My mom (aka Gigi to the kids) came to visit in November. We took 5 days and went to Rome. It's such an amazing place! I loved all the rich history that spans a time frame of what seems like forever. Here are some highlights.
One of my favorite sites was actually not the most popular. It's the Mamertine Prison. Some say (although it's not certain) that this is the prison the apostle Paul was sent to. Whether or not this is the actual prison, I found it fascinating to see what a prison in that time was like. The prisoners were lowered through a hole in the ground. Gabriel is looking through the hole in this picture. In recent years, a stairway was put in for tourists to walk to the level below, but that was not there originally. Prisoners left the prison cell in two ways. One way is by placing a ladder into the hole and having a soldier assist the prisoner in climbing out. The second way is to dispose of a prisoner's dead body via the sewer.
Once we went down the stairs, we saw how small the prison cell was. This particular cell had a plaque set up for Paul.
We visited a few museums, all of which were filled with statues and busts. After a while they became less amusing, because there were just so many.
Hope enjoyed sticking her finger in the horses mouth on this old stone coffin.
We visited all the popular sights. The Spanish steps.
The Pantheon.
Our kids playing on the floor of the Pantheon.
A stop for gelato.
The Vatican was so amazing that my pictures won't do it justice. First off, it was massive. The museums were endless and I was struck by the intricacy of the artwork on the walls and ceilings.
Another kid on the floor. It's how we roll.
We enjoyed dinner at a restaurant that specialized in wines. This huge book is their wine book! One of the bottles listed was €6000!
We decided the kids needed another gelato stop.
The Colosseum was also amazing. It was amazing to learn about the "games" and battles here. Did you know that a politician would try to put on the best show by gathering prisoners, wild animals and props for a battle at the Colosseum in order to gain popularity and more votes?
Animals and gladiators would rise up from trap doors in the floor and make their entrance into the battle.
I loved watching this daddy-daughter time while hanging out at the Colosseum. They were singing "Do-Re-Mi".
Three generations here.
Walking through the Roman Forum, where the business and market center was.
Such a handsome boy.
And enjoying some tasty soup with baby octopus!
I really loved Rome. We didn't see everything even though our five days were packed with activity. It was a great trip!
