St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican, Sistine Chapel and the Panthenon

We started the day with a cappuccino at our local coffee bar owned by Marco (we are practically locals now).

Then it was time for the 30 minute walk. First stop was St. Peter's Basilica, then to the nearby Vatican around the corner and accompanying museum. Two Swiss guards stand at attention as tourists make their way through the area. So much to see including ancient Roman artifacts, tapestries, sculptures, paintings, etc, etc, etc, etc. It was a complete sensory overload and quite frankly a little disturbing to see how much money the Roman Catholic church has. The area surrounding the Vatican is known as Vatican City and is 107 acres and is considered to be a nation on its own with its own currency and post office. To get to the Sistine Chapel, you must make your way through rooms and rooms of art until finally you arrive to a crowded chapel where people just gaze up at the ceiling to admire the amazing work of Michaelangelo. Photos of this experience would not do it justice (but of course I took a lot anyway).

After a nice pasta (and wine of course) lunch in front of the local market, our sore and tired feet were suddenly cured enough to do some more shopping. Then we visited the Pantheon and viewed the tomb of Raphael, the famous artist and architect from the 1500s. Last stop was to the local grocer for some fresh ingredients for tonight's meal.

Now we sit at the flat doing the usual nightly ritual (I'm sure you can figure it out; (think red and white). Soon Bruce will prepare us a traditional Italian meal to be eaten at the traditional dinner hour.

Tomorrow is our last day in Rome and Europe. We plan to visit the Colosseum and the market and play the rest by ear. Our flight leaves Saturday at 9 am, so I'm sure it will be an early evening as we attempt to ease back into the real world.