# Svartmetall Tours ROME - 2014 08 14 - 2014 08 21



## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

*Welcome to Rome!*


After our trip in Paris, my wife, her Cousin and her Aunt took the TGV to Italy with the final destination of Rome on the horizon. I had wanted to visit Rome for quite a while, and was blessed with gorgeous weather every day that I spent in the city. Rome is a city, much like Paris, steeped in history. The scenery, architecture and cityscape were mind-blowing and the experience was one that I will remember for a long time. Rome was the perfect compliment to Paris for our trip.

So, first, we'll start with some shots of our journey from France to Italy.


Here we are, in the mountains near Lyon. 







Leaving our train at Milan Garibaldi station. We had to change trains here to the new Italian high speed train - Italo. 






A brief look at Milan Garibaldi Station. 










Stylish police. 






Trains near our (much more) classy train. The platforms at the station were not so nice. 





Our train, the Italo from Milan to Rome!








The stunning Tuscan landscapes whizzed past as we travelled at almost 300km/h.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

*Day One - Welcome to Rome!*

Arriving at Roma Tibertina station. 








We had to take a bus to Viale dei Parioli where we had rented an apartment to stay in. This was our first view of this most beautiful street. 





Many, many more to come from Rome. I hope you guys enjoy this city tour.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

*Day 2 - Walking around Rome*

To start - our apartment in the centre of a block. 








Down Viale dei Parioli. It's a truly beautiful tree-lined street. 















A fancy restaurant was right outside our apartment block. 








Ambulance! 







Acqua Acetosa station on the Roma Nord line. 










The trains were.... Interesting from this station. 














Our train arrived. 








Arrived at Flamino Station. 









We changed to the metro (line A). 













We got off the train at Barberini. 












Time to tackle the city centre later.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Continuing to walk towards the Corso. 








The streets of Rome are really beautiful - even the most "ordinary" ones. 












Before skyscraper crowns, there were literal building crowns. 






Piazza di Spagna - we made it! 












The famous steps themselves. 










Horses waiting to take people on a tour. 






Looking towards our next destination. 






More up next.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Walking down some very fancy streets, we approach the Corso. 

Via dei Condotti. 






All the luxury brands hang out here. 
















San Carlo al Corso!








On the Corso! Time to take a walk (in the next set).


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Nice , although that train systems seems to leave a lot to be desired...


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Indeed. It's not very nice unfortunately, which is a real shame as the rest of the city is truly beautiful. Seriously, achingly beautiful. It's let down by its public transport, though.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos also from Rome :cheers:


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## marlonbasman (Apr 21, 2012)

charming photo collection of Rome.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Thank you everyone for your comments.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Onwards on Via del Corso!

Looking back up to the church. 






The road is lined with shops and beautiful buildings. 






But it also possesses amazing details like these lights. 






It's also incredibly dense in this area. 






Yet it can also feel very spacious. 








Though it does have some obvious commercialism. 






It's still an absolute beauty to behold. 








More to come.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Continuing down the Corso. 





Palazzo Montecitorio.






Continuing down the Corso.






Now that's what you call a mini bus!






Just in case I get lost. I love the street signs in central Rome. 






Commercialism. 







Near one of the famous plazas. 







Colonna di Marco Aurelio










And the associated square at the column. 










The plaza. 






More to come.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Continuing along the Corso. 






Taking a walk through the side streets towards Il Tempio di Adriano.








Il Tempio di Adriano. 










Back towards the Corso. 










This is a fantastic light. 






Back at the Corso again. 








Beautiful courtyard in one of the buildings we came across. 








Getting close to our next destination. 







Next up, Altare della Patria.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Rome is stunning. I never get tired of looking at photos from there. I've been there twice but would love to go again. Fantastic place.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ Thank you! Glad you're enjoying them!


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

So here we are, at the famous Altare della Patria! 










And its surroundings. 












More later.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Continuing with the ruins around the Altare della Patria. 








The excavations are quite extensive. 






Looking back to the Altare. I really love this style of tree. 








More of the ruins of old Rome. 








More to come!


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## D.Iv (Dec 27, 2010)

I love Rome! My favorite city in the whole world. I have been twice in this gorgeous capital and it is deep inside my hearth. 

Congratulations for the pictures, really nice point of view. They have reminded me my steps throw the eternal city. 
Waiting for more.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Thank you! I am glad you're enjoying them! Rome has an enviable climate, beautiful old buildings and a generally interesting cityscape. It's definitely a nice place to visit.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Next - Basilica Ulpia video. 









Foro di Augusto. 







The foro. 








General street scene. The roads in this area were really nice to stroll around. 






Disappearing up the side streets. 











One of the museums to view the ruins. Too many free ruins to be held up by paying. 






Walking back to the main square. 








Seagull posed at the ruins. 






Foro di Nerva. 




















Some of the general streetscape. 








Guess where we're off to next?






Yep, one of the "big sights" is coming up next.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Continuing with the walk to the Vatican. You get some impressive views of the river in this area. 








Over the river to the other bank. 







Castel Sant'Angelo grounds. 









The entrance to the Vatican. 









One of the oddities that I noticed - the Republic of China!






Walking towards the Basilica. 






The backstreets are very dense. 







Here we are, the main square.






Next set we explore the Basilica.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

I take it you did not burst into flames as you entered the Vatican? :lol:

Great photos of Rome by the way.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

I half expected to! But no Church has managed to have that effect on me yet. 

Thanks for the comment and glad you're enjoying them.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

We start proceedings with a panorama of the Square of Saint Peter. 















And the basilica itself. 







Details on the clocks. 








Ever watchful.







But the city can tower over. 







Back to the square as we head in.







Ever watchful, ever colourful!








Thankfully the queues were not bad today!







One last look at the exterior before we head in. 







Next - we go in!


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Ceiling at the entrance. 







The doors alone are imposing!










Another ceiling. 






Inner courtyard - we're getting ready to head up to the cupola. 






Half way up!






Little plaza before heading up to the dome. 











Interior walkway let us get a nice view of the main dome interior. 








Down to the main Cathedral. 







More to come!


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Some views on our way up!










The conditions for ascending the dome are not for the faint-hearted, or at least not for the claustrophobic! 







We made it to the top! Here are some videos I took of the view across Rome as well as the view inside the walls of the Vatican itself. 


























Inside the Vatican.










More to come.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Also great, very nice updates from Rome :cheers:


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## DarkLite (Dec 31, 2004)

One of the best panoramic views of Rome I have seen are in this thread. Very nice job, the visit to the Cathedral was very worth it.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Thank you very much, both of you!


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Time to continue.

We start off back at the bottom of the dome, on the roof of the main building. 






Still some impressive views. 









Looking down one of the light portals. 







Right down to one of the domes of the Cathedral. 






The dome is very impressive. 






Taking a look across the rest of the Vatican. 








We start walking down to the main Basilica now, but along the walls is quite an impressive history...









And we're here, and we're greeted with this sight. 







More to come of the interior.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Your pictures have got me so excited for my upcoming visit to Rome; it is almost overwhelming.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ Thank you for your kind words! I really like Rome. It's a stunningly beautiful city, but the transport system lets it down a bit unfortunately. If you can cope with a slower pace and a bit of frustration, then it is an incredibly rewarding destination. Really enjoyed myself.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Svartmetall said:


> ^^ Thank you for your kind words! I really like Rome. It's a stunningly beautiful city, but the transport system lets it down a bit unfortunately. If you can cope with a slower pace and a bit of frustration, then it is an incredibly rewarding destination. Really enjoyed myself.


It's a good job that I just love walking.....My favourite transportation system..... :cheers:


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ A very good thing, just watch out for the traffic, it can be a bit unforgiving. Other than that, Rome is amazing for walking around - always something to see!


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Here we go, the interior of the Basilica. 


















The tomb of St Paul I believe. Here is where his remains are. 














More to come.


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## DWest (Dec 3, 2009)

splendid shots.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Thank you very much!  Hope you enjoy the rest.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

We start this set with a video of the interior of the Basilica. It's really very impressive, and I think a set of videos captures the look of the interior better than the photos. 





















The domes are one of the most impressive things of all. 


















And the statues of course. 












Time to leave for now. 







More to come.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Awesome, very nice updates also from Vatican city :cheers:


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Did you visit The Borghese gardens?


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

No I didn't. Unfortunately our time was very limited in Rome really (one week is just not enough) so we didn't have time.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

We continue just outside the Basilica. 







With one more look up at the monolithic structure. 








And the square. 







Just a little reminder that you are in a separate country. 






And we walk towards the city of Rome again. 








The view of the river and associated structures is really stunning. Here we look back to the fort. 








But there are also stunning statues/sculptures on the bridges too - this one is on Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II. 






Walking down Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.











More to come.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Continuing down Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.









I found the Australian embassy to the Vatican! 







Continuing again.















Typical varying roofline. 






Some very pretty buildings around here. 









As well as atmospheric back alleyways. 








Crowning glory. 







More to come.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

We arrive at the Pantheon in the centre of Rome. A former pagan temple converted to a Christian church! 







The square out front is quite nice too. 









Given the age of the original building (rebuilt in 126AD, but has existed on the site since 27BC) it is awe inspiring to be in its presence. 







The entrance. 












The interior - the oculus is impressive. 























More to come.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Can't wait. So impressive!


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ You should do, it's a fantastic city (and it, most importantly, has amazing weather)!


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Continuing outside the Pantheon.









History staring in your face. I loved this column. 







Back to the square at the front. 







It was heavily guarded. 









Final shot of the Pantheon.






Panorama of the square outside the Pantheon.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

I'm particularly looking forward to seeing the Pantheon. What time of year did you visit?


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Nearly all of these shots were taken in the second half of August (we arrived on the 14th of August) last year.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Did you find that lots of restaurants and shops were closed in August?


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

openlyJane said:


> Did you find that lots of restaurants and shops were closed in August?


No, actually. I expected it to be the case as I'd been warned everyone was on holiday, yet I found it to be okay. No different to Stockholm, which also has a slightly more limited offering during summer.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Rome is magical, although it does feel way too touristy these days.


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## charliewong90 (Nov 24, 2009)

spectacular city.....this is like one piece of a museum...


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## Limak11 (Apr 14, 2014)

Very good pics, thanks!


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Awesome, very nice updates from Rome :cheers:


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Glad you are all enjoying the photos. Thanks for the comments!


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Now to continue with the next set - walking from the Pantheon. 







Piazza Capranica







Piazza di Monte Citorio







Back to the square with the Colonna di Marco Aurelio. 







And impressive columns of a building (Palazzo Wedekind). 







Very narrow side streets. 







Parliament of Italy. 














Backstreets around Via del Corso. 













Cool and quirky shop. 







More to come.


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Very nice thread! I plan to go in June and that shows what to expect. Rome seems not only historically interesting, but also very beautiful. The only downside seems to be the very outdated train system.


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## Robi_damian (Jun 15, 2008)

Cool thread Svart! You often make cities that I have visited extensively seem cooler than they did to me when there. :lol:


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Nightsky said:


> Very nice thread! I plan to go in June and that shows what to expect. Rome seems not only historically interesting, but also very beautiful. The only downside seems to be the very outdated train system.


Indeed, Rome is incredibly beautiful and not only that, but possesses a very enviable climate and food scene (lots of tasty, fresh food everywhere). Where it falls down is the transport network, and that is very unfortunate. You can view my YouTube channel to see my full impressions of the network as I have a playlist dedicated to Rome Transport there (though I will also post them all in this thread too). 



Robi_damian said:


> Cool thread Svart! You often make cities that I have visited extensively seem cooler than they did to me when there. :lol:


Thanks! I just like showing every angle of the cities that I visit, both the good and the bad. Rome is an awesome destination and I really enjoyed my time there despite the occasional annoyances. The climate made up for it big time.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

So to continue with my Roman photos. 

Heading up the Piazza di Spagna.









The famous Spanish piazza. 









Up the Spanish steps. 






Buildings at the top of the steps. 











Looking back down to the piazza. 







Panorama from the top of the Spanish steps. 











My camera was running low on batteries so I didn't take photos of Spagna metro station, but we took line A from there towards Flaminio and switched to the Roma Nord lines. 









End of day three, more to come later.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

*Day 4 - A trip to the zoo!*

For our day four, we decided to take a break from sightseeing and actually go to the zoo, since it was so close to where we were staying. 

So first, we start off on a leisurely stroll down Viale Parioli. 














A wide roundabout. This was a little annoying to cross. 








But the street scenes are really nice in this area of Rome. 














A courtyard of an apartment block. 










Long, straight avenues. 








And lots of street trees. Rome is actually surprisingly green. 










And now we reach the entrance to the zoo!








More to come - of the zoo and it's residents.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

We continue with our tour of the zoo in Rome! This zoo was surprisingly nice (I thought). 

Entrance to the zoo. 






Our first exhibit. 









This wasn't in a cage, but out in the wild. I was lucky to get such a good snap of him! 







Some of the birds. 











And a couple of very cute guinea pigs! 









And a goat. 









And a forum member. 






Again, an uncaged example of wildlife. These wee lizards were everywhere in Rome. 







A couple of Japanese Macaques to round out this set. 








That'll do for now - more to come.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Continuing with this set of the zoo. More cute animals! The difficulty with these shots was that they were in cages behind chicken wire - so very fine wire. I had to try to get it so the wire blurred out so I had to do the shots on heavy zoom. Some came out well, some came out blurry.... So for that I apologise. 

Goat. 







Mr Cockatoo. 







This guy I have no idea what it is, but he was colourful!







Vulture. I really liked these shots. They were very photogenic. 









Some kind of ape, just hanging around. 






Emu. 







And goose. 







More to come (including Meerkats and Ring tails)!


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

How many days did you stay in Rome? I plan to stay for 5 days in the end of June, I hope that is enough. Nice that you made threads about China and Rome, the same places (almost) that I will visit/visited in 2015.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

I stayed for 7 days in Rome. One of those days was beach, and one was zoo, so it's not like we went too crazy while there. 5 days will be enough to see the "big sights" I think. Weather was perfect!

Glad you're enjoying all the threads, too.


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## capricorn2000 (Nov 30, 2006)

nice... I'm amused by the animals in the zoo like the ears of the goat.


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## El_Greco (Apr 1, 2005)

Excellent updates!


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Continuing on after a rather long sojourn. 

Hop hop. 






Ring tails are always cute. 









And a grey seal. 







Elephant. 







Pretty flowers. 







This bear looked like a throw rug! :lol:







And this was rather impressive. 







More to come.


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Nice photos of the city and animals! Have you visited other cities in Italy as well and what is your favourite?


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

No, I haven't. So far I've only seen Rome. Italy drove my wife crazy, though. It was so chaotic and disorganised that she didn't like it and so she doesn't want to go back... I'll have to persuade her somehow as I liked it! :lol:


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Svartmetall said:


> No, I haven't. So far I've only seen Rome. Italy drove my wife crazy, though. It was so chaotic and disorganised that she didn't like it and so she doesn't want to go back... I'll have to persuade her somehow as I liked it! :lol:


Yes, you have to. :lol: Or go by yourself next time...or to Northern Italy.:nuts: I think she would like northern Italy better, have been to cities like Milan and Genoa, very organized cities with not so chaotic traffic. I was there in august when many Italians are on vacations, so that might have been a reason why it was less chaotic as well though.
I look forward to Rome, I'm sure it will beat other cities of Italy with so much history and beautiful streets, at least judging from your pictures!


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## karlvan (Jan 31, 2011)

wow! this is definitely a grand photo tour....of the eternal city of Rome.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Thank you very much! They're just very random shots of "what I see" when I walk around. :lol:


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

More to come!

This greedy bloke came out and stole all the food before the other Orangutang could come along and take some!







Hiding in the tree. He looked sad. 







Painted horse. 









Monitor lizard. 









And my favourites - MEERKATS! 













Someone is pretty in pink. 







Red turtle. 







Next to a tortoise. 








Another pretty flower. 







Crocs. 







Smile!







This one was unusual. Anyone identify him?







More to come.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Time for some lizards and creepy-crawlies. 







Very shy scorpion. 







And some very poisonous looking toads and frogs. 













And back with the lizards!











More to come.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Continuing with the zoo! 

More MEERKATS! 









Dromedaries.







Hippo!







Daffies. 






I actually have no idea what this is. :S







Time to leave the zoo. Was a really nice zoo indeed!







Time to catch the tram. 









Entering the Rome metro at Lepanto station - this is on line A.









Train arriving on line A towards Termini station. 










More to come.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

We arrive at Termini station. 







Time to catch a bus to our next destination. 









We arrive - Galleria Commerciale Porta di Roma! 








It was quite a walk from the bus stop to the mall. 






The mall was... Interesting in its use of colours. It was clearly a very modern mall. 















That's it for the day. Next up - beach trip!


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

Nice last updates! It is easy to forget that there are modern building in Rome as well.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

I like seeing all sides to a city when I visit. Modern Rome might not be as compelling as ancient Rome for a tourist, but it's still not a bad place at all!

Next lot of photos are from "beach Rome" - we went out to Santa Marinella. That's something a good number of tourists don't seem to do as well.


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