While you have probably figured out that I loved Venice….my second favorite place is Rome. The sound, the hustle and bustle, the smells…we did most of Rome on foot which I think is the only way to see it. The second time in the Eternal City was as exciting for me as the first….but I think I loved it even more.

These pictures were take after the climb up the steps of The Altare della Patria also known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II or “Il Vittoriano” is a controversial monument built in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy, located in Rome, Italy. Wikipedia.

From the very top, we viewed the Colosseum, the Forum and the Pantheon along with just a wonderful view that gave me chills.

II Vittoriano is the home of Italy’s tomb of the unknown soldier guarded 24/7

The mustache on the rider is 5 feet across and it is said that 22 soldiers dined in the horses belly when the monument was completed

Random pictures of the colosseum:

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And the Pantheon:

And just the people and life in Rome:

our room…I loved opening the shutters and hanging out the bathroom window in the morning and at night…just listening to the city waking up and going to sleep.