Civitavecchia/Rome, Italy 9-28-17

The port here is about an hour drive from Rome.  We were a few minutes late meeting Fabrizio this morning.  Andiamo is his greeting, in English…let’s move it!  Soon we were coming into Roma.  Our first stop is the Colosseum and we have a guide who meets us at the van whose name is Peppe.  We head off to walk the two blocks to the entrance through the Constantine Arch.  If you have never been, this is an amazing area to see.  It is as it was 2,000 years ago and the fact that they were able to build these structures is mind boggling.  As you look to the left of the Colosseum is Palantine Hill and beyond that the Forum.  You are walking on the same ground that Ceasar walked.  Peppe is probably older than I so I was not sure how much the kids would relate.  All of them loved him and being here soaking in the history.  It was also another beautiful day so on the second level you could see for miles.  The steps up to the second level were high and deep.  If it wasn’t for the railing, I don’t think I would have made it!  The kids are loving taking photos and Paige takes one of a headless statue and then with one of her phone programs she puts Chris's head on the statue.  She shows it to us and we are dying laughing.  She showed it to Peppe and even he burst out laughing.  When we get back to Fabrizio we tell him about Peppe laughing and he said he wouldn’t believe it unless we showed him a picture.  It was funny.

Peppe

Bummer...blurry

This made Peppe laugh out loud!

Our next stop was Circus Maximus where the chariot races would take place.  This area is really around the corner from the Colosseum so then you can get a mental picture of how people got there during those times.

 

 

 

 

On to a beautiful church called San Pietro en Vincoli.  St. Peter in Chains and it is rumored that not only does this cathedral have the chains which bound him but he may also secretly be buried here.  This is an absolutely gorgeous church with beautiful Michelangelo sculptures that no one seems to know about.  The sculptures are gorgeous and viewing the chains makes the hair stand up on your arms.  There is a souvenir kiosk outside and we find some things the kids want then head back to the van. 

 

 

This stop is a place I asked Fabrizio to take us called Aventine Hill.  This is in a very upscale area of Rome.  You pull into what looks like a plaza area where there is a church and a long wall.  In the middle of the wall are these huge green doors.  You wait in a line to look through the keyhole on the door.  What greats you on the other side is the most beautiful view of St. Peter’s you will ever see.  There is an arbor with St. Peter’s at the end.  Just a breathtaking view and not a usual stop on most tours.  Debbie and I had been there when we were there and it was one of the things we saw that no one else did. 

 

 

The Spanish Steps are just packed with tourists.  There is a beautiful fountain there that folks are sitting around to enjoy a coffee or gelato.  We take photos and stop on the way back to Fabrizio at the biggest McDonalds I have ever seen…Fabrizio calls it the American Embassy.  We needed to use the bathroom but we were amused at the size of this place and the procedure to get food.  Chris had to have food so Teresa got him fries and we head out.

 

Next stop was Trevi Fountain.  This place is gorgeous but so overly crowded that we have to fight to get down the stairs to get a photo.  We didn’t stay long after taking photos as Lindsay does not like being in areas with this many people.  Pick pockets are a major issue here which is why we left everything in the van with Fabrizio and he stayed in the van.

 

We viewed the balcony where Mussolini addressed his admirers' and the government building known as the "wedding cake building".

 

 

Our next stop was not far from Trevi at a restaurant owned by Fabrizio’s cousin.  This was so much fun and the food was absolutely everything you would expect of Italy.  All of us were in awe.  We started out with caprese, then bruchetta and more cheese, pizza and finally two pastas..one with red sauce and one with white…both were to die for.  We had wine and after our last course, we had shots of lemoncello…and yes for the kids too!  We all drank a toast (but they have had wine on the ship too…in Europe kids drink wine with dinner with their families) but I’m not sure they liked it.  They admitted they liked it better cold since they had tasted it in Sorrento and it was warm but they didn’t like it.  It is amazing when you can actually have an authentic Italian meal and realize that it doesn’t have to be heavy and overwhelming as it seems to be at home.  After a wonderfully delicious and fun lunch we head off to our next stop of the day.

 

So yummy..grilled veggies, caprese, ciche,bruchetta



The girls are enjoying the wine with lunch.

Our lemoncello toast!

 

 

Unfortunately for us, it was world tourism day so the Vatican tickets today were free.  I say unfortunately because you still had to have a ticket so the lines were hours long.  Although we could not go into the Sistine Chapel or the museums, we were able to go to St. Peter’s Square and it’s an amazing feeling to be standing there.  I know the kids were thrilled.  They did go into the Vatican post office and buy a postcard and mailed it to their church group.  We walked around and saw the lines of people waiting to get in and decided we got the better end of the deal that day.  We found some vender kiosks outside the walls selling souveniers.  We shopped and bought a few things and headed back to meet Fabrizio. 

 

Our next stop was Piazzo Novana which is a beautiful square with statues and fountains.  Lots of outdoor cafes.

 

Before we leave Rome he wants to stop and get gelato.  Lindsay can’t eat it because of her peanut allergy and I didn’t want any so we stayed in the van.  Christopholo had to use the restroom so Fabrizio took him to find a place and left the van doors open so Lindsay and I could get some fresh air.  A man walks up to the open door and looks in and looks around.  He said is your driver Fabrizio?  We said yes and he said “You have the best driver in all of Italy”.  By this time the others were back at the van and obviously Fabrizio knew this man but honestly everywhere we go everyone knows him.

This was a long and very busy day.  I think this was the night we ate at the buffet and I got showered and went to bed.  The kids went to meet their ship friends at the teen club and Keith and Teresa had the night to themselves.  It was a great day but we have another one early tomorrow.  I realized when we got home that I had no photos from the ship and mainly because I was too tired when we got back there each day to think about photos since we had been taking them all day.

 

Day 4 of the cruise is done!