The Castel Sant'Angelo started of as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian before it's conversion into a Papal fortress. Legend has it that Archangel Michael appeared on top of the mausoleum and sheathed his sword to signify the end of the plague. We weren't able to take photos inside the castle but we did manage to get some good ones from the top. The castle is huge and takes a good few hours to look around properly.
No trip to Rome is complete without seeing the Pope. At 12:00 thousands of us flocked to Saint Peter's Square to see Pope Benedict XVI. It was amazing how fast the crowd built up and then disappeared again. There was a rock 'n Roll moment when the Pope sent out greetings in a few languages and acknowledged the various cheers. After all the hard work of being blessed we needed to sit down for a bit and eat Italian ice cream - so we did.
We started off the day with a visit to the Fontanna dei Quattro, Quirinal Palace (home of the Italian President) and the Capuchin Crypt - a morbid display featuring the remains of some 4,000 Capuchin friars. Sufficiently depressed we moved on to the Spanish Steps so that we could see something a little more cheerful. It was here that John Keats lived and who can blame him.
Our last stop on this action packed day was the Fontanta di Trevi. We both threw coins into the fountain to be sure that we would return to Rome :) It was a miracle we managed to get the money into the fountain with all the people trying to take it off us for everything ranging from photos to flowers. We then headed to dinner at Ristorante Giglio where I couldn't resist the chocolate creme brulee. A Birthday to remember.
As we walked back to our hotel we stopped at various sights along the way including Ponte Sant' Angelo (beautiful bridge constructed by Emperor Hadrian), Campo de' Fiori (beautiful piazza where we were caught up in a women's rights demonstration complete with riot police), Chiesa Nuova (amazing church) and the Pantheon (Roman Temple to the Gods where Raphael is buried).
After a quick slice of pizza we moved on to the Basilica of Saint Peter, which is without question, the most impressive Church I have ever been to. After looking around 'wide eyed' we climbed to the top of the cupola, which was at times awkward, but well worth it for the breathtaking views of Rome. Next we went to the crypt where many of the popes are buried including Pope John Paul II. At the end of the crypt was a small door leading to the burial site of Saint Peter.
Today is my 32nd Birthday and we started off the day with a trip to the Vatican Museum. I really enjoyed the collection of Egyptian artifacts, Gallery of the Statues and frescoes by Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, and Sandro Botticelli but the Sistine Chapel was something else altogether. We finished up by dropping off our postcards at the Vatican City Post Office.
We're in Rome for my Birthday weekend. Thanks to a lack of tubes stopping at Terminal 5 we almost missed our flight, but we did get to bump into Victoria Beckham and her Paparazzi entourage (literally) during our dash to the gate. For those of you interested, Victoria was dressed in a lovely military outfit complete with matching oversized sunglasses and pilot's hat. Once in Rome we checked into Hotel Diocleziano and ventured down to the Colosseum for some sightseeing before dinner at La Famigila.
This week I'm working in the industrial heartland of the Netherlands - Eindhoven. Ironically, the project I'm working on involves the deployment of an application used to monitor hearts. The CT scans created are absolutely amazing and can even show blood flowing through arteries and veins. I'm back here next week too, but not until we dash off to Rome for a long Birthday weekend. The flight over was in a tiny Fokker 50 - a plane biggles would be proud to fly.
