Roman Holiday: Day 4 - Piazza del Popolo & Villa Borghese

Roman Holiday: Day 4

On Sunday morning we slept in a bit and then checked out of the hotel after breakfast. We took a leisurely stroll through the Piazza del Popolo, which was just around the corner from our hotel, and then walked up the hill toward the Villa Borghese gardens.

It was a large beautiful park. We enjoyed the scenery – and a lively debate on the virtues and shortcomings of public school vs. home schooling. Kara is a school teacher, and Michael and I are considering home education if we ever have children. Needless to say it was a very interesting discussion.

After leaving the park, we went through a fabulous little museum that contained the notes and sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci and had interactive replicas of his ideas for pulleys, motors, etc. on display. This exhibit will be traveling through the U.S. this year as well.

When we left the museum we decided to get gelato once more before leaving Rome. We sat on the steps of the Santa Maria dei Miracoli and enjoyed watching all the people in the piazza.

Travel Tip: Eat Gelato! There is a reason that no matter where you are in Rome you see a Gelateria on every corner and everyone walking by you with a cone in their hands. It’s heavenly!

We finished our gelato and then wandered around a bit before returning to the hotel to collect our bags and catch our ride to the airport. The hotel call a taxi for us. Well, it wasn’t a traditional taxi – it was a beautiful town car with leather seats. It was a fabulous, relaxing ride, and our driver spoke English very well. We enjoyed talking with him about his upcoming trip to the U.S.

We arrived at the airport and grabbed a bite to eat after checking in. By the way, don’t judge the food in Rome by anything you get at the airport. It was edible, barely, but that’s about all I can say about it.

We boarded our flight and then we were delayed for an hour because we didn’t have clearance to fly over a certain area of our flight plan. They finally got it straightened out and we left the historic, elegant city behind as we traveled back to London.

We were all exhausted by the time we got home. We hiked up the stairs, dropped our bags, and immediately got ready for bed. Michael took Monday off, so we all lazed around the next day.

Overall it was a fabulous vacation. Busy, and exhausting, but we saw and learned so much. I’m so happy to have had the experience, and I’m also thrilled that Kara was able to share it with us. I hope that it will be a trip that none of us will easily forget.