After a delicious breakfast this morning, we met our private guide for the day, John, a British gentleman who has lived here for 40 years! We had a four hour walking tour of ancient Rome and boy did we walk! We visited the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus; the Palazzo Barberini, home of Pope Urban VII, the Church of St. Peter in Chains, which houses the sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo (magnificent), the Colisseum, the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill, and the Pantheon. Rome is a marvelous city steeped in history and culture. Walking the cobblestone streets and viewing the ancient ruins took us back in time to a tumultuous period marked by macabre murders in the Colisseum, the sumptuous spending of corrupt popes, and amazing architecture built by poor slaves.
After the Pantheon, we had a lovely lunch outdoors and walked back to our hotel. On the way we stopped at the Trevi Fountain featured in the song "Three Coins in the Fountain." Of course Merle and I had to toss in a coin and make a wish! In the evening we had another great dinner at Locanda Barberini and walked home ready to call it a night after a long day of sight seeing. Pictures of the Colisseum to follow.
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