Rome
Days 11 & 12
"All roads lead to Rome."
"Rome wasn't built in a day."
"When in Rome, do as the Romans."
There are several towns in France where they have Roman ruins still standing and a sign that says "Via Domitia" or road to Rome. There is even a large area of the road preserved in Narbonne.
Relais Santa Marie Maggiore was our hotel, across the street from the Basilica by the same name, and very near the terminal station. Our room was on the third or fourth floor. It was best to take the small elevator next to the reception desk when going upstairs, but faster to walk down the staircase.
Breakfast was at a restaurant down the street. We got a voucher to present each day. The back room was reserved for us for about an hour or so. We got a meal brought to us. The strange thing is that it included a small salad on the plate!
Relais Santa Marie-Maggiore
We did not get tickets to the Vatican Museum before leaving home. There was only one ticket available on the day we wanted to go, and Lee had already seen it years ago. So, he sat at a nearby sidewalk cafe while Linda went to the Museum. Three hours later, she managed to get back where he was still sitting there. He did not have his cell phone with him, so she was unable to let him know that the reservation time had been delayed. The line to get in was really long, even with a reservation. The ticket included a guide, so the group had to stick with that guide. Of course the Sistine Chapel was at the end of the tour. After a while, all the artwork looks the same. It was really crowded, and hot!
There was a beautiful walkway along the Tiber River. By the bridge there were steps to get closer to the water where there were restaurants and live music. We considered going down to enjoy the entertainment, but knew we would have to climb those steps to get back up! We had already climbed enough steps for the day, and had more walking to go.
The Pantheon is an architectural wonder with the massive unreinforced concrete dome. The central opening (oculus) was its sole light source. Rain enters through the hole, but the floor's drain holes and slope prevent flooding.
Rather than get tickets to see original painting of The Last Supper, and tickets to the da Vinci Museum in Milan, we got tickets to Leonardo da Vinci Experience in Rome. They had replicas for The Last Supper and for more than 50 of his working inventions.
We have seen a colosseum in several of the European cities we have visited so did not feel the need to go inside of the one in Rome. We could see what we wanted on the outside of the fencing. There are also many of the ruins to be seen in the area.
The "Grace for the World" concert, featuring Andrea Bocelli, was held September 13 with a free open-air event in St. Peter's Square. The Vatican was closed early for the event. Some people in our tour group attended the concert, and spent hours standing in line, and also at the event. Then it took them a while to get back to the hotel in the wee hours of the morning! We chose to watch it on TV. Pope Leo XIV celebrated his 70th birthday with thousands of visitors in St. Peter's Square.
Before we left home we made reservations for an Italian opera night candlelight concert. It took a while to find it due to scaffolding by the door. It was a fun night. We took a taxi back to the hotel.
It is recommended that if you go to the Trevi Fountain prior to 9:00 in the morning or after 10:00 at night. Otherwise, it is very crowded. We were there (by accident) twice, but did not go inside the gate. They only let 24 people in at a time, and only allow you to stay a short while. At that point we were about 10 minutes away from the Spanish steps, but in the opposite direction from our hotel.
Mmmm, Gelato!
Found in a shop window.
Steps, steps, and more steps! Even not on an organized tour, a visit to Rome is very physically challenging! We stayed an extra day in Rome after the tour, but it was still not enough time to see everything!
The last night of our tour we all met at a gathering room in the hotel for one last time. It was such a bitter-sweet moment. We made some life-long connections and memories in those few days that we were together.
