We toured Rome and the Vatican at warp speed. As much as I would have liked to see this amazing city at a slower pace it just was not an option given the time we had in port.
Back in Barcelona I was given a flyer for this tour through Can't Be Missed Tours (CBM). The company guaranteed on-time returns and Cost €62 for a guided tour +€21 for admission to the Vatican & Museum. This seemed like an excellent deal as the ships excursion to see the same sights cost $399. Outrageous! Bonus, Thea decided to come with me too.
It was easy enough to leave the ship and meet up with the tour as the flyer specified. CBM had purchased our transportation passes with unlimited use for the day. There were about 30 people and we all border the train from Civitavecchia to Rome.
The Train ride normally takes 1.5 hours but we were rerouted around the Vatican Stop for some reason. We were 1/2 hour late getting into the city. We were divided up into 2 groups of 22 and 5???? Explain that math to me. Oh well, Thea and I were in the group of 5.
Our tour guides name was Laura and she was an Art History major and is a teacher. Her English was a little hard to understand but she was very knowledgable.
Things I leaned from Laura**
** the symbols used for religion and power do not change with a new regime the old symbols are just integrated with new meanings. (Example: In ancient Rome the winged messenger goddess of victory, Nike, is the same portrayal used for an Angel in Catholicism and her now name and check mark V are used to brand sports wear.) Cool huh...
We took the 80X bus to the Coliseum.
The interesting thing scout this arch near the coliseum is that it was pieced together from other monuments. You can tell this because different sections are different styles. The Romans did this a lot.
Piazza Venezia: **this building houses the Italian unknown soldiers tombs. It's nickname is the Wedding Cake.
We walked to the Trevi Fountain and in accordance with tradition Thea and I both threw coins over our shoulders.
Laura sprinted off and we followed behind like ducklings. We rushed along rambling cobblestone streets and upon a plaza that opened to the Pantheon. Pantheon means all gods and while it was once a temple of Roman paganism it is now a Catholic Church. The tomb of Queen Margarita of pizza-lore is here.
Piazza Nirvana was next. It was built by a wealthy family to show how rich they were.
Lunch then the Vatican was the plan but the bus we needed was rerouted 2 days before. Bad transportation luck...
So we walked some more
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