Tuesday: Ancient Rome and a Road Trip
We were told to be ready to check out of the hotel Tuesday after breakfast. We were there with our receivers around our neck. Time for today's adventure!
We walked up the main drag to the piazza where our bus was waiting to take us to the Coliseum.
The area had other ruins nearby including the Forum and a temple. Our local guide filled us in on the buildings and certainly added to our experience.
We got to the area before most people did so we had a pretty unobstructed view and easy walking. We noted that it was kind of like visiting Walt Disney World--the easiest time to get the most done is early in the morning!
We were told to plan on a late lunch and to have a snack before we toured inside the Coliseum. Luckily, our tickets even let us on the floor, which we were told many people's tickets do not. Our guide told us a lot of stories and was even able to answer questions about women in the Coliseum (those who were there were generally practicing the oldest profession).
We were told to plan on a late lunch and to have a snack before we toured inside the Coliseum. Luckily, our tickets even let us on the floor, which we were told many people's tickets do not. Our guide told us a lot of stories and was even able to answer questions about women in the Coliseum (those who were there were generally practicing the oldest profession).
After our tour of the Coliseum we bade our guide goodbye and headed a few blocks down the street where our tour bus could pick us up. We were off to Tuscany!
Roadtrip!
In driving from Rome to Volterra, the first thing we learned is that in Italy, towns are on the top of the hills, not in the valleys as is common in the US.
Italian (actually EU) law does not allow bus drivers to go more than two hours without a stop, so we got a late lunch at the Italian version of Buc'ees or Stuckeys (actually I don't remember if they sold gas or not, but it was a restaurant/store on their version of the interstate which sold not only quick meals, candy and soft drinks but toys, wine and books, and one even had a McDonalds). I didn't have to speak Italian to know what that child was saying to Mom, the tone of voice (of both of them) said it all!
Our guide, Colleen, bought what appeared to be juice boxes and passed them around. They were espresso! She said you could only buy them in places like that--the grocery stores in town did not have them. I ended up buying a bunch to take home for the crew at the office (law offices run on caffeine).
Italian (actually EU) law does not allow bus drivers to go more than two hours without a stop, so we got a late lunch at the Italian version of Buc'ees or Stuckeys (actually I don't remember if they sold gas or not, but it was a restaurant/store on their version of the interstate which sold not only quick meals, candy and soft drinks but toys, wine and books, and one even had a McDonalds). I didn't have to speak Italian to know what that child was saying to Mom, the tone of voice (of both of them) said it all!
Our guide, Colleen, bought what appeared to be juice boxes and passed them around. They were espresso! She said you could only buy them in places like that--the grocery stores in town did not have them. I ended up buying a bunch to take home for the crew at the office (law offices run on caffeine).
Our route to Volterra took us through several small towns. I could see differences and similarities with small town USA.
As we were driving through Tuscany, Colleen told us about the Guelphs and the Ghibellines--two opposing factions in Italian politics in the middle ages. She told us to look at the top of the tower to see which the owner supported. I can't remember what she said, but Google makes me think this tower is Ghibelline.
About 5:00 p.m. we pulled into our destination, the hill town of Volterra. Busses were not allowed in the historic center, which is where we were staying, so we disembarked in a parking lot on the edge of town and gathered our luggage for a trip down main street to our hotel.
After freshening up, the group walked to dinner where we ate, among other things, cinghiale which was a stew made with wild boar, served over pasta. Like someone said, it was kind of like the Italian version of beef stroganoff. Another thing we had was Tuscan bread, which is not made with salt--yes, it was as bland as it sounds.
About 5:00 p.m. we pulled into our destination, the hill town of Volterra. Busses were not allowed in the historic center, which is where we were staying, so we disembarked in a parking lot on the edge of town and gathered our luggage for a trip down main street to our hotel.
After freshening up, the group walked to dinner where we ate, among other things, cinghiale which was a stew made with wild boar, served over pasta. Like someone said, it was kind of like the Italian version of beef stroganoff. Another thing we had was Tuscan bread, which is not made with salt--yes, it was as bland as it sounds.
To burn off some of those calories we walked from one end of the main street to the other. On one side we watched the sun set over the countryside On the other we saw a recently unearthed Roman Amphitheater/Bath complex.
Time for bed! The air conditioning wasn't an issue in Volterra because as a hill town it cooled down at night and the natural air conditioning (open window) worked perfectly.