Day 6 (Rome's Baroque Treasures)
"We'll begin with a guided tour of the Borghese Gallery, filled with Bernini's beautifully Baroque sculpture and other masterpieces. Then you'll have the afternoon free to spend in the surrounding park, ramble through more ruins, or do some shopping. Tonight we'll meet for our own "Last Supper" and toast this magnificent city. Salute!"
The day started as a rainy day. We walked from our hotel to the Borghese Gallery where we met Francesca for our tour of the gallery. This was probably the biggest WOW moment for me. When we walked into the first room it was awe inspiring.
The gallery was a unique experience for us as you get an appointment time to enter and only have two hours to wander the gallery. It works out pretty well as it is not a very big place and it keeps the crowds down.
The highlight of the gallery are some of Bernini's greatest sculptures. No photos as they are not allowed.
After the tour we took the metro back to the hotel. Had lunch at the pizza place near the hotel and then went to the room to pick up the camera to head to the Baths of Diocletian.
The outside of the Baths of Diocletian now the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
The bronze doors of the Baths of Diocletian made by a polish artist
Next we decided to go to the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria to see Bernini's St. Teresa in Ecstasy.
Bernini's St. Teresa in Ectasy
We headed back to the hotel to meet up with the group for our "Last Supper". We had a great meal. Cecillia brought a selection of wines from her family's estate for us to try! All very good! For the meal we had lasagna, veal with ham and yellow potatoes, and for dessert we had cake. We had a professional singer for entertainment. He was really good. He played the guitar and sang. We all sang along and some danced! After eating we said our goodbyes as Cammie and I were going to the hotel to gather up our bags. We had a very early flight in the morning so I used some of my hotel points to get a room at the Hilton in the airport. We took a taxi to the airport and finally got to bed at around midnight!