May 16, 2009: Welcome to Rome!
This morning we woke up in Delphi and travelled three hours by our coach bus to Athens. After a few minor delays, we finally arrived to the steamy Rome! We quickly stopped at our hotel before sightseeing for the afternoon. After this, we familiarized ourselves with the Rome subway system, and started walking around the city, visiting a few of the close-by churches and sites. We first stopped by the Trevi fountain, where we were bombarded with thousands of other tourists. The nearby Pantheon was still illuminated by the daylight through its oculus and provided a nice view. Next, we walked to the Cathedral Sant'Ignazio. The perspective of the ceiling fresco by Andrea Pozzo gave the illusion of a dome, although the ceiling was actually flat. After this, we found the church of Chiesa S. Luigi Dei Francesi. This church had a famous painting by Caravaggio called The Calling of St. Matthew. By then we all were hungry and found an authentic Italian Pizzeria. For dessert, we all had a little gelato at Nice Ice to “fill the cracks” in our stomachs. The last stop on our evening walk was the illuminated Colosseum. By this time we were all tired from a long day of travel and sightseeing, so we were anxious to retire to our hotel.
The Trevi Fountain.
The Pantheon.
Dr. Anderson explaining the inside of Pantheon.
Caravaggio's painting of The Calling of St. Matthew.
Enjoying gelato after dinner.
This is a scene of one of the many narrow Roman streets.
The Colosseum at night.