Rome was the perfect city for our last day in Europe. I know it is crazy to do Rome in one day. But, if you stick to the highlights of the city it is possible to get a good taste of the Eternal City. Of course, a taste of Rome only leaves you hungry for more. It also pays to have a good tour manager that can effectively manage time and get you into the major sites with no problems. Fortunately for us we have one of the best tour managers in Thomas.
Our first stop was the Vatican Museums to view the amazing classical Roman collection, the Raphael rooms, the Sistine Chapel, and, of course, St. Peter's Basilica. The classical collection is huge, and always amazes me. I think the sculpture of the classical world is some of the most beautiful in the world. The Sistine chapel is always a treat. I especially get a kick out of the guards keeping tourists in line in loud monotone voices, "Shhhhh, silencio! No photo!" St. Peter's is also an unparalleled achievement in artistic expression and architecture. Those sights are are fine, but I prefer Raphael's "School of Athens." No other painting sums up the intellectual renaissance of the 15th century quite like this. Raphael represent all of the classical learning that was reborn during the Renaissance while including portraits of great contemporary artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and a self portrait of Raphael. He truly believe that the achievements of his generation were every bit as great as those of the classical era.
The afternoon was taken up by a walking tour of central Rome. We started with the Colusseum and the Roman Forum. It's amazing to see a couple thousand years of history stacked up layers like a lasagna. Next we hiked over to the 18th-century Trevi Fountain. This fountain was built by a pope in celebration of the reopening of an ancient aqueduct to bring water into the city. We all did the stereotypical tossing of a coin over our shoulders into the fountain and making a wish, just like Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday." Then we ran over to the Pantheon, the most complete ancient Roman temple in exsitence. This temple was the inspiration for Bruneleschi's dome in Florence. After a quick gelato, we hiked over to Piazza Navona for free time and dinner.
Back at the hotel, we had a little party for Thomas to say thank you and to wish him a happy birthday (It's in a couple of days from now). Now it's time to pack our suitcases and prepare for our early wake up and our long flights back to San Diego.
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