After our week of fun in the mountains, we were back at Malpensa Airport in Milano for the short flight down the Italian peninsula to one of the greatest cities in the world, Roma! After a quick check-in at the Hotel Visconti Palace in the Prati district, everyone set out to do as much exploration as possible in 2 1/2 days. 
We were joined on Sunday by Jack, Kathy, Pam, Jim, Mark, Janet, Fred and Linda, and we wasted no time strolling along the Tiber River...
stopping at interesting bridges...
glancing at the imposing facade of the Castel Sant'Angelo....
and ending up in Trastevere for some Roman snacks and wine.
We were joined on Sunday by Jack, Kathy, Pam, Jim, Mark, Janet, Fred and Linda, and we wasted no time strolling along the Tiber River...
stopping at interesting bridges...
glancing at the imposing facade of the Castel Sant'Angelo....
and ending up in Trastevere for some Roman snacks and wine.The weather while we were in Rome was ideal for touring with temperatures in the low 60's and off and on sunshine but not a drop of rain. That made everyone happy!
Always smiling and cheerful Fred and Linda enjoying the romance of Roma on our way back to the hotel.
On Monday I had arranged for almost the entire group to be led about Rome and shown the highlights with Valeria, an amazingly fun and knowledgeable guide with the incomparable tour company, "Italy Hotline", thus giving Dale and me the chance to wander about a city we had visited so many times before with new eyes and along unusual paths. Of course, we had to stop at the highlights for updated photos, but we always found a very convoluted method for arrival at places as diverse as San Pietro or..
La Fontana dei Trevi.
Of course, I had to throw my "Three Coins in the Fountain"! One always wishes to return to Roma over and over and over again.
Dale posing in the Piazza Navona and
Bianca at the base of the "Spanish Steps".
We had to stop for real gelato as often as possible, and Dale thoroughly enjoyed his treats at La Gelateria di San Crispino of "Eat, Love, Pray" fame.
This cute little wine bar just off the Via Condotti called us in for a glass of local white Tocai.
We strolled on to the Piazza del Popolo before
joining Mark, Janet, Jack and Kathy for dinner at Ristorante 31 Al Vicario, one of the restaurants in the group "Il Piatto del Buon Ricordo". Our dinner was absolutely delicious!
On Tuesday AM, while the others set out with Valeria to tour the Vatican Museums and San Pietro, Dale and I headed to the Campo dei Fiori, through back streets and
past quiant little fountain festooned piazzas and on past the Great Synagogue
into the Jewish Ghetto.
There we found this young scribe creating a Katubah for someone's wedding.
We wandered through this recently revealed Roman market to the Teatro di Marcello.
We joined the throngs passing the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuele II before heading up into the Monti district
in search of this little trattoria serving only local, sustainable, organic food from the Lazio region. We had a delicious lunch prepared in front of our eyes and then walked up and down many hills over to the Colosseo.
By this time our feet were beginning to kill us, but we still managed a shopping stroll up Via Nazionale before meeting Sienna Reid and her husband, Yves, for wine and a very fun chat. Sienna owns "Italy Hotline", and she is a very close friend of my brother and sister-in-law, Will and Catherine. She and Yves have been living in Rome since 1999.
Always smiling and cheerful Fred and Linda enjoying the romance of Roma on our way back to the hotel.
On Monday I had arranged for almost the entire group to be led about Rome and shown the highlights with Valeria, an amazingly fun and knowledgeable guide with the incomparable tour company, "Italy Hotline", thus giving Dale and me the chance to wander about a city we had visited so many times before with new eyes and along unusual paths. Of course, we had to stop at the highlights for updated photos, but we always found a very convoluted method for arrival at places as diverse as San Pietro or..
La Fontana dei Trevi.
Of course, I had to throw my "Three Coins in the Fountain"! One always wishes to return to Roma over and over and over again.
Dale posing in the Piazza Navona and
Bianca at the base of the "Spanish Steps".
We had to stop for real gelato as often as possible, and Dale thoroughly enjoyed his treats at La Gelateria di San Crispino of "Eat, Love, Pray" fame.
This cute little wine bar just off the Via Condotti called us in for a glass of local white Tocai.
We strolled on to the Piazza del Popolo before
joining Mark, Janet, Jack and Kathy for dinner at Ristorante 31 Al Vicario, one of the restaurants in the group "Il Piatto del Buon Ricordo". Our dinner was absolutely delicious!
On Tuesday AM, while the others set out with Valeria to tour the Vatican Museums and San Pietro, Dale and I headed to the Campo dei Fiori, through back streets and
past quiant little fountain festooned piazzas and on past the Great Synagogue
into the Jewish Ghetto.
There we found this young scribe creating a Katubah for someone's wedding.
We wandered through this recently revealed Roman market to the Teatro di Marcello.
We joined the throngs passing the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuele II before heading up into the Monti district
in search of this little trattoria serving only local, sustainable, organic food from the Lazio region. We had a delicious lunch prepared in front of our eyes and then walked up and down many hills over to the Colosseo.
By this time our feet were beginning to kill us, but we still managed a shopping stroll up Via Nazionale before meeting Sienna Reid and her husband, Yves, for wine and a very fun chat. Sienna owns "Italy Hotline", and she is a very close friend of my brother and sister-in-law, Will and Catherine. She and Yves have been living in Rome since 1999.We were back in the Prati district just in time to join our friends Mark, Janet, Pam, Jim, Jack and Kathy for another delicious dinner at Ristorante Dante-Taberna dei Granchi, another restaurant in "Il Piatto del Buon Ricordo" group. We ended the evening with the absolute BEST gelato at Il Gelateria dei Granchi then toasted our wonderful "Roman Holiday" with martinis at the bar in the our hotel. If only we had a few more days, but....
Arriverderci, Roma! Speriamo di Rivederti Presto!
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