Monday, 6th October. - Rome

Well, we were only a dozen, but we exited the hotel this morning in the dark at 6.15 a.m. for a short bus ride to Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica.  Dawn broke as we lined up for ten minutes for the privilege of visiting the scanning machine, then we were inside the church almost devoid of people.

We had a mass from a Glenstall Abbey priest in the Hibernian chapel of St. Columbanus in the Crypt of St. Peter's.  it was really quite special. 

A short tour afterwards by our knowledgeable guide, Dora, gave us an insight into some of the lesser known facts of the church - and we could get pictures without people!

Back to the hotel for breakfast, then we were ready for the day ahead.

We left mid morning for a drive of just over an hour, to the gardens of Castel Gandolfo and the summer residence of the Pope which has been in papal hands since 1596.

In March of this year Pope Francis decided he did not want to "summer" there, so the gardens were opened in March for the first time for the public to enjoy.  And enjoy them we did.  Beautiful cypress, cupressus, plane, magnolia, citrus and olive trees stood majestically over well manicured box-tree hedges, (some designed into mazes), and strikingly green lawns.  We strolled, we photographed and marveled at carvings, gargoyles and the remains of an amphitheater, till we could take in more.

Lunch was calling at a well-placed restaurant a few sort steps away perched on the rim of a crater containing Lake Alban, Italy's deepest lake of 170 meters.  We devoured a tasty, light, three course lunch and headed back to Rome.

One more stop before reuniting with our hotel.  A private tour of Casa Romane del Celio - a recently excavated museum containing a dwelling complex of several Roman houses.  Deep beneath the 5th century basilica of saints John and Paul they discovered a residence from the 2nd century whose walls were covered in pictures painted in earth-tone colors of mythological figures and gods.  Quite amazing is the color and clarity of the drawings.

Hurry, we have an hour to change for our short walk to dinner.   A private tour of the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne built in 1533 and still home to the Massimo family today.  But we dine next door - at the Palazzo Massimo di Pirro where the princess and her husband welcome us into their home which they have lovingly restored.

Family records date back here to before 1000 A.D. with later families marrying into the royal houses of Bourbon, Saxony and Savoy.  We sat around one big table with a harpist quietly playing at the end of the room and were served by white gloved waiters - we were surely transported back into renaissance Italy!