2 full days down and I can honestly say I am very impressed with Rome. Our first full day (Sept. 2) was spent exploring our local neighbourhood. Our walk was amazing – lots of little shops and restaurants. We walked through the arches of the old Roman wall, right up to the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano. This basilica had an amazing plaza in front with some impressive landscaping. We also spent a bit of time walking through a park that ran beside a stretch of the old wall. After a very nice lunch, we did a bit of grocery shopping and headed back to our apartment for a well deserved rest.
Today (Wednesday, Sept. 3) was our Vatican City tour. Talk about impressive!!! It’s hard to put into words the impact of a place that has so much history on display in an absolutely incredible setting. From paintings to statues to jaw dropping ceilings, we made our way through the Vatican museum, ending up at the Sistine Chapel. I think my photos will do a much better job at expressing the sheer beauty of the place. I actually got to the point where I just couldn’t take any more photos – my phone’s battery power was running very low.
We spent about 3 hours inside the Vatican and then we walked along the outside of the wall to St. Peter’s Basilica. Unfortunately we didn’t have tickets to go inside the basilica but we did go into the centre plaza area and have a good look around. Again it was quite impressive!
Our last stop before heading home was at the Atlante Star Hotel roof top garden called Les etoiles terrazza. We had an amazing view of St. Peter’s Basilica and the surrounding area. We also had the most expensive drinks so far this trip (and they will probably be the most expensive for the whole trip!!). By the time we got back to our apartment, we all had sore feet and were ready for a rest!!
Tomorrow (Sept. 4) we will visit the Pantheon and the Castel Sant’Angelo. It will be another full day of touring Rome!
Crimson Kathryn and her crew 