OK, so Rome was really in between the 10th cruise and the 11th cruise but it kinda connected the two. Leaving Barcelona we took a short flight to Rome.
Rome is the capital city of a beautiful European country, Italy and it is one of the most visited cities in the world. The city played an important role in the World’s past.
Rome is famous for having amazing foods such as spaghetti, lasagna, pizza and gelato. This Capital of Italy is well known for historic sites such as the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Vatican City. Rome is where the Ancient Romans created systems and structures that we still use to this day and is known for its ravishing architecture, It has more than 280 fountains and 900 churches.
Rome became the most powerful state in the world by the first century BCE through a combination of military power, political flexibility, economic expansion, and more than a bit of good luck. This expansion changed the Mediterranean world and also changed Rome itself.
Often called the Eternal City, a reference to its longevity and used first by the Roman poet Tibullus, Rome is the City of Seven Hills: Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Vimina.
By the time we flew from Barcelona to Rome, found our hired car to take us to our hotel and then actually got to our hotel, it was late afternoon. We unpacked a few items of clothing and then hit the streets to see what we could see nearby. Our hotel was less than 100 steps from the Trevi Fountain and there were plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. It was an exciting time. We had special tickets for the sites at the Vatican for the next day but when we woke up I had gotten sick overnight and absolutely could not go. Liz told the hotel people to just leave me be and she went and enjoyed it for both of us. The next day I was feeling like nothing had happened and we played tourist “full steam ahead”. For the next three days we did as much of Rome as you could possibly do. The last day we spent some time at a local laundermat so we could have some clean clothes to start the next phase of this trip.
