Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is considered to be the largest of the churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Rome.

It is one of the city’s four major basilicas was built in the mid-fourth century.

It is an easy church to visit, as it's near the Termini station and metro stop, and a walk through on your own won't last more than half an hour.

Pope Pius IX

Pope Pius IX

The Way I Take Pictures

Those pictures show the ways how I take pictures in Rome.
A taking pictures is always more fun than eating, sightseeing or relaxing while traveling in foreign countries.

Palatine Hill in Rome

The Palatine Hill is said to be one of the most ancient parts of the city Rome.

According to Wiki,
Rome has its origins on the Palatine.

Excavations show that people have lived in the area since the 10th century BC.

Excavations performed on the hill in 1907 and again in 1948 unearthed a collection of huts believed to have been used for funerary purposes between the 9th and 7th century BC approximating the time period when the city of Rome was founded.

Many affluent Romans of the Republican period (c.509 BC – 44 BC) had their residences there.

From the start of the Empire (27 BC) Augustus built his palace there and the hill gradually became the exclusive domain of emperors; the ruins of the palaces of at least Augustus, Tiberius and Domitian can still be seen.

Water garden of the Domus Augustana

Mausoleum of Hadrian / Castel Sant'Angelo #3

Angel by Raffaello da Montelupo (1504–1566)

According to the Wiki, Raffaello da Montelupo was a sculptor and architect of the Italian Renaissance, and an apprentice of Michelangelo.

There are many angel statues in and around the Castel Sant'Angelo.

Mausoleum of Hadrian / Castel Sant'Angelo #2

 The view from Castel Sant'Angelo towards Vatican City.

Castel Sant'Angelo or Castle of the Holy Angel is a towering cylindrical building in Rome, Italy.

According to the Wiki, it was initially used by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a tomb for himself and his family.

The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum.

Night View in Rome

The Colosseum could hold, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators, it was used for gladiatorial or combat fighting contests and public spectacles such as animal hunts, executions and dramas.

Largo di Torre Argentina is a square with four Roman Republican temples and the remains of Pompey's Theatre.

We visited there several times but night views were far better than daytime views.

Termini railway station also has a metro station and bus terminals.
It is said that the station is the second largest railway station in Europe after Paris Gare du Nord.
The picture bellow is the view from the station going back to the hotel, Massimo D'Azeglio which we stayed during our visit.

This is Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II viewing from Piazza Venezia.
It also called Altare della Patria or Vittorio.
According to the Wiki, it is a monument built in honor of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy.

Mausoleum of Hadrian / Castel Sant'Angelo #1

The day when we visited the castle was a special day; most of Roman museums and monuments for tourists were admission free.
So, there was a very long waiting queue for the entrance of Castel Sant'Angelo.

We waited at least one hour, or maybe more than one, before entering Mausoleum of Hadrian.

We killed time by talking with a girl who was waited in front of us among the waiting queue.

She was a Swiss, single, working for a company which dealt medical optics,  her parents bought her a canon EOS digital camera, and so on and on.

Talking with other tourists became one of good travel memories as well as visiting historical monuments.