WOW! Today! Rome!

My first reaction to Rome was, Wow! Our taxi driver said that several times, loading our mountain of luggage, working through the traffic, getting us to our hotel. When seeing The Grand Minerve Hotel, our reaction was also WOW! We had no idea what to expect, I had reserved under my Southwest Points hoping for decent. We have a luxurious hotel, at the back of the Pantheon! Literally right here! WOW< WOW< WOW!!! Once again we are in the middle of everything but once you get away from the throngs of tourists, it is all good. Everything in Italy is centered around Piazzas, most of them have a Catholic Church right there. Where we are is no exception. We have our Piazza de Minerva, and a Church. Children are playing all the time here, which gives us a great sense of family and safety. Yet, we are close to everything we are doing. The Vatican is 1.4 miles from us and so we are walking to our 7:55 tour tomorrow morning. Amazingly, there is some kind of big summit here, right here, of all the Prime Ministers of Europe. We were told when we checked in that our transportation is only by foot tomorrow as all roads are blocked!! There are soldiers, police, everywhere!
We had a very nice day. We explored the Panthion, built before Christ, BC ? then remodeled/completed in 107 AD. AMAZING, AMAZING!!!!! It was claimed by the Church and is now the Basillica of Santa Maria and the Martyrs. The famous Artist, Raphael, is buried there! I don't have enough language to describe the magnificence of the Panthion. Did I say it is right outside our hotel? IT IS!!! :):)
Tonight we had dinner at the Maddalena across from the same named church. We sat outside, and it was wonderful. In front of the church we had two string groups playing. The first were two women on violins, the second was a cello, a viola and a violin. Both played Mozart, Beethoven and other classical pieces. Both groups were accomplished musicians who were passionate about their music. It was inspiring. Again, this was only a block and a half from where we were staying. It is hard to describe how every neighborhood, area, is designed around a Piazza (plaza) centered around a church as a landmark. It is the organization. So instead of thinking what street do I need to keep track of, we are thinking what is the Piazza as our landmark. We have to get up early in the morning and be walking by 6:30 to get to the Vatican!! TOMORROW!
Here are some pics from today:

Treve Fountain

Treve Fountain

The Pantheon! And right by our hotel!