Brian and I in Rome

The next 3 days we spent in Rome.  This is a picture from the street of our hotel on the left and St. Peters Basilica straight ahead.  Great location!

The first thing we did was climb the Cupola at St. Peters.  You can go inside and look down at the church and then look out over the city at the top.

This time going to the Vatican Museum they had different thing open like the sculpture courtyard.

In Milan, Brian and I saw the sketch for the School of Athens by Raphael and then we saw the real thing at the Vatican Museum.  Amaing.

Raphael painted himself into the painting too, the far right face with the black beret.  

Also, this time I was able to get a lot more pictures of the Sistine Chapel. 

It is so surreal being inside.  The ceiling alone would take any painter a lifetime. 

I love Michaelangelo.  The Pieta is unbelievable no matter how many times you see it.  There is always someone there who wants to ruin it for everyone by critiquing things they know absolutely  nothing about.  One man was saying how Mary should look like an old woman when in reality she would have only been about 45 or 46 years old.  The point of her looking young is so that her son still looks like he is with his mother being comforted.  The anatomy of Christ's body is amazingly realistic.

Looking up at the altar.

After the Vatican we went out for dinner.

The remains of a Caprese Salad.

We could see St. Peters from the bridge at night.

The next day we went to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum.

Constantine's arch.

Circus Maximus is where they used to have Chariot races and it could seat 180 thousand people.

Roman Forum

St. Peters Square.

Before dinner we went to the Pantheon.  It is one of the oldest and best preserved buildings from the ancient times.  Its over 2000 years old and is still free standing.  It was originally a temple to Jupiter then it was turned into a Catholic Basilica.  Inside I was surprised to find Raphael's tomb.  I had no idea the painter was buried there!  

On the Tomb it says "Here lies Rahael, by whom Nature feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he died, feared that she herself would die"

The top has a large whole in it and it rained that day so they had to block off the center because it was wet.

After dinner we went to Trevi Fountain to conclude our time in Rome