The Piazzas of Rome

We started with a trek through the old Jewish ghetto. This very small neighborhood with lots of kosher restaurants was richly decorated with graphics and designs on buildings that seemed impossibly old to still be inhabited!

Then, walking north, we came to the Campo de Fiori.

In the late afternoon, the piazza wasn't too crowded. By dark, the empty spaces were filled with vendors and teenagers and tourists, enjoying themselves.

Continuing northish, we came to the Piazza Navonna, which is probably the center of touristic activity, with a Christmas market and hordes overwhelming the Bernini fountain and Bramante church. The vendors were selling a more interesting lot of trinkets than I've seen in many European cities, including bubble-making machines (Tom bought one), flying saucers, and chicken squawk boxes!

East from Navonna, we wound our way to the Pantheon. Again, the piazza was packed. We returned later in the trip during the afternoon, only to find the crowd so dense you could barely enter the building. I can't imagine what it must be like in the summer, when tourism really booms.

Still, the domed roof and oculus never disappoint.

Finally, no matter which way you were headed, you inevitably wound up at Il Vittoriana in Piazza Venezia.