Italian Fantasies : Part 2

Continued from here

After witnessing the amazingly beautiful Piazzale Michelangelo, we had dinner at the International Ashoka Restaurant and retired for the night at Hotel Nuovo Londra in Montecatini Terme E Tettuccio. We reached the hotel at around 10:15 PM, and were almost immediately tucked into our beds after the tiring but equally wonderful day.

The next morning, we got up early at 5:00 AM, and after a delightful and refreshing one hour walk, we got ready, had breakfast and left for Rome. En route, we stopped over for a bite at AutoGrill. My mouth waters even now when I think of the undescribable pasta. Somehow we managed to convince ourselves to not devour the complete joint and moved on.

We reached Vatican City at 4:00 PM and saw the St.Peter's Basilica, boasting of the biggest dome of the world and home to Pope (then John Paul II). The dome was also designed by Michelangelo. Funnily enough, even our bus driver was named John Paul, so we ended up calling him Pope. The tour of the Basilica was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had, yet. You simply couldn't ignore anything, especially St. Peter's 'Mummy', a Bronze statue whose feet are touched to wash away one's sins, the Holy Door, which only opened for great celebrations, and Pietà, Michelangelo's famous sculpture showing Virgin Mary sitting peacefully with Christ's dead body in her lap.

The Bronze Statue

Amusing was the uniform of the Swiss Guards. You just couldn't resist smiling at the fresh and colorful dresses that they wore. Exitting the Vatican, we had a panoromic tour of the city of Rome - went around Victoria Memorial, Mussolini's Palace, the Colosseum, the Opera, Constantine's Arch and Trevi Fountain, where we finally halted, to admire it's beauty, and of course, to toss a coin and make a wish :D. From there, we had a walking tour of the Spanish-square-steps, and later went on to the Fashion Street.

Trevi Fountain

Swiss Guards

Finally, after having dinner, we drove to Hotel Ibis Accor (Roma Tor Vergata) and checked in by 11:00 PM. From the balcony of our room, we witnessed an amazing group dance event in a nearby ground where, youngsters and oldies alike, danced with absolute coordination, as a local band played. We tried, but in vain, to keep pace with the troupe in our balcony itself. A little later, we were already asleep.