May 18, 2025 Carlentini to Rome

”I haven’t been everywhere, but it is on my list” -Susan Sontag

We woke up this morning in Carlentini. We had hoped to leave by 6:30 am, but didn’t quite make it. Our Airbnb host wanted to meet with us. I was a bit unsure why, hmmm! Well, he had beautiful plate of pastries to share with us. It was a very thoughtful gesture. Because we were running a little later than we wanted we just took a couple and headed out (after all, they were from Bar Derby, and who could turn that down??). Everyone we encountered during our stay in Carlentini were wonderful and extremely accommodating. There was only one thing missing from our stay, and that was a clear view of Mt. Etna. Well today was the day. The pretty lady was blowing a bit of steam this morning.

Got the car returned to the rental agency in one piece! Yay! Nick did a great job navigating the narrow, windy roads. We learned that stop signs are just suggested and the car with the right of way is the one that gets their nose out their first. The flight from Catania into Rome was fairly uneventful. Got to our room, which is located directly across from the entrance to the Vatican Museums. We walked around found a nice place for dinner, stopped for gelato, then walked through St. Peter’s Square. We continued walking around the Vatican Walls which took us up a hill called Monte Ciocci. First day on this trip that we closed our exercise rings on our watches. Full day. Ready for more adventures tomorrow.

May 19, 2025 Day 1: Welcome to Europe 

Start of the rick Steve’s tour

“Roma, non basta una vita.” – “A lifetime isn’t enough to see all of Rome,”

Proposed plan: We’ll gather at our hotel in Rome at 3 p.m. for a group meeting. After an orientation walk through our neighborhood, we’ll celebrate the start of our European adventure with dinner together, followed by a la dolce vita-style floodlit walk through the heart of Rome, lacing together lively campos, classy piazzas, the magnificent Pantheon, and the splashy Trevi Fountain.

Actual Events: We had a crash course in Rome tourism today. We waited in line to see the Vatican Museums in the morning. Then we rested a bit before joining our tour group at 3 PM. We had an orientation talk from our leader Stephanie. Then she took us on a walk in our neighborhood before taking the Metro to Trevi Fountain and dinner at Origano Ristorante. After a delicious dinner we walked to the Spanish Steps which is surrounded by the Rome Fashion District. The actual events seemed pretty true to the proposed plan.

May 20, 2025 DAy 2 – Ancient Rome

“”Rome is not like any other city. It’s a big museum, a living room that shall be crossed on one’s toes.” -Alberto Sordi

Proposed plan: We’ll do some time-traveling this morning as a local guide takes us on a walking tour through the ancient heart of Rome, telling us vivid tales as we stroll around the outside of the larger-than-life Colosseum and into the history-drenched Roman Forum, ending with the spectacular Pantheon. You’ll be set free for the rest of the day to explore more of Rome. Consider joining the Jubilee Year crowds for a modern-day pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel (reserve in advance) or simply soak up more of Rome’s artistic, historic, and cultural heritage (don’t forget to taste some refreshing gelato along the way).

Strenuous walking: 2–8 miles throughout the day with lots of hills, stairs, and uneven terrain. No bus. Sleep in Rome.

Actual Events: We met up with the group and walked to the metro station together and took the train to the Colosseum stop. It was truly overwhelming to walk out of the station to see the Colosseum towering above us.

The Roman Forum is in a valley that was covered by layers of sediment over the centuries. Archeological excavations that were started in the 19th century revealed the magnificent structures that you see today. The Roman Forum is only a small fraction of Ancient Rome which lies under the foundations of buildings constructed over the last 2000 plus years.

As we exited the Forum Archeological Park, we climbed the Capitoline hill to the magnificent square at the top which is surrounded by the Capitoline museums and the mayoral palace with an enormous statue of Marcus Aurelius on horseback in the center.

From there we made our way to the Pantheon which is perhaps the most impressive structure of Ancient Rome. It is certainly one of the best preserved monuments due to the fact that is was adapted from a Roman Temple to a church and burial place for an artist and two kings.

The formal tour ended at the Pantheon so we wandered our way back to our hotel crossing the Tiber River and passing by the Castel Sant Angelo. We definitely need to come back because this city is so rich with monuments and historical sites.

The highlight of the day was seeing Giusy Sciacca. We had a nice chat over a glass of wine and snacks. We learned a bit about what life is like for Giusy in Rome and she gifted us a copy of her latest book called “Onore Il Nostro Sesso”. Giusy translated a speech which was delivered by Fanny Salazar Zampini at the World Congress of Representative Women in 1893. The subtitle is “Yesterday’s Things Said to Today’s Women”. We look forward to reading both the Italian and English versions.