2025 Italian Lessons, Thu April 24, 2025

Thursday — Kathi is better!

Kathi is feeling better. Our hotel host was concerned for our health.

Went out for an American breakfast at noon. Nice conversation with the waiter went to school in Colorado. Going back to New Haven CT for school. Had omlets.

Walking around we saw an awful lot of police security. Turns out we were walking past the embassy neighborhood and dignitaries were arriving for the pope’s funeral. Saw a Lancia club’s cars. Trevi fountain - waited in line to get down to pool, massive crowd, but impressive.

After the fountain, we ducked inside due to a little rain and stumbled across a police forensic science exhibit was really interesting. Especially the hidden cameras and fingerprint matching stuff.

As we were leaving, it started raining pretty hard, so we got on a bus back to towards home. Got off a couple of stops early to shop at Conad. Kathi tapped in and out on the bus, eventually charged her double which is fine as Chris didn’t tap.





First day walking around Rome


Breakfast at Palextro Bistrot

Buying tickets for the Vatican

Visiting the Vatican Museums is expensive €80 for two people to tour the Sistine Chapel with a (required) guide. Entrance is strictly throttled with specific timeslots that must be purchased days in advance. It might be possible to pay just €40 for tickets and proceed without a guide, but I didn't figure that out online. I suspect you can buy a ticket that way at the box office, but it would require going there days in advance.

Back to walking around

Viminal Hill one of the Seven Hills of Rome

Palazzo delle Esposizioni

Fontana dei Dioscuri in Piazza del Quirinale

Lancia club gathering

All these pretty cars are parked just outside the supreme courthouse (Palazzo della Consulta)

Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica - Palazzo Barberini

Walking towards the fountains

Trevi Fountain

A white chocolate Colossium

Police forensic science exhibit in the mall

Catching a bus home to escape a rain storm