Fontana de Trevi (Trevi Fountain)

This beautiful fountain is the very end of the Aqua Virgo, an aqueduct constructed in 19 BC. It provides water to all the fountains in the center of Rome.









The legend about Trevi Fountain is that if you stand with your back to it and throw a coin over your shoulder, you will return to Rome. You can see that I am really hoping for that! (I was also hoping not to hit a tourist with my coin, because it was so crowded that I couldn't get close to the fountain).

High School Choir in Rome

Oh yes, and the kids did sing while we were there! In fact, they rehearsed for most of the day on Wednesday and Thursday in order to perform on Friday. The choir was composed of our kids from Tunis as well as an international school choir from Lisbon (Portugal) and Rome. The director from Lisbon worked with the kids all week and the result was fabulous. Stay tuned to hear a clip from YouTube in a few days when I figure out how to do it.

Colosseum

Can you believe that construction started on this building in AD 72? (For all you Blazer fans - the whole "Colosseum" idea didn't start in Portland).


















GLADIATORS....although I don't think that the real Gladiators were quite so affectionate.

















Look closely at this photo and you can see the hundreds of tourists on the second level of the building. Pretty amazing!

Pantheon

The Pantheon was built over 1800 years ago, but it still stands in the center of Rome. I loved the juxtapositioning of the Pantheon with modern day Rome surrounding it. We were walking down a busy street when the building seemed to appear out of nowhere!

Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica

I've been helping with the choir at ACST, and this week, the students performed at an invitational choir festival in Rome. We toured Vatican City and saw St. Peters, the largest church in the world. Did you know that Vatican City isthe smallest "city-state" in the world? Enclosed by Rome, this state has an area of less than one mile, and a population of 800 (made up of guards, nuns, priests, and the pope). Inside the city, there is the famous St. Peter's square, the church, the tombs of the popes including John Paul II, the art museum, Michelangelo's dome, and dozens of post office boxes! Rain or shine, this sight alone was worth the trip to Rome.

St. Peter's Basilica














We were prepared for all weather!