Rome Scavenger Hunt / Wine Tasting

We started Saturday, Jan 26 with a scavenger hunt in Rome. The Romers were divided into groups of seven or eight people, but half of our group bailed out at the last minute, so our group was all of three people, which actually turned out to be a good size. We were given a list to things to find: mostly historical sites on monuments, but also everyday sights such as pigeons, nuns, people kissing, and the Old Bridge Gelateria. My group (Jocelyn, Jeffery, and I) started off very determined, but after about an hour decided it would be more fun to slow down and enjoy Rome, and just keep our eyes open for items on the list.

This worked out very well, and we wandered through many side streets of the Trestevere region of Rome. It's a place I want to visit again at some point. There aren't many monuments in the area, which, consequently, means it is much less of a tourist destination. We were able to see the daily life of Rome, and it was a quiet atmosphere, which was nice after all the bustle of the monuments.

Enjoying a quiet moment atop the Janiculum Hill

The day concluded with a trip to Castel Gandolfo, a large dinner, and wine tasting led by Msgr. Fucinaro. Wonderful food, good wine, and great people - altogether, quite an enjoyable evening. We ended up leaving to come back at 11:15 PM, an hour or so later than they had told us -- but it was time well spent.