The brochure said “City Tour.” And to be fair, it did say it was a walking tour. I just never imagined we’d be walking through the entire city in one day! Over cobblestone streets, at a pace only a triathlon mountain goat could maintain, we covered ground like there was no tomorrow—mainly because there wasn’t.
On a guided tour, your time is not your own. You get up when they tell you, eat when they tell you, and see all the sights on a very tight, set schedule. Although I’d been “in training” for this trip for months, I began to fret about being physically able to keep up with the rest of “the old fogeys.”
The tour company, YMT Vacations, advertised this adventure as being for “mature travelers.” That meant we were pretty much all between the ages of 55 and 75. What they didn’t mention was the exact amount of walking required. As it turned out, I’d estimate we traversed at least three or four miles on foot for each of our city tours.
Thankfully, the adrenalin rushing through me at the thought of what we might encounter around each corner kept me going.
The Spanish Steps were covered in hot pink flowering plants. Masses of people relaxed among them—but not us. A few minutes for picture taking, and we were off again! Next up was the Trevi Fountain, where I dug out the pocketful of pennies I’d taken along for just this occasion, and quickly followed the instructions in “Italy for Dummies.” I turned my back to the fountain and tossed the coins with my right hand over my left shoulder.
Marching briskly down one narrow street and rounding another inconspicuous corner, BAM! There was the Pantheon, looming large, right in my face, seemingly out-of-place now that the city has grown up around it. I gasped—literally—and felt the tears well up in my eyes at the pure magnificence of the building.
We happily took the bus to the Coliseum and the Arch de Constantine. I marveled at the size of each structure, and thought about what it must have taken to construct such architectural masterpieces without modern cranes and other technology.
After all this, Anselmo arranged an optional tour for us to go back out, after dinner, to see the sights of Rome at night. The coliseum glowed with a soft yellow-orange light, and a well-timed full moon enhanced the photographs. Again we walked to the Trevi Fountain, an imposing sculpture by itself, but this time the bus could maneuver a little closer to our destination. I smiled as I tossed more coins into the fountain. It had already worked the first time, as I had returned to the very spot!
Nearly everyone on the bus enjoyed our gelato stop before returning to the hotel. I have decided to see which flavor I like best, so I willingly sacrifice my food plan in order to do all the research undoubtedly required!