Roma, how I love thee, let me count the ways...

We met our Guide for our time in Rome ,Claudia, at precisely 9:00. And as we have now come to expect with all the arrangements from Road to Italy, she is exceptional. She knows Rome and knows how to get about and knows how to ensure that we see all the important landmarks. But she also knows Rome. It's history, it' collisions of cultures, and it's gossip and battles and competition. She makes Rome come alive by putting context to landmarks, and personalities to artists, and life into relics.

Here we are at the top of the Spanish Steps which were built by the French in front of the French Embassy, leading down to the Spanish area below. The steps are in three tiers, only the bottom tier is the Spanish Steps. C'est la vie.

This memorial celebrates the Pope's recognition and certification of the the immaculate conception of Mary. Every year the Pope visits and places a new wreath in tribute.

There are fountains everywhere and places to quench your thirst fed from the aqueducts. Claudia taught us how to fill our water bottles and also how to use you finger to block the flow and make a fountain to take a sip from.

On to Trevi Fountains where it is said that if you should toss a coin backwards over your opposite shoulder, you would be coming back to Rome. This tradition originated with the Roman soldiers as they headed off to parts unknown. It has since been modified to include two coins if you want to be married in the next year and three if you want a divorce.

One of the interesting facts about Rome that I wasn't aware of was how much recycling occurred over the centuries. Every thing from iron, to bronze, to marble, to statues, to buildings has been recycled from one eon to another. The Pantheon is just such an example.