Day 4 - Spolleto in Umbria and arrival in Rome

A beautiful castle sits atop the hill that Spolleto is built upon. I woke up to catch the early morning light on the castle, duomo, arena and interesting aqueducts that are some of Spolleto's architectural treasures from the past. Much restoration goes on during the off-season and there was considerable work going on here. The Ponte della Torri, situated on the back-side of the hill town, is a huge arched bridge structure and aqueduct that is not to be missed. My companions ventured across while I soaked up the morning sun and enjoyed the beauty of the rolling hills. After we returned to the main part of town, we visited some of the shops and purchased some local olive oil and wine. 

Soon we left behind the peace and tranquility of the Umbria as we wove our way south to Rome. Everyone told us, "Don't drive in Rome!" Well it was an unforgettable experience, but not all bad. We missed the information center on the north side of the city and there wasn't really a good place to turn around, so we decided to try and find the information center in St. Peter's Square. There are 3 to 5 lanes of one-way traffic steadily moving around Vatican City. At a stop light my friends jumped out and searched out the information center and accommodations. With no place to park, I circled Vatican City, around and around, waiting to spot them on the curb. We found a room at the Domas Maria. For some reason our hosts were none too friendly. In fact, I would say they were, for some reason (bad day?) unnecessarily rude. We brushed this aside amidst our excitement of visiting the great city of Rome. I should say that besides this encounter, we thoroughly enjoyed our Italian hosts - warm in spirit and good at heart.

After a bite to eat we headed (back) down to St. Peter's Square - this time on foot. The square is immense and is quite the gathering place for a wide diversity of people. The arches surrounding the square are topped with over 140 statues of the saints. We toured St. Peter's Basilica and I was awe-struck. I have never visited a structure so magnificent. There are sculpted statues of the popes - each incredible in its own way. There are baroque paintings and mosaics inlaid with gold so numerous that it is over-whelming. This is truly an amazing place.

On the way back to the room, we stopped at Il Fromaggio and stuffed ourselves with pizza and red wine - topping it all off with gelateria, an Italian ice. And listen to what flavors were available! All kinds, including rice flavor, celery flavor and berry flavors that I had never heard of. Call me unadventurous, but I stuck with Moka flavor (mocha) - very tasty!