1st February Field Trip - to Rome, Italy to see the Vatican - Saturday

Coffee and croissants will be delivered to member’s rooms early before we head to the Vatican City entrance for our 8:30am CityWonder guided tour of the Papal apartments, the Vatican Museums, including the Raphael Room and the Borgia Apartments and hear the stores behind the “School of Athens” fresco.

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We will also visit the Gallery of Tapestries,....

Gallery of the Tapestries

The Gallery of Tapestries, also known as the Galleria Degli Arazzi, is one of the most important and beautiful rooms in the Vatican museums. The room can be divided into two halves, with tapestries displaying scenes from the life of Christ on the left as you enter and tapestries commemorating the life of Pope Urban VIII on the left. As you approach the Vatican's tapestry room, you will note that the tapestries depicting Pope Urban VIII's life on the right are disregarded in comparison to the tapestries depicting Christ's life on the left

........ the Gallery of Maps.......

Hall of the Maps

Within the Belvedere Courtyard is the Gallery of Maps. It is noteworthy not only for its map collection but also for the beautiful ceiling that dominates the space. Ignazio Danti made the maps in the 16th century. Pope Gregory XIII gave him the task of painting these exhibits for display in the Vatican. The map gallery is more than just a collection of dull maps. They offer an amazing view of the Italian states

......and the Gallery of the Candelabra.

Gallery of the Candelabra

The large marble candelabra that, along with the colored marble columns, divide the exhibition area into six sections gives this gallery its name. The gallery was designed between 1785 and 1788 by Pope Pius VI Braschi, and was entirely rebuilt during the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII Pecci (1878-1903), resulting in the current ornamentation. The paintings were arranged like furniture, following symmetry standards that were suitable with the gallery's architecture.

Our tour will last 4 hours.

At the conclusion, we will take private transport to Piazza Sant'Eustachio which is behind the Pantheon

where we will stop in at Pizza Zaza' for a slice of pizza for lunch. This is eaten standing up as you go.

After we finish our pizza, we will go next to Gunther Gelato for some ice cream.

We will have a cup of expresso at Cafe Salt’ Eustachio to finish up our lunch stop.

We then walk to the Pantheon for a guided tour. Expect to spend 3 hours here.

Private transport will take us to our new accommodations at the Hotel Sant Anna Roma.

Set in a 16th-century palazzo just 650 feet — yes, feet — from St. Peter’s Basilica, the Hotel Sant Anna Roma is a delightful stay for history buffs, and the elegant atmosphere lends itself to a romantic stay.

The 20 rooms here feature parquet flooring, murals on the walls, billowing curtains, and ceilings with beams or decorative moulding. There’s a free breakfast buffet served in a small dining room that’s also adorned with murals, plus a black-and-white marble floor, but otherwise, you’ll have to head off property for meals. There is, however, a lounge with a serene courtyard that’s a great place to have a glass of wine and relax. The very walkable neighborhood here is filled with plenty of cafés, restaurants, and bars, not to mention shopping along Via Cola di Rienzo, so you’ll have plenty to do during your stay.

We head out to dinner at 8pm at the Trattoria Monti.

This concludes the day's activities