The Vatican

Catching the train at Poggio Mirteto.

The Vatican is a fortified country. The walls and huge lines of tourists.

St. Peters.

Before our museum tour begins.

Sistine Chapel in the background with the square windows.

Vatican Museum.

Laocoon and His Sons.

Hall of Tapestries.

St. Peter's Square.

Inside St. Peters - each letter is over 6 ft tall.

The Pieta by Michelangelo

Touching for good luck - like thousands have done before us.

Hey - Swiss Guards!!

The Pope speaks from the 2nd window from the left.

St. Peter's

Having had a great first day in Rome, we traveled back to see the Vatican and to spend an afternoon doing something fun for the girls. We met Luca outside the Vatican walls for our tour of the Papal State.

Even in low tourist season, the Vatican was busy. We can’t imagine what it must be like during the busy tourist season. Having Luca with us was the way to go as we avoided waiting in lines and he was able to provide the highlights of the Vatican museum for us. The Vatican museum is enormous. Like most the of world’s great museums, one could spend a week listening to audio guides – they can be overwhelming. Luca knew right where to go and gave us the “best of” tour. Of course the Sistine Chapel was amazing. We had the same spellbound feeling as we gazed at the ceiling to see the paintings that we had seen in so many books over our lives. It was a real treat.

As if the Sistine Chapel wasn’t spell-binding enough, the trip to St. Peter’s was an amazing experience. The size is somewhat hidden. It isn’t until one sees how other great cathedrals of the world would fit inside of St. Peter’s is the true size of this great cathedral apparent.

The holiday season is a busy time in St. Peter’s square. Thousands of seats were set-up awaiting the next event.

After an incredible visit we headed for another delicious lunch and prepared for a fun afternoon of kid activity.

Classic Rome

Taking the trains into Rome was easy, on time and inexpensive.

The Coliseum.

15,000 people visit here each day.

Inside - an amazing feat for mankind 2,000 years ago.

The cross marks the spot where the emperors sat.

Happy family.

View of the vicotyr arch outside.

Arch of Constentine (312 AD)

Learning about the part below the surface.

Arch of Septimius Severus.

Temple of Julius Ceaser - where his cremated remains were held after he became a god.

Forum.

Temple of Vesta. 

Pantheon.

Dome of the Pantheon - the top is open.

Inside the Pantheon.

Rome.

Having had a full day - Maria reads to the girls on the trian back to Casperia.

Following three days of relaxing in Casperia, we headed into Rome to see the sites. We took the train as we were told it was easy,  inexpensive and a good way to avoid the traffic and parking challenges in Rome. Great idea.

We found that tour guides are a good investment. We arranged for a guide in advance. Luca was waiting for us when we arrived for our first day of exploring. We divided the days up between seeing the coliseum, forum and the pantheon. It was an fantastic experience. The fact that so much of the coliseum remains despite it being 2,000 years old and it being used as a quarry for newer buildings was incredible.  It is a magnificent structure and a fitting remnant of all that was the Roman Empire.

Following the coliseum, we headed to see the remnants of the forum, what was once the center or Roman government, commerce and celebration.  Along the way we learned more about Roman history from Luca.

Lastly, we visited the Pantheon, one of the best preserved Roman buildings. It has been a working church since the 7^th century, which is probably why it was so well preserved. The dome is incredible, as it is incredibly large.

Following a lunch of pizza, we strolled down the streets of Rome and took in the city – its sites, people and sounds. Though we came back from Rome tired, it was a great day and left us excited for day 2.

Casperia: Our home for the holidays

Almost there.

View from our master bedroom.

Our street.

The old church - San Giovanni Battista. We went to Christmas Eve service here.

Out for a walk in the village. 

Since Casperia was built on top of a hill there are many steps.

More steps. Hauling groceries and luggage was a challenge.

Morning in Italy - beautiful. 

Some residents use these to haul goods - particularly contractors and the garbage collectors. 

Our front door. 

Italy in the morning - view from the village.

We enjoy visiting small communities when traveling. Not only do we avoid large crowds and the noise of the city, but also we find it easier to get to know the people and customs by observing and taking part in village life. For our Christmas trip to Rome, we decided to stay outside Rome and rent an apartment. That way we could have a proper Christmas. We rented il Sogno (the dream), a lovely, recently restored, two-bedroom apartment in the walled village of Casperia. The village of just over 1,000 people is 50 kilometers outside Rome and situated in the region of Latium. We knew the apartment would be nice from the photos and hoped that Casperia would be a quaint village in rural Italy. It delivered. 

The old city of Casperia is a walled city built on the top of a hill. The buildings were built of stone and connected by small walkways, which are usually stairs going up or down due to the hilly terrain. This offered the ideal walled city feel - with small walkways, arches and spectacular views. The only drawback is that it was a 7 - 10 minute walk from the car; so hauling luggage, groceries and gifts was a challenge. But once we got settled, we made the apartment home. We secured a fake Christmas tree at a flower shop in Cantolupa in Sabina, groceries at the Carrefour in Forano, and odds and ends at the local market in Casperia.