We got up the nerve to pedal our way around the city today and saw way too many incredible sites today to put everything here, but here are a few. We came to the conclusion, for brave souls, a bike is THE ONLY way to see the city.
The Temple of Manerva
This is Santa Maria Maggiori basilica, is the fourth of the great churches of Rome and the largest dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This is one of the few basilicas that has maintained its original form and characteristics. It was founded by Pope Liberius in the fourth century. This is where I bought Mom's Rosary.
This is one of the many beautiful ceiling panels found in St. Maria's. These paintings are not just on the ceiling but on just about every wall and ceiling on all the churches we went in. Incredible is an understatement. Your jaw literally drops again and again as you walk around this place.
We couldn't miss the Pantheon. Dedicated in 27 BC this monument contains the tombs of Italian Kings.
The Roman soldiers taking taking their spoils.
Piazza Navona is a long narrow plaza. The statue behind Lynette was at the center of chariot race track and there were grand stands behind me where the Pope would watch the games.
Sitting in traffic for a photo of Palazzo di Giustizia.
Statues on the bridge leading to Castle S. Angelo.
We rode our bikes into Saint Peters Plaza in the Vatican and through the pillars around one side before the police told us we had to walk them. When we tried to lock them up they said we couldn't lock them inside the square (hey dude, this place is round). So we walked them out and tried locking them up there but a couple of Vatican cops stopped us again and said we had to move them even farther... so we did. After walking around for a while, we went back to the bikes and were unlocking them when a nun walked by and chewed us out in Italian telling us the police would get us if we left them there. We nodded and rode off.
The Pope's apartment.
On the Vittorior Emarruele bridge over the Tevere river with Castle S. Angelo behind.
The Roman Forum was the most celebrated place in ancient Rome. Meetings, festivals and ceremonies took place here. By the 4th century AD the place began to fall into ruins.
We can't actually remember where we were on this one. We saw so many ancient monuments they kinda run together.
Uncle Joel was right about the graffiti... It covers most everything outside the ancient city walls... even trucks weren't immune if they were left sitting in one place too long.
It was getting dark and we didn't want to spend too much time waiting for a sit down dinner. So what the heck... why not eat McDonalds while in Rome.