This morning we left the hotel for another optional excursion. We picked up our guide outside the Vatican. It's Sunday today and you should have seen the lines! They went all the way from the enhance to Saint Peters Square. I'm really glad we went yesterday. It only took us about ten minutes to get in, it's going to take them hours to get in.

Our first stop was St Paul's Basilica. I really enjoyed this church. It was really beautiful. I might have enjoyed St Peters Basilica more but St Paul's was mostly empty. It was easier to appreciate. I also think it was decorated simpler. What I enjoyed most was the angels reliefs outside the door. They were so detailed and beautiful it's like they're watching you. There has been a church on this site for almost two thousand years.

Then it was off to the catacombs. We weren't allowed to take pictures but I got a couple of postcards which is better than anything I could have taken. The catacombs are really spooky. Especially the corridors that are closed off and aren't lit. I think what I liked most about the catacombs was the massive contrast to the decadence of the other tombs we've seen on this trip.

On the way back to the hotel we started dropping people of in the city so they could enjoy it at their leisure. Bec and I decided to get off at the metro station and catch the train to the Spanish Steps. So beautiful. We climbed the steps and got a gelato at the top. We had a bit of time before we had to head back so we wandered the area and had some lunch. I got a few souvenirs and generally just enjoyed the atmosphere.
We made it back to the hotel just in time to get on the bus for our next optional trip to Tivoli.

I adored Tivoli. I can't say enough about how fabulous it was. We went to the gardens of Villa D'Este. Usually there is an entrance fee but we hot lucky and today it was free. I got so many beautiful pictures.

Dinner was great fun. We ate a typical Italian family restaurant. They had live music and the musicians were real performers. Bec and I got up and did the chicken dance.

As we had been getting on the bus leaving the gardens Lorridana had said it was starting to rain but it was so warm and so beautiful that no one believed her. Well, about half way through dinner we had a pretty spectacular thunder storm. It was great to see it from so far up on the mountain.

The bus was so giggly from the wine on the way back, Lorridana, our guide threatened to make them walk back. Wine is free with dinner here. Lambros, the other guide put on some soft music for the trip, I thought he wanted to put us to sleep, but then he flipped it into some really loud 'Twist and Shout.' Gave the driver a bit of a fright. We had all the great hits of the sixties. It was a fun ride home. We were singing the whole way back.