Rome

Day 6 - Today was Fantastic Rome! Everything was beautiful and on a monumental scale. We started the day on a 'Fountain Tour' which took us to the Trevi Fountain, the Fountain of Four Rivers, the Pantheon and lots of other delights on the way (including pre-lunch gelato - coffee and chocolate which was the best in town). The Pantheon was an engineering marvel and quite a delight. Following a quick, but Italian sized lunch, we headed to the Collesium which was mind blowing. The enormity & history & beauty in each column, step, and arch is something that is unforgettable. From there we were off to the Forum. The layers which are Rome continued to unfold. Our guide, Paolo, helped to unlock the mystery of what had been uncovered. Post Forum, I absorbed the day with an afternoon siesta followed by the best meal so far of the trip - with good competition!!! A splendid day!! Mike and I enjoyed a bottle of wine and good conversation in a nearby piazza in the late night... ciao!

Day 7 - The exhaustion is starting to set in from our exciting week of adventures, but we were bright eyed and bushy tailed today to beat the crowds at the Vatican. The ceilings in each area were a sight to behold as we were lead into the Sistine Chapel. We marveled at the beauty of each piece of the mural and found that while Michelangelo wasn't much of a people person, he was quite the comedian. From there, we went into St. Peter's Basilica which was breathtaking. No frescos, only mosaics to fill the largest basilica in the world. Tongiht we were treated with dinner and opera where audience participation was a must and the Japanese and Russian men that joined the singers were quite a hoot. For the night cap, a final goodbye to Rome lit up for the evening. We said goodbye to half of our fellow travelers and are off to Sorrento tomorrow.