The Fontana delle Tartarughe in Piazza Mattei in Rome, Italy, and just behind it was a wall built to separate the Jewish Ghetto from Rome. At the time of its construction, there was almost no where to get fresh water. This was supposed to have been built inside of the Jewish Ghetto but Muzio Mattei, whom the square is named after, used his influence to have the fountain built in front of his residence. May 31, 2017

The Via dei Falegnami a street through the remains of the original Jewish Quarter…more commonly called the Jewish Ghetto, in Rome, Italy. Presently the area is surrounded by the ruins of the Teatro of Marcellus, the ancient remains of the Portico of Octavia and the Great Synagogue of Rome. Established in the mid-1500’s, more than 2000 Jewish people lived in a two block walled area with gates that were locked at night. The Jewish community, which was basically imprisoned by the wall, was required to also pay for the wall. This area of Rome was one of the most undesirable quarters of the city because it was subject to constant flooding by the Tiber River. May 31, 2017

These “stumbling stone” plaques can be found along the streets in the Jewish Quarter of Rome as a powerful reminder of the Jewish people from this community who died in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Germany. After Rome was occupied by the Nazis, more than 1,000 Roman Jews were mercilessly hunted down on Oct. 16, 1943 and transported to Auschwitz. Each plaque, imbedded into the street, details the victim’s name, date of birth, date and place of deportation, and date of death in a Nazi extermination camp. May 31, 2017

Remains of the original Jewish Ghetto in Rome, Italy, include this building, still in use, which was built on top of an existing Roman structure. Since the overcrowded Jewish Ghetto could not expand beyond the two blocks and the wall, it had to grow upwards. May 31, 2017

A close-up of the Roman structure that the Jewish community built their homes on top of because they could not expand beyond the two blocks and the wall in Rome’s original Jewish Ghetto. May 31, 2017

The Via del Portico d’Ottavia street in Rome, Italy, where a present-day restaurant meets with the ruins of the Portico d’Ottavia or Portico of Octavia, built by Emperor Augustus in the name of his sister Octavia Minor sometime after 27 BC, in the Jewish Quarter. May 31, 2017

After occupying Rome, Italy, the Nazi’s conducted a raid and hunted down more than 1,000 Roman Jews, including children. Children, from newborn to age two, were brought to this area of the ghetto, by the Portico of Octavia, and killed by the Nazi’s. May 31, 2017

The Great Synagogue of Rome was constructed shortly after the unification of Italy in 1870 when the Papal States ceased to exist. Police presence is deployed at the synagogue to prevent attacks. In 1982, armed Palestinian militants attacked the synagogue at the close of the morning Sabbath service. One person, a toddler, was killed. May 31, 2017

The past and the future seem to come together at this corner in Rome, Italy, from the Jewish Quarter (with the Great Synagogue of Rome in the middle) to the remains of the Theater of Marcellus (left) and the Portico of Octavia (right). May 31, 2017

The open-air Theater of Marcellus in Rome, Italy, was completed in 13 BC and formally inaugurated in 12 BC by Emperor Augustus and named for his nephew, Marcus Claudius Marcellus. The theatre fell out of use in the early 4th century and the structure, like the Colosseum and other structures in Rome, was used as a quarry to build and decorate the Catholic Churches. Now the upper floors are divided into multiple apartments. Rumor has it that Italian film actress Sophia Loren, whose acting career blossomed in the 1950’s, has an apartment here. May 31, 2017

The tomb of Caecilia Metella is a mausoleum located along the Alpian Way in Rome, Italy. It was built during the 1st century BC to honor Caecilia, the daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus, a Consul in 69 BC, and wife of Marcus Licinius Crassus, the son of Marcus Crassus who served under Julius Caesar. May 31, 2017

A close-up of Caecilia Metella’s tomb which can be found along the Alpian Way in Rome, Italy. It’s one of the most well known and well preserved monuments along the Alpian Way. May 31, 2017

The remains of the ancient Alpian Way in Rome, Italy, named after Appius Claudius Caecus, the Roman censor who began and completed the first section as a military road in 312 BC. May 31, 2017

My feet self or footsie (Thanks Amy) on the ancient rocky road of the Alpian Way in Rome, Italy. May 31, 2017

The aqueduct in the Park of the Aqueducts in Rome, Italy. The park, named after the aqueducts that go through it, contains part of the ancient Aqua Claudia aqueduct remains. Emperor Caligula began the aqueduct in 38 AD but it was finished by Emperor Claudius in 52 AD. May 31, 2017

The aqueduct in the Park of the Aqueducts in Rome, Italy. May 31, 2017

The pipe of the aqueduct in the Park of the Aqueducts in Rome, Italy, that still carries water into the city of Rome. May 31, 2017