Family Trip to Italy: Rome Day 3 (Family Photos and the Pope)

Day 3 Family Photos and the Pope (Sunday, May 17) 

I woke up again to the smell of baking bread! Which made me think of a cappuccino and an apricot cornetto. Which made me think of breakfast. Time to get up!

A little later, we all walked along the Tiber River dressed in outfits which were color coordinated because we were headed to a family photography session at Castel Sant’Angelo! This was a Christmas gift from all the kids, and let me tell you when I opened their note on Christmas morning, I started crying. I mean … best Christmas present ever! They had organized everything: the photographer, the place (Rome!), the time, and the fact that we would coordinate our outfits.

After a 20-minute walk, we arrived at Castel Sant’Angelo and met Paulina, our photographer. She photographed, we smiled (and posed), and the guys were pretty good sports about all that smiling and posing. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Afterwards, what to do now that we were all dressed up? Why … go see the Pope!

If you are ever in Rome on a Sunday, you can attend the Noon Angelus Blessing (Regina Caeli Prayer) with the Pope. No tickets are required; you show up in St. Peter’s Square, and at noon the window from the Pope’s apartment opens, a banner unfurls, and Pope Leo appears at the window to greet pilgrims, give a short homily, and bless all those in attendance. It is always an emotional experience.

For lunch, we continued with the Pope theme with lunch reservations at l’Isola della Pizza. What does this have to do with Pope Leo? It was one of his favorite pizzerias when he was a cardinal, and it was where he had his “last meal” before entering the conclave. And we agreed with the Pope … the pizza was molto delizioso (as was the Antipasto Misto—mixed appetizers of the house including cheeses, meats, vegetables, breads).

After all that food and we needed to walk! So, we headed to the Pantheon where we decided to split up to explore and then meet back at the hotel by late afternoon. Joe, Timothy, and I walked to a Ferrari store, then climbed up the Spanish Steps for the gorgeous views. We declared it Gelato Time after all those steps!

Dinner that evening, compliments of Nicholas and Lauren, was at Ristorante Fieramosca in Trastevere. It was our last meal in Rome as we would be leaving for Florence in the morning.

But wait … we were not yet ready to say goodbye to Rome! So Joe, Timothy, and I walked 30 minutes to the Trevi Fountain. It was late, it was magical, and it was unforgettable.

Stats for the day: 28,000 steps!