Day three in Rome. A visit to the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and the Spanish Steps.
Plus, a difficult choice for lunchtime dessert.
Walking around Rome is quite tiring, especially in temperatures exceeding 30ºC. We decided that today we would take the tour bus around the city and see some of the sights in relative comfort.
The hop-on-off tour bus has various stops around the city, and the most convenient place to start the tour is at Circo Massimo, only a short walk from the metro station. Conveniently, just outside the station is a kiosk selling magazines, gifts and tour tickets. Then we had a short walk to the bus stop to wait for the service.
The tour was leisurely, and we saw various sights.
We had previously visited the other Pantheons in Lisbon and Paris, so obviously, we had to visit the one in Rome.
Recognised as the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome, it is a marvel of construction.
The oculus at the top is open to the sky and allows rainwater to fall into the building.
A huge circular 'bowl' below the oculus collects the water and houses a giant depiction of a crown of thorns. The still surface water has a glass-like appearance.
From the Pantheon, it is a short walk to the Piazza Navona, where more impressive fountains and another obelisk can be found.
For a lunchtime snack, we looked for a small eatery rather than a restaurant, and found ourselves at "Mr. 100 Tiramisú", where they boast 100 different flavours of the famous sweet. An opportunity too good to miss, we stopped there and sat outside. The server recommended a selection of hams and cheeses as a snack, so we gladly accepted. The huge platter that arrived was more than just a snack, but was certainly tasty. But we did manage to finish it all 😁.
Then we each had to choose one of the 100 flavours of tiramisú, by no means an easy task.
I had to go inside to take a picture of the menu so we could decide - they do not have printed copies of it! (not easy to get a photo because the place inside was so small)
After another hour of walking around exploring the streets, we found ourselves at the Piazza Della Trinità Dei Monti, which is at the top of the famous "Spanish Steps". We walked down from the church. Much easier than walking up.
From here, we headed for the nearest metro station and passed Piazza Mignanelli, where a giant shiny stainless steel mirror has been installed. The disc is slightly curved, so it gives an interesting reflection. We stood in the shadow behind the disc to take a distorted selfie.
From there, directly to the Repubblica Metro station to return to the hotel.