Photo Walk - Rome

I also found it on a storm drain.

This statute on the Victor Emanuell II Monument has the letters SPQR carved into it, which stands for "The Senate and People of Roman," which all fans of the Percy Jackson books already know.

My favorite time in Rome was in the thirty minutes we had at the Piazza Navona.  It was just a complete change of pace from the masses of people and the rush of the Vatican City and the Colosseum.  This is the Fountain of Neptune at the northern end of the Piazza.

The Fountain of the Four Rivers with it's Egyptian obelisk dominates the center of the Piazza.

This image, a man sitting on coins, represents the Rio de la Plata in South America, a symbol of the riches the New World offered to Europe.

The horse at the base is a symbol of military power.

This figure represents the Danube River in Europe

The obelisk represents Papal Power, as the fountain was commission by Pope Innocent X and designed by Bernini

This is the Papal Insigna and the coat of arms of Pope Innocent's family.

The other rivers represented by the fountain are the Ganges in India and the Nile.

This is one of the fountains featured in the Dan Brown book Angels and Demons, the dove at the top of the obelisk being the angel in this case.

The Fountain faces the Church of Saint Agnese in Agone, also commissioned by Pope Innocent X.

The Piazza was originally a stadium built by the Emperor Domitian.  Saint Agnes was martyred here.

The south end of the Piazza features the Fountain of the Moor, also by Bernini.

Palazzo Madama, home to the Italian Senate

The Piazza della Rotonda

The Pantheon, one a temple dedicated to all Roman gods and now a Christian temple

The Pantheon was commission by Marcus Agrippa and rebuilt by Hadrian

The Pantheon fountain includes an obelisk originally constructed by Pharaoh Ramses II.

What remains of the Temple of Hadrian, which has been incorporated into a modern building.  The Piazza is called the "Piazza of Stone" because the stones from the original temple were used to build the square.

The Trevi Fountain...according to legend, if you toss three coins over your shoulder into the fountain, you will one day return to Rome.