ROMA 2016.

Our Tour director was Letizia Germani, and our tour company partner was Explorica, Inc. Air travel courtesy of Alitalia Airlines. Additional photos by Mrs. Tova Black and students.

Day One - Nonstop LAX to ROMA.

Packing details for Rome.

The entire group at LAX ready for departure!

Dinner by Alitalia Airlines.

Day Two - Rome  City  Walk.

Trevi Fountain, recently restored by fashion designer Fendi.

Travelers making wishes at the fountain!

Pantheon.

Our first dinner together in Italy, at Cantina e Cucina in Rome!

Day Three - Vatican  City.

The dome of St. Peter viewed from the terrace.

Beautiful Roman Sculpture in the Vatican museums.

Inside the giant dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

Learning about the ornate decoration of the basillica.

View of the Basilica from the piazza.

Having a quick snack from a cart in the Vatican.

The group under the obelisk.

Mr. Black sketches The Fontana del Pantheon.

Relaxing by a fountain on one of the seven hills of Rome near the Borghese Villa.

Day Four - Imperial Rome.

Il Colosseo and the Arco de Constantino.

Explorers in the ancient colosseum.

Learning about the significance of the laurel leaf in the Roman Forum.

Atop Palatine hill in the Roman Forum.

In the courtyard of the house of the Vestal Virgins.

Under wisteria in the forum.

The Flavian Amphitheater.

Delicious cannelloni at La Cabana Restaurant.

After dinner near Campo del Fiore.

View of St. Peter's dome across the Tiber River at night.

Day Five - Ostia  Antica  and  Lido  Beach  Day Trip.

The exposed tile floor of the baths of Neptune at Ostia Antica.

Ancient Roman apartment block in Ostia.

Learning about daily life in an ancient Roman city.

An original Roman tavern, still intact at Ostia Antica.

The New Romans.

Frank draws.

Drawing studio in the cafe at Ostia Antica.

Inside the Ostia Antica Museum.

At Ostia Antica.

In the Mediterranean Sea at Lido Beach.

Day Six- Florence  Day  Trip.

On the high speed train to Firenze.

The famous Baptistry and Il Duomo.

Learning about the Renaissance exactly where it happened.

The bronze doors of the baptistry by Ghiberti.

Palazzo Vecchio of the Medici family.

Artists. Travelers. Scholars.

Ponte Vecchio.

An excellent lunch of lasagna, chicken, potatoes, green beans and dessert at Ristorante Antico Barile in Florence.

David, by Michelangelo.

A coming storm looms behind Neptune's fountain in Piazza della Signoria.

Day Seven - Gladiators, Catacombs and the National Museum.

Roman gladiator training.

Eddie attempts to choke a gladiator.

Maggie sparring with the gladiator!

Graduates of the gladiator training school.

The entrance to the catacombs of St. Callisto.

After our tour of the catacombs, 25 feet underground.

Gennevi and the group get water at a public fountain.

One of the 14 daughters of Niobe, struck in the back by an arrow. At the National Museum.

The famous discus thrower, at the National Museum.

"Eros"

Rare Roman wall painting from an ancient Roman estate.

"The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa," by Bernini in the Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome.

Our last dinner together in Rome, at Ciao Bella Ristorante.

Sunset on our last night in Rome, from our balcony at the Hotel Raganelli.

Day Eight - Travel  Home.

Travelers ready to fly home, at Da Vinci Airport, Rome, 7 am.

Alitalia flight #620, 13 hours nonstop to Los Angeles.

Link to Tour Director Letizia Germani's Tour Diary