June 11, Rome

Rome! We are met by Vincenzo. He takes us to the Coliseum, Trevi, the Four Rivers fountain, Pantheon, scenic overlook, all before lunch at Salad Ricca outside the Roman Walls. Vincenzo buys our tickets, with our euro, and directs us to the Coliseum entrance with no line. We explore on our own. At our request, we are taken to the Pantheon. I inquire about the Four Rivers Fountain from the movie, Angels and Demons. Vincenzo directs us the 2 blocks to this lovely fountain. THe Pantheon is aweinspiring, a Roman temple with the first dome ever. It has an open eye (oculus) at the top and small drain holes in the marble floor. Now it is Catholic and the tomb of Rafael is here. No more Roman gods to see here. Next we are driven through the crazy streets of Rome to visit the Trevi fountain. After appropriate gawking and photo ops, we are ready for lunch. Vincenzo gives us 2 options, tourist or local for half the price. We choose local, of course. We are the first of the day at 11:45 for lunch of pizza, pasta, salad caprese, made with real buffalo mozzarella, Delicious. I have a Spaghetti Carbonara that is piping hot and delicious, Dan and I split a small half liter of wine.
Now we meet our guide Cecilia for a private Vatican Museum Tour. Isabel and I are showing off our knees, so we are given free paper pants to wear. Isabel is sporting a tank top, so she gets a paper shawl as well. The children are fascinated by the sculptures featuring naked Roman and Greeks, as well as the children of Ceasar. We arrive in the Sistine Chapel, so clean and beautiful now after the restoration. We are able to sit and admire this masterpiece for 20 minutes before the next group overwhelms the chapel. Isabel tries to hide behind the Polish organ, a gift from Poland to the last Pope, so she can stay here. We find here, nonetheless. Next we see La Pieta and the Basilica.
It is another scorcher here in Rome, 89 degrees F. We stock up on cold drinks and Vincenzo picks us up in the airconditioned Mercedes Benz van for the drive back to Civitivecchia. It is only 4 pm and there is no traffic. We are back on board for dinner and a show. The children enjoy the comedian and juggler.