We left Florence on Tuesday and got to Rome that afternoon. We are staying in a cute B&B near Piazza Republica called Gulliver's Lodge. The owner, Mary, is very helpful and serves us breakfast on a tray in our room every morning. Each room is decorated with a different color. First we were in a green room but the Wed. morning, some people left and because we're staying 4 nights, she upgraded us to a larger room that is red and orange with a tub (most rooms have shower stalls).After arriving, we visited Santa Mara Maggiore which is only a couple of blocks from our hotel. On of the chapels to the side was closed off by a barred gate we could see through because there was a service going on. Who was giving that service? Boston's own Cardinal Bernard Law! Small world.
Mary, the B&B keeper, had given us a nice walk to follow so we followed it and took pictures and took a few wrong turns and saw some ruins and ended up at the Piazza del Quirinale. I said to Kei, "Why does that guard have a machine gun and why are there so many Carabinieri around?" We found out that it is the presidential palace and we were just walking about the piazza, unaware, snapping photos of a fountain.
We continued on our merry way and stopped to have dinner at a tiny restaurant on a side street near the Quirinale. After dinner we went to the Trevi Fountain to toss a coin in and wish for our return to Rome. Then we took some photos from the top of the Spanish Steps.
Yesterday, we went to the Vatican Museum, St. Peter's Basilica and Castel Sant' Angelo (from Angels & Demons). The Vatican Museum has some amazing art (about 4 miles of it). We had some fun taking photos on the repeating columns outside St. Peter's.
