Yesterday we had the nicest weather of the trip.  It was so warm that we walked around in cotton dresses with just light sweaters most of the day   We went to the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon , shopping on via Condotti, up the open 4 flights of flower covered steps from the Piazza Sragna, up the Spanish steps to the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Mountain and the Villa Medici.  We went to the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian through the National Museum with its well known bronze and marbles such as the Discus Thrower.   Then out to dinner to a small restaurant and shopping.  That wound up Rome for us.  In Rome you can buy sets of 12 Kodak slides for 400 to 600 lira (65 cents to 1 dollar) cheaper than you can take them so we bought lots, especially of the insides of churches. 

At night we walked around the shopping area.  Went to see the Trevi Fountain (the 3 coins in a fountain fountain) and threw our coins in.  It’s a beautiful fountain with sculptured horses and all.  Now all of us are assured of a repeat visit to Rome.  – all except Jeannine who threw her coin into the fountain and it landed behind her in the street.  Judy had a near mishap when she got her foot caught in a trolley track and lost her shoe while crossing the street. 

We’ve spent 5 days total in Rome.  Each was a 12 to 14 hour day and we made the most of every minute,  visiting  the most important sites.  Rome is expensive and almost full up.  The hostel was way out of town and we were very lucky to stumble into a clean nice pension for about $1.30 a day right in the center, a block from the Coliseum.

Today we left Rome after 5 days and drove to Florence.  It is a 400 bed hostel and in an old Medici Palace.  They gave our reservations to someone else and we had to sleep in corridors.  It was rainy and cold and we cut our visit short.  A hostel full of 400 Europeans – mostly Greeks and French – get pretty grubby.  Hostelers are not very clean people.  I can’t imagine what hostels smell like in the summer.

 Today we visited all the ruins – Forums of Augustus Temple to Mars, Temple to Minerva, Market of Trajan, Trajan’s Column, Basilica of Ulpla, Templa of Venus, the  Arch of Titus, and the original complete senate as it was because another building was built around it for centuries.  Under Palantine Hill was the Temple of Romulus where legend says a kindly wolf suckled Romulus and Remus and founded Rome.  We drove out the Appian Way – the original Roman Highway – 16 foot wide – to the Tomb of Ceciua Metalla and then to the Catacombs of St. Calixtus.  We had a 45 minute tour down in, through the many chambers, tombs and alters where mass is still said.  There were  old oil lamps and writing and symbols etched in the walls.  The swastikia is much in evidence as a one time Roman cross.  The catacombs cover 20 acres, contain approximately 350,000 graves, including some 20,000 martyrs (each signified by an oil lamp on the tomb)   We drove east 20 miles to the town of Tivoli and went through the Villa d’Este known for its many beautiful fountains.  Over 40 fountains of all kinds in the gardens.  Then to Hadrian’s Villa - the winter estate of Emperor Hadrian and was, at one time, three fourth the size of Rome itself. Exhausting day!

It is Palm Sunday and we are in Rome.  This morning we went to St. Peters.   We had to wait a long time, got mobbed, rushed, pushed and shoved, but we saw Pope John.  We wormed our way into a choice spot right on the railing for the Processionals, so we saw him twice walking in and out in his red robes and skull cap and twice more in, then out in Pontifical robes and high hat, carried in the papal chair.  Each time we were closer than five feet, close enough to touch him with all the cardinals, bishops in ermine capes, monks, nuns, the colorful Swiss guards, etc.  The whole thing was spectacular.  Suffice it to saw that few people have ever had a better view (and closer) of the Pope. 

We did some sightseeing around Sorrento then went to  Peastum, site of old Roman ruins.  and took a boat over to the island of Capri.  We are finding Italy very interesting and beautiful

We are sitting here in the new hostel in Sorrento.  It just opened today.  Sorrento is on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples with the snow capped Mt. Vesuvius in the distance.  It is a seaside resort, pretty and poetic.   We look out over the Thyrannean sea, cliffs of Sorrento and the Isle of Capri.  There are many slums and a lot of damage still from WW2 in Napoli, but it is still beautiful.  We went sightseeing yesterday around Sorrento and today we went to Peastum, a site of old Roman ruins.