The ship, Nieuw Amsterdam, left Barcelona and cruised past the Spanish and French Riviera, Monte Carlo, and entered the harbor at Livorno. We had all day to visit Pisa and Florence by train. The leaning tower and associated buildings had been recently cleaned and sparkled in fine, sunny weather. Florence was just another city but the cathedral is a magnificent work in white and green marble. The spectacular bronze relief baptistry doors are world renowned art.
Next stop was Rome. When I was flying tourists from Berlin to major vacation areas in Europe fifty years ago, we had a mechanical problem and had to land at Rome for maintenance. While waiting for the work to be finished, I was able to see some of the attractions at that time but not all. Over the years I had learned some Roman history and architecture that called me back. Barbara had always wanted to see Rome but never got around to it so it was also on her bucket list.
Another Italian train ride brought us from the port to central Rome. We never buy excursions from the cruise line but set up our own in advance or on the spot. It was a sunny Sunday in Rome with mild temperatures and the faithful were out in droves. The Pantheon was packed. The line outside was short but Barbara took one look at the humanity jammed inside and that was enough for her. We will check out the online virtual tour instead.
Trevi Fountain was a big surprise for Barbara. She had envisioned it much smaller. We then walked to a place reputed by recognized experts in such things to have the best ice cream in all of Rome. That's a very large claim because Italians make the world's best ice cream.
Everything is walking-distance close in ancient Rome. We saw the forums of Caesar, Augustus, Titus and others, the Colosseum and many other points of interest. Barbara's new knee performed admirably. In fact, she walked my butt off.
I wanted to see the Basilica of Saint John at Laterano. This has a long history dating from the year 324 and was the Vatican before Saint Peter's was built. It is still the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome - the Pope. The Catholic University at Vilanova has published an online virtual tour of Saint Johns.
In my opinion Saint Johns is more spectacular that Saint Peters in Vatican City and others who know about it also agree. Fifty years ago I toured Saint Peters and found it quite impressive so now I wanted to compare Saint Johns. Vilanova has also published a virtual tour of Saint Peters and it is easy to see the difference - Saint Johns wins.
We got the city bus figured out - no easy task especially since the routes were temporarily changed to accommodate some huge event being prepared in the forums area. We rode the bus to Saint Johns and found hardly anyone there since it is not on any of the busy tourist schedules. Saint Johns is truly magnificent. But I really think it is better viewed by the online virtual tour. We are not religious but enjoy the art and architecture. Those old cathedrals are a true wonder.
Then we bussed over to Saint Peters where the famous square was filled with thousands of people standing in long lines to get into the basilica. It was also the one Sunday in the month when entry to the museum is free. That was our cue to head back to the train station for the ride to the ship. We saw most of the Roman attractions plus a lot more and now we find no need to go back. Besides, Rome is much more crowded than I remember. Wow is it crowded.
Next stop was Rome. When I was flying tourists from Berlin to major vacation areas in Europe fifty years ago, we had a mechanical problem and had to land at Rome for maintenance. While waiting for the work to be finished, I was able to see some of the attractions at that time but not all. Over the years I had learned some Roman history and architecture that called me back. Barbara had always wanted to see Rome but never got around to it so it was also on her bucket list.
Another Italian train ride brought us from the port to central Rome. We never buy excursions from the cruise line but set up our own in advance or on the spot. It was a sunny Sunday in Rome with mild temperatures and the faithful were out in droves. The Pantheon was packed. The line outside was short but Barbara took one look at the humanity jammed inside and that was enough for her. We will check out the online virtual tour instead.
Trevi Fountain was a big surprise for Barbara. She had envisioned it much smaller. We then walked to a place reputed by recognized experts in such things to have the best ice cream in all of Rome. That's a very large claim because Italians make the world's best ice cream.
Everything is walking-distance close in ancient Rome. We saw the forums of Caesar, Augustus, Titus and others, the Colosseum and many other points of interest. Barbara's new knee performed admirably. In fact, she walked my butt off.
I wanted to see the Basilica of Saint John at Laterano. This has a long history dating from the year 324 and was the Vatican before Saint Peter's was built. It is still the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome - the Pope. The Catholic University at Vilanova has published an online virtual tour of Saint Johns.
In my opinion Saint Johns is more spectacular that Saint Peters in Vatican City and others who know about it also agree. Fifty years ago I toured Saint Peters and found it quite impressive so now I wanted to compare Saint Johns. Vilanova has also published a virtual tour of Saint Peters and it is easy to see the difference - Saint Johns wins.
We got the city bus figured out - no easy task especially since the routes were temporarily changed to accommodate some huge event being prepared in the forums area. We rode the bus to Saint Johns and found hardly anyone there since it is not on any of the busy tourist schedules. Saint Johns is truly magnificent. But I really think it is better viewed by the online virtual tour. We are not religious but enjoy the art and architecture. Those old cathedrals are a true wonder.
Then we bussed over to Saint Peters where the famous square was filled with thousands of people standing in long lines to get into the basilica. It was also the one Sunday in the month when entry to the museum is free. That was our cue to head back to the train station for the ride to the ship. We saw most of the Roman attractions plus a lot more and now we find no need to go back. Besides, Rome is much more crowded than I remember. Wow is it crowded.