Day 5: Last day in Rome (insert frowny face here!) Borghese Gallery, Piazza della Popolo, Spanish Steps, Capuchin Crypt, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Trevi Fountain. If you are going to the Borghese Gallery, you MUST have a reservation before you go as it is usually sold out during the summer. Betty and I took a bus to where I thought the gallery was located but no....I only had 1/2 the name of the stop right and we ended up near the British Embassy about a 10 minute walk away! That doesn't seem like much time but when you don't know where you are and have a specific entrance time you can't miss, you start to panic! We asked the guards at the embassy where we were and how to get to where we wanted to go, thinking that naturally they spoke english...but they were Italian soldiers and only spoke some english but it was enough for us to get on our way. (odd, wot?)
Overlooking the "Twins" and St. Peter's Basilica
Piazza della Popolo with Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto (the "Twins") and Ramesses II obelisk
One of the things that I wanted to in Rome was to find the sculptures and fountains that were in the movie "Angels and Demons". Santa Maria del Popolo is located in this piazza and has several Bernini sculptures shown in the movie - naturally, the church was closed when we got there and wouldn't open for another 4 hours. We continued on our walking journey past the Spanish Steps to another church named Santa Maria (della Immacolata Concezione) where there are Capuchin Crypts below that have bones displayed as art. We then walked to another church in the movie, Santa Maria della Vittoria, to find Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. We finished the day at the Trevi Fountain where we each made a wish of course!
Spanish Steps
Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
Trevi Fountain at dusk just as the lights came on!