Italy Day 12 {Rome}

We thought we were in a lane; only the fittest will survive a drive on the Autostrade in Italy.

Pulling into Rome after 9:30PM without hotel reservations made for an intersting evening.  Plan A had been to head back to our flat (which was being held for us), but finding it in the dark after the terrible back up at the toll station entering Rome was beyond our capabilities.  We settled on a clean pair of rooms at a hotel next to Termini train station in the center of Rome. Unfortunately, there were no triples, so the 3 boys had to share a double bed, which was actually twin beds pushed together.  Not the best night's sleep; beyond the cramped quarters and lousy matresses, the night life outside our window lingered on, but thankfully the carousing was in a foregin language. 

Breakfast in the train station, espresso and pastries, before catching the Metro to get back to our flat.
Another gorgeous day in Rome, we stopped at the local grocer for lunch supplies and picnicked in our garden patio.  Tim studied the map of Italy and charted out the final week of our pilgrimage, set to begin after Zachary's departure for the US.

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome, Italy

Art on the ceiling at Santa Croce, Rome

Back on the Metro for an afternoon excursion to Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, suggested as a "must see" by our friend, Oana.  In the Chapel of Relics, we prayerfully contemplated the Passion of Christ, while gazing upon the sacred relics (nail, thorn, section of true Cross and the pillar).  A full-sized, exact replica of the Shroud of Turin was on display, and Tim quietly taught the boys about the Shroud.

Oana, Bridget, Joseph, Peter and Zachary; evening tour of Rome, Italy

St. Peter's Dome over Peter's dome

Our evening outing, organized and led by Oana, involved a few miles' walking tour including Trinità dei Monti and the Pincio Terrace in villa Borghese where many flock to view St. Peter's in the sunset. A quick bite at the Autogrille (buffet style Italian fast food) and a bus ride back to Cipro Station, a few blocks from our flat.