Well, some of them anyway.  After our visit to Florence we made our way via another high-speed train to Rome, where we had a bit of a whirlwind tour.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say, and you can’t see Rome in a day, or even two.  Rome is a huge place, spread out over a large geographic area, with historic buildings and ruins interspersed with more modern development.  We had essentially two days in Rome, which included two visits to the Vatican which I will post about separately, so to say that we skimmed the surface was an understatement!

Our visit began with a bus tour of the city, starting with lunch at a nice restaurant with a wine cellar that was actually in a catacomb, concluding at the Colosseum where we took a tour.  It’s hard to get a sense of the size of the Colosseum from photos, but suffice it to say that it would rival most stadia in our country.

On the second day we had free time between morning and evening sessions at the Vatican (upcoming post).  We spent that time on a self-guided walk past some of the major highlights, including lunch at a sidewalk café in Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps (yes, we climbed them!) and the Pantheon.  It was a hot walk and there were tons of people everywhere, but it was definitely worth the effort.  We didn’t push too deeply into the crowds, partly for safety and avoiding pickpockets, but also because it was fun just to see all of the people from a distance.  As I did in most of the places we visited, rather than trying to keep people out of my photos – an impossible task! – I made my photos to include the people to try and give a sense of the crowds that were everywhere.

Our tour ended on the following day, where we met up with the photography group with which we would spend a week in Tuscany.  I haven’t even started on those photos yet, so that will come even later.  I’m trying to post somewhat in order, mostly for my own benefit but also for the benefit of those who are following along on this adventure. Lots more words and pictures to come, thanks for hanging in with me!