Sunday, June 21 - the Coliseum

 The Coliseum we saw on a gorgeous and warm day.  The magnitude of these structure and all it's amazing architecture is just.  Wow!

 

 We decided, outside of it that we would get a guide.  It reduces the lines significantly and didn't cost too much at all.  Plus, we got the stories we would have never gotten.  They have tried to preserve some of it.  All the marble was "recycled" by the Vatican, but basically what really happened is they stole it and put it in the Vatican. This is the old brick on the outside, that is lighter, and the old brick on the inside.

 Just massive.  In the middle on the round part is where they had a huge piece of wood and where the fights took place.

 We saw a resident kitty there too!

 This is a view of the arena.  The wood was on top and all those channels were below where the slaves, prisoners and POW's were kept for the fights along with the animals.  The wood lay on top and they had trap doors.  The gladiators knew where the doors were and the slaves/prisoners were given fake weapons and basically had no chance of survival whatsoever.  It is hard to imagine, though sometimes I think today isn't much different, just different arena.  Anyway, if they were wounded and "lost" the match, the trap door would open and they would fall below (it's quite a ways actually) and be eaten by the animals below.  Can you even imagine???  But, considering the tools they had all these years ago, the architecture is amazing!

So beautiful against the blue skies!

Sunday, June 21 we saw Church of Peter in Chains

 We would have walked right by this had we not been specifically looking for it!  

 The outside of some of these churches looks so plain, but the insides are breathtaking!

 The actual chains that Peter was bound with.

Saturday, June 20 - Arlu for lunch

 I didn't think after the pasta we had that it could be topped. Yeah.  Well, we ducked inside this cute little place greeted by the cutest server, whose mother makes all the pasta.  Um.  YUM!  Hello carbonara, in my tummy you go!  Perfect timing to wait out a rain storm that passed while we savored our delicious food.

Saturday, June 20 we saw St Peter Bascilia & Dome Capulo St. Peter

 The churches are just amazing.  No picture could ever do it justice.  So much art, architecture and history everywhere you turn.

 The artwork in the domes is just spectacular!

 Mary holding Jesus. They say if you watch the statue for long enough, it appears Jesus is breathing.  They had to encase it in glass because someone came in and attacked it with a hammer and damaged parts of it. 

 So many gorgeous altars

 This structure is absolutely huge and placed under the dome.  It was a gift from a country, I forget which.  It is massive.  Like, part of the top portion is 6 ft tall alone!

 

 Heading up to the dome.  This is an altar and the beautiful inlaid marble floor from above.

 All around the top portion of the dome where we walked around to get to the stairs to go to the very top was a mosaic that went all the way around.  Top is a closeup and bottom is a portion of the design.  I mean....teeny tiny pieces that make the most amazing artwork!

 The dome was gorgeous!

 up we go, through the tiny stairwell, in the heat!

  

 The view of St. Peters Square from the dome.

 

 

 The stairwell of the slow journey up/down

 

 It got cloudy and started to rain while we were strolling through St. Peter's Square.  But...we are from Washington I tell ya, little rain won't stop us!

 Strolling around St. Peter's Square in the rain.