Nov 6

We docked at Civitaveccia, the port for Rome.  5 of us took a "Rome on your own" excursion where we took a bus for the 1 1/2 hour ride to Piazza del Populo in Rome and were set free for the next 7 hours.  Wolfgang & Cheryl studied here during their university days and have been back many times so they were our guides.  We began by visiting the Ara Pacis, or Alter of Peace constructed in 13 B.C. in honor of Agustus.  It had been covered by silt from the Tiber River for centuries and was recovered in 1937.  It was later moved away from the river and a museum was built around it to protect it from the elements.  It's quite an intricate structure.  We visited several churches to view the artwork and one of our favorites contained Bernini's Ecstasy of St Theresa, a beautiful dome area which combined marble sculpture and fresco painting and started a new trend in the art world.  We spent a lot of time in Palazzo Barberini built from 1623 - 1644 for Pope Urban VIII (a Barberini) and stayed in the family for centuries.  Bees are the family symbol and ate incorporated into the building everywhere.  The Italian state bought it in 1949 and it houses a collection of art ranging from the 12th to 18th centuries.  Works of such artists as Giotto, Filippo Lipi, Raphael, El Greco, Holbein, Caravaggio and numerous others.  We found a small local restaurant for a lunch of pasta, pizza & lasagne (with wine of course.)  Some of the churches we wanted to visit were closed so we missed some important art works.  The only "tourist" visits we made were the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain and a copy of Michaelangelo's David.  We returned to Piazza del Populo and had an ice cream while waiting for departure time.  We went inside the church at the piazza and were surprised to see 2 large Caravaggio paintings.  When we returned to the port after dark the band was playing and a long line of staff & officers were lined up in front of the gangway welcoming us back with champagne and warm towels.  The Captain was scanning our ship cards as we entered.  The 5 of us had dinner in Prime 7, the steakhouse restaurant.