Day 9 - Rome

Another grey and cloudy day but today we were off to Roma.  Rome In Limo were our tour again today and we had a wonderful driver, Alfredo, and our own guide for the day, the lovely Serena.   Out on the road bright and early at 8 AM for the 1.25 hour ride from the port to Rome. 

First stop…The Vatican to go into the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel.  Serena made sure we each had a headphone unit which allowed us to easily hear her as we walked through the museum.  Off we went to see the private collections of the pope.  Before entering the museum we went out into the courtyard where the pope greets dignitaries and others of importance.  So beautiful with many artifacts there were found as the Basilica was being built. 

Unfortunately, we had another accident today.  One lady in our group did not see a step into the courtyard, stumbled and landed smack on her face.  Thank goodness it was not as bad as yesterday…she split open above her lip, but she was taken to the medical unit in the museum to be checked out.  Talk about bad luck.   They bandaged her lip and we moved on.  The museum was just amazing…so many beautiful paintings on the ceilings.  One room is more breathtaking than the next.  And so much history!   The last room in the museum is the Sistine Chapel and it lived up to its hype.  So wonderful.  

Then it was on to the Basilica itself.  The grandeur and the expanse of the church boggle the mind.   It was surreal having seen so much of the inside and outside of the Basilica on TV and then seeing it in person.

Back on the bus and off to lunch in a little square with good pizzerias and gelatarias.  Then on to the Colisseum.  As we arrived it started raining, but not as bad as the day before at Pompeii.  What is it with Italian ruins and bad weather???   But the Colisseum was so amazing we didn’t care it was raining…I don’t think we even noticed as we were swept away with memories of watching Gladiator and imagining what it must have been like back in 79 A.D.  Bill was overwhelmed with the history of this magnificent place. 

Then on to the Trevi Fountain where we, of course, tossed our coins into the fountain ensuring our return to Rome.  Then to the Pantheon to marvel at this engineering wonder.   And, finally, our last stop was the Piazza Navona where we enjoyed a delicious gelato and people watched by the beautiful sculpture and fountain. 

Another fantastic day in Italy.   Glad we tossed those coins in the fountain so we come back some day…there is so much to see!