When in Rome

After a great week in Athens, it was time to leave behind Ancient Greek culture, and the heat, for Rome.  As soon as we stepped off the plane at Rome's Fiumcino, we were exploring the city.  The first historical site that we stopped at was the Pantheon.  The Pantheon, a temple built by the Roman emperor Marcus Agrippa, was originally dedicated to all the gods (from Jupiter to Nemesis), but is a modern-day church.

There, I visited the tombs of the artist Raphael, Italy's first king Victor Emmanuel II, and Italy's first queen Margherita di Savoy, for whom pizza margherita is named.  Later that evening, I tried my first Roman style pizza, which was great, but, being the proud American I am, cannot say it matches the likes of New York and Chicago style pizzas.  We also saw the Trevy Fountain, and I tossed a coin in over my right shoulder, meaning that I will return to Rome again:

The next day, we went on an excursion to Naples and Pompeii.  In Naples, there was an extraordinary museum which featured various statues depicting events of importance in Rome, including Aeneas fleeing Troy as well as busts of Caesar and Octavian Augustus.  The museum also had this painting of Alexander the Great leading a charge against the Persian military:

After a lunch of Napoletano pizza (still not as good!), we went to the ruins of Pompeii, which had been left uninhabitable after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.  The remains of restaurants, theaters, and apartments were a testament to the desolate land which once served as "home" for over 10,000 Romans.

I cannot wait for the next few days in Rome!

Aestate, Roma pulchra est abque multis late videtur.
In the summer, Rome is beautiful and is seen by many people far and wide.