PJ and I got back from our vacation in Italy late Thursday evening. Overall, we had a great trip and really enjoyed our time in the Mediterranean sun. The last couple of days were really difficult, but other than that it not only went off without a hitch but was a generally perfect vacation.

Our trip started in Rome, where we spent five days sight-seeing. We arrived on the morning of Monday, June 22. Fortunately, our hotel let us check in as soon as we got there. So, we cleaned up and then went out to do a little exploring. We ended up taking a tour of the Colosseum and then walking around the Roman Forum. We took a brief nap in the afternoon before scouting out again for dinner. While in Rome, we also saw the Mamertine Prison, Capital Hill, the Capitoline Museum, the Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Trajan’s Column, the Largo Argentina cat hospice, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Crypt of the Capuchin monks, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the National Museum of Rome, the Baths of Diocletian Museum, the Circus Maximus, the Mouth of Truth, Campo Fiore, Piazza Navona, the Keats-Shelley Museum, the Borghese Gallery, Trastevere, and a few churches and other sites. We also ate really well, had wonderful gelato, and walked what felt like a million miles! And finally, we celebrated my birthday in Rome.

For the second stage of our trip, we spent two days in Florence. This was the part of the trip that I was most looking forward to. An avid E. M. Forster fan, my anticipation was fueled by my love for A Room with a View. While our hotel room did not, in fact, have a view, we did have a lovely time in Florence.

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