Rome

We have been in Rome for a month now. It was Ethan’s choice to visit Rome. I was more excited to learn about the break up of Yugoslavia than the Fall of The Roman Empire, however, it turns out (not surprisingly to most) that the sites here are impressive. They have even succeeded in making me enjoy learning about the Roman Empire.

Touring Rome was even more fun because we got to do it with Tessa and Aimee. They visited us for a week and we packed in the sites and day trips while they were here.

We took a tour of the Colosseum with what may be the fastest talking tour guide on earth. And this is coming from me… not known to be a slow speaker.  But still, we were able to learn some nifty facts. For instance, I didn’t know the external facade of the Colosseum had been completely covered in white marble.

At the Roman Forum… we were trying to figure out if the free downloaded audio guide was worth it. As you may be able to guess by the children’s faces, it was not.

Above is the Pantheon, one of my favorite sites in Rome.  It was dedicated around 126 A.D. and is one of the best preserved Roman buildings.

Trevi Fountain.

Above: at The Roman Forum, Villa Borghese Gardens, Gucci and walking to Capuchin Crypt. We were not allowed to take photos inside the crypt so the one below is not from Matthew. But you get the idea.

One of our day trips was to visit Santa Severa. The photo shows the castle in the distance that we toured. Tessa and Logan buried Ethan.