Bad Blogger!

Having sufficiently neglected Rome and all its joys over the last two months, I think it's about time to press on with documenting the experience. We return (finally) to the jam-packed sightseeing day. The first portion consisted of visits to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, where we managed to cool of a bit with some gelato.

From Trevi, we walked west to the Pantheon, which is probably one of the most impressive structures in Rome, if not for its sheer size and presence in the piazza, then for its stability and soundness.

A slightly blurry, but still incredible Pantheon.

It may not look like it, but this is an enormous structure. It's overwhelming walking into the Pantheon. The sunlight coming through the center of the roof reaches every crevice inside, yet is not in the least harsh or invasive. It provides a soft warmth, every so slightly detectable when wandering about, taking in the minute details of the interior.

Light shining into the Pantheon

The Pantheon lies quite close to the Piazza Navona, so being motivated athletes, we accepted walking a bit further for yet another experience.

I was particularly looking forward to seeing the piazza, mostly because of the famous Bernini fountain, which sits in the center of the oblong square. On my previous visit, the fountain was undergoing restoration, so I was unable to get a proper look. This time, however, it was clear of scaffolding and looking absolutely magnificent.

Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers

From far away, the fountain seems like any other you might find in a Roman piazza, but upon closer inspection of the detail and craftsmanship, it is clearly a brilliant work of art.

Behind the fountain in the above image sits the Church of St. Agnes in Agony. Visitors cannot take photos inside, but the tiny church has incredibly detailed frescoes covering nearly every surface.

We spent some time wandering the piazza and looked at the art people were selling, everything from painting to photos to silly caricatures. At some point we noticed the sky getting dark to the north, and though I had previously been convinced that it couldn't possibly rain in Rome, it did just that. We walked through the drizzle back towards the metro station and when the rain picked up, we ducked inside a tiny restaurant on one of the side streets and decided to have some dinner.

Let me tell you, this pizza was fantastic.

Our classic margherita pizza.
The pizzas were huge, so most of us split one between two people.

Olive oil literally oozed from the pizza all over our hands, but after a long day of walking in the heat, it was somehow the perfect meal to satisfy our hunger. By the time we finished eating, the rain ceased and we made it back to the metro and eventually back to our hotel.