Day 1, Saturday October 11, 2014
We stayed at the Casa San Giuseppe Hotel which was located in the Trastevere Neighborhood of Rome. This is just across the Tiber River from Ancient Rome where the Roman Forum and Colosseum stands. It is a colorful area and has a village feel.
Today we met our guide Ann and our fellow tour members at 4:00pm at our hotel. Everyone introduced themselves to the group and Ann gave us the usual orientation for the tour. We then joined Ann for a short Trastevere neighborhood walk as we made our way to a local restaurant for our "Welcome to Italy" dinner.
Pictures of neighborhood and dinner.
Today we met our guide Ann and our fellow tour members at 4:00pm at our hotel. Everyone introduced themselves to the group and Ann gave us the usual orientation for the tour. We then joined Ann for a short Trastevere neighborhood walk as we made our way to a local restaurant for our "Welcome to Italy" dinner.
Pictures of neighborhood and dinner.
Day 2, Sunday October 12, 2014
This morning we met our local guide who took us on a walking tour of Rome's Jewish Ghetto. Then we continued on for a guided tour of the Capitoline Museum. The afternoon was free time to explore Rome on our own and we took good advantage of it.
Rome's Jewish population was forced to live in the cramped Jewish Quarter from the 16th through the 19th centuries. This area, at a bend of the Tiber River was often flooded. This area is still home to Rome's synagogue and pieces of its Jewish heritage.
Next we toured the Capitoline Museum. This museum has some of ancient Rome's most famous statues and art. The museum was founded in 1471 when a pope gave Rome's citizens some ancient statues. Some of the most recognized pieces are the She Wolf, Boy Extracting a Thorn and Marcus Aurelius on a Horse. This is perhaps the greatest equestrian statue of antiquity.
The afternoon was free to wander Rome as we saw fit. We walked from the Victor Immanuel Monument to the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Vatican, markets and much more. It was an exhausting, great day in Rome.
Pictures of the Jewish Quarter.
Rome's Jewish population was forced to live in the cramped Jewish Quarter from the 16th through the 19th centuries. This area, at a bend of the Tiber River was often flooded. This area is still home to Rome's synagogue and pieces of its Jewish heritage.
Next we toured the Capitoline Museum. This museum has some of ancient Rome's most famous statues and art. The museum was founded in 1471 when a pope gave Rome's citizens some ancient statues. Some of the most recognized pieces are the She Wolf, Boy Extracting a Thorn and Marcus Aurelius on a Horse. This is perhaps the greatest equestrian statue of antiquity.
The afternoon was free to wander Rome as we saw fit. We walked from the Victor Immanuel Monument to the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Vatican, markets and much more. It was an exhausting, great day in Rome.
Pictures of the Jewish Quarter.
Pictures of the Capitoline Museums.
Pictures of our afternoon free time.
Tomorrow we make a stop at Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli on the way to our destination of Vieste.