Rome, Italy - Travel Scrapbook | Danny and Simone's Travel Scrapbook of Rick Steves' 7-Day Best of Rome (and a little Paris too)

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

Day 4: Italian Treats and Free Time

Your guide will come up with something delightfully different for this morning's sightseeing. Then you'll be treated to a cooking demonstration and a delectable lunch. You'll have the rest of the day free to make your own Roman discoveries. Walking: strenuous.

ITALIAN TREATS AND FREE TIME

We’re scheduled to meet at 8am, but during the night our 12^th grade son calls us at 2am. We remind him that we are 6 hours ahead of him. His comment? “Oh” and proceeds to talk. He calls back at 3am and then again at 5am about college application fees. He needs a credit card number to pay. Danny is leery about giving a 17 year old his American Express card number, but he does because we want him to go off to college in the fall. Being awakened at 2am in the morning is a small price to pay to get children out of the house.

Pope Benedict XVI

Overnight, the rain comes down pretty heavy and doesn’t let up until 9:30am. The group catches bus #40 to St. Peter’s. We stop at a couple of cafes for potty breaks and get in a very long line queued up to enter the church.


The line to see Pope Benedict XVI.....	Continues.....	Continues.....


The gang at the end of the line - ever hopeful	Free ticket to enter the Vatican to see the Pope on All Saints Day

Around 9:45am a guard tells us they gave out too many free tickets and we will not be able to enter the church. Only the Pope’s favorite 60,000 pilgrims are invited inside the Vatican.

Outside are plenty of chairs and large screens to watch Mass that begins at 10am.


Inside the Vatican (on the big screen)	Pope Benedict XVI (on the big screen)

Pope Benedict XVI in the window	Pope Benedict XVI in the window

Strolling in Rome

Lisa had pre-arranged our 12 noon rendezvous spot since not everyone attended Mass and those that did attend split up during Mass. We gather at the designated location and after a potty-break, we have a short walk to our restaurant for our Italian cooking lesson.

What a beautiful walk it was. The rain had stopped and the sky was blue……….


Castel Sant' Angelo in the distance	Crossing the River Tiber

Castel Sant' Angelo	Castel Sant' Angelo

Castel Sant' Angelo and the River Tiber	Castel Sant' Angelo

Castel Sant' Angelo	Crossing the River Tiber


Narrow street	Piazza Navona sign

Gian Bermini’s Four Rivers fountain is currently covered by scaffolding. The square follows the shape of the original racetrack.

Piazza Navona

Vernissage Restaurant - Cooking lesson

At our Italian cooking lesson at Vernissage Restaurant and Piano Bar we learn we love Italian cooking and that you don’t have to spend all day preparing it. The easiest part to Italian cooking is taking a Rick Steves tour and going to an Italian restaurant to have a great Italian chef prepare it — and enjoy it with wonderful Italian wine.

We gather together for our cooking lesson

Our Chef

Needless to say, we really needed the long walk back to the hotel.

[Steps: 10,637/Miles: 5.036]

The End of Day 4: Italian Treats

Back to Day 3: Renaissance Rome

Next to Day 5: Ostia Antica