Passing Through Rome

We stop in Rome for an afternoon on our way home with an early flight out of Fiumicino Airport the next morning.  We stay in the city near the train station and walk around the city for a few hours, first heading over to the Colosseum, then past the ruins of the Forum, and over to the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II.

Past the Colosseum

Forum ruins

Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II

Along the way (packed with tourists), street vendors, artists, and actors fill the sidewalks.

On the streets

As we move on through the city, we pass shops and restaurants, many with outside dining on this beautiful day.

Dining out

We emerge into Piazza di Trevi to see the Trevi Fountain, then back into the city streets to find our way over to the Spanish Steps (Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti) at Piazza di Spagna.

Trevi fountain

Construction of the public buildings in Piazza di Spagna began two hundred years before Christ and the Romans used the square as a space for gymnastics, exercises, and tournaments.  The proximity of the Tiber River brought on periodic damage and destruction of the buildings by floods over the years.  It's still an incredible space.

Piazza di Spagna

Spanish steps

Strolling back to our hotel, we pass through more great squares and architecture 

Piazza della Repubblica

As the sun sets, the city lights up and we view the sights from the roof of our hotel, looking toward the train station (Roma Termini) and the other way into the city.

Roma Termini

The other way

 

It's always great to end a trip in Rome!