Darth Wey Tour Around the World: Europe Tour 1st to 13th Nov 2013

All right, raise and shine....Today going to visit the place where gladiators fought for their master and how to stay alive each day is a luxury. Next on the list will be the smallest country in the world, the Vatican !!! And lastly, a place which collected millions of coins each year and constantly people are throwing coins each day..

Day 5 - 5 Nov 2013

From the map, one can see that today there will is going to be some distance to be covered. Abit strange why go down from Florence then up again right....Hmmm....

A - Hotel Alliance 2000

B - Colosseum

C - St Peter's Basilica

D - Trevi Fountain

E - Hotel Art Miro in Prato

Lucky we were already in Rome and the traveling to the first stop was not too far.

Shots while traveling to our first stop

The Colosseum !!!

The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium; Italian: Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo) is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and stone,it was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire, and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It is the largest amphitheatre in the world.

An amphitheater (ˈamfəˌTHēətər) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ἀμφιθέατρον (amphitheatron), from ἀμφί (amphi), meaning "on both sides" or "around"and θέατρον (théātron), meaning "place for viewing".

The first thing that greeted us

There will be a Italian tour guide for the visit to the Colosseum and while waiting I took a few pix of the locals and the various tour guides around. We also witnessed one protest that was about to start about some workers issues....Scary..

Some locals and some Chinese tourist...hehe

Some distance ruins

This section was rebuilt, noticed that the right portion do not have holes where the left got alot of holes

The Colosseum is made up of 7 ovals shape and due to a earthquake, section 7 and 6 were collapsed as can be seen here

The underneath of the Colosseum contained alot of gimmicks and traps for the gladiators and animals to spring up and fight. The sands used for the fights are a special type as well, one of it's properties is to quickly absorbed blood.

If you noticed the pillars, all got alot of holes, why? According to the tour guide, the pillars were stacked on top of each other and to align them, bronze or some precious metals were used to stable and guide them stacking on each other. After the Colosseum was abandoned, people chiseled into the pillars to dig out the metals. The bronze was used to construct another bronze pillar in another place that we are going to visit.

Some of the partial stones belonging to the Colosseum

Colosseum is currently being washed as some areas are very dark, tinted by the cars pollution

The Colosseum is supposed to be white as marble

Bidding farewell to the Colosseum, as we walked towards the bus, one can find alot of cosplay of Rome soldiers. As usual, taking pictures with them cost money !!!!

Interesting tree

Shots along the way to the next stop

The Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) also known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II) or "Il Vittoriano" is a controversial monument built in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy, located in Rome, Italy. It occupies a site between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill.
The eclectic structure was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1885; sculpture for it was parceled out to established sculptors all over Italy, such as Leonardo Bistolfi and Angelo Zanelli. It was inaugurated in 1911 and completed in 1925.

The monument is built of white marble from Botticino, Brescia, and features stairways, Corinthian columns, fountains, an equestrian sculpture of Victor Emmanuel and two statues of the goddess Victoria riding on quadrigas. The structure is 135 m (443 ft) wide and 70 m (230 ft) high. If the quadrigae and winged victories are included, the height is to 81 m (266 ft).

The base of the structure houses the museum of Italian Unification. In 2007, a panoramic elevator was added to the structure, allowing visitors to ride up to the roof for 360 degree views of Rome.

The monument holds the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame, built under the statue of Italy after World War I following an idea of General Giulio Douhet. The body of the unknown soldier was chosen on 26 October 1921 from among 11 unknown remains by Maria Bergamas, a woman from Gradisca d'Isonzo whose only child was killed during World War I. Her son's body was never recovered. The selected unknown was transferred from Aquileia, where the ceremony with Bergamas had taken place to Rome and buried in a state funeral on 4 November 1921.

The 2 flags balcony is where Benito Mussolini used to address the people

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (Italian pronunciation: [beˈnito mussoˈlini]; 29 July 1883 – 28 April 1945) was an Italian politician, journalist, and leader of the National Fascist Party, ruling the country as Prime Minister from 1922 until his ousting in 1943. He ruled constitutionally until 1925, when he dropped all pretense of democracy and set up a legal dictatorship.

Walking towards the smallest country in the world...

St Peter Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri; Italian: Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano) is a Late Renaissance church located within Vatican City.

Going to queue to go in

Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and remains one of the largest churches in the world. While it is neither the mother church of the Roman Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world"and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".

By Roman Catholic tradition, the basilica is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, also according to tradition, the first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St. Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the time of Constantine the Great. Construction of the present basilica, replacing the Old St. Peter's Basilica of the 4th century, began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.

St Peter's Square

The ceiling is full of life as well

The Holy door, open once every 25 years, once a person walks thru the door, it is believed that he/she is washed of all the sins. The back of the door is sealed in cement and only the existing Pope got the authority to open the door. The last opening was in 2000 and the next maybe in the year of 2025.

The door of death, this would be the door when the Pope passed away and carried out usage

The bronze that was taken to be built in the Basilica

Note the wordings are above 2 metres...Imagine the size of the Basilica

St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions. Because of its location in the Vatican, the Pope presides at a number of services throughout the year, drawing audiences of 15,000 to over 80,000 people, either within the Vatican Basilica, or in St. Peter's Square. St. Peter's has many strong historical associations, with the Early Christian church, the papacy, the Protestant Reformation and Counter-reformation, and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo.

The apse with St. Peter's Cathedra supported by four Doctors of the Church

This ancient statue of St. Peter, portrayed as he gives a blessing and preaches, while holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven is famous throughout the world. Some scholars have attributed it to Arnolfo di Cambio (1245-1302), but others believe that it is a V century casting.

Pilgrims who come to the Basilica traditionally touch and kiss its foot, so that it is literally worn thin. In the Middle Ages pilgrims who reached Rome, touched and kissed the foot of the statue and prayed to St. Peter asking that he be merciful and open the gates of heaven for them if they died during the pilgrimage.

The Pietà (1498–1499) is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. It is the first of a number of works of the same theme by the artist. The statue was commissioned for the French cardinal Jean de Billheres, who was a representative in Rome. The sculpture, in Carrara marble, was made for the cardinal's funeral monument, but was moved to its current location, the first chapel on the right as one enters the basilica, in the 18th century. It is the only piece Michelangelo ever signed.

This famous work of art depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion. The theme is of Northern origin, popular by that time in France but not yet in Italy. Michelangelo's interpretation of the Pietà is unique to the precedents. It is an important work as it balances the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty with naturalism.

As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age.St. Peter's is one of the four churches of Rome that hold the rank of Major Basilica. Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral as it is not the seat of a bishop; the cathedra of the Pope (as Bishop of Rome) is located in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.

The traditional Swiss Guards guarding Vatican

Swiss Guards are the Swiss soldiers who have served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards, and palace guards at foreign European courts since the late 15th century. Apart from household and guard units, regular Swiss mercenary regiments have served as line troops in various armies; notably those of France, Spain and Naples up to the 19th century (see Swiss Mercenaries).

In contemporary usage, the name Swiss Guard generally refers to the Pontifical Swiss Guard of the Holy See.

The top row, 2nd window from the right is where the Pope will conduct his audience every Wednesday

The central balcony is where the new Pope is announced and meet the people for the first time or the Pope will address the people in St Peter's Square once every year.

With afternoon approaching, we made our way to our lunch venue, today's lunch will be provided as last night dinner was on ourselves. As usual, lunch today was Chinese, the roast duck actually tasted very nice, Lizzy keeps asking if she could ordered somemore....hehehe

After lunch, we went to our final stop, the Trevi Fountain !.

Trevi Fountain (Italian: Fontana di Trevi) is a fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Pietro Bracci. Standing 26.3 metres (86 ft) high and 49.15 metres (161.3 ft) wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world. The fountain has appeared in several notable films, including Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita and is a popular tourist attraction.

Here's how to throw the coin into the fountain..

Don't anyway throw hor, it is supposed to be taking the coin in your right hand and throwing it across your left shoulder while back facing the fountain. One tossed to wish to come back to Rome, second tossed to find love and third tossed is to get marry in Rome.