Touring Rome April 30th 2023 – Insight Vacations Best of Italy

We got up seventeen minutes before the bus was to leave. Maybe we should set an alarm tomorrow? We made it and were not even the last ones on the bus. We watched a safety video and checked our radios. It was so nice to be able to hear the guides through the earpiece. Since, it was Sunday traffic was light and we did a bit of a tour on the bus.

View to the Vatican. Love the dome, especially how it appears and disappears.

The Temple of Vesta is the popular name given to the round temple near the Tiber River in Rome (now Piazza Bocca della Veritá). 

First glimpse of the Colosseum

Elena was our local guide for Rome. She is a tiny firecracker. She said that she will protect us with her tongue. At one point another group was taking up too much of the sidewalk, she was assertive in making room for her group. Walking around the Colosseum, she would call out to other guides as she told us the history.

Elena, local expert Rome

The Colosseum was so good. We walked around the outside. I could not believe we were actually standing there. We got so much history and took time for pictures. We had no problem keeping up. The guides are good to pace us by telling stories and answering questions while everyone catches up. The temperature is perfect for me so far.

Another selfie attempt

Those of us going on the walk-in tour of the fountains and pizzas got off the bus first. We walked up a hill. Barbara showed us how and how not to drink from the ‘Nasone’. The top of the hill was a special addition, an overlook into some ruins where Julius Caesar’s funeral, ‘the friends, Romans,’ speech occurred. It also had a temple to a goddess, and contained a church that had the dungeon that St, Peter was imprisoned in.

We then came onto Campidoglio square: https://www.rome.net/piazza-campidoglio (posting from my phone is harder than I thought sorry for typos). A couple was just leaving their civil wedding ceremony, so we cheered for them. Then went to the back of the museum for a bathroom break. I was one of the first two up the stairs I turned into the first door. When I came out it was all the men lined up to go in. I laughed and washed my hands. I will be more careful next time. It was nice to sit in the shade and wait for everyone.

We walked down the steps and learned a number of facts about Rome. We stopped at the turtle fountain. Then wandered by the ruins where Julius Caesar was killed (back by the trees). It is now a stray cat sanctuary. On Saturday or Sunday people are granted access.

We walked around the back of the pantheon to wait for our entrance at 11:45 am. We had to wait for mass to finish, the incense wafted over us. That counts for mass right Mom?

The Pantheon overwhelmed me. I took lots of pictures . I just was amazed to be standing there. Elena even showed us how the light changes on different dates. So beautiful and precise architecture.

We wandered from the Pantheon through the streets to the Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini. We had opted out of the tour of the catacombs, so this was the end of the guided tour. Tim and I opted to stay in the square for lunch. Missing breakfast is a bad idea for me.

Lunch in Rome

Tim ordered bruschetta as soon as we sat down. Such a smart guy! It may have been self protection as I was getting beyond just hungry. We were both pretty hungry by now. I asked for sparkling water. I do not even know what the spot was called. Tim got the fettuccine Alfredo. I ordered a caprese salad with buffalo cheese. The cheese was so smooth. We shared and had lots for both of us. Just as we were paying it started to rain. We grabbed a cab back to our hotel.

The cab driver was great. I forget his name. He was telling us about the holiday tomorrow (May 1) and how he takes his French bulldog for a walk in the Borghese park. Rome he said is a lot like Central Park in New York but in his opinion prettier. I do love the umbrella pines and agree with him that Rome feels like a busy metropolis.

We both showered and had a nap. Jet lag is a thing. I slept a bit longer than Tim. He went on his own little journey while I slept. We check out tomorrow so spent time packing up because our bags need to be outside our door at 7am. Then we dressed for drinks on the roof top terrace. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain. So drinks in the lobby for us. We had opted out of dinner tonight to relax a bit, then did not feel like wandering in the rain. Tomorrow is the leaning tower of Pisa and lunch before we check into our hotel in Florence.

Meet the Group April 29th, 2023 Best of Italy

We met in the lobby at 5:30 pm. It is a group of 40 people, so we were a bit crowded in the lobby. Barbara, our tour director, handed us each a our luggage tags, headset and lanyard with the radio. We were supposed to go to the Vatican on Monday, but it is an Italian holiday on May 1st. The Vatican is closed. This meant that Barbara had to rearrange our tour to fit everything in but in a different order. We do the Vatican when we come back to Rome at the end. So for anyone who saw our itinerary, it is out the window. We are doing all those things but not on those days. We went over some basic rules of bus tour travel. The most important one, be on time for the bus!

The group walked to supper around the corner. We sat with a couple from Texas, Becky and Steve, and a couple from Pennsylvania, Delrey and John. The conversation was good. Becky and Steve had been to PEI and loved it. Delrey and John were interesting to chat with. The meal started with Caprese salad and another salad. So good! I feel like my plan to overdose on tomatoes and cheese is well in hand. We had ravioli and lasagna as the main and tiramisu for dessert. The time flew by.

We wandered after supper. Somehow we found the gelato shop, again. I got vanilla and lemon, and Tim had lemon and strawberry. We found the fountain of Triton. Note my sneakers, I realize all the people who say do not wear sandals in Rome might have known what they were talking about. Leave it to me to have to test it instead of taking people’s suggestions.

Tomorrow we meet the group at 8 am. I should head to bed.

The Borghese Gallery, Rome April 29, 2023

It was a 9 minute walk from our hotel to the Borghese Gallery. I am so glad I we got our tickets before we left home. All tickets were sold out today. We wandered through the park, the store and enjoyed the view from outside before we checked my bag and went in. I loved it! The art can speak for itself.

Breakfast on the Terrace Saturday, April 29, 2023

Our hotel has a breakfast terrace overlooking the city. What a view. We are seated by table. It I a buffet breakfast that reminds me of our Caribbean adventures. The best part was the amare, or Seville orange. We see them on the trees along streets. (Later Barbara told me that the oranges we see on the trees are very sour and not used to eat.)

View from breakfast terrace

The Romanico Palace is a bit dated and could use some work. The staff are very helpful. The breakfast terrace’s view is amazing. The food is good but not really authentic Italian. It is so fun to be able to walk to the Spanish Steps and the Borghaese Gallery from here. The location and staff are why I would return here. Off on our own adventure today!