Rome + Louis Vuitton = True Love

On day two in Rome, we woke up to a beautiful sunny day and were ready to go exploring!  It had been so hot in Sorrento that we were expecting to melt in Rome.  Thankfully, the weather was super pleasant our entire stay.....highs in the 80's.  

One of the stops on our tour the night before was the Pantheon but we didn't go inside.  That was our first stop today!  The Pantheon was first built as a pagan temple then converted to a church and dedicated to Saint Mary and the Martyrs in 126 AD.  It was humbling - to say the least! - to walk through the doors of a structure built almost 2000 years ago.  

Each of the columns in front are carved from a single slab of granite.  We thought that was pretty dang impressive until we walked inside.  We looked up and were completely awed! :)

The hole in the ceiling is called an oculus and is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.  The Pantheon is not air-conditioned or heated and the "eye" stays open year-round.  

After our quick tour, we walked out and saw these characters standing around posing for autographs.  

We hadn't gotten the chance to explore the Villa Borghese our first day in town so we decided to take a stroll.  I know these posts are full of adjectives like "amazing" and "incredible" and "gorgeous" but I just can't help it.  This stuff really gets me!  The idea that there is a history or story behind each piece makes the statues/monuments so dang interesting.  

On the other size of the park, we wandered up a few steps and this was the sight before us.  I mean, come on!  Rome in all it's stunning glory.  Jim and I were both so overwhelmed that we just stared.

One of the Roman Emperor's guest houses inside the gardens......

Another random gargoyle door knocker (I know I'm weird but they were everywhere!)....

The American Embassy was just down the block from our hotel.  The embassy took up an entire city block and included the government offices as well as the living quarters of the government officials.  

It was oddly comforting to see our flag waving in front of a building so close to our hotel.  This was the night of the attacks in Paris so we took all the comfort we could get.  

Another Roman basilica.....

How incredibly beautiful is this?!  There were churches like this everywhere you looked.....one just as intricate as the next.  You can't help but feel close to Heaven in a place like this.  We were finishing up our tour just as mass started.  The organ music literally caused goose bumps.  The clergyman spoke only Latin but it didn't matter.  You could just feel God here.  

The main areas we had explored in Rome were in the shape of a barbell.  Piazza Spagna was at one end and the Piazza Navona at the other.  More on the Piazza Navona (and our Italian serenade) later.  The barbell "handle" was a street named Via Condotti.  

Via Condotti was about a mile long, made up of cobblestone and packed with some of the most expensive shopping in the world.  Stores like Cartier, Tiffany's, Gucci and Prada stood right next to stores like Foot Locker and Victoria's Secret.  It wasn't unusual to see limousines parked in front of the stores waiting for their shoppers to load up their goodies.  

Our first stop was the Ferragamo store....because you cannot visit Italy without taking home Italian loafers (or so my husband tells me!).  Jim got a pair of shoes that were sinfully soft and these super sexy shades.  :)

Then we hit the mother lode! :)

This, my friends, is a 50 ft wall of true love!!  Whisper the words Louis Vuitton in my ear and I'm yours for life.  Lol!!  :)

We actually went into the King Louis (ha!) store yesterday but I got so overwhelmed, I had to leave and come back today.  This is a big decision for me and comes with a lot of pressure!! 

I have to confess that I'm a pretty fast shopper.  I know within a few minutes what/if I'm going to buy anything in a store.  My husband, on the other hand, takes his slow sweet time.  :)  In fact, I picked out/tried on/decided to buy these adorable ballerina flats (above) and the purse of my dreams all while Jim was considering his watch options (below).  

I love the picture below!  Haha.....Jim was wound as tight as a drum and in full bodyguard mode while carrying those bags!!  

We left the store with a lighter wallet but much fuller hearts.  :)

Rome - The Eternal City

After a quick drive North out of Sorrento, we rolled into the Eternal City.  

*sigh*

When Jim & I booked our vacation, we planned the first half to be super relaxing (Jim's idea of a vacation) then the last part to be full of sight-seeing and history (my idea of a vacation).  

Win/win! :)

This is waiting for us in our hotel room when we arrived.  I've said it before but it's worth repeating......no one books travel like my husband does!!

My road-weary traveler......

Rome is a HUGE city with almost 3 million people.  We booked a hotel that backed up to Villa Borghese.....a gorgeous park in the northern part of the city.  

This area was initially part of the emperor's palace and gardens.  It is almost completely surrounded by this extensive stone wall.  Seriously......it was breath-taking!  These pictures don't do it justice.   

We quickly unpacked then headed out to see the sights.  We stepped out of the hotel, looked up and down the street then back at each other with complete awe.  

WE WERE IN ROME, PEOPLE!!!

Stunning architecture and designs everywhere you looked.  I couldn't take pictures fast enough!  

I planned to blog all these wonderful historical facts about the city and it's unbelievable art.  And I tried to soak it all in.....I really did.  Then I would get side-tracked by a super intricate door knocker (below).  

I finally just gave up on all the background facts and walked around like a gawker.  :)

We had prearranged to take a tour on our first night in Rome to get the lay of the land.  The tour hit the highlights of the city at dusk.  It sounded way too incredible to pass up.  

Just an American couple waiting for their tour.  

The tour met in Piazza Spagna (The Spanish Square) at the base of the Spanish Steps.  

The Spanish Steps were under construction but goodness gracious.....check them out!!  135 steps leading to one of the most gorgeous churches I've ever seen.  For you movie buffs, this is where Roman Holiday was filmed.  

Our tour guide was fantastic!  He was an American expat who moved to Italy five years ago to study and could never convince himself to leave.  

The Fontana della Barcaccia ("Fountain of the ugly boat") was located at the base of the Spanish Steps.  The water coming out of this fountain is completely sanitary and drinkable.  Once it gathers around the fountain, not so much.  We saw several people refilling water bottles from those spouts.  

On the other end of the square was the Spanish embassy.  This guard was not messing around!  He had a fully loaded semi-automatic and would not allow his photo to be taken.  We had to wait until he looked away.  :)

Directly in front of the Spanish embassy was the Colonna della Immacolata (Column of the Immaculate Conception).  Here's a fact that I did not know:  The "immaculate conception" does not refer to the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary.  It is the conception of MARY in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne.  God kept her soul "immaculate" in preparation for the birth of Jesus.  Our tour was full of really cool tidbits like that.  

That's the Virgin Mary on top of the statue.....

---- and statues of prophets at the base.  

The tour guide was bending our ear with awesome facts/history until we came to a random intersection.  He stopped our tour and prepared us for what was located right around the corner.  

The Trevi Fountain literally took our breath away.  I know that sounds hokey but y'all.....it gave us chills!  It is HUGE (86 ft tall and 161 ft wide).

Check that out!!!

To make sure your wish comes true, you must toss your coin using your right hand over your left shoulder (crossing your heart).  

Fun fact:  Over 3000 euro coins are tossed into the fountain daily.  The city uses the money from the fountain to fund a supermarket for the low-income families of the city.  (Yep, I've got the geeky mind that loves those kinds of random facts!!)

At the end of the tour, we came across this tiny church tucked away.  We walked in right off the street and saw this.....

Those Catholics know how to build a church!!!  :)

OK, so I know that picture overload but I really did edit.....trust me, I edited a lot!  I'm laughing as I type this because - even after all my editing - I'm still looking at 10 posts just about Italy.  

Truly the trip of a lifetime! :)