Roma

I know I'm missing a day in here...It's written on my iPad and I couldn't connect to the Internet before we left Monterosso; I'll post as soon as I can!

After another huge breakfast and a very tasty focaccia purchase, we left the already blazing hot Cinque Terre to head down to (a pretty rainy) Rome. The train took us through Pisa and the Italian countryside...not exactly sure our route, but it was really pretty.

As an aside, I really miss internet access. Not for the email and all that, rather, for the ability to look things up. It's driving me a bit nuts not to know what things are (this should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me).

Anyway, as we arrived to Rome, the skies decided to open just in time for our walk to the hotel. Yay! It's pretty crowded here; today Pope John Paul II will get beatified, so there are lots of travelers.
Once we dumped our bags, it was off to the Vatican. We hopped in a cab (not as crazy as I had thought) and headed on down, zooming past Trajans Market, the monument to Vittore Emmanuele (shout out, Bill E), and down past lots of other old stuff until we reached the Vatican.

It was CROWDED. Too much so for me. It was fascinating to me, all the pomp and decorations, but I couldn't get out of there fast enough. People were already starting to camp out for the mass today. It's going to be a madhouse down there.

We decided to walk back, and headed through the Piazza Navona (and past some statues by a Francesco Mochi...an Italian Mochi?), and past the Pantheon. It was nice to get up and move around!
Then it was back to the hotel then dinner, a rather touristy place but decent (and topped off by free limoncello). We haven't yet had an A+ meal...any suggestions?