On the plane back home now. Got up early and had our last breakfast of cappuccinos and croissants. Caught a cab to the airport, where we parted ways with Stacy. Did a little more shopping before our flight.
Saw pretty much everything we wanted to and a lot more. I'll miss the gelato and pizza!
Our last day in Rome and we decided to visit the Colosseum, or as my nephew referred to it - "the big round thing". On the walk down, we stopped at the church, St Pietra in Vincoli. Inside is Michelangelo's Moses sculpture and the alleged chains that held Peter in prison. Got to the Colosseum and made our way inside. Pretty cool to be inside a building that old. Toured around using the Rick Steve's audio guide and took a ton of pics (of course!). Walked around the forum after that, before heading to the Mouth of Truth, which is inside a church near the Tiber River. Had to wait in line before finding out if our hands would be bit off! Guess we're not liars, lol. Then in was time for a gelato break. Yum! Wandered a bit more before stopping for dinner. Decided to have snacks, zucchini flowers (stuffed with mushrooms and ricotta), mozza balls, and foccicca bread. And tiramisu for Dessert! Also tried a summer spritzer - a orange drink we'd seen every night and wondered what it was. Then we did some shopping as we walked back to the hotel. Our final stop was our second dose of gelato. The previous night the gelateria by our hotel had a giant line, so we looked it up online and found out the have cones they fill with chocolate and 4 flavours of whipped cream for the top. (we learned in our food tour, it's an actual rule, in Rome, you are allowed 2 flavors and whipped cream, at no additional cost). It was veeerry tasty!! Packed up for our trip home before heading to bed.
Our 2nd day in Rome, was spent exploring. We saw the scaffolding covered Trevi fountain, the Spanish Steps, several beautiful churches, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and lots more! Nice to just walk around and explore. We went to the cat sanctuary, with is where Julius Caesar was killed, and on our way back, got held up by a police barricade. Turned out it was for the Pope. Saw him drive by, but we were on the wrong side of the street to see him wave. Had dinner near Piazza Navona and had gelato for Dessert. On our way back, we were entertained by a wonderful Street performer singing opera. Tomorrow is our last day. We'll be going to the Colosseum and Forum.
Our first day in Rome, started with our Eating Italy Food Tour in Testaccio. We took the subway there and found our way to the start. Our guide Emma, was awesome. For four hours, we ate Cornettos, tiramisu, cheese, salami, prosciutto, pizza (the 3rd best in Rome!), bruschetta, Buffalo mozzarella, pasta, wine, and gelato. The area was very authentic. They have a "mountain" made of piled up broken pottery, which is where we ate our pasta - the mountain is cool so they use it for wine cellars. Then we were very full. One of the trip highlights for sure. After that we walked through Trastevere and saw the Bascilica there. Went uphill to the view and walked down to the Vatican. Visited St. Peter's, wow, it is huge and very oppulent. Left there to go to out night visit at the Vatican museums. Wandered through, with a bonus fireworks show outside, till we got to the Sistine chapel. Another wow! Then we were beat, so back to the hotel to rest up for tomorrow.
Dear readers. Be prepared for a filler post, as nothing significant happened today.
Our last morning in Amalfi, we head to Rome this afternoon. More rain, but this time it cleared up fast. Did a little shopping before checking out of our apartment and heading to the ferry. We ferried to Salerno, a very scenic ride. From Salerno, we take a train to Rome. Which is where I'm currently writing this post.
Now in our hotel, the best one we've stayed in. Huge room for Europe. Had dinner at the local bar. Went for a little walk, where I saw my first rat. Tomorrow food tour and Vatican!
Our full day in Amalfi started with a Thunderstorm. The first rain of our trip. Power even went out for a minute. Of course we had just finished hanging all out laundry out to dry. Our plan was to head up to Ravallo and walk back down. So we decided to go ask for recommendations for indoor activities at tourist information. A very unhelpful girl said there was nothing. We decided to see the inside of the duomo, but there was a wedding happening, so we only got to peak inside, while the bride was arriving. By that time the rain stopped, so we caught the bus up to Ravello. Another windy road up while standing on a bus. It is beautiful up there. Lovely coastal views and beautiful old architecture. We visited Villa Rufalo, a garden and the place where they host the musical festival every year. More stunning views. Then we found the path back down to Amalfi. Luckily there are lots arrows guiding your way. Another beautiful walk. Lots and lots of stone steps later, we reached the town of Atrani. There's a tunnel through the cliffs to Amalfi. Chilled for a bit before walking around the town. We found a series of waterfalls, so pretty! There was a bigger one, but it was behind a locked gate. :( Had dinner, lasagne for me, penne with spicy tomato sauce for Jacky, swordfish for Stacy. And we shared the local dessert a sponge cake with lemon sauce. Deliza a limone.
We decided to use our last but of time in Capri by taking the chair lift - or walking, in Jack's case, to the top of Monte Solaro. The highest part of Capri. Stacy and I braved the heights of the lift, while Jacky braved the incline of the hike and we met at the top. It was less scary than I expected. The views from the top were amazing! Headed down to Anacapri again, for some shopping before heading back to Bussola di Hermes for our bags. We were sad to leave as it was such a lovely place to stay. The owners could not have been nicer! The hotel dropped us back at the bus stop for our last crazy ride down the hill. The busses are tiny here, because the roads are so narrow. It takes a lot of talent to drive there, which is probably why they don't allow visitors to drive. Took the ferry to Amalfi, where Jacky stood on deck and got to enjoy the sea spray, and found our way to the residence CasaAmalfi, our apartment for the next two nights. Had dinner in Amalifi before heading to bed. Tomorrow we hike down from Ravallo.
