Thursday, June 30, 2016

Rome Day 1

The trip from Toronto and the arrival in Rome went very well. Our apartment is very comfortable and well situated, very near Piazza Navona.

This lovely rectangular plaza is very vibrant with lots of people visiting throughout the day. There's an obelisk in the center of the plaza mounted on an elaborate sculpture, and a small fountain at one end.





We walked around quite a bit and admired the architecture and various monuments, including the Column of Marcus Aurelius, inspired from Trajan's Column. The detailed carvings are wrapped around the column like a comic strip, and tell the story of the Emperor's triumphant campaign against Germanic Tribes. The bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius that used to be on top of the column was replaced during the Renaissance by a statue of St-Paul.





We connected again with Michel and Nathalie at the Trevi Fountain, along with a few thousand other tourists. And of course, it is simply spectacular.




The Spanish Steps are under renovations, but there are still tons of people milling around the plaza at the base of the steps.


We had a lovely meal with Michel and Nathalie at a small restaurant literally 5 steps from our front door. Our street is very active, and luckily, not too noisy at night.



We finished the evening back at Piazza Navona, which was busy with buskers and people enjoying the cool evening and the charming ambiance.



All in all, it was a lovely first day in Rome. Good way to start the trip.

Mario

3 comments:

  1. What a great first day! How is the jet lag? Can't wait to join you.

    A & M

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great pictures. Makes me feel like I'm there. Thank you. Enjoy. Mark

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great pictures. Makes me feel like I'm there. Thank you. Enjoy. Mark

    ReplyDelete