Rome Express Tour Part II

We know there won’t be much shade today walking around the Colosseum and Forum so have picked a 9 am tour to try and beat the heat, even though you’d think we were prying our kids out of bed in the middle of the night by the speed they are moving. The apartment we have rented is right next to the main train station which makes it extremely easy to get places, although the neighborhood leaves a little to be desired (unless a bit of a Seattle underpass vibe is your thing).

Sam did this tour with his classmates a few weeks ago so it is only Nick and Joey seeing it for the first time but it is still hard not to be impressed walking through it all again.

It is midday as we make our way up Palatine Hill, and you know it is hot when my fellow adventurer accepts water from a public fountain intended for the common people.

Our guide spends far more time walking through the ruins on the hill than we did the last time around. It is a nice change as it makes this part of the tour mostly new but we get far less information about the Forum, which I think the boys would have enjoyed.

From there we head off on the Sam Tour of Rome – a combination sightseeing and culinary experience. First stop is his school, paired with stir fry noodles in the nearby plaza.

Then, after a quick detour to step inside the Pantheon, it’s across the river to his old apartment (which, despite appearances is not in the hood), accompanied by burritos from the restaurant down the street. Sam, it turns out, doesn’t really like Italian food and has spent most of the past few months finding places that serve everything but.

It has been a long day and the heat sucks your soul so, by the time we get back to the apartment, the entire squad is exhausted. No rest for the weary though. Tomorrow is an even earlier start as we’re day-tripping it all the way to Florence.