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!

After a morning spent enjoying breakfast and the amenities of the hotel, we set off with our guides for the days adventures.

Our first stop was the Vatican Museum where we saw some wonderful statuary and artwork.

Later in the afternoon we got a private tour of an archeological site found under the Vatican parking garage. It was fascinating as some of the burials predate the birth of Christ, while others were from the 17th Century.

After the burial site, we visited the Vatican Carriage Museum for a private tour, and saw “Popemobiles” spanning several centuries.

Needless to say we were tired when we arrived back at the hotel, but there was still dinner!

After a great dinner at La Capricciosa. The meal was delightful!

It’s off to bed now, we have a busy day tomorrow.

After breakfast our drivers met us at the hotel for our trip to Rome. We said goodby to Florence from a wonderful overlook above the city, and then began our journey through rolling hills, covered with vineyards and olive orchards.

Of course we didn’t go straight to Rome.

Our first stop was a wine tasting at the Poggio Amorelli Vinyard. After an interesting tour of the facility by the vineyards sollemlier Lorenzo, we sampled some delightful wines in a serene back porch setting.

Our next stop was the town of Siena, where we visited the Duomo di Santa Maria dell’ Assunta. All we can say is WOW! Even the floors were decorated.

We arrived in Rome late in the afternoon, and after getting settled in, we had a great dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Exhausted from our travels and adventures we settled in for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow we have a lot of touring in the Eternal City!

Today the guys and gals went their own ways; the guys toured historic churches and sites, and the gals toured the shopping district.

The gals weren’t all about buying things, rather their guide took them to stores that started out as small clothing and accessory businesses, and grew into market giants like Gucci. Of course they did find a few things to purchase.

The guys went to three of the main church’s in Florence: The Church of the Holy Trinity, Santa Maria Novella, and Saint Mary of the Carmel.

Our very knowledgeable guide provided historical perspectives on each site, and went into great detail describing the stories behind, and meanings of, the artwork on the walls of the side chapels, and many other areas of each church.

The guys also managed to stop in a coin store and purchase a few treasurers.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on self-led walking tours of the city. It seems that every time we turned a corner there was something new and interesting.

Our evening meal was at L’Osteria Di Giovanni, a short fifteen minute walk from the hotel.

Tomorrow it’s off to Rome.

Buona Notte!

After yesterday’s traveling we slept in and enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the hotel. (The hotel is the building on the left.)

In the morning the guys took off for a walking tour of the town, and the ladies went shopping. We were also able to see Florence in the daylight.

Our tour guide met us at 2:00 pm and we were off to see the major sites of the city.

Our first stop was the Baptistery of St. John, or the Florence Baptistry. Constructed between 1059 and 1128, thousands, if not millions of people were baptized there. The mosaic artwork on the ceiling was amazing!

Next we walked past the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and looked at the beautiful architecture (the line to enter was way too long).

We toured the Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo, which contained many of the statues, doors, and artwork from the Cathedral. It is kept there to preserve it from the effects of the weather, and to restore it. The Church doors were impressive! As was a statue of Mary Magdalene.

A short drive later we toured the Medici Chapels to see some of Michaelanglo’s work. It was beautiful, but the high point was viewing Michaelanglo’s “David” at the Galleria deli’ Accademia. The statue, along with the other statuary and artwork was impressive!

Our guide returned us to our hotel, and after a short rest, we walked to our dinner at Golden View Open Bar. The food was delicious!

Finally, it must be a real thing, because this is Italy birthplace of the pizza, we give you French Fries Pizza!

Buona Notte!😊