Thursday 18th – 22nd June, Rome, Italy

After a “not-so early” start from Positano means we don’t arrive at Pompeii till around midday. The sprawling ruins left largely intact from the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 69 BC show extraordinary detail of what life was like in Roman times. In the late afternoon we arrive at our hotel in Rome, quick shower and we’re into town for dinner. We stumble across the best Trattoria we have found in all of Italy. “Macheroni”, just around the corner from the Panthenon, is not flash but it’s packed with locals and serves up superb antipasti, great fresh pasta and a whole lot of attitude which we wash down with a carafe of the house chianti. The place is full of characters and one of the guys from the “Mythbusters” TV show and his Aussie cameraman find it as hilarious as we do that the guy on the table next to us tries to pick up Sav .... this is Italy after all.

Our next few days are spent lazily taking in the sights and tastes of Rome. The obvious highlights include the Vatican Museum (to see the Raefaello frescos and Michaelangelo’s Sistine chapel), St Peter’s Basilica, the Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, Colosseum and ancient Roman Forum. The unexpected highlights are invariably the food and all the little restaurants we try each day for lunch and dinner culminating in a trip to Trastevere on our final night for a delicious seafood experience at “Osteria della Gensola”. The Trastevere district has lots of little bars and restaurants, a great vibe and it is with a tinge of regret that we wish we’d found it earlier in our stay. The area is a must for anyone visiting Rome.

....... and of course no trip to Rome would be complete without having our car broken into. Parked beside the hotel on the street, the passenger door has been bent open with a crow bar, leaving a gap of about 3 inches at the top, and a few things taken. After many phone calls to Peugeot and our insurance company we now have to change our plans to visit Cinque Terra and head straight to Milan to get the car fixed. After the crash a couple of weeks ago, our new Peugeot 207 is looking a lot worse for wear.