Rome

Our plan for Monday was to get off the ship, take the shuttle to the train, and then take the train to Rome to see the sites on our own. Unfortunately, we were impacted by issues in the area again...there was a public transportation strike and the trains were not running. So once again, we hired a taxi for the day. All eight of us went out together today.

We took the shuttle from the ship to the port and then were 'engulfed' with taxi drivers looking for fares for the day. We met Silvio and spent the day with him...and an adventure it was. He showed us a map of places he was going to take us and we generally agreed...so off we went. The drive from the port at Civitavecchia to Rome is just over an hour. During the drive (there and back), we were entertained (or maybe sometimes annoyed) by Silvio's two cell phones which he talked on constantly. And when not talking, he was texting...and driving. And all this occurred during rush hour into Rome.

We arrived at our first stop in Rome, which was Piazzo Navona. Silvio got out of the taxi and showed us the way...we then realized, he was going to be our tour guide for the day. He explained the three fountains, their architects and names, and about the buildings in the square. He was also great about taking photos for us.

We were in and out of the taxi seeing sights for the next couple hours. We visited the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, and then finally to lunch. Driving through the City with our own taxi guide was a wonderful way to see all the back alleys and side streets. He knew the short cuts, the special parking spots, and a great way to visit and for how long. He took us to a good place for lunch...pizza, pasta, and of course wine!

Our last stop of the day was the Vatican City. It started to rain just as we got there, so we waited in line in the rain to get into St. Peter's Basilica...but it was not too long. St. Peter's was breathtaking as always. It is such a massive structure and is just beautiful!! We had planned to see the catacombs on this trip, but they were closed...so another change in plans. We enjoyed the basilica and the square.