Day 15-22: Rome (Part II)

So Week II in Rome marked the departure from the Rome Cavalieri Hotel and out to the town of La Storta about 30 minutes outside of central Rome - our destination La Casale de San Nicola. The villa was a 8-bedroom 400-year old country home still part of the "noble" family line in the area... and it quickly became a highlight of the trip.

Nevertheless - I decided to NOT repeat the Week I activities and try to take advantage of the amazing city just a few miles south... so the week started with a quick family trip to Piazza Barberini and a quick visit to the Trevi Fountain along with a fabulous lunch at La Mora (highly recommended.)

The next day was full tourist action with a new ASW friend - Janna - visiting from Mexico on her way to Madrid. The day involved the now standard "Tourist Bus" with stops at the Piazza Espana, Villa Bourgesa, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Venezia, The Coloseum and the totally unexpected The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (various pictures of the adventure below). The day ended with a bottle of wine in Trastevere which capped off the great day.

On the next to last day of our time in Rome - I decided to dedicate the day to exploring El Vaticano. I had visited it several times in the past but always taken back by it and determined to see the Sistine Chapel (a task that had somehow eluded me in my previous visits). I'll let the pictures do the talking here... (unfortunately - no pictures allowed in the Sistine Chapel).