Rome July 13

We arrived in Rome after a very peaceful week in Tuscany, so we new our quiet existence was soon to change. The train trip from Orvieto to Rome only took one hour, but it was very hot and we went straight to the shower on arrival at I Tre Moschettieri.

Our accommodation just off Via Del Corso was a pleasant surprise. Beautifully furnished and lovely and quiet, away from the hectic streets below.

After a good rest we headed out to explore close by.
The Trevi Fountain was heaving with tourists at 5pm.
A short stop and a few photos were enough for us. Food was on the agenda. We walked across to The Pantheon. A Wow moment for all and beautiful inside. Jackson and Christopher were so excited that they could relive their computer game Assassins Creed. It was like they had already been there. Also Jackson amazed us with all his knowledge from reading books that involve Roman history, myths and legends.

I dragged the family through the beautiful Piazza Navona and we admired the fountains, then we continued on to Campo Di Fioro. Ah yes! This will do for dinner. We had a lovely meal. The boys are pretty good at finding their way around an Italian menu by this time and we ate well.
I was determined to see different aspects of Rome this time, so we headed across the River Tiber as the sun was getting low. What a treat! A magic time of day, with the sun setting over the river and people enjoying a balmy evening out parading. After this all were rather tired so we headed home. A great start to Rome.

Early on Thursday we had a prearranged tour with RealRome Tours. A behind the scenes of Ancient Rome and the Coliseum. Our guide Ferdanando was an archeologist and truly amazing. The boys and Dan and I alike really loved the tour. Lunch at Piazza Venezia was good so we were refueled to visit the Capitolini Museum, which had a fabulous exhibition on the Fall of Syracuse and Scientific Inventor Artemides. Wow again. The building alone is stunningly beautiful inside. Home and a big rest! We went to a locals restaurant which was upstairs but the waiter struggled, we struggled with the language and we quickly ate what came and had an early night.

Friday morning sleep in and then a little shopping before heading over to Castel Sant d'Angelo and the Vatican Area for lunch. Amazingly the clouds opened and a cracking thunder and lightening show was put on for us. Luckily our afternoon tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St Peters Basilica are all inside. Our Guide Nicolo, also from RealRome Tours, was knowledgeable in every aspect of the Vatican and quite funny. Dan and the boys decided that they wanted to climb to the top of the Duomo. Lifts took them half the way. Meanwhile I collected our bag and did a little shopping. Once we re met Gelato and Expresso were on the agenda. I dragged them up away from the tourist trail to Via Cola di Rienzo. A lovely area and found a very traditional caffe. All were happy. From there it was a long walk towards the Piazza Del Popilo and then down the Via del Corso for dinner and home.

Next challenge was packing and early departure the following morning to Greece.

Rome was a hit, more then I anticipated. We never felt scared of pickpockets and felt the city was far cleaner then Paris. We only took one bus trip to the Vatican and walked everywhere else, which was easy. The trick to our success was definitely the guided tours, with a reputable company. It gave us structure, and prevented the "The Oh my God, look at that queue!" moments.