Day 5 - July 6

The Straw Market - Loggia del Mercato Nuovo or also known as Loggia del Porcellino was one of the first places that Sheena and I found.  It is a market area that has been around since the 16th century.  It was an area where straw was bought and turned into products like hats.  The merchant guild of the time had it made and were going to have statues in each side of the columns, but only three statues got made.  One of the notable features of the market is the Fontana del Porcellino (Fountain of the Pig).  It is a bronze statue of a pig (actually it’s a replica of the original which is in the Museo Stefano Bardini).  If you rub its nose, it is meant to bring you good luck.
So we thought that Rome was a bit of a maze, but it is nothing compared to Florence.  The streets are narrow and full of people.  You will be walking in this narrow street and moving around a street artist, when all of a sudden the street will open into a piazza with a replica of David. So the actual statue of David is in the Galleria Dell’Accademia, but there is a replica of it in front of Palazzo Vecchio.
The last picture for this post is just a night shot down the street from our hotel.  Our hotel is right in front of the Duomo – the large dome cathedral you see in all the pictures of Florence.

Day 4 - July 5

We had a big day on July 5th.  We went to the Colosseum.  Then we did the Capitol Hill and the Pantheon.  Here are some pictures from that day.  It was fun to see some weddings happening too.

Day 3 – July 4

Part 1: Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel

		Sheena and I found a great little cafe about two doors away.   We had a quick cappuccino and a croissant before we started our day of sightseeing. If you get the opportunity, to visit Rome I would suggest you think about getting an Omnia Pass.  It is expensive (€90) but the people were helpful in setting things up for Sheena and me.
It gave us access to Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel without waiting in huge lines.   With Sheena's bad ankle, she couldn't stand for long.  The Omnia Pass allowed us to get places fast with the Hop-On Hop-Off bus too.  We are able to cruise around Rome and see what we wanted to do.   There are two catches with the Omnia Pass.  First, it only lasts for three days from when you go to the first site.  Second, some sites are closed on Sunday (like St. Peter's Basilica) so if your Omnia Pass falls on one of those days, you might lose out on the benefit of having it.
		The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel were amazing to tour.  We saw one of Michelangelo's Pietas.  A pieta is a statue of the crucified Jesus in Mary's arms.  It is a famous pose and I think Michelangelo made four in his life time. However, I think Sheena's favorite part of the tour was getting a wheelchair and riding the lift - especially the hike we had to take to get from St. Peter's Square to the entrance of the Vatican Museum.  It was pretty hard on her.
Have to give Crystal Bigalky a shout out for letting us use her "boot" or "da Boot" as we have been calling it.  I think "da Boot" has made this vacation possible for recovering broken ankle Sheena.