Walk-about in Rome with our tour guide

If we hadn’t done ‘our own thing’   by spending a few days in Rome prior to starting the Trafalgar Tour, we would have missed so much of this amazing city.  The Tour only gives you one full day.   Most of that is with a local guide which is fabulous.   But you need at least 3 days or more days to explore the city.   So, if anyone is planning to do this tour – ‘Best of Italy’ make sure you have a few days prior, or after the tour to spend in Rome

Saying that,  Pietro drove our coach passed all the interesting sights that we had seen, and/or been into, and some of which we had missed.  Hubby and I walked everywhere so whatever was on our walking route, we saw .. those that needed public transport, we didn’t see.

From Piazza del Campidoglio, Pietro drove into central Rome and dropped us off near the Trevi Fountain

I have had to take photos whilst walking!!!! … with little or no time to stop!!   I walk .. see something interesting .. hold camera steady .. hold breath .. take pic while one foot pauses in mid-air,  very very  briefly!!!  Unless, of course,  we stopped in a piazza or at a place of interest  (this is not one of them 😉 ) I must say, the Italians were more than happy to smile for the camera 🙂

Trevi Fountain – packed with people, unlike the early morning hubby and I went there and were able to get super pics of Rome’s largest and most famous fountain completed in 1762.   My post refers :

http://momsmeanderings.wordpress.com/2013/07/23/walk-about-in-rome-trevi-fountain/

Antonella, our Tour Director,  gave us each a voucher for a gelato ….  yay !! …  I dropped mine, while taking this photo of hubby making his wishes with three coins.  It was gone in a flash so hubby had to pay for mine 🙁

Onward .. to walk through a place we hadn’t seen … Galleria Colonna – 19th century shopping arcade ..

.. which, on the other end, opens onto Piazza Colonna, in the middle of which is the Column of Marcus Aurelius.  Erected after his death in AD 180 to commemorate his victories over the barbarian tribes of the Danube, with scenes from the Emporer’s wars spiralling in reliefs up the column.  In 1589 Pope Sixtus V placed a statue of St Paul on top ‘freeing it from pagan significance’

On one side of the piazza is the Palazzo Chigi .. seat of the Italian Government ..

In front is an obelisk brought to Rome from Egypt by the Emporer Augustus and erected as a sundial.  It became inaccurate after 50 years

Tazza d’oro  – coffee roaster .. famous for it’s secret blend of coffee which as been handed down from generation to generation since it was founded in 1946 …

I knew where I was …. the Pantheon is peeking through the building …

I extensively covered the Pantheon, it’s history and it’s vast hemispherical dome in a previous post.  Some photographs I took during this tour, were included in the post :

http://momsmeanderings.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/the-pantheon-in-rome/

…. Piazza Navona – also covered in a previous post as we had walked around here and had a delicious lunch on the square ..

https://momsmeanderings.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/walk-about-in-rome-onward-to-piazza-navona/

We were given free time to wander and have a bite to eat before heading back to the coach.  Hubby and I stopped here and were joined by Bob and Connie, fellow travelling companions and new friends 🙂  ..

Up bright and early next morning for our first day on the road around Italy 🙂  Exciting !!!!

…  Trafalgar Tours : Best of Italy : June 2013