Rome & Sorrento

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A week since our last update, time is flying! I keep promising I will write things down more regularly, but so many

distractions!

We had just arrived in Rome in our last update and I think I had mentioned we were going out on Segways on Thursday Night.

To say I (Amanda) was a little apprehensive, is an understatement. They look like the most amount of fun and I can tell

you, they are!!! In our Segway Group there was only 4 of us plus the guide, so it was nice and small. We started with a 10

minute training session and that is all you really need. Andrew and I picked it up very quickly and we had an absolute

ball!

The company we went with were very organised, everyone had their own radio with ear piece and the guide talked to us

through that. So it didn't matter if we were in a crowd or a little far away from each away, you could always hear her.

We zoomed around Rome and thankfully didn't run into anyone (well almost, but didn't). It is just so easy and so much fun!

We were taken through the shopping areas, to the Pantheon, to the guides favourite gelati shop (plus lots more sites) and

ended at the Trevi Fountain. Which is just beautiful, the area around it, is not what I imagined it to be. It is

surrounded by apartment complexes etc, I expected it to be in this huge piazza or square, but it is actually pretty closed

in. We through the coins in the fountain and made our wishes!

The tour guide told us, that they collect approx $3000 Euro a day from the fountain, which is then donated/given to the

poor. It is a staggering amount of money per day, let alone a year (approx $1.5M Australian Dollars a year). The tour

guide told us, that they never used to have security at the fountain at night, until one night, they discovered a man who

would go in and steal coins from the fountain. To stop this, they installed video cameras on the fountain, and they found

that him and others were then stealing from the fountain. So now, they have police on guard 24/7 at the fountain. It

wasn't a crime to steal from a fountain as it not stealing because the money is in a public place, so they cannot actually

charge the guy for stealing, so then they made a law against getting into public fountains to stop it.

On Saturday, we booked a private tour guide with his own car for the day. Tourism is a good business here, it cost us

around $100 an hour for the guide. While it was expensive, it was an amazing day, that neither of us will forget. The

amount of information that Daniele was able to provide to us, was great. We wouldn't have got it anywhere else. He took us

to a Church which used to be the Roman Baths in Rome. (We had actually driven past this Church quite a few times but it

didn't look like much outside, so we didn't go in on our own). So glad that Daniele took us there, it was beautiful

inside. A couple was getting married there later that day. This church is where they hold all the state funerals etc for

Rome, so you can imagine it is huge!

We then went to the Colosseum. WOW, there is no real other way to describe it and unless you see it in person, it just

doesn't seem real. The sheer size of this building, how they could have built something this large, so long ago, is just

astounding. The hardest thing to believe, is that after it was built, the fall of the Roman Empire happened and the place

was ransacked. All its marble, the nails from the walls, anything that could be re-used or of value, was pulled up, ripped

off and taken away. You really have to use your imagination to see how it would have once looked.

Daniele, was able to show us a book, which has been created to help people imagine what the Colosseum and Rome would have

looked like before all the ransacking occurred. This book is fantastic and I couldn't resist buying it, so we can show you

all when we get home.

Our next stop was Circus Maximus, it is now just a park where people can have picnics etc. But it was once a huge stadium

which could seat over 200K people at once and they held chariot racing here. Again, the book shows an illustration of now

and then (just blows your mind, at what was once there).

We next visited the Roman Forum Ruins.. Daniele explained to us, that the original Roman City was actually all beneath the

current Rome. When the Roman Empire fell, they just simply buried the old city and built on top. This place is an

archaeologists wet dream! They have started to extend the Train Subway underneath Rome, but every time they try, they come

across some more ruins, which stops the train line being built.

Everywhere you go through Rome, you see Roman Ruins at levels lower than the street. They are discovering more everyday

here. What 2000 years ago they buried, as they didn't want to see it anymore, today we are digging it up in wonder!

The afternoon was a trip to Vatican City. It comprises of St Peters Basilica, Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums.

Unfortunately, there was some prayers on, so we couldn't visit St Peters Basilica, which was a little disappointing, but

they open up other parts of the Vatican Museum that aren't normally open to make up for it.

We didn't know, but Daniele was also a Vatican Tour Guide, so when he doesn't have tours like ours, he works at the

Vatican, so we were definitely in the right hands. Everyone who is coming to Rome and especially the Vatican, need to have

patience and we mean the most amount of patience ever. People push you, walk in front of you, just stop in front of you

and then give you a dirty look for almost hitting them. Yet, you take it all in and smile!! Takes patience to do that!!!

What I also didn't know and found out during our tour of the Vatican, was that Daneiele wasn't really that religious and

matching that with Andrew, I had no hope of convincing him that the Catholic Church was not a money hungry or corrupt

organisation!!
Daniele was amazing, telling us about each room, stories behind the paintings, the artists etc. How some of the paintings

were not exactly true and were painted to ensure that the church always looked good and right (even when they weren't).

They say that the Vatican is one of, if not the richest organisation in the world, after this tour I would believe them.

Especially, when you consider that they have things stored underground that we will never see. Interesting, a lot of these

items are "donated" to the church when people die etc.

One of the more interesting parts of the collection, was a statue that was on display that was only found in 2010. A guy

was gardening one day, and was digging and hit something hard. He started digging around it and figured it was probably of

some importance and called in the archaeologists. Next thing you know, they have un-earthed this statue from the roman days

and it is near perfect condition. It is 12 feet high and not sure how long. But what a thing to find in your garden.. can

only imagine what else is out there.

Daniele then took us into the Sistine Chapel..No photos in here unfortunately, but Michelangelo was a master. In reality

he hated painting and only liked sculpting. For someone who hated painting to do that.. It took him four years to paint

the roof... I have never seen anything like it..this is one you have to see to understand!

After a long amazing day, it was time to head back to our hotel. It was a great way to see Rome and would recommend it to

anyone!

Sunday, we were heading back into Rome to the Vatican, to attempt to see the Pope. They say that the Pope comes out at

12pm from the Vatican to bless the crowd. Thinking we should arrive before, we arrived at 11am.. we should have arrived at

9am! The crowd was huge... Andrew estimated the crowd to be at least 100K. We were pushed/shoved/stood on for that hour

waiting for the pope and then he when we did come out, we couldn't see him.

He gave his speech and then finished and the crowd started to leave. We were a little disappointed to say the least. We

decided to leave and as we were leaving we realised that the middle of the road was blocked off and then we saw the pope

get into his white pope mobile and he drove down the middle of the road in front of us. It was pretty exciting. We ended

up seeing him up close, maybe 3 to 4 meters away. Made the wait worth it!

After that, it was time for a quick lunch and visit to the Pantheon and then home to pack and get ready to leave Rome. We

had been undecided about where to go from Rome, whether to head back North to Pisa or head further down south for a few

days. We did a quick search on Naples and everything we read, was very negative. Crowded, pick pockets and rubbish all

around. We then checked out Sorrento, which is around the bay from Naples. All good reviews, so we decided to come here.

Best decision ever.. It is beautiful, no sandy beaches like home, but really nice seaside place, the accommodation Andrew

found is awesome. We have our own balcony which looks out on to the Bay of Naples. The day we arrived it was around 30

degrees, next day around 25 and today around 22.

Today, we went out for a cruise to the island of Capri. Very pretty island, but expensive. Everything was 2 or 3 more

dollars than at Sorrento. We caught a bus around the island, took some photos and headed back to Sorrento. Boat ride on

the way out was ok, but coming back the water was pretty rough and I didn't feel so great by the time we got back. Bit of

a walk and fresh air, fixed me up..

Tomorrow we are packing up again and heading back up North. We have a stop in a little town tomorrow night and then on to

Pisa on Friday...

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