Rome in a Day

Rome wasn't built in a day, but we toured it in a day.

Our tour bus picked us up at Civitavecchia and we began our trip to Rome. We traveled through the countryside where we saw variety of crops including melons, corn, grapes, and olive trees. It like the hillsides you often see in the movies.

As we approached Rome I had a new respect for the drivers as they drove through heavy traffic, dodged small cars and scooters, and avoided pedestrians. It was relaxing to leave the driving the professional.

In Rome we saw several sites  of Roman ruins and walls.

Two other famous site that we saw on the way to St. Peter's Square were the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus. The Colosseum is where the gladiators fought and other contests were held in this 80,000 seat arena. It was interesting to note that in each of the archways there in the past had a sculpture and the holes in the walls held intricate decoration of brass and other materials. The Circus Maximus was where they held their charriot races.

Our next stop was at St. Peter's Square where the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica is located. This rich pocket of Italy is one of the world's greatest repositories of history and civilization. It is also the residence of the Catholic Pope and therefore an area of power and wealth.

Two additional stops that Bettie and I wanted to see were Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps which were both movie locations. Bettie even got to throw a coin in the fountain and make a wish.