Arrivederci Roma!

After a wonderful final evening, with a great dinner & excellent concert, it was sadly time to say goodbye to Rome - for now at least...
We had a very early start in the morning (4:30am departure!) but everyone was up & ready on time as we departed for Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport.

Thank you to all our travelers for helping make this tour a resounding success - we didn't have the best weather, & we hit a few delays in Florence's traffic, but with punctuality, good humor, & a great group spirit this was another great tour.  We hope that it was everything you hoped for & more.
Thanks must also go to Ms. Blanchard & Mr. Pawlas for their efforts behind the scenes - providing the inspiration for the tour, promotional efforts, & even fundraising.  Without them this tour would not have happened.
Best wishes & safe travels,
Declan

Ancient Rome & Our Farewell Evening

It was our last day in Rome, & in Italy, today.  But after so many great sights we still had a top highlight to see this morning - Ancient Rome & specifically the Colosseum.
Our fantastic guide again today was Stuart Harvey.  After meeting us out side the Colosseum Stuart helped us negotiate the lines & security checks seamlessly, to enjoy the fantastic views both inside & outside the Colosseum...

Once we'd had time for photos Stuart told us more about the actually events that really took place here - dispelling many myths & 'Hollywood legends' but also revealing that a surprising number of tales many of us had heard were actually true.
The intricacies of the construction, all aimed at putting on a superb showing for the Roman public, were explained, making the sight become much more than an empty ruin.

After leaving the Colosseum we strolled the short distance across to the site of the former Roman four, the very heart of the Roman Empire.

Once again Stuart regaled us with colorful stories & fascinating facts, reminding us of long-forgotten history classes & amusing us with tidbits of information about the Romans, some of which relate to today (The word Senator comes from the same root as senile!).

We finished our morning walking tour by Trajan's Column, & across the road from the huge monument to modern Italy's first king.
This afternoon was free once again for independent exploring.  Now familiar with the city everyone took off - some to visit museums or churches, others to shop, & some no doubt just for a leisurely lunch.

We regrouped this evening for an early dinner, our farewell group meal.
Though we were dining early we enjoyed an atmospheric feast of seemingly unlimited courses & copious amounts of food, all the while entertained by the resident guitarist.

After dinner we strolled the short distance to our second concert, a recital of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.  The string musicians in the group seemed to unanimously agree that the performance was really excellent, & in the setting of an historic church just yards from the Spanish Steps it was a fitting end to a wonderful week+ in Italy.

We rode the Rome metro back to our hotel...

And there was even time for the youngest members of our party to release their musical talent a the hotel piano!

The Vatican, the World's Smallest Nation

Our first full day in Rome was spent exploring another city & indeed another country - Vatican City!  A country within a country, tiny Vatican City takes up just a part of Rome, but there is so much to see there that we could have easily spent more than just the full morning.
We met our local guide Stuart outside the grand entrance to the Vatican Museums, the Vatican's incredible collection of priceless art.

With the enormous dome of St. Peter's as a backdrop, Stuart began to tell us all about the history of the church & its art.

With a little stop to appreciate the Pope's collection of soccer jerseys - a human touch to the pontiff.

We learned about the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel & about it's creation outside - speaking inside is forbidden!  Then we wound our way through seemingly endless galleries of Roman & Greek sculptures, medieval tapestries & wall maps, & more...
The Sistine Chapel itself was the final highlight of the museums, though photography is also forbidden inside so no photos of that.

After a short-cut we found ourselves at the enormous bronze doors of St. Peter's.

Inside the church, the largest in the world, we were suitably awed - even more so when Stuart explained just how huge some of the details that looked tiny to us really are!
The church itself is home to priceless works of art too, none more so than Michelangelo's 'Pieta' (portrayal of the crucified Christ with the Virgin Mary).
Other works of art include the canopy over the altar, created by Bernini from the bronze that originally covered the portico of the Pantheon!

Outside we saw the Swiss guards, enjoyed the sweeping views of the square, & had time for a group photo.

This afternoon was completely free for folks to explore at their leisure.
A large group took a walk after lunch - past street performers...

...on by the Castel Sant' Angelo & across the bridge of the same name...

...into the Centro Storico to Piazza Navona & the Pantheon.

Diner this evening was just a short walk from our hotel, at the end of a great day in The Eternal City.