After a lazy breakfast at home, some washing and catching up, we got a text from the Bornas family telling us that they had arrived in Rome and were ready for lunch! We met them at the Piazza Navona at 1230 and found a restaurant nearby to enjoy lunch and a great catch up. It was fantastic to see them, lots of stories to share and it was lovely to see the kids so excited to see each other too. After a couple of hours we walked to the Castel Sant Angelo and did a tour inside. This used to be the mausoleum of Hadrian and several other popes afterward. The place is full of great stories. The statue of angel Michael sheathing his sword was erected after the pope had a vision of him and knew that it signalled the end of a terrible plague that had wiped out many Romans. The Statue is in bronze now, but an earlier marble statue had been pulled down by the Pope’s troops during a siege and launched at attacking troops below. The castel is located close to the Vatican and several Popes have had to make a quick getaway to the castel through a secret tunnel when St. Peter’s was under attack.
The Bornas had had a hectic few days in Paris and an overnight train trip to Rome and were beginning to flag so we said arrivederci and came home. Chris and Nick were very keen for me to do the Segway tour they had done the night before, so at 7.00pm Chris and I walked up the road and began our tour.
At first I felt very insecure on the Segway. We had a 5 minutes practice in the laneway before we took off for St Peters. I wobbled along the streets trying to avoid pedestrians but by the time we got to St Peters 15 minutes later, I was feeling much more confident. We were incredibly lucky – there were only three of us and one guide and that meant we could quizz him and ask lots of questions. The was so much about Rome that I didnt know but was able to learn about. For example, St Peters square was originally built as a games stadium by Nero. St Peter was crucified upside down in the square by Nero and his tomb was under the same square. That was why Emporer Constantine built the first church there around 300 AD.
We Segwayed to The People’s Square and the old entrance to the city, the hill above the square with the most amazing view of the city at night, down again to the Spanish Steps, around the Roman Column and the building where the Prime Minister lives, the Pantheon and finally an ice cream store where I had the best ice cream I have ever tasted in my life (a flavour called Fridgidarium – caramel and chocolate – with big biscuit in it and dipped in chocolate). By the time I had finished the ice cream I was covered in it like a little kid and needed a wash down! The Segway tour was a total highlight, not least of which because we had our own personal guide for Rome who was very knowledgable and passionate about his city!
