day 7

Day 7 was definitely our most random day in Rome. We started out going to St. Peter in Chains Basilica, which holds the chains that allegedly held Peter when he was in prison. It also has Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. It’s a rather unassuming basilica (I would have walked right by it if I hadn’t been looking for it), but it’s a pretty cool place. It’s also one of the oldest basilicas in Rome.
We also went to the Spanish steps (not as cool as I’d hoped) and Trevi Fountain (WAY more crowded than I’d hoped), as well as Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. The Spanish steps were quite grand, but there was some construction being done on them, so it was hard to get good pictures. That made me a little sad… but it was still a really neat place. After taking some pictures on the stairs (and getting some cash at a nearby ATM), we headed up Via Condotti to leave. Via Condotti is home to some of the highest-end shopping in the world. It definitely put the Champs Elysses to shame. We passed Burberry, Bulgari, Jimmy Choo, Cartier, Fendi, Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Hermes, Armani, Louis Vuitton… probably more. It was a long street… and I felt poor on it! Anyway, then we attempted to go to the Mausoleum of Augustus. TOTALLY underwhelming. It was inaccessible to the public, had orange construction netting surrounding it, and had trash scattered around it. I was actually angry that I’d walked that far to see that. Ha. Anyway, then went to the Pantheon, which was a pretty amazing place. The technology/architecture was so advanced. It was such a neat thing to see. We actually ate lunch in the piazza there in front of the Pantheon… and then we got gelato. Fabulous! After that, we went to Piazza Navona to see the Fountain of Neptune and then to Trevi Fountain, which was SO packed with people. We had to elbow our way down to the front, and even then, we had to stand off to the side to take our pictures. After that, we headed back to the hotel to rest (we were completely exhausted)… and then we ventured out that tonight to get the tiramisu I’d read so much about. It took us so long to get there that we ended up eating just tiramisu for dinner that night!