Rome (Tour days 1 & 2)
Tour starts today at 4 p.m. so we have time to go to the Sistine Chapel on a guided tour and to beat the crowds. Works mostly and as the guide can only talk in the museum and not the chapel we grab a seat along the wall and listen to the RS podcast about the ceiling with our handy headphones. No photos in the chapel but that does not seem to stop too many. The guards also "shh" folks so the headphones are extra nice. We sat there til we finished the audio and then headed back to the hotel to await our meeting time.
Top row: Trastevere square, Bernini inside the church of San Francesco and it was free to enter! Simpson's themed park on our walking tour before dinner,
2nd row: St Peter's, some of the mosaic floors in the Vatican museums, the hall of tapestry (the Tomb)
3rd & 4th rows: Vatican museum photos, and yes, statues had color, us with the dome in the background, walls of the Vatican City and the entrance motif.
We meet our full tour group in the dining area of our hotel at 4 pm. We all were given headphones and picked our “buddy” for the duration of the tour. Had a quick nibble and a toast with Prosecco before heading out to the church steps for more introductions and a little orientation before strolling a few blocks to the square and then to our first dinner together.
Savvy Travel Tip: bring your own headphones – the kind that have a plug, not bluetooth. They will be more comfy and then only wear one earpiece so you can also hear other people if you choose.
Day 2: Full day ahead of us and it is pretty warm out. First a quick breakfast at the hotel, then out for our walking tour of the Ghetto and then the Capitoline museum with the rest of the day on our own.
1st row: Jewish ghetto, ruins near Teatro Marcello, some lovely red poppies
2nd row: The Capitoline Square by Michaelangelo, the Colossus of Constantine, some of the amazing flooring unearthed
3rd row: Original walls! Romulus and Remus, in the square with Marcus Aurelius
4th row: another Bernini - Medusa in the moment she sees herself and turns to stone, Hercules, Commodus as Hercules
Savvy Travel Tip: bring your own headphones – the kind that have a plug, not bluetooth. They will be more comfy and then only wear one earpiece so you can also hear other people if you choose.
Day 2: Full day ahead of us and it is pretty warm out. First a quick breakfast at the hotel, then out for our walking tour of the Ghetto and then the Capitoline museum with the rest of the day on our own.
1st row: Jewish ghetto, ruins near Teatro Marcello, some lovely red poppies
2nd row: The Capitoline Square by Michaelangelo, the Colossus of Constantine, some of the amazing flooring unearthed
3rd row: Original walls! Romulus and Remus, in the square with Marcus Aurelius
4th row: another Bernini - Medusa in the moment she sees herself and turns to stone, Hercules, Commodus as Hercules
Tour of the underground of the Colosseum was how we spent our free time this afternoon. We were tired, but wanted to make the most of the few days in Rome.
Savvy Travel Tip: Make sure you know what is planned so you don’t miss out on something you really want to see. Southern Italy tour presumes you have been to Rome already so does not hit some of the “major” sights. You can plan your free time accordingly.
Our booked tour was for the Underground and Forum and Palantine Hill, but as it was warm out we made our way to a restaurant after the Colosseum for snacks and a spritz before finding a yummy restaurant near our hotel for dinner on our own. Worn out from all the walking and warmish weather we headed to bed early as we have an early morning to leave Roma.
Savvy Travel Tip: Make sure you know what is planned so you don’t miss out on something you really want to see. Southern Italy tour presumes you have been to Rome already so does not hit some of the “major” sights. You can plan your free time accordingly.
Our booked tour was for the Underground and Forum and Palantine Hill, but as it was warm out we made our way to a restaurant after the Colosseum for snacks and a spritz before finding a yummy restaurant near our hotel for dinner on our own. Worn out from all the walking and warmish weather we headed to bed early as we have an early morning to leave Roma.