Today was a fast paced day even by Tucker standards.
We were docked in Civitavecchia which is the cruise terminal for Rome. Now you can pay a ridiculously high price ($150+)for the ship to transport you by bus or train to Rome or do it "Tucker style".
"Tucker style is walk through the small town of Civitavecchia to the train station and pay around $10 for a round trip ticket.
The trains run frequently and once you get to Rome there are several options on where to get off including St. Peter's, Trastevere (lots of hotels and convenient to the forum and coliseum) or the central station.
It was before 9:00 and a little chilly so we opted to get off at St. Peter's and say hello to the Pope. This area is a huge mass (note the catholic reference) in the summer, however on a chilly January weekday morning it was almost like we had the place to ourselves.
Unlike our last visit two years ago, this time we didn't see the Pope. I guess he had more important matters to attend to, no hard feelings on our part.
We did the St. Peter's walk around which is always amazing and headed out to do a walk by of many of the amazing sites of this fast paced city.
Along the river, into the Pantheon, by the Trevi Fountain, in front of the forum, halfway circle the coliseum, have a nice sit down lunch and catch the 3:00 train back to Civitavecchia
Whew! Thankfully we've spent enough time in Rome as well as in Civitavecchia that we knew how to navigate our way around.
Rome is truly amazing and to fully appreciate it you need at least three days. But even if you're on a cruise and have only one day you can cover a lot of ground and begin to develop an appreciation for the Roman culture as well as their ingenuity. It is amazing to stand in the Pantheon or outside the forum or coliseum and think about the fact that these structures are around 2,000 years old.
We'll be back in Civitavecchia shortly, there's a hot tub on the ship with our names on it!
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