After a quick breakfast at the hotel, our guide met us with two vans and we were off for a tour of Rome.

Our first stop was The Pantheon, an ancient pagan temple converted into a Catholic Church (Basilica Santa Maria Ad Martyrs). It was fascinating to see the Oculus, the giant hole in the ceiling through which the souls of the martyrs passed on their way to heaven.

Our next stop was the Basilica Di Santa Maria In Trastevere, a very beautiful Church. We arrived just as the morning Mass was ending, so we were able to enter the Church and explore a while.

We continued our driving tour with a stop at the Colosseum and other sites including the famous Trevi Fountain.

At this point the gals headed back to the hotel to rest and continue their shopping adventures. The guys made their way to our favorite coin store just off St. Peter’s Square.

After finding some new treasures, the guys were able to visit St. Peter’s Square, but that was about it. The line to enter the Basilica of St. Peter’s, but the line was hours long.

We returned to the hotel for a little rest and refreshment.

The evening started with Mass in a meeting room of the hotel.

Then we had a delicious dinner at a local restaurant, Babette.

Tomorrow will be a long day as we return home. With the time zone changes, our day will be thirty hours long!

God Bless!