7 ottobre – Old Worlds, New Friends

Breakfast lecture about aqueducts and the importance of water to any great civilization. This is the talk I give on every tour before we go see the ancient sites in Rome. We struck out on the bus toward the Colosseum but first stopped at San Pietro in Vincoli to view the Moses statue by Michelangelo. While it's a Renaissance church it is dedicated to the chains Peter wore when he was imprisoned at Mamertime in the era immediately following Christ's death. Early Christian martyrs... serious dedication to your belief system, yes?

We walked across the street and down to the entrance of the Colosseum to meet our guide, Raffaele. I hadn't met him before. Very nice and very knowledgeable. After the Colosseum we gathered together and had our group photo taken by a professional we contract with, who will stop in at the hotel and bring me prints for everyone and a digital copy to send to the home office for posterity. All of us with the amphitheater in the background. I have to be in it too. Every stinking tour. Bleargh.

Walked up the hill to the group entrance for the Foro Romano where Raffaele further expounded on Roman life as we made our way. Departing the ancient eras we climbed up the back of the Campidoglio in were thrust into the Renaissance where Michelangelo's city planning and architectural skills are on public display. Going north for about 15 minutes, we passed the Jesuit church (and offices), Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, a Renaissance church built over a Roman temple, and finally to Piazza della Rotonda and the Pantheon.

Afterward we had lunch around the corner, but still in view of the Pantheon and then walked southeast to Piazza Navona to view Bernini's fountain, souvenir shop and (for me) grab some gelato. The bus picked us up at the appointed time on a sidestreet just outside and brought us back to the hotel for a couple of hours of rest time.

I picked up the photographer's packet with the pictures from the concierge and put them all in their paper folio frames for distribution later at dinner. Emailed the digital copy to the home office. A few hours later we gathered up again and went by bus across the river to Trastevere.

A good time was had by all. We ate, we drank, musicians came in and played for us. We danced, we sang. The last night in Rome is always a great time on our tours. We sang ourselves home on the bus as well. Conviviality at its best.