Rome was the first stop on our Mediterranean Cruise. We joined a group of 4 other couples for a private tour of Rome. The driver acted as our guide except for the times that he could not enter the different places but had to remain with the car. We rode in a mini-van: Peter and Charlene, Bill and Allie, Mark and Debbie, James and Martha, and Jim and I. The ruins of the Coliseum was the first big stop and at that moment there was a loud crash of thunder. From inside the coliseum the thunder reverberated and the building acted as a megaphone magnifying the thunder. During the time that we were there a heavy rainstorm caused us to need the umbrellas that we brought. We had about 30-45 minutes to walk around inside the ruins and take pictures.
After the Pantheon and the Trevey Fountain, our driver, Gilberto, took us to a typical family restaurant for lunch. We skipped the octopus and a few of the other odd looking dishes but we did enjoy most of the others that the owner/operator had on display. All in all it was very good!
The afternoon was spent touring The Vatican with our own guide who communicated with us via a headset that each of us wore and the microphone that she wore. Without her we would have been lost. But as it was we had a very good afternoon. A treasure of the world, The Vatican houses many statues, paintings, tapestries, and mosaics. The barrel-shaped ceilings of the exhibit halls is absolutely awe-inspiring and I was very glad that we had such a great guide for the tour.
