Roma, Italy

The Rome Temple site. Right now it is just a big hole in the ground. The location is excellent as it sits on a hill along the northeast section of the Rome beltway.

Entrance to the Vatican museums.

Dome of St Peter's Basilica in the background.

The Gallery of Maps. Heads of State are led down this hallway during their visit to Vatican City.

Entrance to the Sistine Chapel; absolutely no photography was allowed in the chapel although photography was allowed everywhere else.

St Peter's Square. The obelisk here is thought to have been brought from Egypt to Rome and placed in the Circus of Nero and that it was near this obelisk that Peter was crucified in 64 A.D.

La Pietà by Michelangelo. This is located just inside the entrance to the nave of St Peter's Basilica.

Bernini's baldacchino which serves as a canopy for the altar on which the sacrament is given. This baldacchino is thought to be the largest work of bronze in the world. It also sits in front of the entrance to the catacombs in which Peter is believed to be buried.

Climbing the stairs to the top of the dome. Note that there was no graffiti like there usually is in other domes and cathedrals.

View of St Peter's Square from the top of the dome.

View of the Sistine Chapel from the top of the dome.

The Colosseum.

View (from the Colosseum) of Palatine Hill and the Arch of Constantine (built 315 A.D.). Palatine Hill was the centermost of the seven hills of Rome and the most ancient part of the city. It was on this hill that the emperors lived. The word 'palace' is derived from "palatine". The Roman Forum was located on one side of Palatine Hill while the Circus Maximus was located on the opposite side.

Hadley and Cooper examining olives on Palatine Hill.

View of the Colosseum and the Arch of Titus. The Colosseum was built 72-80 A.D. by Jewish slaves taken from Jerusalem after it was sacked by Rome in 70 A.D. The Arch of Titus (built 82 A.D.) memorializes the triumphs of emperor Titus, one of which was the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

View of the Roman Forum from atop Palatine Hill.

The temple of Julius Caesar as viewed from the main square of the Roman Forum. This temple was built in 42 B.C., two years after the assassination of Caesar.

This is the location inside the temple where Caesar's body was cremated. People still leave flowers and letters on this mound of dirt.

The Victor Emmanuel II monument (finished in 1935) was erected in memorial of the first king of unified Italy (unification occurred in 1861). The monument is referred to by Italians as "a wedding cake". It is built on Capitoline Hill, another of the seven hills of Rome and located just northwest of Palatine Hill. Great views are seen from the top.

Trevi Fountain, the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. If you throw a coin into the fountain you are ensured to return to Rome.

The Pantheon, built in 27 B.C.

These columns are each one solid shaft of granite and were brought to Rome from Egypt.

Grant and cheese nips.

Interior of the Pantheon. Raphael (Renaissance painter and architect) and Victor Emmanuel II are buried inside the Pantheon.