 Buildings in Piazza Navona |
 Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers |
 The obelisk of the fountain |
 Navone was a favorite |
 The Plate River? |
 Danube |
 The Nile (with blindfold) |
 Tourists, no doubt |
 Mimes for our entertainment |
 Bedraggled me in front of the Fountain of Neptune in Navona |
 Bernini's Fontana del Moro |
 Fountain in courtyard of Palazzo Taverna |
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Piazza Navone was a lovely place of beauty and hustle-bustle. I'd love to be there now! This was the day of the awards ceremony. After changing into our fanciest clothes in the evening, we were picked up and taken to the Palazzo Taverna, a lovely old house. The ceremony included live translation for us via earpieces, a Master of Ceremonies who was a TV announcer with excellent English. Awards were presented by the Italian Prime Minister. Ron Koczor received our award. There were hors douvres, pictures, and afterward we had a late dinner at La Taverna, a small restaurant near the ceremony and also close to the Castel Sant' Angelo |
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 Dee Dee claims a car her size. |
 Presenting Science@NASA in Rome |
 Dressed for success. |
 The emcee |
 Ron Koczor |
 and Prime Minister Amato of Italy |
 Boston Schoolteacher winner |
 British Winner |
 Us! |
 Dinner at La Taverna |
 Hotel Teatro de Pompeo |
 At the Hotel |
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This is the Hotel Teatro de Pompeo, a fun Hotel built on the ruins of the Theater where Julius Caesur was actually killed. I spent one night here. It was near the Camp de' Fiori & Piazza Navona. As we (Becky, Patrick, Dee Dee, and I) waited for check-in time in the morning, we went out side and heard a heavenly sound of a singing choir. We followed the sound to a large church very near the hotel. We went into the church, and it was one of the most beautiful we found. They also had a dead bishop in a glass coffin, a la Snow White, though no one tried to kiss him while we were there. We never found the source of the music, though... We had pizza in an outdoor cafe', and then got checked into the room (only Dee Dee and I stayed in this hotel -- the other four were still in the Holiday Inn). That day the four of us explored the Pantheon, tromped over the Castel Sant' Angelo, a quick trip back to St. Peters, and dinner in an overpriced but atmospheric restaurant also in the ruins of the Teatro de Pompeo. |
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 The Basement of the hotel -- ruins of the Teatro |
 Breakfast room |
 Pizza al Fresco |
 In the room |
 Basilica Sant' Andrea della Valle |
 Bishop-in-a-box |
 Dome of the church |
 Dee Dee with a smart car |
 The edge of the Pantheon |
 Entrance to Pantheon |
 Columns |
 Inside Pantheon |
 Castel Sant' Angelo ahead |
 Restaurant from the night before. Manja, manja! |
 Castel Sant' Angelo from Bernini's Ponte Sant' Angelo |
 St. Peters from the bridge |
 Vittorio Emmanuele Monument from a window of the Castel |
 St. Michael on top |