When in Rome

Our first big day of exploration. Our private guide was Barbara. We’ve learned that in Rome you have to have a special license to lead tours, and each one has to be from that area. Barbara has been a guide for 26 years. She is excellent, and I think she knows everyone in Rome! Barbara got to legitimately invoke the “When in Rome!” line—particularly crossing traffic. Trying to cover 3000 years of history in 8 days is certainly not doable, but we’re calling this our sampler platter vacation. A taste of lots of things Italian! Today we logged over 10.3 miles of walking, plus a little driving. We started with the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain (made our wish, of course, right hand tossed over left shoulder!), the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and many beautiful piazza. Stopped for lunch and tried the fried artichoke. We liked it, but were told by Alex that the best version of this dish is served in the Jewish ghetto. Next visit! No time to rest too much, we were on to The Galleries of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. Barbara was absolutely wonderful with her information, her pacing, and even providing pictures for reference to different sites. There was so much to enjoy that I can’t even pick a top five. The colors in the Sistine Chapel. The tapestries. The Pantheon with it’s dome and drainage system.

Greg did surprise us all today when he revealed he has secretly been taking Italian lessons with a tutor from Rome. We ended today walking over to Trastevere to meet Marcello (Greg’s friend and tutor) and his daughter. We had a fantastic dinner sampling a lot of local cuisine. We all had a favorite—Greg and Elizabeth loved the fried zucchini flowers. Ryan likes this fried combination of rice and cheese. I should have taken a picture of the menu so I could keep everything straight.

We strolled by the Tiber River back to the hotel well fed and with tired feet. Oh, and if I forget, gelato and shopping are just a daily given!