Moore on Guam: Kath & Ath in Italy

We were a good pair to hit the cobblestoned streets together: Athlyn with her first time in Italy wide eye, take-it- all- in expression... and me with my last time in Italy, sad eye, keep- it-all- in expression.

It was a blessing that were centrally located in the Marriot Flora Hotel on Via Veneto right next to the Aurelian wall and Borghese Park. It was close to everything, including ancient Roman ruins and a green space. Despite Athlyn being awake for 24 hours, we hit the pavement around 4 pm to get a quick glimpse of the wonders of Rome before Athlyn passed out with lack of sleep. First stop was a bit disappointing in that we couldn't get into Borromini's undulating church: San Carlo alle quatro Fontane. At least Borromini put fascinating architecture on the outside with a concave and convex serpentine facade for us to admire along with the 4 corners fountains surrounding it.

It is Baroque architecture at its best.

We moved down the street to the Quirinale palace and square. This is where the President of the Italian republic lives. Outside are the giant obelisk and fountain with the Castor and Pollux twin statues. St. Peter's dome in the distance always impresses. We bumped down the steps to wander the narrow alleyways to the Pantheon. Poor Athlyn, at one point I looked over as I was showing her the great Raphael's tomb and oculus (the hole or eye in the center of the ceiling) in the Pantheon and Athlyn's eyes were rolling back in her head. She was fascinated about the 1 ton brass doors, and sloping floor but lack of sleep was taking over. On the way back to put her to bed, we stopped at the wooden Pinocchio shop and let her pose with the wooden puppet and also the alabaster angel wings outside the Pantheon. She was a trooper. We put her on the couch at 7 pm, and she stayed there, zonked to the world, until 7 am the next morning despite the kids coming in and making noise.

Day 2: we ventured out in the drizzle through the Aurelian wall built by Emperor Aurelian in 271. I really love this wall!! It runs 12 miles to encase most of the 7 hills of Rome. It is through these walls that the US forces came in June 1944 to liberate the Italians from the Germans .

It is 52 ft. high and has around 383 towers (about every 100 ft.) This wall was built to keep the Barbarians out, who had attacked in 270. (The kids and I walked the 13 mile hike around the city walls with the Boy Scouts. Needless to say, after 4 years, I am still awe of the wall with its grandeur and height.) In these niches above, there used to be marble statues to stand guard and then the Praetorian Guard who kept vigil.

The only other ancient wall as impressive as Rome's is Constantine's wall in Constantinople (Eastern Roman Empire), modern day Istanbul, Turkey. (Steve and I took a trip to Istanbul in May of 2010 just before Athlyn came.) Constantine's walls were so incredible to see still standing as we drove from the airport. We also could see the fortifications, bastions and towers that were built onto Constantine's wall by the Ottoman's when we were on the Bosporus boat cruise. The Ottoman empire had cannons and unfortunately breached the complex walls and hence defeated the Byzantines.

On the other side of the walls lies the Borghese park. There are these playful fountains like this horse fountain all through the park.

This is a temple to the goddess Diana. Athlyn got on the pedestal and gave us some cute goddess poses.

This is another temple nested away at the lake. I took the kids on rowboats here when we first arrived. How time flies and how fast kids grow. If it hadn't been raining, we would have lounged in the boat and had Steve row us like some pampered Victorian ladies.

We stopped and had a fresci and snack before we continued our day through the gardens.

This is the bridge to the Pincio. The Aurelian wall continues to run behind us.

And another magnificient obelisk from Egypt. Rome had to assert its dominance one way or another.

We posed at the top of the Pincio with St. Peter's dome Il cupolone in the distance. ( I made a wish in the Trevi fountain that one day all 6 of us girls could stand here and pose for a photo.)

Piazza di Popolo (people's piazza) lies right beneath the Pincio. Another obelisk Ramses II lies between the twin Santa Maria churches. We went in and saw Caravaggio's masterpieces at a church right next to the Porta di Popolo. Sigh, now I just have to be content with pictures in a book. Caravaggio had a gift capturing light and darkness with his paintings. I think the calling of St. Matthew is my favorite. Christ's hand is pointing to Matthew who sits with his head down, not paying attention to Christ, but to his game in front of him. Sometimes I think I am guilty of that as well. My attention is elsewhere on some material object when I should be noticing God in the midst.

The porta or gate was built for Queen Cristina of Sweden when she converted to Catholicism and came to Rome. On New Years Eve the countdown to midnight is illuminated here.

The pincio is directly above this fountain and aqua vergine nuovo aquaduct flows here.

The 1953 movie Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn was playing nonstop when we were in the hotel...so we went out to see the apartment (above) that Gregory Peck lived in and let the princess (Hepburn) sleep in. it is undergoing renovations.

The street of the movie is called Via Margutta. It was so charming, refreshing and quiet. It was just one block from the Piazza di Popolo. No wonder they filmed here.

It is mostly shops for artisan's now.

I could move in just fine here and happily stay forever.

We moved off towards the Spanish steps and had to stop and take a shot of almost a family name: Bastian.

In Roman Holiday they also hung out on the Spanish steps, above. (It is also the place where we had our parting family photo)

These Palazzo rent for millions. The famous Via Condotti, with Gucci, Prada, Burberry and other couture shops stretch on for miles. We dropped off Steve, who needed a nap, and headed for the Collosseum.

W took a tour from an Italian scholar, and she showed us inside as well. You have to use your imagination in the amphitheater built in 70 AD by Emperor Vespasian, but you can't help but be impressed with a structure that remains standing despite wars, invasions, neglect, pilfering from Pope's "Recycling" as they call it, earthquakes, pollution, and time.

50,000 spectators cheered on gladiators here.

They say it was called the Colosseum because there used to be a colossal statue of Emperor Nero nearby. But the scholar said that in Italian "colo" is a hill and there used to be a giant goddess statue of Isis - a Egyptian God who was popular in Greco-Roman world as well. She is know for being the ideal mother and wife. There used to be a temple of the hill - colo- nearby of Isis. And somehow that created the name Colosseum. Whatever the truth is, the Imperial ruin is iconic of Rome and one of my favorite sights. I wanted to stop on our way to the airport and hope out and take a family photo but I got unanimously vetoed. I gotta get photoshop!

From the Colosseum tour we climbed up one of the 7 hills of Rome called the Palentine. You can see the back of the Vittorio Emanuelle Monument on the Capitoline Hill, with its winged victory goddess Victoria or Greek goddess Nike. She was honored by victorious Caesars and generals returning from war.

This is the Roman Forum below. All economic and judicial business was conducted here. You have 11 temples to go into to worship depending on your needs, three basilicas and 4 triumphal arches and numerous regia (where the high priest would reside), memorial columns and rostra where orators & politicians drew crowds like the gladiators.

I love the skyline balanced with domes and Trajan's Column

This tall tower on the right is where crazy Emperor Nero sat and watched Rome burn. He was said to have started the fire so he could build his palace below. Nero blamed the Christians, a religious "cult" that he hated, for starting the fire. So like modern preachers and politicians--pointing the finger at others for a myriad of sin that they themselves delve in.

Basilica Maxentius to the left. This is where civil law courts, government offices were located and banking took place.

This is the beautiful 1st century Arch of Titus. His troops sacked Jerusalem. Inside the arch you can see the Roman soldiers carrying of the menorah form the Temple of Solomon. Jewish slaves were brought back to Rome and helped build the Colosseum. Prophets in the Old Testament testified that if the Jews continued to disregard the prophets that this would happen. Well, it happened just like they said and it is memorialized in stone.

The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is an ancient Roman temple in Rome, adapted to the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda

The three columns are all that is left of the temple of Castor and Pollux - Zeus's twin sons.

Here is one of my favorite photos of Athlyn posing in front of the temple of the Vestal Virgins. Vesta is the goddess of the hearth and home-- what Athlyn surely is.

We finished back up at the Colosseum. I love this with the modern and ancient all together.

Day 3: we took Athlyn to one of our favorite spots right outside the city called Tivoli

After lunch we went to Villa D'este

This is the courtyard

and this is the breathtaking view through the villa. It has a wow factor!

The Italian Renaissance garden is filled with potted orange trees, grottos, mosaics and tiny corners to happily get lost in.

And the columned villa was a gift to the Cardinal D'este Governor of Tivoli- grandson to Pope Alexander VI

There are 500 fountain jets here that spout refreshing water from the cistern below the villa

Lots of movies are filmed here - Athlyn looked so pretty she could be in a movie.

Posing at the Fontana dell'ovato - the oval fountain

The reflection pools are my favorite. There are always numerous cats begging to be pet here.

DAY 4: The Vatican. It is said that if you stopped and looked at every item in the Vatican museum for 1 second it would take you 13 years to see everything. I only made Athlyn stay there for 5 hours - I am sure it seemed like 13 years at times :0)

This is the Vatican courtyard that our tour guide explained the Sistine chapel and Michelangelo's genius before we went inside. You can't talk inside as it is considered sacred. They also won't let you take pictures inside. Suffice it to say that Michelangelo was a genius and his work portraying the creation on the ceiling is mind boggling. I love that he portrays the creation of woman in the very center of the room - not the creation of man/Adam. I like to believe that woman was God's crowning masterpiece. Satan and man tries to dissuade this thought and diminish woman but woman have the power to create like Heavenly Father. We are truly his greatest masterpiece!

This Laocoon statue in the courtyard is the inspiration for so many Italian sculptors - Michelangelo and Bernini are my favorite to be influenced. Laocoon was the Priest in Troy who told the people not to bring in the wooden horse, the gift from the Greeks, as soldiers were hiding inside. The gods sent snakes to silence Laocoon and his sons.

This tapestry is magic-- the arm and eyes of Christ follow you from room to room.

This is the staircase leading out of the museum.

Bernini created this piazza in front of the Vatican. If you love columns like I do, this piazza moves you!

Look how tiny people are next to the columns

Here is the obelisk in the center of the piazza

and the gorgeous fountain that shows the 4 winds and corners of the earth

I like to think of this shot as the Catholic church thinking they are the light to the world...but they only have some backlighting, some partial light. Not the whole truth. But they are a good religion that at least stands up for morals like our faith does.

Again another Bernini Sculpture. The skeleton reminds us that our days are limited on the earth-- and make the most of them. Look at the way the marble flows!

And the winner at the Vatican is the Pieta. Michelangelo created this at age 25! Can you imagine so much talent?

We were starving after all the touring and met up with the rest of my bunch for dinner.

Here we are at our favorite American restaurant in Rome the T-Bone Station.

The poor little girl behind us was choking and the dad slapped her on the face. We were all horrified. Steve coined the phrase watch out or you'll get "t-boned" meaning you will get hit for no reason at all when you are already down.