Rome 3

Oh Rome! My country! City of the Soul! (Byron)
Derek left early planning on beating the crowds at the Pantheon, then more wandering before going to the Vatican for his tour of the museums and Sistine Chapel (which he said was fabulous and overwhelming).
I managed to buy tickets online for the Palantine Hill and the Forum last night, so that was our plan for the day. Judith and I caught the bus at the end of the street to the Via di San Gregorio entrance to the Palantine Hill. Much quieter than the Forum entrance, and getting there reasonably early ( before 10) there was almost non-one else there to disturb the beauty and quiet of the parkland and our viewing of the ruins. It was fabulous and the viewing areas spectacular. The crowds didn't grow until we got closer to the Forum, and fortunately we were going against the flow of traffic. Loved the Forum too - it was our first time being in the Forum and so glad we did it.
We left the Forum by a side entrance and after only a short walk we were at Circus Maximus, and a nice cafe for lunch. Then we crossed the road to enter the Roseta di Roma ( city Rose Garden) which was lovely and featured prize winning roses of the International Rose competition. We then walked to nearby Giardino degli Arancini (Orange Garden) which was a real highlight with a magnificent Belvedere ( viewing terrace) from the Avantine Hill.
We walked down the steep escarpment of the Hill, along the river to tram stop and back to apartment
After a little rest we headed back to our little piazza in Trastevere - this time enjoying pizza. Another lovely eveningOkumaya devam et