Friday, September 22. We combined a city tour with debarkation transport to get to our Airbnb in Rome.  Really good idea.  Others in the bus were fun.  We didn’t really go anywhere we’d gone during our last visit to Rome, but our Vatican Museum tour guide was much much better.  The Sistine Chapel was so very crowded (our last time in it was at night with maybe 150 people).  We learned about the ability to climb the dome, which was added to our plans.

We were clearly better off visiting in December last time.  Every place we visited was packed.  We had lunch at pizza joint near the Trevi Fountain.  Maybe twenty square pans of pizzas: You shout and point at the kind you wanted.  An “ugly” American ignored the crowded, bussling situation and repeatedly asked “what king of pizza is that one!?”  It wasn’t the place to be picky.

Dropping us off proved difficult.  The first couple had a place down some extremely narrow streets that our small bus was not designed to navigate.  They offered to just get out and find it themselves, but the driver refused.  Then our place, which was easy to find but hard to get to with all the one-way streets and no left turn signs.  Our host was there waiting, then led us up a fascinating path to reach the top floor.  Massive door with a small door (key).  Up some stairs to a gate (key).  Up more stairs to a gate which swung towards you on the stairs (key).  Tiny elevator (one person and a suitcase) with stern instructions to NOT open the doors until you hear a click.  More stairs to a door (key) Short walk in the open air to another door (key).  Patio of the apartment.  Door into the rooms (key).  The view made it all worthwhile.