Sunset over Rome

It is hard to believe that a week has passed.  But we feel that we have seen most of the major sites of Rome.  For our final full day in Rome, we ran some errands and then caught the Metro downtown.  We walked to a castle built by the Emperor Hadrian.  After it was abandoned and fell into disrepair, the church took it over and it became a residence for the pope.

This imposing structure is situated downtown in Rome, alongside the Tiber River.  We walked through the castle admiring its many decorative rooms.  There were some that had been restored to their former beauty.  Others were now serving as locations for traveling historical displays.  In one such room, we learned about the Italian patriot, Garibaldi and his family.

As we continued toward the top, it occurred to us that we had picked the ideal time to visit the castle.  It was late afternoon.  The sun was beginning to set and the view from the top was magnificient.  We watched the sun set and the lights of the city illuminate.  It was wonderful.

Beside is a view of St. Peter's Basilica from the top of the castle.  You can see that the sun is going down and the sky is taking on a soft pink and purple tinge. 

To the right is a picture of the landscape of Rome.  The main structure in the back is a building that was constructed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Italian reunification and liberation.  Next year, 2011 will be the 150th year and celebrations have been planned to mark the occasion.

The view from the castle was the perfect way to end our week in Rome.  It was beautiful and romantic, like much of the city.  After we left the castle, we strolled alongside the Tiber River looking at the vendor stands.  As we crossed the river at one of the bridges we shot this photograph, once again of St. Peter's basilica.

We continued our walk through a few of the piazzas to do some people watching.  We finished the day with another great Italian dinner (I promise, the blog about the food is coming soon!). 


Now we are on our way to southern Italy, staying in Pompeii. 

Peace, my friends!