Steve & Bev Atkinson's Travels in Italy & Holland in April, 2013

We start things off right by enjoying some of that wonderful Italian gelato at a stand at the top of the Spanish Steps. Bev's choice: pistachio, of course.

The Spanish Steps, with Trinita dei Monti at the top. This is a relatively thin crowd as we were not there during the high season.

The Keats-Shelley Memorial House at the bottom of the steps, where John Keats died in 1821.

The house is now a museum honoring English Romantic poets.

View from the top of the steps: the farthest dome on the horizon is that of St. Peter's.

Interior of the 16th Century Trinita dei Monti.

Cafe Greco on the Via Condotti, just off the Piazza di Spagna, a meeting place for writers and musicians since the 18th Century.

We made like typical American tourists and checked out the interior without buying anything. That seemed to be acceptable, but our guide said that using the restroom in a bar or restaurant without spending at least a little money was considered a breach of etiquette. Good to know since public restrooms were few and far between - go easy on the cappuccinos.

Photo of a gathering of of literary lights of a bygone era at the Greco.

We tried some roasted chestnuts out of curiosity since Hemingway mentioned them in one or more places. Our verdict: much like warm soggy wood.

Papal coat of arms crowning the Trevi Fountain - reminders of the centuries of the worldly power of the popes are everywhere in Rome.

Tourists at the Trevi.

Neptune presides over his realm - a trivia question: what is the name of the Roman girl in the second story relief showing the spring to parched soldiers? Answer: Trivia.

Santa Maria della Concezione on the Via Veneto, where we visited the above-ground catacombs containing a number of sculptures made from the bones of about 4,000 Capuchin monks. Tempus fugit - memento mori.

The Via Veneto was known as the main street of La Dolce Vita in mid-20th Century Rome. The contrast with the Capuchin church seemed strange at first, but we were to learn that this coexistence of the worldly and the sacred is characteristically Italian.

Some cafes on the Veneto still boast of the celebrities they have hosted over the years.

The entire city is really a museum and we tried to remember to look up: plaque on the Via del Corso commemorating a building where Shelley wrote.

Piazza Colonna, with the monument to Marcus Aurelius. Most of the Roman columns in the city, as well as the imported Egyptian obelisks, were eventually crowned with Christian statues or symbols. This one features a statue of St. Paul from the 16th Century.

The entire column is covered with reliefs commemorating Roman victories over the "barbarians."

Colosseum by night

St. Peter's

Morning in the Piazza Navona, a magnificent Baroque environment featuring no less than three important fountains and a huge obelisk, this one topped with a dove bearing an olive branch.

Fontana del Moro, at the southern end of the piazza.

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, a Bernini masterpiece that also provides the base for the Egyptian obelisk. The river god of the Danube, on the left, touches the papal coat of arms since it is the nearest of the four to Rome. The Ganges holds an oar, symbolizing that river's ease of navigation.

The Rio de la Plata sits atop a treasure chest, the wealth of precious metals from the New World. But he is startled by a serpent, symbol of the temptation to covetousness that all too often accompanies riches.

The Nile conceals his face, for the source of that great river was not yet known in the 17th Century. Sant' Agnese in Agone is behind the fountain.

Artists setting up their easels and displays in the morning light.

Fountain of Neptune at the northern end.

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Neptune asserts his dominance of the oceans by battling an octopus, while his daughters, the Nereids, gleefully subdue and ride less intimidating creatures of the sea. There are also a few Cupids thrown in just for good measure.

The Pantheon is the most intact of the ancient Roman structures and its colossal dome, here hidden by the portico, is a wonder to behold.

The venerable temple has been a Christian church since the 7th Century.

The oculus provides the only source of light.

The lavishly appointed Sant' Ignazio di Loyola is perhaps the boldest architectural statement of the Counter-Reformation.

The trompe l'oeil, or illusionistic, ceiling invites the viewer to gaze up into a portal to Heaven opened by the missionary efforts of the Jesuits.

Saint Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus.

Bev tries to decide which of the inviting pastries to sample.

Colosseum

The magnificence of this structure was tempered somewhat for me by the thought of all the people and animals who suffered here to provide entertainment for the Roman masses.

Arch of Constantine.

And then the Forum, with all the thoughts of the glory of ancient Rome followed by its decline and fall.

Arch of Septimius Severus, with one of the chariots of the Victor Emmanuel Monument visible above it.

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, now a part of San Lorenzo in Miranda.

Arch of Titus

Relief on the interior of the arch commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The great menorah from the temple is clearly visible.

Dome of St. Peter's, designed by Michelangelo.

Roman mosaic in the Vatican Museums.

Roman statue of Hercules.

Diana prepares to draw an arrow from her quiver while her faithful companion stands alert by her side.

The Gallery of Maps has renderings of the topography of Italy along the walls, but the main attraction for me was the incredibly detailed ceiling art, much of it painted in the illusionistic style to give the effect of reliefs.

Domine, Quo Vadis? Then we visited the Sistine Chapel where no photos or talking is allowed. There are monitors there whose only function seems to be to hiss at whisperers. - strange job description.