Benvenuti a Roma!

Ciao, tutti. Here is a quick and general idea of what we'll be doing while we spend our three days in Rome before heading to Genoa.

Saturday, 18 February - Arrival. After recovering from the overnight flight to Europe, we'll be refreshing ourselves before heading out to see Rome on the infamous "Obelisk Walk." There are 12 ancient obelisks in Rome (actually 13, but we're visiting 12). These obelisks are either from Ancient Egypt or were built in imitation of those by various Roman emperors. After they were re-discovered by the popes in the Renaissance, they were placed all over the city in front of important sites or churches to help guide the faithful on their pilgrimages. They will be our markers as well as we follow them to see the entire city of Rome on foot, starting from the Vatican and ending at St. John Lateran.

Sunday, 19 February - The Ancient City. Today we focus on the grandeur that was Ancient Rome. Notable stops will include: The Republican and Imperial Fora, the Colosseum, the Palatine, existing lengths of ancient fortifications, various imperial baths, the Circus Maximus, major temples that still exist, the Pantheon, etc... We will also be stopping in some of the major museums but most of what we will be seeing is in the open air and accessible to all.

Monday, 20 February - The Renaissance and St. Peter's city. Today we start in the Vatican and we try to fit in what we can with the time that is left to us. With any luck we'll visit 3 of the 4 major basilicas in Rome along with several smaller churches that house major works of Renaissance and post-Renaissance art by masters such as Caravaggio, Bernini, Michelangelo, Bramante, etc... That is, of course, assuming that Stendhal's Syndrome hasn't seized us after seeing the glory that is the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica itself.