Rome, the grand finale of our Best of Italy tour. We hit the ground running as soon as we arrived. To the Colosseum and Roman Forum, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and past the gigantic Palazzo del Quirinale that today is the official residence of the Italian president.

​

Our local guide, Ilaria, took us through the Colosseum, Forum and Pantheon, explaining the deep history of the city and the great Roman Empire. The exact date of the founding of Rome is not clear, some Romans say it was in 753 BC but other scholars say it was earlier than that. The Roman myth of twins Romulus and Remus, sons of a princess and the Roman god Mars, attributes the founding of the city to them, but it is unclear if an actual person or people were the basis of this legend. The Roman Empire lasted from 27 BC to 395 AD, and at its height in 117 AD spanned more than 5 million square kilometers across what is today Western Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East.

 

We visited the Borghese Gallery the morning of our final day. This gallery features priceless Renaissance art by Bernini, Rafael and Caravaggio, among others. Marble statues that seem to come alive in front of you, paintings that tell more stories the longer you look at them, and intricate mosaics are just some of the treasures that can be found here. Visitors are given a strict 2.5 hours to go through the galleries to help limit crowding.

​

The last afternoon, a few of us took a field trip outside the city to the ancient Roman Aqueducts in the Parco degli Acquedotti. Armed with vague directions found online, we took the subway nearly to the end of the line, and walked through a suburb of square block apartment buildings and neighborhood shops. Visiting this park is a great way to escape the city crowds, enjoy a picnic lunch under the trees, and marvel at these engineering masterpieces of the ancient world. Somewhat off the typical tourist map, these Aqueducts are worth the effort to find them.

​

​