Day Two, First Official Day with School Group

When I woke up the morning of the second day, I did not know what was in store for us. If I had known what was in store, I might have reconsidered! We went to many places in one day, all on foot. No buses, no taxis, no cars, no trains, 'solely' on foot. Ha ha.

The first stop was the Spanish Steps. They were built by the Spanish, in Italy, and paid for by the French. It was a solution to connect the lower terrace, the Piazza di Spagna, to the upper terrace in front of the French church at the top.


The Spanish Steps and fountain. This was early in the morning, so it wasn't terribly busy yet. We ran up them later in the day, and it was so crowded, we had trouble navigating quickly through everyone.


Looking down the Spanish Steps. The road between the two buildings goes a long way. Really amazing streets!


One thing I fell in love with was the number of gardens scattered throughout the Italian roofs. The Italians don't have much space at ground level, so they bring in nature to their patios and rooftops, making amazing outdoor spaces. They were everywhere!


Me in front of an overlook at Pincian Hill, near Villa Borghese (which we did not go to because they are so large and we did not have the time).


The Piazza del Popolo getting ready for a huge celebration, from the Piazza Napoleone. An Egyptian obelisk (of Ramesses) is in the center, creating a landmark.


Close-up of the Egyptian obelisk in the Piazza del Popolo. It is surrounded by a fountain of lions spitting water.


The twin churches that make up part of the Piazza del Popolo. The one on the left is the Santa Maria in Montesanto and the one on the right is the Santa Maria dei Miracoli. They were started by Carlo Rainaldi, and completed by Bernini. They are not copies, but have been varied slightly.


The ancient wall of Rome. Rome grew tremendously around it, but the Romans did not tear it down, luckily.


Me in front of the St. Peter's Basilica, in Vatican City. Amazing plaza surrounded by wonderful architecture and sculptures. On the main church building are statues of Christ and his twelve disciples.


Ceiling of St. Peter's Basilica. Just walking in and being in this wonderful structure was a different level of spiritual for me. My friend, Katie, was wanting to pray in the small chapel, but there was a line. I thought it was funny that she would pray in a Catholic cathedral, but she said that she takes the time to pray in each church she goes to, because it is important to pray always, no matter where you are, and it's not like she prays to their gods, or in their ways.


Not a good picture at all of an extremely famous piece of art, Michelangelo's Pieta. An individual damaged it with an axe in 1972, and so the glass has been put up for protection. I found it extremely amazing that we could take photos, with flashes, of these famous pieces of art. I got many other pictures of famous pieces, just don't want to post them all.


A horrible picture of me in front of the place where St. Peter is buried. I got a postcard that looks much better, and I hope to fix this in Photoshop, just haven't gotten around to it yet.


A member of the Swiss Guard who guards Vatican City. I thought they looked like jesters!


Me in front of the Trevi Fountain. We only had moments here, as we were rushing to an appointment at Villa Medici.


The Trevi Fountain from the side. It was so hot and being near the water was so refreshing!


A group of trees that have been cut and pruned this way, creating a cool canopy in front of Villa Medici.


Shannon, one of my travel buddies, going in the real door to Villa Medici. It is currently owned by a French school for artists.


The staircase, from the bottom, that we climbed up in Villa Medici.


A look out to the gardens at Villa Medici, from the villa itself. We did not get to see much of it because the French tour guide did not to take us very far around the grounds.


The back of the villa at Villa Medici. We were supposed to stop and sketch at many of these places we went to, but we weren't allowed the time here, nor the freedom to explore.


Me in front of the Pantheon! I loved this building. I love that it is a perfect dome, and yet it is only up for speculation to how it was built.


The roof of the Pantheon. Luckily it was not raining, or it would have rained on us. Inside were many pieces of art, both sculptures and paintings. The did not turn out well, as it is very dark.


More ancient ruins in the middle of the city in Rome. There were many cats that lived down in these, and someone had done something to hurt one. A sign was posted regarding a reward for information leading to an arrest.


Me in the Campidoglio plaza. It was designed by Michelangelo, and I loved the paving pattern. The space just envelopes you when you are in it by the layout of the three buildings that surround the plaza.


An overlook to the ancient Roman Forum from the Campidoglio Plaza.


Another view of the ancient Roman Forum, and the walls of the Palatine Gardens.


Me sitting on an ancient ruin in the middle of the Roman Forum.


The Arch of Constantine, near the Colosseum.


Me in front of another side of the Colosseum. Beautiful with the sunset.


A cool building that 'glowed.' We saw this on the way back to our convent after a long day walking around.

Don't ask me to view my sketches, as they are just that, and they are terrible! I learned so much in one day, but honestly look forward to returning to each place some time later, and taking my time!