A journey of discovery through the landscapes, art, food, and people of Italy
Day 16: Rome
This was one of our favorite and most action-packed days! We met early for a tour of the Coliseum that gave us a great overview of the architecture as well as a history lesson in how the building was used. We then walked to the Roman forum where our guide pointed out a number of important buildings and told stories. How surreal to walk where Julius Cesar walked! It was unreal! We finished our ancient morning inside the Pantheon where we were blown away by the technical abilities of its original builders. What an amazing morning!
After our hard work this morning, we relaxed at the fountain in front of the Pantheon and had a sandwich from a shop our local guide had recommended. Then we visited the Victor Emmanuel monument to see some of the views available from the top. Well worth the fee you pay to take the elevator, as you get a great birds-eye-view of ancient Rome! We hurried to St. Peters In Chains to see Michelangelo's Moses statue, but arrived too early as they were closed for lunch! This was a trend on our trip - we kept forgetting that Italians still take a break in the middle of the day. We loved the church, although Moses was covered in scaffolding.
Tonight was our last group meal together. It was bitter sweet, as we knew our tour was coming to a close, but it was fun to get together and share our adventures and reminisce about the trip together. We had been so lucky to have such an awesome group! Donald surprised us with some musicians and unending wine, and we had a blast singing along and telling jokes. You make friends for life on these trips! We didn't want the night to end, so we all followed Donald as he led us through a number of beautiful Piazzas and told us some fun stories about his time in Rome. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better tour, this is one for the record books!