I was not going to post on Easter Sunday, but since this post includes Vatican City, it seemed appropriate. We arrived in the port of Civitavecchia (about an hour drive from Rome) at 5AM and didn’t depart until 11PM. This was due to the fact that it was the mid-point of two cruises and some passengers disembarked, while others embarked for the trip to Venice. There were no Viking excursions listed for Rome when we departed from Tarragona to Rome. We were going to take the train into Rome and wander around by ourselves and get reacquainted with this amazing city that we had visited in 1973. However, about half-way into the week of cruising to Rome Viking announced a few excursions and we booked a 6 hour excursion “Snapshots of Rome.”

From Viking: “Relax and take in the sights of Rome, admiring historic monuments and glorious architecture on a leisurely drive. Travel along some of the city’s most scenic routes. See ancient Roman sites, including the Aurelian Walls, Baths of Caracalla, Pyramid of Cestius, Colosseum and the Circus Maximus. Admire the Arch of Constantine, the best triumphal arch in the city, built in 315 AD to celebrate Constantine’s victory at the battle of the Milvian Bridge. Drive along the elegant Via Veneto, enjoying views of Villa Borghese Park. At Piazza della Repubblica, admire the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and Fountain of the Naiads. Your panoramic drive will also pass through Vatican City, the spiritual and administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church. As you depart Rome, the great facade of iconic St. Peter’s Basilica will come into view.

We saw a lot of Rome through the tour bus windows, and had some time to wander around St. Peters Square. We visited the Vatican gift shop, wandered around in front of St. Peters and had a cold drink and gelato. Rome is such a large city, with much to see; we got the “Cliff’s Notes tour” this time. We spent an overnight in Rome on our way from Florence to visit my family in Southern Italy in 1973 and then were there August 2-7, 1973 on our way north to Venice. We saw most of the significant sights of Rome on that trip, including attending mass in St. Peters. We would like to go back and really see Rome again.

The day we arrived in Rome, the CDC dropped their daily COVID testing requirements and Viking dropped the daily testing on the ship. However, masking was still required on all modes of public transportation.

My previous post can be found at https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-803441-1.html, while the first post of this series (that includes a map of all of the places where we stopped) can be found at https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-801137-1.html

Next up: Naples