The second day we arrived in Rome. We were delighted with our hotel room at Hotel Alimandi. This is the view out of our window. Pretty sweet. That’s the gate for the Vatican Museum.

We went to the St Peter’s and just took it all in. The creche scene was still up because it is technically Christmas until Feb 2, the Feast of the Presentation, the 40th day after Dec 25th. My lovely wife poses in front of it. The obelisk in the center of St Peter’s was orginally to the southwest of where it is now. It was apparently erected by Nero in his circus below the Vatican hill. According to tradition, St Peter was crucified next to this obelisk. It is therefore a perenial witness of the Apostle’s holy martyrdom.

In the evening we went to the Trevi fountain and had nice dinner. We strolled over to the Spanish steps and took some pictures by the Column of the Imaculate, erected in honor of Pope Pius IX proclamationn of the Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception.