Trevi Fountain and The Return Home

Later that evening we visited the Trevi Fountain. Designed by Nicola Salvi and completed in 1762, it is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome.

We all took turns tossing a coin over our shoulder to ensure our return.

Mom and dad.

We had our final dinner in Rome at Enoteca Barberini. I had the pasta with tomato and mozzarella sauce.

Liz had a delightful caprese salad.

The next morning we were up early to catch our flight back home.

The sunrise on the way to the airport.

Our flight back home took us over the incredible Swiss Alps. 

Flying over Zurich and its beautiful lake.

Campo de’ Fiori

After visiting the glorious St. Peter’s Basilica we headed to the earthly garden that is Campo de’ Fiori market. Back in the Middle Ages the area was a meadow and the name Campo de’ Fiori translates to “field of flowers.” 

The market has been operating since 1869. 

Treating myself to some fresh squeezed pomegranate juice.

Liz (towards the right) checking out the produce.

Jenny enjoying the flowers and a vendor’s adorable little black dog.

 Vibrant produce on display.

At the center of the square is a statue of Giordano Bruno. He was born in Naples in 1548 and had become a Dominican Friar in his early twenties. He was interested in forbidden books and became controversial for his free thinking. When it was discovered he was hiding a copy of the banned writings of Erasmus, he fled Naples and traveled around Europe for a number of years. Having a fantastic memory and a keen intellect, he published several books and even gained the patronage of King Henry III of France. 

He was most known for his cosmology and the belief that stars were distant suns surrounded by other plants that may contain life. He wrote that other planets “have no less virtue nor a nature different from that of our Earth” and similarly, “contain animals and inhabitants”.

He came back to Italy and was turned over to the Roman Inquisition for accusations of heresy, blasphemy, and immoral conduct. He refused to recant and was burned alive at the stake at Campo de’ Fiori on February 17th, 1600. 

His contributions to modern science are still controversial, as he seems to stand on the threshold between the old ways of thinking and the beginnings of modern intellectualism. Many still regard him as symbol of free thought and a martyr of science. The statue was dedicated in his memory by sculptor Ettore Ferrari in 1889. 

Zucchini flowers.

This vendor displaying piles of sliced vegetables.

All the colorful tomatoes.

Dad with his fresh squeezed mango juice.

Dad’s and my shadow cast over the bouquets of flowers.

A flower vendor crafting beautiful bouquets.

Mom and Jenny. 

Mom, dad, and Jenny.

Jenny and dad (towards the left).

We ate lunch at Cantina & Cucina. I got the Tonnarello Cacio e Pepe, and we also got fried artichoke to share. Jenny’s tomato and pasta is on the top right.

St. Peter’s Basilica

We started our next day early to visit St. Peter’s Basilica at The Vatican.

Mom and dad.

The entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica.

Looking back out over St. Peter’s Square.

The vestibule ceiling. 

The breathtaking view upon entering St. Peter’s Basilica. 

Mom, Jenny, and Liz (to the left) admiring Michelangelo’s Pietà. This remarkable and emotive piece was completed in 1500, when he was 23 years old.

Liz and dad.

St. Peter’s Alter, the incredible bronze canopy built by Bernini, marking the tomb of St. Peter. St. Peter was one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He became one of the leaders of the early Christian church and traveled to Rome where he was eventually ordered to be executed. He felt that he was unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus and he requested to be crucified upside down. 

Over time the sight of his burial became a place of worship, eventually culminating in the building of St. Peter’s Basilica as we know it today. According to the Bible, Jesus said “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”. Christians consider St. Peter to be the first pope and believe that he was given the keys to heaven. The symbol of keys can be found throughout The Vatican. 

Looking back towards the entrance.

Monumental sculptures dedicated to previous popes.

There were even works of art in the marble floor.

It was hard to capture just how vast the interior was, and how every inch was a work of art in and of itself.

Looking up at St. Peter’s Alter.

St. Peter’s keys alongside three bees; a symbol of the Barberini family of which Pope Urban VIII was a member.

Cathedral Petri by Bernini.

The Alter of The Sacred Heart of Jesus. Although it looks like a painting this is actually an enormous mosaic made of countless tiny pieces. Such incredible art and craftsmanship.

The Alter of St. Leo The Great. 

A detail of The Tomb of Pope Alexander VII. The female representation of Truth rests her foot on the globe. This piece was made by Bernini and his assistants and was one of his last major commissions before his death. It is made entirely of different stones but the skin, hair, and fabric all look soft and believable. It is astonishing to imagine the level of skill it took to create. 

A small service taking place in one of the chapels inside the basilica.

A worker on a scaffold restoring one of the mosaics.

A beautiful dome with a dove at its center.

Mom, myself, and Jenny.

St. Peter’s Basilica with a statue of St. Peter holding the keys to heaven. 

Jenny mailing a post card from The Vatican post office.

A niche on the exterior wall of a building celebrating The Virgin Mary.

Liz and mom stretching their legs before we head to our next destination.