Ike travelled to Rome with his good friends Cheryl and Dave. On their first day in the city, our adventurers woke early and walked along the banks of the River Tiber to the Vatican.
Here Ike is enjoying a view of Castel Sant Angelo:
They arrived at St Peter’s Basilica Square:
And listened to the mass given by Pope Francis (look to the top centre of this photo):
Then they walked to the Piazza Navona where the fountains looked spectacular in the sunshine:
Onto the Jewish quarter to visit the Portico of Octavia, built by the Emperor Augusta for his sister in 23BCE:
This is part of a complex, along with the remains of the temples of Apollo, built in 431BCE, and Bellona built in 296BCE (the remains of Bellona are those lying on the ground, the standing pillars are the remains of the Temple of Apollo):
Alongside the temple ruins stands the Teatro Marcello, the construction of this theater was begun by Julius Caesar and continued by Augustus Caesar, then dedicated around 12BCE to the memory of his nephew Marcellus. The only remaining part of the theater is the curved arches to the rear, it was converted into a fortress in the Middle Ages:
It had been a long day for Ike, and he slept dreaming of Respighi’s Pines of Rome:
Ike is so fortunate. He goes to so many amazing places, and has so many lovely friends xxx X xxx
Rome is shrouded in myths and legends, so much history and the Vatican is the seat of the Roman Catholic church. Since visiting in May 1983, I recall constant traffic jams and many people on scooters!