Day 4 Roma, Vatican City, Colosseum, Trevi (June 24)

Early breakfast and off to the Vatican City.  Tour advantage is that we by-pass the incredibly massive lines of people waiting to get in.  Direct into the vast Vatican Museum halls to see art works, tapestry, and sculptures from hundreds to thousands of years old.  Then the magnificent Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s art on the ceiling and the wall.  Lastly St Peters Basilica, the worlds largest church and the central home of the Catholic faith.  Words cannot describe just how magnificent the inside is, in every way imaginable – size, artwork, age, quality, spectacle, grandiose, extravagance.

We viewed the remains of the Roman Forum, palace on the Palatine Hill and the Circo Maximus where the chariot races were held. 

 Remains of Circuit Maximus where the chariot races were, including the tower and in the background the ancient palace at the Palatine Hill

Then off to the Colosseum for a guided tour inside. Incredible workmanship and the vandalism over the thousands of years standout.  It is not easy to imagine what went on in here…..

 The Arch of Constatine outside the Colosseum

Partially reconstructed seats in Colosseum to show glimpse of what it was like 

Modern "Gladiators" on smoko

Made dinner ourselves at a great little pizza restaurant – all pizza margarita but the mozzarella was fresh and the dough superb.

Dinner at Ristorante

Walked with the tour group through to the Trevi Fountain and threw the obligatory 3 coins over your shoulder – one for luck, one to return to Rome at one stage in the future and the last for your love life (to get a boyfriend/girlfriend if you are unattached, to have a long and happy marriage or if the marriage isn’t going to well, a quick and easy divorce – there are many versions to this and depends who you speak to).

Trevi Fountain photos

From Trevi onto the Pantheon with the tour, thereafter to the Piazza Navone and vast open air ‘square’ filled with artists, mimes, food stalls open air restaurants, performers and a couple of majestic fountains.  One mime artist was just amazing as a fast walking business person and remained motionless (literally) for hours and hours on end.

Excellent mime artist and helpers at Piazza Navone