Trevi fountain, The Pantheon, and the Mouth of Truth

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We have a relatively easy day planned for today, and didn't head out until about 10. We started our day with a trip to the landmark Trevi fountain. Trevi fountain is always crowded and today was no exception, though we did manage to get up close to the water and throw a coin over our left shoulder, ensuring our save return to Rome - well at least it seemed to work for me when I did it two years ago.

The baroque sculptures that make up the fountain seem almost over the top but it is a fascinating menagerie of images, almost too much to take in within a single glance. With our passage back to Rome secured, we bought gelato ice cream cones and began our walk to the Pantheon. On the way we seemed to stumble into some sort of a demonstration - I think related to the G7 summit, but we were not quite sure.

The presence of a building at the Pantheon dates back to 27 BC, though the current building was constructed by Hadrian and finished in 125 ad. It is the most complete Roman structure in the city and is remarkably unchanged. Like so many ancient sites, it seems too well known to be casually standing in front of it.

Once inside, you get a true sense of the size of the building and the engineering feat that it would have taken to create such a massive dome in those times. It has been a Christian church since 609 ad and retains a spiritual feeling, despite the throng of tourists. It also contains the tombs of many notables including the painter Raphael.

After the Pantheon, we went off in search of the medieval church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin - the church that holds that Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verita). This is an ancient roman drain cover in the shape of a face that in medieval time would appear to swallow the hand of anyone who had appeared to not tell the truth. We got the requisite photos of Joshua putting his had into the mouth (Benjamin apparently did not want to risk it) before exploring the inside of the church.

Inside the church there are some relics from Saint Valentine and a painting of him being shot with arrows. Apparently a box of bones rather than chocolates appears to have been the first Valentines day gift ! Joshua continues his new tradition of lighting a candle with every church visit.

After this we walked back to the Colosseum where we got the subway and then the bus to our apartment. We need to get up early tomorrow in order to beat the crowds at the Vatican museum.

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