One day we decided to go walk a portion of the Appian Way to see what the ancient roman roads were like. Once there, we realized there were ruins in various states still preserved along the trail. Needless to say, we did a lot of walking that day, but we enjoyed it much more than we'd thought we would. I consider that...

We generally visit a city's botanical garden when we're there and Rome was no exception. Late spring seemed like an ideal time for seeing new blooms. While it was nice and definitely worth the trip, I think we were a bit spoiled by what we experienced in New Zealand and Australia; admittedly hard to live up to. Below...

When in Vatican City, one is somewhat obligated to visit Saint Peter's Basilica (the largest church in the world by interior area). The plans for the basilica were ordered by Pope Nicholas V in the 15th century and construction initiated by Pope Julius II in 1506. Work on the basilica completed over a century later in...

With so much time in Rome, Melissa was getting a little stir crazy. So we hopped a train out to Tivoli (east) to explore Villa Gregoriana. The main draw is a fairly long waterfall in the midst of a park. A path takes you from road level down into the gorge and then back out on the other side. While the waterfall was...

The Quartiere Coppedè is a small section of Rome whose architecture was created by Gino Coppedè. The structures were built between 1915 and 1927. This page captures some of the highlights we visited. Entrance Arch The entrance arch welcomes you to the area with a glimpse of what awaits you within the quarter. Fairy...

Walking around Rome, we visited a number of interesting landmarks that attract tourists due to their uniqueness and beauty. This page captures a few of them that don't really need their own page, but provide a quick reminder of some things we experienced along the way that might fall into the shadows of the grander,...

We checked out the Roman Pantheon ('temple of all gods'), which turns out to be a big, round room with a dome and a foyer. It's really well preserved and pretty darn cool to see. It also has a large obelisk out front. Fun fact: the diameter of the room and the height of the dome (oculus) are both 43m (142 ft). The...

The Castel Sant'Angelo was the mausoleum of emperor Hadrian, built in AD 135-139 along the Tiber river. In the 5th century, it was converted to a fortress with a cylindrical center (living area) inside a square fortification. Below are some of the highlights of the structure and its contents. And, of course, some...

We went to Vatican City to visit the museums. How could you not if you're spending any significant time in Rome? There are many museums, galleries, chapels, and other collections to visit. I recommend getting there early, as it gets crowded; so much so that it takes away from the experience and leaves me in no hurry to...

Of the seven hills of Rome, Palantine Hill is in the middle, surrounded by the others. Archeologists have unearthed items dating back to 1000 BC. Many of the rich and powerful Romans of the Republic (509-44 BC) resided in Pallantium before it was merged into Rome. Augustus built his palace here at the start of the...