Disney Mediterranean Cruise - Day 4 Rome, Italy

On Tuesday, August 2 we arrived at the port of Civitavecchia, Italy for our visit into Rome. We had an 11 hour tour of the city that day, so the kids were happy to stay in the Kids Club on the boat the whole day. After all, they were having a blast in the kids club with all the activities throughout the day. They played in a model pirate ship with slides, had computer time, parachute games, movie time, visited with Disney characters throughout the day, made puppets, played games, did crafts, played dress up as Pirates, built forts, danced, and watched Disney shows or movies.

Rome was unbelievable!! The history, art and culture along with monuments, churches, cathedrals is amazing. It is the Eternal City and has survived and retained its political, religious and artistic significance for nearly 3,000 years. Legend has it that is was founded by Romulus in 786 BC. The Julius Caesar period (Roman Empire) had power and control for hundreds of years. The Roman Catholic Church was always the heart of Roman history. In 1929 Mussolini, under the Lateran Treaty, gave the Pope full sovereignty over what is now the world's smallest country. The Vatican, which is across the river to the West, remains a city within a city. The city houses some of the world's most famous paintings, sculptures, and monuments. During our tour of the Vatican City we explored the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. Inside St. Peter's Basilica you can see the detail of Michelangelo's Sculpture, "The Pieta", which show Mary holding the body of Jesus. Italy has the richest concentration of world-renowned late antique and medieval mosaics located in the Museums and St. Peter's.

In Rome we also toured the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain. The Colosseum is an old amphitheater created by the Romans. Gladiatorial games were held there in front of over 60,000 people and the stone walls are over 2,000 years old. Trevi Fountain is one of the most famous fountains in the world. Legend says you should throw two coins over your shoulder into the fountain; one grants your wish and the other ensures your eventual return to Rome. Yep, we tossed our coins!!

Colosseum

Trevi Fountain

Vatican Museums

The Pieta

St. Peter's Basilica

We were not allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel. The artistry inside was beautiful. It was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 to 1512 and has a series of 9 paintings showing God's Creation of the World, God's Relationship with Mankind, and Mankind's Fall from God's Grace.

St. Peter's Square

Night time swim on the cruise ship