Rome 2, Italy - Wander the Planet .net

ROME (CONT.), ITALY

General Info	Rome	The Colosseum
More Historic Rome	Vatican City	St. Peter's Basilica
Vatican Museums	Sistine Chapel	More Photos

TRASTEVERE

Trastevere is a cool area located on the west bank of the Tiber. Is is situated around the Piazza di Santa Maria, a square surrounded by restaurants and bars, and the church of Santa Maria. The neighborhoods have narrow streets and medieval houses. There are several colleges here, so there is a large student population as well. There also seemed to be a bohemian/alternative vibe at night which made it a fun place for dinner.

You can walk to Trastevere from Campo dei Fiori over the pedestrian bridge, Ponte Sisto. We stopped off for lunch and I had pizza and gelato from a place across the street. Yummm! Let's just say it wasn't the last pizza or gelato I got during my stay in Rome. Though I should have been more adventurous with my gelato flavors, I tended to stick with varieties of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla.

SPANISH STEPS

The Spanish Steps consists of 137 steps over twelve different flights.At the bottom of the Spanish Steps is the Piazza di Spagna or Spanish square. The long, triangular square is named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. In the 17th century, the area around the embassy was even considered Spanish territory.

We took the metro from the Termini to the Spagna station. You can exit the station at the bottom of the stairs or take elevator up and exit near the church.

Apparently it is illegal for street vendors to sell on the stairs. As we arrived, we saw all the vendors pack up quickly and run off past the church as police arrived. It was funny because a woman was trying to buy a purse but they packed up and didn't finish the sale - she was running after them and yelling (sounded like cursing).

Trinità dei Monti We sat on the steps for about an hour people watching. There were pretty much just local teenage couples and tourists.

The Trinità dei Monti is a French church located on top of the Spanish Steps. The gothic church with a renaissance facade has two bell-towers. Inside, several paintings decorate the different chapels - two of them being works by Daniele da Volterra, a pupil of Michelangelo. The obelisk just in front of the church was originally located in the Gardens of Sallust. But in 1788, it was moved to its current location on request of pope Pius VI. The hieroglyphs were copied from the obelisk on the Piazza del Popolo.

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