Hotel Breakfast
We both slept well the previous night and enjoyed the large breakfast buffet at the hotel. The buffet included eggs, bacon, various cheeses, luncheon meats, pastries, cheeses, juices, cereals, yogurt, and many other items. They had a coffee machine that provided around 16 different coffee styles. We definitely ate well.
Vittorio Emanuele II Monument
We definitely wanted to make it to the Campo de’ Fiori market that morning, so we headed directly there as soon as we finished breakfast. On the way, we saw large crowds gathering around the area in front of the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument and learned that the German President was visiting. There were soldiers from each of the Italian services, a military band, and lots of other pomp and circumstance around, so we thought we would watch for a while. After an hour or so, the President hadn’t shown up yet, so we moved on down to the market.
Campo de’ Fiori
The market was a lot of fun. It was full of produce, spice, canned goods, and all the other vendors you would expect to see at a farmer’s market. Lisa decided to try a fresh-squeezed juice from one of the vendors and it was very tasty.
Jewish Quarter, Tiber River, Trivi Fountain, Spanish Steps
We were near the Jewish Quarter and the Tiber River so we decided to follow a Rick Steves Walking Tour and walk around the area. It was really interesting and sad to hear how the Jewish population was initially welcomed and then persecuted, especially in the name of Christianity in the middle ages and politics in the 20th Century (though you might say both motivations were related). Since we had to be back for a welcome orientation at 5 pm that evening, we picked a route that would take us past some other key sites such as the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps on our way back.
Orientation
After our orientation briefing, Globus had a welcome dinner on the rooftop of the hotel which had wonderful views of the surrounding city.