When you are in Rome there are so many beautiful scenic piazzas (squares) and historic churches. There are over 900 churches in Rome. You cannot walk far without coming across a church. 
San Giovanni dei Fiorentini. After almost 200 years of building, this Church was completed in 1734. It is dedicated to John the Baptist and is the national church for Florence in Rome.
Our early afternoon gelato stop. Chocolate covered Lemon for K and Cinnamon and Black Cherry for the adults.
One of Rome’s most picturesque Piazzas- Piazza Navona. It is a lovely square, with beautiful fountains, cafes, and shops. It was built on the site of the 1st century Stadium of Domitian, where chariot races were held. It has served as jousting arena in Medieval times, a home to festivals and marketplaces, and it continues to be a hub of activities to the Romans.
The Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone.
Porta’s The Fountain of the Moor from 1576.
The Fountain of the Four Rivers was sculpted by Bernini in 1651. It represents the four great River’s of the World, circa mid 1600s, the Danube, the Ganges, the Plate, and the Nile.
The Fountain of Neptune by Bitta and Zappala, built in 1878.
They had some kids activities going on.
Nugget snack stop for A on the steps of the Basilica of Sant’Agostino (15th century.) Heaven forbid we go to a country and not visit the local Mickie D’s. 
The Baroque Santa Maria Maddalena.
The Pantheon is quite the engineering feat. Centuries old, it is the only intact ancient Roman temple. Emperor Hadrian built the Pantheon in the early 100s. The dome is 142 feet vertically and horozonally. It is the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world, with 25 feet thick walls. The dome is a perfect half-sphere.
The Pantheon’s 27 foot wide oculus. 
Since there is a massive hole in the ceiling, when it rains, water falls inside. The floor is slightly slanted and designed with small holes to allow water to drain.
Like most Roman symbols, the temple has been tuned into a church, the Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs. It was probably one of the reasons it has been so well preserved. 
There are 16 Egyptian granite Corinthian columns at the front, each standing 40 feet tall and weighing 60 tons.
In front of the Pantheon is the marble Fontana del Pantheon, built in 1578. The obelisk atop it was built by Ramses II and brought from Egypt. It has been redesigned and reconfigured over the years.
Church of Sant’Ignazio. One of my favorites. The frescoed ceiling is amazing.
The baroque Oratory of San Francesco Saverio del Caravita (17th-century.)
The Trevi Fountain was designed by Nicola Salvi, finished in 1762 and is the largest fountain in Italy. It is 86 feet high and 161 feet wide. In 19 BC, Marcus Agrippa built an aqueduct to bring water from (8 miles) outside Rome into the city. It ended at the Trevi Fountain. Interestingly, the water from the Trevi Fountain continues on to Fountain of the Old Boat by the Spanish Steps and Fountain of the Four Rivers at Piazza Navona.
It is super crowded at the Trevi Fountain, so good pictures are hard to come by. In the center of the Fountain is Neptune, God of the Sea, being pulled in a chariot by tritons and horses. 
Legend has it that if you throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder into the Fountain, you are destined to return to Rome someday. (The kids did not “technically” throw it in the right way.) Over $4000 are thrown into the Fountain a day.
We did a little souvenir shopping for the kids. Katherine decided on a handmade wire necklace with her name, and Andrew got some cool street art.
A quick lunch and water bottle fill up.
There are 2,500 “Nasoni” water fountains throughout the city. It is piped in from the mountains with ancient Roman aqueducts and is routinely tested for purity. So, it is safe, pure, cold, and best of all- free.
Column of Immaculate Conception, dedicated in 1857. The ancient Roman column itself was found in 1777.
Sant’Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso. Another favorite. Not much on the outside, but beautiful adornments and ceilings on the inside.
The Piazza di Spagna is home to the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican and the infamous Spanish Steps. 
At the top of the 135 Spanish Steps is Trinità Dei Monti. Ironically, it is a French Roman Catholic Church, and the steps were originally built in 1723-25 by the French as a grand entrance to their church.
At the base of the Steps is Bernini’s The Fountain of the Old Boat. In 1598 the Tiber River flooded, and people had to use boats to get around the city. When the waters finally recided, one lone boat was left in this plaza, and Bernini and his son memorialized it with this fountain.
The Villa Borghese Garden
Andrew at the Pincio’s Water Clock. The hydrochromometer was placed in the Gardens in 1873.
Looking down on the Piazza del Popolo from Pincian Hill. It recently was turned into a pedestrian only piazza.
The Piazza del Popolo’s Fontana del Nettuno. 
At the center of the Piazza is an Egyptian obelisk from Ramesses II. It was brought to Rome in 10 BC by Emperor Augustus. It was originally erected in Circus Maximus, but moved to Piazza del Popolo in 1589.
Ending the day with an amazing dinner (yes, dinner- it’s vacation) of lemon gelato, some kind of cream filled pastry, and a freshly made cannoli in Piazza Cavour, beside the Supreme Court Building.
xoxo-sk
ps. They were selling these at some of the souvenir stands. They cracked me up.
xoxo-sk 