Last day in Rome

We all slept in today, which was nice. When we did get up to go out into the city we decided to split up. Lucia and I went and rented a shiny red Vespa, and the rest of the group went to a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit. Lucia and I rode all over town on the scooter, through streets small and large, crossing bridges and wandering through neighborhoods. We then met at the Colosseum, where Mariela wanted to shop and see the sights again. That's where we took photos. Lily and I then went out for an hour on the Vespa, taking a few short cuts and racing around. After that it was Julia's turn. We took a brief ride, and we went through a nice residential neighborhood up on a hill overlooking the Tiber River and the Circo Massimo. Julia had to hold onto my belt, and when we accelerated she gripped on tightly. None of us are used to riding a motorcycle or scooter, so it was really exciting and fun, plus a little scary. Especially on the main roads. Mariela and I then went up to a hill on the south side of the city and the girls went home with Tia Tere and Tony. We got lost and ended up over near the Vatican. We ended up riding the scooter through rush hour traffic, which was a bit frightening, but it's not too much worse than the freeways in L.A. About 15 scooters and motorcycles all scoot up to the front near the stoplight and take off ahead of all the cars. There is quite a bit of weaving between the cars and scooters, so it was something else.

We had a nice dinner near the Trevi Fountain one last time, and then one last gelatto before bed.