Day 4 – May 23, 2025 – Rome, Italy
This morning was a leisurely morning as we did not need to leave until about 11:15 for our Vatican tour. I had mentioned to John that I felt I had not had enough to eat yesterday morning before I quickly had that panini early on, so I had basically a double breakfast this morning. I think I ate too much and then felt yucky. I also feel my body is still playing catchup with the time change and jet lag.
We headed out about 11:15 and it’s basically a 40-to-45-minute walk to the Vatican. We got there a little early and then received a message from our tour guide that the time was pushed back from 1 to 1:15. We originally had just a private tour with the both of us, but was asked if we were okay with having a family of four join us and we would be reimbursed half of our money so we agreed. Since we had almost an hour to spare, John suggested grabbing a quick bite, plus if we did that, we’d have bathroom access as well, which is necessary. We found a little place and John ordered a panini and I ordered a bowl of minestrone soup. I think I took about three bites, and I was done. My stomach was not happy and I was hoping I was going to make it through the three-hour tour we had.
We finished up, met at the meeting spot and met up with our guide, Raul. The family of four, from Ohio, met up with us and we started our tour of the museum in the Vatican. Since John and I were here in 2023, we did not take nearly the pictures we took last time as not much has changed. It was still neat to see everything again, but I was ready to get back into the Sistine Chapel. Our guide was good, but there were so many people there that it was still hard to hear him at times. This is the year of the Jubilee, which occurs every 25 years, which attracts millions of pilgrims seeking spiritual renewal, so there are more people than usual. We have talked about coming back when it is “off” season and see how it compares to this time of the year.
We continued through the Sistine Chapel, and it still takes my breath away. I could stay there for hours taking everything in. It’s hard to believe that Michelangelo, who was a sculptor, was commissioned to paint the ceiling and that he never laid flat but was always standing on extensive scaffolding and reaching up and craning his neck. He did this from 1508-1512, I cannot even imagine how badly he hurt from working in those positions for so long. We finished up in St. Peter’s Basilica, where our tour ended. We had already walked along the catwalk of the dome, so we did not need to do it again. We stayed for a bit longer then headed out to walk back towards town again.
I was happy I made it through the tour and was feeling much better, but was starting to get hungry as I did not eat any lunch. We found a nice outside restaurant (Negresso Bocca Di Leone) down one of the many side streets and started with an Aperol Spritz and then ordered cod bites with a raspberry jam and they were amazing! I had beef ribs with pureed potatoes and John had the pistachio crusted salmon with a side order of grilled vegetables. We had the panna cotta with fruit for dessert, and it was sprinkled with blackberries and cranberries, very refreshing! The owner of the restaurant came by and spoke with us and we told him how good everything was, and he asked us where we were from and told him NC. He said he was planning to open one of his restaurants in Charleston so we will definitely have to keep an eye open for this.
We made our way back home after dinner and called it an early night. Tomorrow, we have a food tour starting at 4:30 so it will be an easy morning which will give me time to work on the blog. Another great day – ciao!
