Livorno to Rome

It was generally agreed that after the last few non stop days of sightseeing and travelling that today should be a rest day... I might even have time to catch up my blog...
All we had to do was get up and pack, taxi to the train, Train to Rome and walk across the road to our hotel. Rest , recover and plan my final few days.

Here Riccardo shoulders 20kg of pack up the steps at Livorno Station, our jumping off point for Florence and Venice.

More splashes of sunshine as we whistle past fields of hay, sunflowers and corn.

Glimpses of the coast road, beaches, headlands, holiday homes and yet more blue sky and azure seas.
Once in Rome the hotel turned out to be even closer to the train station than we had planned so we were settled in no time and looking for something to do. Eager not to waste a minute we were off again in search of lunch.

Anna and I sit down eagerly to a rare restaurant meal... bought brand name water in a glass bottle and some vegetables sounds like a real treat. We even order deep fried zuchini flowers while Riccardo played it safe with pizza and chips.

Lunch: 8 euros; 4 pieces of aubergine, 4 slices of zuchini, 3 small pieces of roast potato and 2 chunks of capsicum. Lucky Riccardo shared his pizza with us!!!

Next we caught the double decker open top bus tour. A bargain as you can get on and off when you like and the ticket is valid for 48 hours... as we got ours at 3pm we had 3 days use out of it!

Egyptian obelisks are quite common in Rome. Some are real and some are copies.

Castel San Angelo, with a statue of St Peter at this end of the bridge.

This is the Emperor Hadrian's Mausoleum and a museum. Lots of marble busts and a mangonel.

More statues on more bridges, and Castel San Angelo again.

A wall/ viaduct connects the castel with the Vatican.

Dinner: 3 euro; Supermarket salad with nuts, cheese and dressing.

Roast chicken 5 euro.

A far more satisfying meal than lunch, especially as we had fresh peaches to follow!

A stroll along Rome's streets in the cool of the evening seemed like a good idea. We would be able to enjoy the sights without the crowds or the heat. ( still 38-40 degrees during the day)

Me and lots of friends at the Trevi fountain.

Crowds at the Trevi fountain.

Trajan's Arcades... The first shopping mall in the world.

The Colosseum at night.