Rome Buildings

I was picked up at my hotel again by the Green Line small bus and then transferred at their office to a larger bus. We left to visit the Vatican Museum. We passed these beautiful buildings.

The Old Roman Wall

We also passed the old Roman Wall.

The Old Roman Wall

Another view of the wall.

“Venting”

A good example of some serious “venting.”

Going Across the Tiber River

We crossed the Tiber on the Ponte Matteotti and saw these houseboats.

More Beautiful Buildings

The colors on these buildings were wonderful. Note the “venting” on the bottom of the building on the right. This is what you see throughout Rome except in the really exclusive areas.

Lining up at the Vatican Museum

The line outside the Vatican Wall looked very long but our tour guide said we should be at the front of the line in about 15 minutes––we were. She said that it often takes an hour or more to get to the front of the line. The line was not for tickets but for a security check––similar to the ones at airports. You buy your tickets after going through security.

The Sistine Chapel Is Closed

We would have visited the Sistine Chapel today on our tour if it was open. The Chapel was still closed even though the new pope had already been elected.

Entrance to the Vatican Musuem

We made it to the front of the line.

Inside the Vatican Museum

Entering the museum. I have put my photos of the Vatican Museum on a slide show on this site: Go to Slide Shows, Western Europe, Italy–1, Rome: Vatican Museum.”

Vatican Museum

The museum was jammed with tour groups and individual tourists. We were given a tour of the main tourist part of the museum––a quarter–mile walk through the Candelabra Gallery (statues), Tapestry Gallery, and the Map Gallery. This long rectangular building was originally a series of papal palaces––ones of marble floors and decorated ceilings and filled with statues, mosaics, etc. At the end of the rectangle are the Raphael Rooms off to one side. These rooms were filled today with wall–to–wall people, but they were beautiful. The popes had hired artists to decorate the walls and ceilings of these rooms. Raphael did most of the paintings. While Raphael was painting in these rooms, Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel. This is Raphael’s painting of Michelangelo in one of the Raphael rooms.

Outside the Museum

The tour ended at the Raphael Rooms, but I stayed awhile longer and viewed some more of the museum.

Outside the Museum

One of museum courtyards.

Outside the Museum

Another courtyard. I do not know what the sphere represents.

Outside the Museum

Close–up of the sphere.

Outside the Museum

The structure behind the sphere.

Other Side of the Courtyard

Structure on the other side of the courtyard.

Close-up of the Pine Cone

This bronze pine cone is called the Cortile della Pigna and was part of an ancient Roman fountain.

Spiral Staircase

The spiral staircase leading out of the Vatican Museum.

Outside the Vatican Museum and the Vatican Walls

Things for sale outside the Vatican Walls.

St. Peter’s Square

Villa Borghese

This villa and the Borghese Park was designed in 1605 for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who was a nephew of Pope Paul V. In the early 19th century, Prince Camillo Borhese moved his family’s art collection into the villa. Now it is a gallery of mainly beautiful sculptures. You need reservations to view the gallery (Green Line made them for me as this was part of a walking tour with them which they had canceled). No photos were allowed in the gallery.

Villa Borghese

Close–up of the Villa. One of best things about my visit here was the quiet––no traffic noise and few people. Most of Rome is extremely noisy from all the cars, motor scooters, buses, and thousands of tourists. Here it was delightfully peaceful––that is, until the crowd came at the appointed hour for the next tour. I ate lunch at the gallery’s cafeteria and I was introduced to several things very Italian. First, you do not choose what you want from the food display case, tell the clerk your choices, and then pay him or her for it, as we do in the U.S. Rather, you decide what you want and then go to the cashier and tell him/her what you want, pay them, get a receipt and then present it to the food clerk. If you order a sandwich, which I did, they will heat it up for you in an iron. I got my food and went to sit down at some tables. I was told I couldn’t sit at a table because I had only paid the price for my food for standing up. My food would have cost more (much more) if I wanted to sit down, but there was a hard bench to sit on that I shared with many other people. I ate and then walked around the park before it was time to view the gallery.

Borghese Park

A building near the Villa Borghese.

Borghese Park

After the viewing the gallery, it was time for me to find my way home. I had Rick Steve’s Rome book with a map of how to go through the park to get to Piazza di Spanga where I knew there was a Metro station. He wrote that it was about a 10–minute walk down the hill. I also had my Rome map. I was able to take a 2 Euro shuttle down the hill and asked the driver to point me in the direction to get to Piazza di Spanga––of course, he gave me the “over there” gesture. I tried to find where I was on both maps and the signs of the streets that I was seeing were not on either map. So I just kept walking downhill. This is a photo of what I saw on my way.

Borghese Park

Interesting name for a square in the park: Piazza Bucarest, Capital of Della Romania.

Borghese Park

A pretty restaurant building in the park.

Borghese Park

A view of St. Peter’s Basilica from the park.

A View of Steeples

Rome is a city of church steeples. View from Borghese Park.

Piazza del Popolo

I know where I am. This is the piazza that I ended up in when I took that wrong turn and walked here yesterday rather than to the Pantheon. In fact, I was on top of a building with a railing that was in a photo I took yesterday at the Piazza del Popolo. Then I didn’t know where the people were standing. Anyway, how I ended up here and not at the Piazza di Spanga I still do not know. But I knew there was a Metro station here, so I was happy.

Piazza del Popolo

Another view of the Piazza del Popolo from the hill at the Borghese Park.

Old Gates

View of the old gates leading to the Borghese Park from the hill above the Piazza del Popolo.

Old Gates

Close–up of one of the statues on top of the gates. I went down into a very dark Metro station along with a hundred other people. It was Rome’s rush hour. The first train came along fully packed but some people still managed to squish themselves in. I waited for the next train and was able to squish myself in it. I had to change train lines at the Termini, which I did successfully and got off at my stop, the Piazza Bologna. I stopped off for dinner at the neighborhood pizzeria/tavola calda and had a very tasty lasagna for dinner. Another trip to the pastry store and then back to my hotel. Another good day in Rome.