Rome

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Colosseum; inside the Colosseum; theTrevi fountain, Piazza Navonna, Santa Maria sopra Minerva; Ruins of the Roman Forum; The Pantheon; St. Peter's Cathedral. EDITOR'S NOTE : Ledger publisher Cody Sossamon, family and friends recently spent 10 days vacationing in Italy. This is the sixth in a series about his trip.

After returning our rental cars, we took the 9:30 a.m. train on Thursday, July 5 from Lucca to Rome via Viareggio and arrived about 2:30. The scenery on the train ride was gorgeous with frequent views of the Mediterranean out one side and of the rolling Tuscan countryside the other.

After exiting the train station in Rome, we crammed into two taxis for a short ride to the Grand Hotel de la Minerve. Sherry and I stayed there on our previous trip and got bumped up to a suite! No such luck this time, but it is a VERY nice hotel with a GREAT location - walking distance to all major sites.

After checking in and gathering ourselves, we took off for the Vatican and St. Peter's. "It closes at 5:45, so we've got to hurry," I told my fellow travelers. Paul, the Minerve doorman (whom I remembered for our first trip because he was so nice!) gave me directions and said it was about a 30 minute walk. I figured we'd get there and have about 45 minutes to explore the basilica.

With much urging to 'hurry up!" we got there about 5:15 only to find out the line shuts down at 5:45, not the church, so we had plenty of time. And we needed it. St. Peter's Basilica is, as travel guy Rick Steves says, "the richest and most impressive church on earth. To call it vast is like calling God smart."

Four of the 'pansies' in our group of nine took a cab back to the hotel while the rest of us enjoyed a leisurely stroll back through the streets of Rome. Cousin Larry wanted to eat dinner at a restaurant near the Trevi fountain where he and his wife Ann ate 35 years ago. Good plan, we all agreed, as the Trevi (three streets) was on our list of places to visit. We found the fountain with no problem and mingled with the hundreds of others marvelling at its beauty - much more romantic at night with the lighting, but not with the rose peddlers trying to make a euro off the tourists!

Larry couldn't remember the name of the restaurant but found one he assures us was "it." The maitre di was rude when he told him we needed a table for nine, so we went to a very nice place next to it and had a wonderful dinner. We wandered back to the hotel exploring Rome at night making plans for our final day in Italy.

Daughter Katie and her friend Lauren got up early to brave the line for the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel, which they agreed was well worth the two hour wait. When they returned we headed for the Colosseum and Roman Forum while Larry and Ann went - where else? - shopping. Tickets for the Colosseum are 11 euros and include entrance to the Palatine Hill ¿ too tired to climb and not enough time!

Walking on the same stone streets that Julius Caesar did centuries ago was almost too much to comprehend. Likewise, standing in the same aisles where Romans watched gladiators do battle in the Colosseum 2,000 years ago put a different perspective on history.

Next, we headed for the Pantheon, 'the greatest look at the splendor of Rome, antiquity's best-preserved interior," according to Rick Steves - and it's free . It was originally a temple to the gods but became a church and was left alone by barbarians and locals looking for stone to build new buildings - unlike what happened to the Colosseum.

The Pantheon is less than a block from our hotel and a wonderfully elegant church,while the Santa Maria sopra Minerva is steps away on the same square where Bernini's elephant and obelisk statue stands guard. The exterior of the sopra Minerva is rather ugly, but is extraordinarily beautiful inside with blue ceilings that dazzle and artwork by the masters, including Michelangelo. Seven popes are buried there as is the body of St. Catherine, whose head is buried in Sienna. These Italians have some strange customs. If you ever visit Rome, this is a must, as is the Pantheon.

After a visit to the Piazza Navona, with its great fountains, I was worn out, so the other six left me at the hotel while they took off for the Spanish Steps, another 'touristy' thing to do, but well worth the time and effort to see. As we had to leave for the airport at 4 a.m. Saturday for our 6:45 flight, Abbie and I stayed in for a room service dinner, but the others headed out for one last Italian outing.

They found a neat, locals restaurant and ended up joining the mayor of Bra (a city north of Rome), the Senator from Piedmonte ( a region where Bra is located) and their families for dinner, drinks and a visit to the restaurant's wine cellar. What a way to end the trip!

Our flight home (special thanks to Debra McIntosh for booking our flights on Lufthansa) was uneventful and we landed in Charlotte about 3 p.m., but spent two hours in line at customs - there has to be a better method.

We survived all the bumps in the road we encountered along the way and arrived home worn out but with memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks for allowing me to share them with you. Cody Sossamon, family and friends.

P.S. If you're planning a trip to Italy and want to know more about our experience, give me a call, 489-1131!

The Pantheon