We stayed at the Hotel Imperiale while in Rome, which is quite central and leant itself to quick subway access and the opportunity to roam .. Rome. One of the challenges of travelling in Europe is that the hotels are old and often accommodate no more than 3 per room (Spain is notorious for this), which means 2 rooms. In this case, across from each other – which has not happened often – but was an interesting start.

We dropped everything and headed out the door. We had mapped a first day walking route, thanks to a tour book and an article on the plane which highlighted the ‘Top 10 things to see in Rome’ (good timing).The first stop was the Trevi Fountain, just beautiful:

In 1730 Pope Clement XII organized a contest in which Nicola Salvi initially lost to Alessandro Galilei — but due to the outcry in Rome over the fact that a Florentine won, Salvi was awarded the commission anyway.^[8] Work began in 1732, and the fountain was completed in 1762, long after Clement’s death, when Pietro Bracci‘s Oceanus (god of all water) was set in the central niche.

Salvi died in 1751, with his work half-finished, but before he went he made sure a stubborn barber’s unsightly sign would not spoil the ensemble, hiding it behind a sculpted vase, called by Romans the asso di coppe, "the "Ace of Cups".

The Trevi Fountain was finished in 1762 by Giuseppe Pannini, who substituted the present allegories for planned sculptures of Agrippa and "Trivia", the Roman virgin.

Walking through the city quickly gives you a feel for Rome, the cafes, the hustle and everywhere you look, amazing architecture. We headed east to the Temple Adrioano and then down to the Pantheon.

The Pantheon (pronounced /pænˈθiː.ən/ or /ˈpænθi.ən/,^[1] Latin: Pantheon,^{[nb 1]} from Greek: Πάνθεον, meaning "Every god") is a building in Rome, originally built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt in the early 2nd century AD. A near-contemporary writer, Cassius Dio, speculates that the name comes from the statues of many gods placed around the building, or from the resemblance of the dome to the heavens.^[2] The intended degree of inclusiveness of the dedication to "all" the gods is debated.^{[citation needed]} Since the French Revolution, when the church of Sainte-Geneviève, Paris, was deconsecrated and turned into a secular monument, the Panthéon, the generic term pantheon may be applied to any building in which illustrious dead are honoured or buried.^[1]

The building is circular with a portico of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment opening into the rotunda, under a coffered, concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) open to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon’s dome is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43.3 metres (142 ft).^[3] A rectangular structure links the portico with the rotunda. It is one of the best preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history. Since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs" but informally known as "Santa Maria Rotonda."^[4]

The plaza was busy, but not full. Many people enjoying the sun. How unique it must be to be to walk out of your apartment and lounge in front of the Pantheon …or it is probably like in England where people don’t really think about it, that is just the way it is. The building itself is spectacular. Personally, I found it interesting to walk in and see how the Christian symbols dominate a building built for non-Christian gods.

The entryway.

The tomb of the first king of Italy.

I cannot ascertain if this is Mary or another, but it is pretty good bet that it is Mary.

The people lounging in the glorious Roman sun around one of many obelisks removed from Egypt.

Canadians could learn from the European’s flair for color.

We sat and enjoyed a gelato beside the Pantheon (one of many this trip), although the pig head was a bit disconcerting (and for sale)

We continued our trek to the cat sanctuary.