Today we embarked very early, 7:15, for our visit to Rome.
We had about an hour and a half bus ride into the city during which our guide told us of things to come.
Once we arrived we picked up another guide, a local expert of sorts, who used the “whispers”, that’s what they call the headsets, to point out sites of interest to us as we walked around in the group.
Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain. Tradition says if you stand with your back to the fountain and throw a coin over your shoulder, you will return to Rome. Throw two, you will meet your love, throw three, you will divorce.
Next we walked to the Forum, which is incredible to see. We moved on past statues and landmarks through the bustling city of Rome to the Coliseum, built in 72 A.D., which incredible does not begin to describe. Near the coliseum, you will see the smallest Arch and the largest in the world, which, when you think how long ago these structures were built and how hard it must have been without “modern machinery” it truly is unbelievable to see them still standing there today after centuries have past.
We left the Coliseum and found our bus to head for lunch. We were dropped off at a small quaint restaurant. We found a seat at a table where bottled water and red and white wine awaited us. Soon some bread arrived along with our salads, the tomatoes were excellent, so flavorful! For our main course we all were served a lasagna, I think Sarah counted the layers of fresh pasta at ten, could have been more, it was delicious! After our entrée, we enjoyed a cup of tiramisu and cappuccino, what a nice break!
After lunch, we were on our way to the Vatican City and St Peters Basilica, the largest Catholic Church ever built. We passed thru security much like airport security to enter St. Peters for a tour. After an informative guided portion of the tour, we were given a few minutes of free time to enjoy the Church and take photos.
We left St. Peters and had some time to explore some of the shops and do some shopping (yeah) before heading back to the ship. We arrived back at the ship at about 6:30, almost a 12 hour day. Everyone was exhausted, no shows tonight, just a showing of Pirates 3 in the Walt Disney Theatre. I guess the crew expected everyone to be tired.
From the Disney Brochure:Civitavecchia isn’t merely the principal port for Rome and central Italy, it is you r gateway to the history, art and culture for which this part of Italy is famous. Located on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the town itself is peppered with Etruscan, roman and medieval structures, highlighted by the 16th century fort Michelangelo.
Form this port, friends, Romans and countrymen followed ancient roads to the great empire of Rome. Here you will discover their influence on the known world, their engineering marvels- the Coliseum, the pantheon and the roman forum- as well as landmarks of more “recent” vintage: he Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Or if you choose, take in the majesty and magnificence of the Vatican.
Through the Civitavecchia gateway, you can explore one of the great centers of western civilization for more than 2,000 year, where the modern and the historic co-exist side-by-side. Rome was not built in a day, but that is all It will take for the city and its history to come alive for you.
