June 13-14 - Morning in Florence, afternoon and another day in Rome... Everything about Rome is preserved history.
Piazza Navona
This serene piazza was originally laid out as an athletic stadium in AD 90. Today you can savor the play of light on terra-cotta and ocher stucco buildings and admire the baroque church dedicated to St. Agnes. You can't miss the sculptor Bernini's Fountain of the Moor and Fountain of the Four Rivers (its colossal figures represent four great rivers and their continents). A third fountain has a 19th-century rendering of Neptune. Once the scene of great aquatic competitions (for which the square was flooded), Piazza Navona today is the perfect spot for eating gelato tartufo and people watching. There are street artists and, during the Christmas season, a fair with numerous stalls.
Basilica di San Pietro
St. Peter's Basilica is the most imposing church in Christendom and a prime destination for pilgrims and visitors interested in architecture. The dome, designed by Michelangelo, is one of the largest in the world, but when you approach it through Bernini's monumental Piazza San Pietro, the dome seems to sink behind the church's facade.
The basilica is not only a church; it also contains magnificent works of art, including Michelangelo's Pieta. The incredible amount of gold mosaic work and the ornate baldachino are striking, as is the sheer size of the building. On the lower level is a crypt where many popes (and four women) are buried. The scale and amount of detail can be overwhelming -- we suggest you take a free tour with one of the volunteer guides. Ninety-minute tours are led in English every day at 3 pm (2:30 pm on Sunday). They start at the information desk to the right as you enter the portico of the basilica.
When the pope is in residence, he usually addresses the crowds in Piazza San Pietro at noon on Sunday. But with a little planning, it's possible to attend a papal audience, which are held Wednesday at 10:30 am in Piazza San Pietro (or in the Paul VI Audience Hall in the winter). Free admission tickets can be ordered in advance by writing. Contact your local parish priest for more information.
There is an extremely strictly enforced dress code for all indoor areas at the Vatican: knees and shoulders must be covered, for both men and women.
- from travel.yahoo.com
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