Patsy and Joy discovered the deck lounges on the 12th deck.
After wandering around we stopped at Johnny Rocket's. One of the crew members stopped to take "our" picture.
At last! "Our Picture" as we enjoyed cherry Cokes and shakes.
After disembarking in Palermo the first thing we received a huge welcome to Sicily.
We boarded our coach (tour bus) and headed toward the old city center. Along the way we passed one of the theatres, Teatro Massimo
... I had to cross the street to photograph the last corner and caught a photo op.
On our way to Martorana, a Norman church built in 1143 our guide pointed out the “Fountain of Shame,” so nicknamed because of the nude statues. The fountain was a gift from Rome, but it was placed beside a convent, right under the rooms of the nuns. Notice the shuttered windows.
Then a short walk took us to Martorana, a church dedicated to the Byzantines.
Inside it was so beautiful! It is nearly entirely covered in mosaics, some of the oldest in Sicily
One mosaic is of King Roger receiving the imperial diadem from Christ
After returning to the coach we were driven to the Cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Inside there was a shrine dedicated to St Rosalie.
After our visit we returned to the coach and continued up to the hilltop town of Monreale. After we got off we had to walk up 110 steps to the town. Patsy found a restaurant that had gelatos.
Ooooooooh! Gelatos!
We visited the famous cathedral, one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Sicily.
Yes, that gold color we see everywhere is real gold – 22 carat. I asked.
It’s even in the columns of the adjoining cloisters of the Benedictine Monastery.
Here we go again, back down the steps to our coach.
On the way back to the ship we saw one of the original gates to the city. The traffic was horrendous.
What a relief! The ship is still in dock! Believe it or not, we haven’t missed curfew even one day - thank goodness.
All of us managed to "dress up" for our dinner at the Carmen.
Our driver, our favorite driver, was Raffaele, the one on the left wearing a gray blazer – no tie.
Leaving Naples, we drove along the Gulf of Naples toward Amalfi.
Our first stop was the beautiful Sorrento – we could have stayed there for hours (we had 45 minutes, and we used every second to shop). Looking for a keepsake for my new grandson, I had to have a music box shaped like a piano that played “Torna a Surriento” (Return to Sorrento), that was made locally in the factory in Sorrento. 
This is the street where many quaint, wonderful little shops can be found. I found an Italian bracelet I fell in love with. 
Leaving Sorrento we began our drive along the Amalfi Coast.
Here I am with my cousin, Joy. Positano is in the background (notice she managed to get behind me, making me look as large as I am, and her much smaller).
We stopped in Praiano for Joy to meet with some of her Italian friends. It was no hardship – look at the beautiful scenery in the background. 
If you look in the bottom right hand corner you may see a large white house (Villa?) that once belonged to Sophia Loren before she had to sell it to pay back taxes.
We stopped in Ravello for lunch at the fantastic da Salvatore Ristorante (restaurant) – experience our view!
We had to take advantage of the photo op on the steps leading up to where we were to meet our driver.
Leaving Ravello we traveled inland to Pompei, the city of 2000 residents completely destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. (Notice Mt. Vesuvius lurking in the background – it looks like a dark shadow.) 
Here’s a more evident example of Mt. Vesuvius betweentwo of the buildings.
Gino, our guide for Pompei, demonstrates how the ancient Romans used the innovative water fountain – notice the rounded impressions in the stone where everyone placed their hands as they leaned over to drink.
Everyone was tired, but impressed with the best preserved specimen of an ancient Roman town in existence.
Leaving from Civitavecchia we were on our way to Rome.
The grave of St. Paul.
Inside the basilica, under the elaborate canopy you can see where St. Paul was supposed to be buried. 
Inside the gates of Rome we saw where Circus Maximus was once located.
Then…Ancient Rome!
Our next stop was San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains), where we saw the chains that bound St. Peter and…
…Michelangelo’s Moses.
Finally! We reached the Trevi Fountain…and yes, we tossed in our coins. 
On our way to lunch we walked to the Pantheon.
Inside we saw where Raphael was buried.
After lunch we headed to the Vatican.
Our first sight was of St. Peter’s Basilica as we crossed the Tiber River…
…then went on to Vatican City where we walked in the square, then shopped.
Since the lines were so long, our time was so short, we couldn’t go inside the Vatican Museum or St. Peter’s.
Ezzio felt sorry for us and took us to a beautiful spot overlooking the city. 
We are so glad Joy introduced us to him. We loved our trip!!!
