Roma, Italy

June 4 - 7

We left Firenze by train, heading for Roma. The train took 45 minutes longer than expected due to heavy train traffic on the lines.  Ed scheduled an Uber van to pick us up from the Roma Termini train station which made it easy.

We got settled in our rooms and walked a couple of blocks away for some panini's and wine.  Our AirBNB was walking distance to the Spanish Steps and the convenient Metro subway station.  From there you could get almost anywhere.

The first night we had a 2-hour golf cart tour, hosted by Turtle Tour Rome, which was a great way to view the landmarks and decide which ones we wanted to spend more time at during our stay.  We saw the Coloseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Spanish Steps.

Early the next morning we were up early and took the subway to the Cipro stop for our Vatican Museum Tour meetup location, hosted by The Tour Guy.  It was still difficult for Karen to get around with her swollen ankle, but she gutted it out.  After the tour, I rented a taxi to take us back to the AirBNB, where we had a decent lunch across the street at an restaurant with outdoor seating.

We did laundry in the AirBNB, which was very timely.

During our time in Rome we:

  • Toured Vatican Museum and the Vatican Cathedral
  • Steve and Ed went up inside the Cupola, the dome of the Vatican
  • Visited the Spanish Steps
  • Spent significant time at the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum (with Kirk & Lynda), the Victor Emmanuel Monument (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), the Trevi Fountain
  • Ate gelato at Venchi
  • Visited the side chapel at the Vatican where my parents got married, I teared up unexpectedly