These are the People in our Neighborhood, in our Neighborhood . . .

First a video of cafe life at Cafe Peru.  This place gets pretty crowded with mostly local folks - police, municipal workers, neighbors.  The barista is also not just a pretty face, he's very quick and doesn't have to write anyone's orders down.  No need to mark decaf, whip, whatever on the cup.  Oh yeah, they don't have that stuff anyway.  One morning we saw him make a couple espressos with a shot of Baileys for the police officers!

The following pics are taken all over Rome during our stay, not just where our apartment was.  I apologize for any duplicates.

This transient is stealing the waiter's tips while the signorina looks on in disbelief!

Our Fav Pizza Place
Pizza Rosso and Bianco

This guy has been here for years.

For a few coins this guy will stage
some delightful poses with you!

And, finally, us being funny and trying to imitate this fountain in via Giulia - Fontana del Mascherone (Fountain of the Mask).  Actually, I don't know what Scott's imitating. . .

Ciao Roma!

Well, that's all folks!  Thanks for following along and all your kind comments.  Our trip home was long but thankfully uneventful.  Although it was our best trip ever, it's good to be home.

Thanks to Briana and Kahi for watching Bella while we were gone.  I think we missed her more than she did us!

The Last Church Post - but It's a Biggie!

Another tradition that we have when visiting Rome is to visit St. Peter's Basilica in the early morning hours; right when the doors open, which is at 7:00 a.m.  It's amazingly peaceful at that time despite the fact that this is probably one of the main tourist attractions in Rome.

We attend the very early Mass (yes, again!) at the chapel that holds the sarcophagus of Pope John XXIII; Scott's a big fan.  It's in Italian, but we can usually follow along.

This video that I took before they open the doors will give you an idea of how tranquil it is at this early hours  You can see that it's mostly nuns and priests waiting, and the McClellan's.  We always joke about how the nuns push by us to be sure that they get the best seat in their favorite chapel.  They're fast!  You'll also notice that some of the piazza is under construction.

A few other photos of the Piazza of St. Peter's Basilica.

The Interior
I think that most of you have seen pictures of the inside of the Basilica from our other trips.  So, you've seen the beautiful sculptures.

The amazing Papal Altar and Baldicchino (canopy) by Bernini.

The cuppola or dome by Michelangelo.

And, the bronze statue of St. Peter.

However, did you know these little facts?

On the floor of the Basilica are these markings that show where other great churches in the world would be compared to the immense St. Peter's?

That for centuries pilgrims have touched the foot of the St. Peter bronze often saying a prayer or asking for a special blessing.

It's amazing to see how worn it is compared
to the rest of the statue.

Also, at the food of each column of the Baldicchino Bernini sculpted the face of a woman in various stages of childbirth.  There are eight total; two on each column.  The bees are the symbol for the Barberini family.

There's a little secret hidden in this beautiful 1600's sculpture also by Bernini (and others):

At the foot of the statute on the right (symbolizing Truth) shows a thorn on a map of the world right over England.  This is allegedly to show the Pope's (at the time) displeasure at the growth of the Anglican church.

In the Sacristy you can find this carved directory of every Pope and the starting year of their Papacy.

The last entry...

Okay, enough of little known (to me anyway) facts of St. Peter's.  I'll close with a photo of probably the most beautiful sculpture in all of Rome - Michelangelo's Pieta.  Unfortunately, any photo that I take cannot give it justice.

Here are a few other photos of who you'll see here at this very Godly hour.

A gaggle of Priests

Same gaggle on their way to Mass