ROMA! ROMA! ROMA!

We had three GREAT days in Rome!  Friday morning (July 22), we boarded the high-speed Eurostar for a 90 minute train ride from the heart of Florence to the heart of Rome.  There was a national rail strike that day, but our train departed and arrived on time. 

Once in Rome, it was a quick walk to our lovely hotel.  Thank you, Palazzi, for reserving such a nice place.  We had time for a quick lunch, and then we were off for our guided tour of the colosseum and the forum.  That night we had a fabulous dinner and some of us spent the rest of the evening enjoying the rooftop garden.

On Saturday, we had a huge breakfast in the hotel and then it was time to take on Rome’s subway for the short ride to the Vatican.  We met up with our guides just outside of the Vatican and then entered the Vatican Museum with its spectacular artwork and beautiful frescos.  The Sistine Chapel met everyone’s expectations of beauty and history.  Next, we entered St. Peter’s Basilica, the heart of Christendom and largest basilica in the world.  We each touched the right foot of the statue of St. Peter (for good luck) and then proceeded with our guide through the rest of the basilica. 

On Sunday, we visited the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain (into which we tossed our coins as a guarantee that we would return to Rome!), and the Pantheon.  Tired, but happy, we boarded the Eurostar for our return trip to Florence.