Rome Day 2: Vatican

We changed our minds and did end up going to the Vatican today. We are all glad we did. First let me say that we had a really wonderful typical Italian meal the night before. It was a pretty interesting walk around our neighborhood here before we found it. Initially Mom had been dubious about going out at night, but we decided to "While in Rome... do as the Roman's" and give it a try. Most people (of all ages) come out in the cooler evening hours and it is pretty common for people to have dinner after 8PM. It is a very different way of life from what we are used to. But we found it works very well in this climate. Emma loved her Spaghetti Blanco. Mom had another pasta with tomato and basil, and I had a pesto on orichette "little ears" which was made with walnut. It was delicious.

After that, we made the much-anticipated run for gelati. Emma chose strawberry, Grandma got coffee, I got Nutella, and Basil got chocolate, which we all thoroughly enjoyed.

After a good night with quite a bit of sleep, we went the next day to the Vatican. We are short on time, since we missed the Catacombs yesterday. We already bought tickets for our train to Ravenna this afternoon and we need to get going so that we have a little time there before heading back to say "ciao" to Rome. The Vatican really was amazing. We had a fabulous tour and viewed a number of the art pieces. She gave us a lot of history and a great appreciation for the Sistine Chapel before we viewed it. The highlight for Emma and I was going down into the crypt where all the popes are buried, along with the tomb of St. Peter. It was a very moving experience for both of us. Unlike the magnificent church above, we both felt that this simple chapel underground was the real heart of the Vatican and it brought us to tears.

We also rode the open air bus tour 2 full times and got a great overview of the city. We got off in the afternoon after a long day and found another gelato shop near the Trevi Fountain, which was more beautiful than I thought it would be.

Signing off in sunny Rome at 7AM! Macrina

P.S. All the waitresses here love Basil and pick him up and pinch his cheeks and everything. They all try to get him to say simple words like "Ciao", which of course means "Bye" (and also "Hi" I think). He has sort of half-gotten it and says: "Bye-bye chow!".