When in Rome, do as the Romans do
We headed to the Republica metro station with our destination the Colosseum which is Rome’s ancient amphitheater. I love visiting places I’ve only seen in pictures or books. Another fabulous local guide showed us the massive structure and provided its history. The Colosseum could hold 50K + people as they crammed themselves into seats to watch horrific “entertainment” involving fighting to death between man and man, animal and animal and man vs. animal. It was so interesting to hear her talk about the lower level of the Colosseum where elevators and pulley systems transported gladiators and animals. In the same archaeological area of the Colosseum is the Roman Forum. The Forum is home to ancient Roman ruins. It felt like I was back in Greece wandering the ruins of Athens, Olympia or Mycenae. Next stop was the Pantheon. Again, I had flashbacks to Greece and the Tomb of Agamemnon in Mycenae which was a “beehive tomb”. Unlike its Greek cousin, the Roman Pantheon has a huge circular hole (15 ft diameter) in the roof which serves as view to Heaven. When Rome has rain, it rains inside the Pantheon. Luckily, the design of the floor and drains keep the standing water to a minimum. The Pantheon was packed with people and our guide kept saying “Oh, Mamma Mia!”
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Dinner was on our own, so I went to a quiet little restaurant on a side street off the busy and crazy Piazza Navona. I enjoyed a peaceful dinner at an outdoor table which was great for people watching. A couple hours later we met up as a group and walked to Trevi Fountain. Part of traveling is to be prepared for the unexpected or disappointing. The Fountain was closed for renovations. As we walked back to the hotel we literally stumbled onto a religious procession for one of the local churches. Hundreds of people were walking shoulder to shoulder holding candles. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So, we jumped in the middle of everyone and soon we had candles and we were walking with the Italians. Traveling brings unexpected surprises and opportunities. Our group eventually broke away to go to the Spanish Steps. A quick metro ride and we were back to the hotel.
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The Last Supper
For the very last time, we met Patricia in the lobby and headed to a restaurant just around the corner. Our HUGE table was in the cave like cellar room which was down several flights of stairs. All 27 of us fit around the long table. It was the first time during the trip where we all sat at one table. Pretty cool. It was a fun night of laughing and sharing stories. The food was delish, as was the Limoncello. Dino got up and gave a warm toast to Patricia for making our Italian adventure magical. We raised our glasses. In true Patricia style, she dabbed her eye and said “It almost brought a tear to my glass eye”. She then passed out gifts to all of us. It was the best ever Italian souvenir –a bottle opener with Papa Francesco on it. I’m going to miss her fabulous sense of humor. Before leaving everyone was hugging each other and giving best wishes. To think just 16 days earlier we were strangers meeting each other for the first time in a Lake Como hotel. Another one of the best benefits of traveling on a Rick Steves tour –meeting new friends.
Heading home |