Sun. Worship at St. Peter’s Basilica, wave at the Pope, walking tour of famous sites

Our day started off by going to the Vatican and joining in the throngs for worship in St. Peter’s Basilica on Father’s Day. We then joined the crowded square outside for a viewing and short talk by the Pope from the window above. We were then free for lunch around the Vatican before starting our walking tour of the heart of Rome crossing the Tiber River on the Bridge of Angels and making our way to the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. It’s been two days of a lot of walking in HOT, hot weather (97 degrees today, though in the sun on the stone streets among the stone buildings some temps reached 107 – according to one sign). We had a gelato break (or limoncello for some) at the Pantheon, which was nice, but some of us could have done that at every site (at least I don’t think I’m alone in that).