Rome
The Eternal City
DAY 15
Last stop…Rome, the Eternal City. Upon our arrival, we were met by our experienced tour guide, Francesca. We were very impressed with all our local guides, but Francesca really stood out. We had seen her on our Rick Steves’ DVD, and we felt like we already knew her. She had a special knack of making history come alive through her vivid descriptions. More than once we felt transported in time as we learned about Rome's fascinating past.
The Colosseum
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Our first stop was the incredible Colosseum which was built nearly two thousand years ago for the gladiator games. Francesca's descriptions really allowed us to picture what it would have been like to see gladiators battling against each other and wild animals, all purely for the entertainment of the Roman spectators.
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This was to be our longest day of walking on the tour since we would be visiting not only the Colosseum, but also the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the many streets of Rome well into the evening hours. Unfortunately, my first day in Rome ended rather abruptly. I wasn't feeling well, so we thought it would be best to go back to the hotel to rest. Stacy was kind enough to escort us down to the street and hail a taxi for us which took us back to our hotel, Hotel Selene.
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Rick Steves' App to the Rescue!
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Luckily, we were staying in Rome for 3 extra days at the end of the tour and were able to make up the sites we missed that day. We were very disappointed that we didn’t get to finish the tour with Francesca, one of our favorite local guides. The consolation prize, however, was that we were able to use the next best thing while exploring on our own: the Rick Steves’ app. It really helped us get the full experience without a live guide.
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After resting for awhile, I was ready to go out for a bite to eat. While leaving our hotel room, we ran into another couple from our group and decided to join them for dinner.
Ristorante Terme di Diocleziano
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Just down the street from our hotel, was a unique restaurant called Ristorante Terme di Diocleziano. It was built in a cistern, and we got to eat on the rooftop. The atmosphere, the food and wine, the excellent service, and the pleasant company all made for an incredible evening.
DAY 16
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Borghese Gallery
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Our morning began with a guided tour of the magnificent Borghese Gallery known for its Baroque Treasures. Here we admired Bernini's famous sculptures, like his David, as well as masterpieces by other famous artists.
Once again, we enjoyed the perks of being on a Rick Steves' tour! We were let into the museum first thing in the morning before the large crowds of tourists arrived.
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The rest of the afternoon was ours to do as we pleased. We joined another couple in our group for a stroll through the lovely Borghese Gardens. Later, we had lunch by our hotel and decided to use the rest of the afternoon to just walk the streets of Rome and do some shopping.
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Goodbye Dinner
That evening, we joined the group for our final dinner together. What a special time to share memories with our new friends who now seemed like old friends!
After dinner, we strolled back to our hotel where we sang a special “Good-bye” song to Stacy. This was an original song written by one of our tour members to the tune of “12 Days of Christmas” which included funny memories about the many incidents we had had as a group. What a fun, sentimental way to end our last evening together!
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Later that evening, we met up with another couple who had also stayed longer and joined them for one more special dinner together. We felt a sense of sadness that this would be our last connection with our fellow tour members and it seemed odd that we would be on our own for the next couple of days.
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DAY 18
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Vatican City and Ristorante del Giglio
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Today, we spent most of our day in the Vatican (see Vatican tab), but later in the evening, we treated ourselves to a more formal, romantic dinner at a very elegant restaurant called Ristorante del Giglio. Dressed in white jackets and black bow ties, the waiters were ready to serve us, and we were very impressed by their professionalism and attentiveness to small details. In particular, we truly appreciated the excellent service, old world charm, and delicious, beautifully presented meals. Later, back at our hotel, the receptionist explained that this restaurant was a well-known family-owned business and had been there for many years.
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DAY 19​
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Filled with a variety of mixed emotions, we realized that this would be our final day of this incredible trip and our last day in Rome. Since we had missed most of the walking tour of Rome, we decided to use this day to make up as much as we could.
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The Roman Forum
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In spite of the gray, drizzly day, we set out early to visit the Forum first and found ourselves among the locals rushing off to work. When we arrived at the Forum, we had a difficult time locating the entrance. After walking around for quite some time looking confused, a young Italian couple stopped to help us. Since the husband spoke English, he was able to guide us in the right direction.
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No other place in the world can you be transported so far back in time than at the Roman Forum! With just a little imagination, you can feel the chariots and carts competing for space on the old cobblestone roads with slaves going about their daily chores and citizens going about their business in downtown Rome. We saw the remains of basilicas, temples, and arches. Just another day in ancient Rome!
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Palatine Hill and the Pantheon
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We walked up the steps to Palatine Hill where we enjoyed a breathtaking panoramic view of the city of Rome. After stopping for lunch, we completed our tour with a visit to the Pantheon. As we waited in line while standing in the rain, we found ourselves missing the ease of getting into sites quickly with the tour group. Luckily, the Pantheon was very much worth the wait. Realizing that this building had been an inspiration and model for so many others made me feel like I was on hallowed ground.
DAY 17
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Breakfast was our last group meal, and so it was time to say farewell to most of the people in our tour group. A few people had already left for the airport at the crack of dawn, but since there was a handful of us staying longer, some of us decided to spend the day together.
Knowing that we had missed the nighttime walk to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, the others willingly agreed to make a return visit with us and show us what we had missed. As we walked there, we stopped for some shopping and lunch along the way.
We decided to take a recommendation from our Rick Steves' Guide and went to a restaurant called Antica Enoteca. It is a 200-plus-year-old enoteca which had delicious food, great service, and an amazing atmosphere. Choosing to eat outside on a sunny day in Rome, we could enjoy our tasty lunch and also have fun watching both the tourists and local people go by.
Later, we took a stroll over to the Trevi Fountain where we all took turns throwing coins over our shoulders into the famous fountain. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped for another tasty gelato.
Residenza Cellini
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After warm hugs and quick goodbyes to our friends, we walked with our bags over to our final hotel, Residenza Cellini, which was just a few blocks away.
We had also found this hotel in Rick Steves' Guide book, and booked it before the trip. Not only was this hotel gorgeous; it had excellent service. In addition, Italian music played on an inviting terrace near our room.
We slowly ambled back to our hotel, stopping in some shops for some last-minute souvenirs. After freshening up, we went out for our last dinner in Rome. On our walk back to the hotel after dinner, we stopped in several small candy stores and shops searching for my favorite Italian dark chocolate called “Perugina Nero”.
Early on in the tour, I had bought a box of this tasty dark chocolate at an Autogrille, and then was unable to find it anywhere else. Ready to give up, we entered a small market and amazingly enough, this was the one place that actually had it. Feeling very excited, we bought enough to take home with us and then headed back to the hotel to pack our things for our trip back home tomorrow.
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Con Te Partiro. Arrivederci, Italia!
