Rick Steves' Best of Europe in 21 Days - Spring 2024
Postcards from Mike & Jen
Day 13 - Rome & Saint Peter's
Buongiorno from Italy!
Today's adventures began in Vatican City at Saint Peter's Basilica, the greatest church in Christendom. We then left our group behind since we had been there before with the plan to meet Dawn and Gordy at the Colosseum later. We took the Metro and headed back to the Colosseum.
Saint Peter's Basilica
S.U.P.E.R. Sites
Since we were back in our old neighborhood, we stopped at La Follia to reminisce over some delicious cacio e pepe suppli.
Then it was off to the S.U.P.E.R. (Seven Unique Places to Experience in Rome) Sites and Palatine Hill! The S.U.P.E.R. Sites are located above and around the Forum. They require a special ticket. This was something Mike felt we missed last time we were in Rome and was especially glad we went this time! We highly recommend it.
The Colosseum, Trevi Fountain & Spanish Steps
We met up with Dawn and Gordy for our timed entry to tour the inside of the Colosseum. Afterward we realized that they had not seen the Trevi Fountain or the Spanish Steps, so we took the scenic route to the Spagna Metro station. We had already walked umpteen million steps today, what were a few thousand more.
OUR EXCITEMENT
After the 4 of us tossed our coins in the Trevi Fountain and paused for a quick photo at the Spanish Steps we arrived at the Spagna Metro Station. There were only a few others waiting for the train. When it arrived, Jen and Dawn boarded first. As Mike and Gordy were about to board, two men jumped in front of them and stood in the doorway as they tried to enter. Mike was able to push his way past one of the men. The other tried to push Gordy off the train! Now, Gordy and Mike are not what you would call petite. They are also both former military and law enforcement. Mike was able to grab Gordy and pull him on the train. Profanity may have been exchanged in multiple languages! We suspect they were trying to pick pocket and push us off the train so we couldn't confront them. They failed in both cases. After "pleasantries" were exchanged, Mike and Gordy made their way to the back of the train car where Jen and Dawn had no idea what had just happened. This wasn't our only experience with pickpockets, but it was the most aggressive. We were smart and our valuables were always secure so we never lost anything, but they tried! All of our experiences with pickpockets were on the metro either in Rome or Paris. Needless to say, it added something to the experience.
Yes, More Pizza & Beer
Finally, we were off to a restaurant by our hotel for some pizza and a large glass of beer to allow our blood pressures to drop. Bonus, Jen got another artichoke. Yum!
