More pointy things

Today De Anne announced (surprise!) a walk through the old city of Rome. We went roughly north-south last night, so today was east-west day. We walked to the Roman baths, a huge building that, like most big Roman buildings, was converted into a church. The Romans had a hot pool and a warm pool along with the accoutrements required in a bath house for 3,000 paying customers such as massages, pedicures, and harlots. The enormous cold pool was outside.

The remodel to a church raised the floor 15 feet so that is why it looks a bit cramped in the picture below.

The ceiling was the last work done by Michelangelo. He was 86 at the time and wanted a ceiling with a play of light. I wonder if the old man was tired of painting in wet plaster on his back.

The next stop (my request) was Santa Maria Della Vittoria to see Bernini's "Teresa in Ecstasy".

Moving on down the street to view Bernini's outside work. With another obelisk in the middle.

Our walk took us by the paralyzed and ineffective Italian parliament, or at least their building, with - of course - an obelisk in front and a few guys with machine guns.

We reached the Pantheon, a former Roman temple to all their gods, then turned into a church. It is noted for the perfect dome that is open at the top. The original marble floor is in place and sloped to allow the rain water from the 30 foot diameter skylight drain away. The dome was constructed of Roman concrete that is still structurally sound 2,000 years later. 

The sign over the front roughly translated : Marcus Agrippa built this.

Just in front of the Pantheon was an obelisk. This was a mini-obelisk inside another fountain.

Egypt made obelisks and 1,000 years later the Romans looted them. 500 years later the Roman Catholic Church grabbed them, who gets them next?