What a place Rome is. It's like it has been purposely built as a tourist haven. Every corner you turn, door you open or street you meander down, there is always something to see, and it is always spectacular! On the first night we arrived, we headed to meet Vic and Hel near the Castel St. Angelo for a drink. A we were walking down to find them, the view of the castle was incredible, so much so, that I didn't realise that the Vatican in all its glory was right behind me!
The highlight of Rome though, without question, was having all of my immediate family together in such a spectacular place. With a hanger-on (Mindy) but we'll let her off :-)
We walked the whole city, thanks to Vic's teacher-like directions, in the blazing sun. But it was well worth it as we arrived at the Colosseum - a definite highlight of Rome.
From there, we hiked through the main part of the city and saw the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Vittoria Emmanuel and the Piazza Navona. All were spectacular but the main rival for the highlight crown was the Trevi. It is huge and so very impressive.
Obviously the sight seeing was accompanied with lots of wine and great food. This led to the idea that Planking would be fun in all of the major tourist areas. Helen and Amanda turned out to be the main plankers with the best form, although neither could help laughing whilst mid-plank which is technically against the rules....
Here is a short demonstration of the fun we had...
And happy birthday to Vic (it was mentioned more than once) and happy 40th wedding anniversary to my mam and dad. Inspirational! Oh, and as the night went on, so did the planking...
Day 2
Day 2 started very much like day 1. With champagne for breakfast. Why not? When in Rome and all that...
We visited the Sistine Chapel after the champers. It was a bit like herding cattle through the place with all the tourists, although the end result, seeing the famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo, was very impressive indeed. Photos weren't allowed so Amanda was being covert...
We then went to St. Peter's Basilica which really was amazing. As reluctant as I am to give money to the Catholic church, the history and architecture was breathtaking. Obviously, after that we continued drinking and eating but sadly had to say goodbye to Vic and Hel as they headed back to sunny England. Thanks for coming - it made our holiday. X
The final day in Roma was again a sightseeing, eating and drinking fest. We went into the Pantheon, to the Piazza Del Popolo, and into a random side street church... which was equally as impressive as the major attractions. What a place. We also had the best pizza ever, loads of wine and watched the government protest against the mafia. And we planked some more of course...
The final plank, entitled: The Planktheon!
We are now drinking wine on a train to Firenze (Florence) - Salute!
A Romanesque fact for you. When Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers who founded Rome, were trying to decide whether to build the city on the banks of the Tiber River or in the mountains, the brother who suggested by the Tiber won. He was called Romulus, hence why Rome is now named Rome. I personally think it may have come down to the name though, as Reme as the capital of Italy just wouldn't work!!!
Ciao,
Dave Canavan MSc
www.thechingchokhunter.com
Location:Via Santa Reparata,Florence,Italy
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