Here we are in (so far) sunny Italy! We arrived yesterday and walked around Rome a bit, but we were very very tired and didn't really do or see much. We will be back there at the end of our travels. (Don't forget you can click on the photos to make them bigger.) Here are some photos of the Baths of Diocletian (we didn't go in, just walked around the grounds, but it's HUGE!!)
 



 








 
 


 

We also went into the Basilica S. Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri which is actually in part of the baths building.  
 









































 
 
 




 
Then walked some and ended up at Santa Maria Maggiore, another famous church with some pretty mosaics.  
 
 






















 




































 

I saw a lot of amazing church floors that look like quilts. Last time we were here Armando didn't want to waste the film in the camera on floors, but that was in 2001, now we have digital!!!
 
 









 

Today we took a 5 hour train ride to Genoa. We sat with a young lady who is studying here for 4 months and her parents who are here to visit for a week. How interesting! What an experience! One of her professors works at the Vatican so they have had some behind-the-scenes tours. Another prof is a chef and she's had cooking lessons. She called this "fake school" since she only is taking one class pertaining to her major, But every weekend she and her friends travel to a different part of Italy or a different country in Europe - seems to me that's a better education than any University could give her. What fun! The train mainly went up the coast. Inland we saw some pretty impressive mountains, and here and there was a little castle perched on top of a hill. Italy was a mess of little city-states warring with each other until around the beginning of the 1900s when they all united. The last hour was literally right along the Ligurian Sea (part of the Mediterranian) - on a bluff looking down on the beaches. Sorry no photos - the train windows were dirty and it's impossible to take photos from the train.

Genoa is a really neat city, splashed on the hills falling to the sea and the port. Chris Columbus hails from here.
 













 
There was one part of the port area, the old port which is a big park with an aquarium, playground for kids, part of the old city walls, a marina with fancy boats and a tall ship dedicated to Neptune. 
 
 
 
 










































 













Then we went to the old section of town....a rabbit warren of teeny tiny little alleys that spill into small or large piazzas with a church or other interesting building.
 
 
 


















































 





















 
Here was an AMAZING church, but I don't remember which one - there are so many!
 


















 
 
Many of the buildings have elaborate carvings around the windows and doors. Until you look closer and realize that it's all clever paint. Sometimes the windows aren't even real! 
 


















 

And in case we were feeling homesick, we came around the corner and there he was! You just can't get away from Elvis no matter how hard you try!
 




 












 

 The cathedral, in the old part, was very elaborate and made of stripes of black and white marble. Apparently the white marble was much harder than the black, because the black is badly eroding away. But oh my how beautiful and ornate, and they had cool lions outside. I love lions!
 
 





 


 





























 









 

 We stopped in a little cafe in the twisty little alleys and had some yummy penne pesto for dinner. With really good homemade bread and a little wine to wash it down.
 

 
 
Tomorrow we will go in search of our kingdom. Read the next entry to figure out what I'm talking about, and tomorrow night hopefully I can post photos of the coronation!!