After dinner, we were not ready to turn in, the night was pleasantly warm, and the streets were still very busy, so we went walkabout.
The crowd around the Trevi Fountain - this at 9:10 PM! It was just as busy before we ate!
The fountain in its night mood - and still people were throwing coins in!
Still busy streets as we made our way along. The Romans have certainly adapted to their climate (well, they've had many years to do so!) by coming out when the heat of the day has passed. It's a life style that one could adapt to without too much trouble.
Moon rise over the Pantheon. Our walk took us in this direction - I think somebody had not seen this building before, hence the plan to go here. Alas, the building itself was closed, so we could not go in. Still amazing to think that this was the world's largest concrete domed building from 126 AD (when the Emperor Hadrian restored it) until 1960!
A view from the other side of Piazza della Rotonda; the piazza is the location for a number of outdoor restaurants, and there were quite a few diners there at this time. The obelisk is Egyptian (from Roman times).
The Victor Emmanuel Monument by moonlight. Well, and a bit of electric light too. I can understand the Roman's dislike of this structure - it is so out of scale with the rest of the city.
From there it was a straight shot along Via Dei Fori Imperali towards the Colosseum and the nearby Metro station, to take us back towards our hotel. The Colosseum is nicely lit at night; the sloping edge on the right hand side is where the wall ends - I believe the missing part fell down during an earthquake in the waning days of the Roman Empire.
While walking along this street we came across some sort of performance in one of the ruins off to the left, and below street level. We had no idea what it was, but we did watch for a few minutes.
Once back at the hotel we said our farewells, not knowing whether we'd have time the next morning. It was really nice to catch up with the far flung parts of our family in such a wonderful city.
Steps and Fountains
Italy In July