Thursday (16th):
Brendan got in a little late, but afterwards we headed to the hostel for everyone to get settled. We had the welcoming (check-in) free drink and then headed to dinner at a restaurant called Giovanni. It was very much a no-nonsense no concessions to tourism place that had some great pasta. We got a bottle of house wine and good times were had all around. Unfortunately we got news that Julie was incredibly sick and would be unable to join us for the weekend because of it. We later found out it was mono, which meant she was sorely missed, but we decided to try to make the best of it that we could.
Friday (17th):
Friday we woke up on the earlier side and headed to do some of the main Ancient Rome sights. First off was Capital Hill, followed by Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and then a stop for a good lunch recommended by our buddy Rick Steves. After lunch we hit up St. Peter in Chains to see the funerary chapel of Pope Julius II (who I studied in my art class) and the chains that were said to have restrained St. Peter. Following our visit was the Colosseum, gelato at Giolittis and a quick visit to the Pantheon. Dinner was at an Irish pub called Flann O´Brians near our hostel and some drinks afterwards were at the hostel.
Saturday (18th):
Yesterday was spent seeing St. Peter¨s Basilica, climbing the dome, seeing the post office and souvenir shop on the roof followed by some lunch. Lunch was held at a simple sandwich shop popular with students on a budget and followed up by gelato at Old Bridge on recommendation by one of Brendans friends. By the time we were finished with gelato we were all quite tired and we headed back to the hostel for some rest and relaxation before dinner. Dinner was a simpler affair at a hole in the wall place nearby that Brendan found on trip advisor. It was listed as 12 of over 2500 listed so we figured it would be a pretty good choice.
Sunday(19th):
This morning we woke up in time to check out and headed to Vatican City to see the Pope for his Sunday audience, but unfortunately it turns out he is hanging out in San Marino for the weekend. It was quite a disappointment the pope decided to ditch us, however it was not an entirely lost cause as it gave us time to see the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain with Brendan. There on was spent relaxing for a little bit and grabbing some lunch before our train to Naples and our subsequent transfer to an hour-long metro to Sorrento. It was a very long metro ride, but it has been absolutely beautiful since we have gotten here. We dropped off our bags, grabbed some drinks on the rooftop bar and then went to one of the best local places for pizza (recommended as pizza was invented here). The restaurant was very nice with a gorgeous view over the cliffs and the best pizza I have ever had. Definitely worth the walk over, in fact Karl and I are considering coming back for another day if we can make it.
If things work out as planned we will stay here tomorrow morning, hit Pompeii in the afternoon and then take the train into Naples to spend the night there. Brendan will fly out the following day and Karl and I will need to figure out our plan!
Long story short things are going very well. I would love to write some more details, but as my internet access is limited I thought I would at least get our recent itinerary up.
Ciao!
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