupy the site of this square where chariot races used to be run.

Three famous fountains anchor the breadth of this square - Fountain of the Four Rivers, Fountain of Neptune and the Fountain of the Moor. The intricate details of the various sculptures and monuments throughout the cities that we've visited on this trip never cease to amaze me.

4. Fountain of the Moor	5. Fountain of the Four Rivers - representing the four "great" rivers of the Western world - Ganges, Danube, della Plata and the Nile.

Unfortunately, during our visit, there was a fair bit of construction work going on around the square, so we weren't able to enjoy the acclaimed square in all its glory.

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Pantheon

The Pantheon is an engineering marvel built in 27 BC. The inner volume of this enormous building is able to hold a perfect sphere. There is a large circular opening (called an "oculus") in the roof of the dome which illuminates the interior. There is a myth that water entering through this opening will never hit the floor (for various reasons - evaporation etc.) but there are quite a number of holes in the marble floor which suggests that water does indeed hit the floor and the holes are required to discharge the rainwater.

The Pantheon is also the final resting place of Raphael, Victor Emmaneul II (first king of Italy - see also Il Vittoriano) and Umberto I (second king of Italy).

6. The Pantheon

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Trevi Fountain

In a city abundant with fountains and water features, none commands the imagination and awe as the Trevi Fountain. To call this a "fountain" would do it gross injustice, it's more a monumental water feature.

7. Trevi Fountain	8. Fountain	9. Jimmy rising above the crowds.	10. All manner of folks are attracted to this water centerpiece of Rome.

Of all the monuments of Rome, this was the one that looked forward to the most to photograph under light.

11. Trevi Fountain at night

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Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps are so called because a Spanish embassy used to be located here. Today it serves as a very popular meeting point for locals and tourists alike.

12. View from the top of the Steps down to the Piazza di Spagna.	13. Top of the Steps.	314. Trinita dei Monti church in the background.	15. John Keats' house on the right in the foreground.
16. The Barcaccia ("ugly boat") fountain at the bottom of the Steps.	17. The old and the new.	18. A photo shoot underway. Don't know if the two cool dudes on the carriage were meant to be part of the shoot.

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Via Condotti

The area around Piazza di Spagna at the bottom of the Spanish Steps is home to many upscale shopping streets, the most famous of which is Via Condotti, the Rodeo Drive of Rome. This street was also the genesis of several global fashion powerhouses eg. Bulgari and Gucci.

19. Images of Via Condotti
20. Bulgari's very first retail shop.	21. The newest kid on the block.	22. The sign says it all !

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Some Random Photos

23. Roman transportation has come a long way since the days of horses and chariots.

24. Not sure what this fruit is, but it's quite popular on the street.

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Unbelievably, this is the second last day of our big European adventure !