Rome, Italy Day 17

We took a taxi at 7:45 a.m. to the Vatican and had the same driver as we had
to the Villa Borghese!

We had arranged a guide from Context Rome which was spendy but worth every
cent. The guides for Context Rome are scholars, and our guide, Lukas, is an
art history and architecture scholar. He had a gift for teaching us and kept
us engaged and fascinated for over 4½ hours as we toured the Vatican
Museum(s), the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Cathedral. He also piqued
my interest to learn so much more, the sign of a true teacher. He was able
to draw connections between influences and eras that were fascinating.

At St. Peter’s we rubbed St. Peter’s foot which is supposed to
bring good luck! Michelangelo’s powerful Pietà, done at the age
of 24, was so moving.

We had dinner near the Trevi Fountain and around the corner we found a fabulous
gelato place. It is Il Gelato di San Crispino, recommended by the NY Times.
The flavors are very gourmet, delicate, and creative. I had meringue and nocciola
(hazelnuts) which had little pieces of soft meringue cookies in it. This was
a favorite gelato of the trip.

Rome, Italy Day 16

We walked for 4.5 hours before our Colosseum/Forum walking tour.

We visited Santa Maria Maggiore Church and were able to witness a High Mass with the most beautiful and moving men’s choir. We walked to the Victor Emmanuel Monument and up Via del Corso to the Spanish Steps which were full of activity as the spirit of All Saints Day continued. Via del Corso with nearby Via Condotti is a high fashion area, and although the narrow sidewalks were filled, it was fun to quickly window shop.

Our Colosseum/Forum tour, also through Roman Odyssey, was fascinating, especially with our years of Latin. We now need to go back and study more of this history to get it in order! Our interest was and is piqued.

It was incredible that we were walking on the same basalt rocks that the chariots ran over. Once again, that feeling of being one with time came over us. We also saw where Caesar was buried and Bill seemed quite fascinated with the apartments of the Vestal Virgins. The Vestal Virgins took care of Rome’s most sacred spot, the Temple of Vesta, which had a fire inside that was never supposed to go out. As long as it burned, Rome would stand.

The 2000 year old Colosseum was beautiful, a Roman engineering accomplishment, and there were far fewer stray cats than we had expected!

We had a most fun and excellent dinner at Hosteria Romana. For 8 euros we could pile up our antipasto plates with four shelves worth of choices at the buffet. There were fish (even Bill’s beloved anchovies), cheeses, meats, vegetable combinations (eggplants, zucchini, mushrooms, pickled sprouts, squash to name a few), quiches and a thin-looking spinach pie. The bread was exquisitely thin, wavy, and you could see the flaky leaves. The waiters were warm and the atmosphere quite jovial with lots of happy customers. The room we were in was elongated with windows all around, and one had the feeling of being in an elegant train car.

This restaurant would definitely demand a repeat visit!