Day 12: Rome
This is a location that I have wanted to visit since I was a pup! We left Tuscany and headed to the last city on our tour, Rome. As we were driving to Rome, Colleen told us that there were transit strikes and that we may have issues getting to the Colosseum. By the time we got to the hotel, there were vans waiting to transport us, this went off flawlessly and we were able to see the Colosseum. Sometimes things can come up in your trip, but rest assured, within the vast resources of Rick Steves' tour office and your guide, you will be in the best hands! We were very impressed with how quickly and professional we were able to have new accommodations, no additional fees or cost, they completely took care of the situation…almost as if it was completely planned!
Once we arrived at the Colosseum, we were met by our local guide that would be taking us through a tour of the area. She was very good at engaging the group to display what the Colosseum and the Forum was in it's prime. From stories to visualizations of the different places you were, it was very cool to finally "be there", it is such an epic part of history. They're engineering for their time was something else!
Once we arrived at the Colosseum, we were met by our local guide that would be taking us through a tour of the area. She was very good at engaging the group to display what the Colosseum and the Forum was in it's prime. From stories to visualizations of the different places you were, it was very cool to finally "be there", it is such an epic part of history. They're engineering for their time was something else!
- Bring a pair of earbuds/headphones. All of the guided tours include them, but usually they are single ear pieces. These generally work fine, but it would be nice to plug up our other ear to help drown out the noise in busy areas!
After we left the Colessuem we went to the forum. The size of the structures alone is overwhelming, to think that human power carved and built these amazing places thousands of years ago, they demanded the feeling of power within Rome. The neat thing about having a local guide is you learn things you may miss had you gone alone. For instance, there were marks on the large columns from where ropes were tied to horses as they attempted to demolish the building. The columns were too strong and refused to fall down! Next up was the Pantheon, this is one of the most intimidating buildings we had been in, it just has a presence of something surreal. I really enjoyed hearing about the engineering behind it!
After the tour, we caught dinner with Lisa, Kathy and Con from our group. We found a pizza place just before it got super-busy! The rest of the afternoon was ours to do with as we pleased. Later in the evening we had an optional group walk through Rome, here Colleen took us to a great Gilato place! We then ventured over to the iconic Trinity fountain and threw our coins in! Spending the evenings at some of these places is really cool and well worth it! This action packed day was great!
After the tour, we caught dinner with Lisa, Kathy and Con from our group. We found a pizza place just before it got super-busy! The rest of the afternoon was ours to do with as we pleased. Later in the evening we had an optional group walk through Rome, here Colleen took us to a great Gilato place! We then ventured over to the iconic Trinity fountain and threw our coins in! Spending the evenings at some of these places is really cool and well worth it! This action packed day was great!