A Week in Rome: V.E. Monument

From almost anywhere in central Rome you can see them, the flying horses on top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument. Well, ok, the horses aren't flying, the Hermes-type-guy is, but from a distance you can't see him, and it looks like flying horses.

Emmanuel was the first king of a unified Italy. The country is now a Republic, its dysfunctional royal family banished from its borders, but the monument remains, a shining white palacial expanse of marble, horses, more marble, and more horses, capped off by an enormous fat king sitting on an enormous fat horse. While locals call it a set of dentures, tourists enjoy it and the lovely views from the top of its many steps.

The dome in the background is St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City.

Rome is like a giant city-sized Stairmaster, and the Emmanuel monument is good for burning off that luscious Italian dinner you had the night before.

An angel keeps watch over Rome from the top:

Further up we climbed...

At the top, the view is lovely. The nearby neighborhoods sparkle with the famous pine-covered hills in the distance:

The King overlooks Piazza Venezia, which is somewhat useful as a transit point but is also a great place to play Frogger -- Tourist Edition.

Yes, if you'll recall, Frogger is that 1980's video game in which a hapless frog attempts to cross a freeway without getting splatted. In Piazza Venezia, like most of Rome, there aren't specific walk signals to hold the traffic for pedestrians. You have to get across on your own. As the traffic is heavy, the only way to do this is to get a couple of people with you in a group and step off en masse into the oncoming traffic. The cars will actually stop, but not before your heart does. The point is to look absolutely fearless and committed to your little jaunt. Otherwise the drivers think they can scare you back on the sidewalk.

In our entire time in Rome, only one driver didn't stop, and as I hopped out of the way, he honked rudely. Must have been a tourist.

The last sight on our way back down the steps was the guard for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, similar to the American version.

Italy isn't as united as King Victor might have liked, however, and I'm told the tomb itself is closed due to threats of mischief. But this changing of the guard is quite well done.

Next installment: Rome's hidden treasure horde...