So woke up.....still in disbelief....not only did I think me passport was lost but I had to commit to the fact that the passport was officially lost. So I had to cancel it. Ack those words came out came out so slowwww...it did not help the guy I talked to the afternoon before asked me 10 times....are you surrrrreeeeeee? Made an executive decision.....Do it! I heard tap on a keyboard and he claimed done......I figured soon after I would find it....once its canceled its a one way trip. So I gulped said do it.....because they couldn't proceed till it was. Only comfort I had was I turned everything I had inside out and nadaaaaaaa.
 
I figured two places it may be its either at the Ducati Factory....or I suspect on that mountain.....sighhh...oh well....Mike was great about it. He is all heck good excuse to go to Rome...I agreed....figured we would end up there anyways. So had to wait till 9 for the embassy to open and call them. I did......little bit of phone angst ..... forgot I had a local card so I'm dialing the whole number with the 39 in front. I'm thinking with recent cut backs there phone is cut of....foreign language phone messages suck....blah blah blah click.....soooo not sure why cold not get through....checked google up right numbers. Time for an assist. The same guy and gal were at the reception desk...she grinned at me alot....he had a look of OMG that idiot again..... So I did my WTF in most appropriate language and he edumicated me on the nuance of dripping the first two numbers when dialling.....I did the DOOOHHHHH. She still grinned at me.... he still looked at me like I was an idiot...but not in a condescending way.....I think.... 
I was about to remind him us Canucks ran up the boot once before......but got a dial tone and all was forgiven. Then phone hell again....the message was for major emergencies such as mine touch 2...did that.....next message touch 2 to talk to some one ASAP. Did that....transferring call...message...then nothing but static.....hmmm is that the new hold music? Euros on card are are falling on the floor.....tick tock....okay try again....same friggin thing. Ohhhh and this is the emergency number ACKKKK
About here Mike said some soothing words along the lines of "Is your phone on?" It was good timing as I was about to toss it.....LOL. I think third time I heard a bit of music then staic.....4th...got a ring and a person. Thank the gods, half way to it....so I blurt it all out in a nanosecond. She says hi....aw poooo that sucks.....no worries get down here and we'll sort it only prob is the office is open till 4. One good thing too that I forgot to mention that the night before the guy told me I needed to have passport pictures and a police report. Lucked out a photo shop was across the street from the hotel. Eagle eye Mike saw it....off we went got a shot. Took the a gal a bit to get a shot where my eyes were smiling (her word not mine). Apparently I had that look of I wanted to rip someones head off....could be the wine...too been drinking a bit more of it here..... hmmmm. She was happy with her art work....I managed to finagle the price down a bit and off we went...as we walked around that eve I naved us to the police station and super painless. Dude took me right in.....sat down and did the one finger report. He did laugh a bit as I asked where the mob guys were and stuff....google maps on phone is an arse saver......cuz nothing here is straight for more than 10 feet it seems. 
So back to the day.... had to pack up n goooooooo. Its a bit of a ways so figured a day to get miles fast. So the Autostrada. I got us a route that looked good into the GPS. Oh by the way all of this is taking time from the day....no pressure......so I was more worried about getting out of town and naving through Rome. The gal gave me a few tips...via dis n via dat....every direction here uses via in front. ie.... 10 oak street would be via oak 10. Once you know you can find things in the gps.....good tip for those venturing this way in the future. Soooo packed up....more time.....loaded up...more time....checked out....more time. The gal still grinned at me....the guy had that yess.....u is a dumb ass look reserved for me....but in a nice way. We is good to go. Cept Mikes chatterbox is dead....ack not doing this via hand signals so I was prepared. I had brought a second one.....had to figure out how to link em and we is good to go. (chatterbox is for bike to bike intercom no wires....like magic, just chat to each other like you are sitting beside each other in a car).I also have not mentioned that we are sooooo local now. We slide through traffic like a hot knife through butter. Its okay to pass anything anywhere on a bike. You cut to the front of the line at the lights....its awesome. With the chatterboxes....Mike is warning me of things and I he. Its like a tag team thing, if I lose him....just pull over till I hear him again. Works awesome. Everyone stares at the bikes not many RT's around it seems. We are in scooter nirvana. Gal pulled up at a light in a lil scooter....I looked over I got the "S'up" look and the "Nice ride" nod. Had to giggle....then she peeled off on the green. We are doing good...but the scooters are narrower....so little trickier and you have to be aware of whats going on....but no one gets mad for the most part at all. Its expected...even go by Policia cars....no worries LOL  
So the only issue is naving.....not friggin intersection has two streets meeting at 90 degrees it seems.....its bonkers at times....so the B#$%ch is babbling in me ed.....her best Italian....but the moving map is not fine enough and at times can't keep up with me it seems......so I turn a corner and its mental overload....5 choices the gal telling me to turn right....the pink route line goes left.....into one road but there are 3 roads to go in that direction. Mike must think I have a serious nav issue at times cuz yup I missed a few...and he would hear something along the lines of "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GIVE ME A NORMAL INTERSECTION!!!!!!!" followed by some I like to thing colorful expletives.....least in the jet you could mute the mike easier.....not so on the bike so he is hearing me angst......live.
 
So we is zipping along and we got out of Florence fairly easy...hit the A1 and zoommmmm I tink me n Mike are syncing good on the bikes as i only nee ed to look down in me right mirror and I can always see his double light staring back at me. One annoying thing people do here is well first they frigging fly by in the left lane.....you only use it to pass....then go into right lane....what a concept. What can't idiots in North America figure this out...its not hard. ..... anyways they do an interesting thing as they pass you....and I am in the left part of my lane as Mike is flyin echelon on my right. Almost any car that passed would slide to the right as they passed....like a few inches away.....bizzare.....so you get a blast from the cars bow wave....and a wobble. Weird. Not many bikes on the highway..only the local tiny cars and in the left lane BMW's, Mercs, Peugots....not sure I spelt that right but you get the jest...high priced cars in left lane. For giggles chased one down at one point I hit 210 and was only creeping up on him.....Mike I suspect thinks I got a screw loose as I've been popping the odd cat walk....wheelies...and on the odd open straight away have seriously twisted the wrist. Let the guy go.....slowed up and there was Mike the sweeper...in me mirror...he was flying too. Seems we will make the consulate with a bit of time to spare.....then it happened Tail lights ahead....lots of em. Ohhhh and a few clicks back a polizia blew by me like I was standing still.....before I could get a what the eck was the screeming sound question out...it was gone....just me wobbling from the car wash in my lane all wide eyed. So its a lonnnnggggg line and people are milling about on the highway....gave Mike the wanna go local chat he's ya go for it....so to the right we went....and respectfully passed about 5 km of cars....and we started to come across the problem seems a semi rammed another one....I was moving along the left to get by then it happened. I here a (put Italian translator on here) "HEYYYYYYYYYYYY WWWWWHHHHHHHATTTTTT'S AAAAAA MATTTTTERRRRRRR FORRRAAAA YUOUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!" This polizia comes running at me......he has a gun too....he's belching a whole lot of words I really have never heard before.....time for plan A..... I bletch out a "OOPSSAAAAAA WEEEEEAAAAAA NOTTTTAAAAA FROMMMMMAAAAA HERRREEAAAAA THOUGGHTAAA DISSSSAAAAA OKAYYYYAAAAA" turn me head and start pointing frantically at the Canadian flag sticker. He does the 'ALTOOOOO" and point to the left a bit....who am I to argue....Mike slid in next....we put the stand down and tried to look apologetic with the helmets on.  
We was laughing our asses off underneath as we was officially head of the line...LOL. So I wasn't sure if we were out of the wood work totally....thought he might be waiting to give us s*** later......but we watch them try to separate these two humping semi's and drag them off....the guy would wander U and give me a look of hmmmmm not sure...what....but he didn't stop to chew on m or Mike....so that's a good sign. The sweeper trucks showed up.....and a dude waved us to the front...the polizia were gone..and dropped the flag and we was off. Ohhhhhh did I mention this took time.....so much for having a lot of time now. Good thing was that the rest of the trip....uneventful...got to Rome.....and naved right to the consulate. All good. Traffic is crazy.....we got it on video too with the helmet cams....locals love that.....they are usually pointing and saying (put Italian translator on) "HEYYYAAAA LOOKAAA MAAAMAAA I'SSAAAA ONAAA DA TVVVV AAAAA" 
 
We parked on the sidewalk in front of the embassy....only way you can sort of tell is the flag....not a nice area it seems....but got in....and had to turn off phones and check everything into lockers. Then they let us up. Good thing no one was there.....the gal I talked to was at the window all excited we made it....seems they had a bet running we were lost. She was soooooo helpful....and then consular joined in. The big prob is you need your references. 4 of them...that they can call right a way.....those who got the calls know who you are and THANKKKKSSSSSSSSS for picking up the phone. Seems the delay helped a bit as it was around 7 back home in the morning....near closing time in Italy. So i had everything I needed....ohhh ya guess where your info is usually .... in your phone.... special tip number 2. Always carry your emergency contacts on paper somewhere....all their phone numbers addresses and postal code will not hurt. I usually carry a copy of my passport page with me....but kinda learned....don't bother...its useless. I happen to have my passport number memorized...its all you need....but you need the passport to go with it.Ahh well...4:28....they had called me references and all was in check. 2 minutes to spare and I had payed the fee....so what happens is you get a temporary passport right there if Ottawa agrees but Ottawa has to be open....with the time zones....this can't work until the next day at best.......they also start the process of getting you your new normal passport. The temporary one costs more than the actual one go figure....that's my hey I'm an idiot fee I guess.
So they say it all looks good...go enjoy Rome they said and gave a few pointers, we will call you in the morning. All good. They were great....I thought this was going to be painful but nope....not at all.
 
The night before me we found a hotel spitting distance from the Vatican for super cheap. Booking.com....it seems to work good. We nav to the place and its not too bad.....little tricky finding the actual hotel entrance though...I had to park and walk around to look for it and it was only 50 feet from me. Just couldn't see it. Stopped a couple of beat coppers and asked they pointed me at it....and amazing ....we got rock star parking again LOL.    
So we unpacked put on some street clothes and commenced to wander. WOW...... the Vatican is so impressive.....and we wandered all around looking at various historic items. The bridges....even found the Canadian Vatican City embassy. Everywhere is a picture....off we wandered. Had a little map in hand....and the phone. We found some little ristarante I had some pasta....omg...good stuff here. We burped and continued on. Then I looked at me map.....the Pantheon was close.....wahoooooooooooo. Off we went, people....its pretty cool. Tonnes of folks in the Piazza in front all hanging about ..... so we got some pics and wandered around it. A few gals pointed me to the fact that the main doors in front do not quite close properly sooooo you can look inside and see the hole in the dome.....kinda cool....its really an impressive dome. Took it in .....checking off a few bucket list things on this trip that's for sure. Off we went....found the famous fountain.....full of people....lots of couples...lotsa kissing going on...apparently its a luck thing.   

Off we went...one Piazza after another....time to head to the hotel.....holy crap...we walked a long ways it seemed. Google maps to the rescue.......no way could have found the place again. We was done for the day by the time we found the hotel. 
Hmmm it would seem this cloud had a gold lining.........