After the visit of the Vatican Museum and of the Sistine Chapel, we felt like having lunch and walk through the city. So, we went out giong down the huge double spiral staircase built by Giuseppe Momo in 1932.


We crossed the Tiber, strolled along the Corso Vittorio Emmanuele and reached the Teatro Argentina and its feline inhabitants.  Archeological searches are still ongoing on this site which was discovered by chance in 1926 during excavation project.  The Area Sacra dell’Argentina is one of the best sites to see the remains of Roman architecture from the Republican era.The four temples of the Area Sacra dell’Argentina date from the 4th to 2nd centuries B.C. The remains we see now are the result of renovations by emperor Domitianus.

This is also a sanctuary for abused cats and so they roam throughout the site and don't mind having their pictures taken...actually, this one loved having his photo taken.

From there, it was a short distance to the site of the Foro Romano.  We decided to buy a pictorial guide in order to have a better understanding of the architecture as there are numerous buildings and sites...but riuns being ruins, one needs a bit of a guide!

Walking towards the Forum, tourists get hassled by all kinds of vendors and even by roman legionaries! They are not very threatening with their plastic swords; however, their real weapon is their hidden agenda: having a picture taken with one of them will cost you dearly!!! Lately, it was reported that they form a small mafia like organisation!http://video.ca.msn.com/watch/video/gladiator-racket-busted-in-rome/17yqam19b?from=en-ca-infopane