ROMA
Day 8
Sokmoua, Sovanna and Donna
Sokmoua, Sovanna and Donna
Vatican City
Joanna's free day + evening explorations
Day 7
Leaving Firenze and a Wine Experience
Today we had to depart the magnificent Firenze and head out to Roma. BUT first we got to stop in Oriveto at Tenuta le Velette for a wine tasting experience. This family owned winery was built on top of Etruscan tunnels which the family now uses as their wine cellar. We got to taste three different wines that they produced as well as their olive oil. I of course needed all of it, so I bought a bottle of each and starting thinking up plans on how I was going to fly home with three bottles of wine and a bottle of olive oil.
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After a relaxing afternoon at the winery, we got back on the bus to finish the trek to Roma.
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Roma Night Walk and Dinner
After checking into Hotel San Carlo and getting settled, we set off for a walking tour of Roma as the sun was starting to set. We got a glimpse of the beautiful Roman sky that looked like it was a painting in the sky.
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We made it just in time to see the Pantheon just before it closed for the evening. This former Roman temple which was turned into a church in the 7th century. After some free time to roam through the interior of the Pantheon we Piazza Navona to see the Fountain of the Four Rivers which was sculpted by Bernini. Here we got some free time to snap some photos and fend off the street merchants before heading to dinner at Da Pancrazio.
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Dinner was an experience! Da Pancrazio is actually built right on top of the Theater of Pompey's' ruins which is where Julius Caesar was murdered! The Theater was built in the 1st century BC. We were even serenaded while we ate our delicious meal in the underground dining area made out of Ancient Roman ruins. If there was ever a "wow" moment, I think this qualifies.
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After dinner, we walked off part of the pasta course by making the trek over to the Trevi Fountain to make a wish before heading back to our hotel to catch some shut-eye.
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Sokmoua, Joanna and Sovanna
Tenuta le Velette in Orvieto
Dinner at Da Pancrazio
Evening Stroll
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Vatican City
Having just seen the Vatican Museums a year ago, I decided to skip this portion of the tour today. My mom and aunt went with the group and explored the Vatican Museums, stared in awe at the beautiful art in the Sistine Chapel, and marveled at the magnificence inside St. Peter's Basilica. Sovanna and Sokmoua grabbed lunch with some group members before heading back to meet up with me at our hotel.
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Joanna's Free Day
I decided to take the free morning to just wonder the streets and try and fit in like a local. It was a rainy day in Rome, so I spent a lot of time telling street vendors I didn't need to buy an umbrella and popping into stores to take cover when the rain started pouring. I also visited Piazza del Popolo, claimed the Spanish Steps, and purchased myself a little gift from one of the shops near the Steps. This was a nice day for me to get some rest to refuel for the rest of our trip.
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Evening Explorations
The three of us connected back together after lunch and decided to do some shopping. As I mentioned earlier, it was a rainy day and to say we got caught in rain would be an understatement. At one point it started coming down so hard I think my clothes were just as wet as when I had to walk through knee-high water our first day in Venezia. We found a dinner spot close to the hotel after we changed out of our wet clothes as to now get soaked again.
Day 9
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San Clemente, Colosseo and Roman Forum
We had another early start today and a jam-packed morning agenda. First we took the metro and then ended up having to walk further because our metro stop was closed. We eventually found our way to the Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano. This beautiful Basilica is built on top of two foundations. The current structure was built just before the year 1100. Directly beneath the current structure is a 4th-century basilica that archeologists say was converted out of a home of a Roman nobleman which was built in the 1st-century. And further below that was another Roman nobleman's villa and warehouse that was destroyed in the Great Fire of 64 AD. We got a private tour of the many levels of the basilica and it was fascinating. I would highly recommend this as part of your Roman itinerary. There were no pictures allowed inside of the Basilica.
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After our tour on San Clemente, we headed over to the Colosseo where we got to enter through the Gladiators' Entrance. It was fascinating to see how this structure is still standing after more than 2,000 years. We got a great group picture while inside the Colosseo. And for another "wow" moment, we saw the clouds and rain dissipate and in a matter of minutes it was the most magical blue sky above us.
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Then we headed over to the Roman Forum, which is the ancient ruins of what used to be the government buildings at the center of the city of Roma. I think to get the most appreciation for how grand these buildings once were is to compare the current ruins that you see to renderings of what archeologists think they used to look like before they were buried and recovered centuries later.
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San Clemente, Colosseo and Roman Forum
Colosseo taken during our walk over to the Roman Forum
Group photo in the Colosseo
Back L-R: Phil, Dave, Chris, Doug, Bob, Jerry, Phil, Dave, Larry, Chris, and Maria
Middle L-R: Roger, Yuki, Alan, Mary, Eileen, Karla, Lucille, Annette, Donna, Sokmoua
Front L-R: Kathy, Sovanna, Joanna, Terri, Carol, Carlo, Allegra and Patricia
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Free Afternoon
After finishing our tour at the Roman Forum, we had the rest of the afternoon free to grab some lunch and do more exploring before meeting up again for our final group dinner. We were joined by fellow group member Karla and found a quiet restaurant with some delicious home made pasta. After lunch, we went to Saint Peter in Chains to see Michelangelo's Moses. We got here before the church opened, so we wandered down a side street, and found the best view of the Colosseo. We had a mini-photoshoot and then headed back to San Pietro in Vincoli to wait for the doors to open.
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After taking the time to appreciate Michelangelo's Moses sculpture, we decided to walk back towards our hotel. Along the way back, we stopped at the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument (or better known as "the wedding cake") to take their elevator up to see the view of Roma from above.
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After taking in the panoramic views, we started up our walk back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner, with a little detour at the Spanish Steps.
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Final Group Dinner
For our final dinner, Patricia found a restaurant around the corner from our hotel and set it up in a way where we would get to order whatever we wanted from the menu for our entree. It was a fantastic way to end our tour together.
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The group would mostly part ways in the morning after breakfast 😥
Michelangelo's Moses inside San Pietro in Vincoli
Mini-photoshoot spot found while we waited for
San Pietro in Vincoli to open its doors
Closing thoughts on Roma...
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There is so much history in Roma! We barely scratched the surface of everything there is to do and see in Roma. I think you need a good 5-7 days in this city to fully experience it and the many different neighborhoods. My biggest "wow" moment this time in Roma was how beautiful the sky was on the first night and on our last day. It was almost like the gods were smiling down on us and giving us a painting in the sky to view.
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