ChemSource Italy -- Rome and Florence Trip Overview

On September 16^th, we depart Birmingham at 2:40 pm for a marvelous opportunity to visit and tour outstanding sites, museums, and excavations in Rome and Florence with our friends of the ChemSource group.  We will have reserved visits to most of the places we will be seeing in these two fabulous cities. 

In Rome, we will be staying at Le Orsoline, which is conveniently located to public transportation on via Nomentana.  Sunday is a free day for us, because we started the trip a day early to give us a chance to rest and be refreshed for the schedule that follows.  On Monday, we start with San Clemente, which is a 4^th century basilica dedicated to Pope Clement I and contains spectacular mosaics and frescoes.  There are visits to excavations from the 1^st century.  The next day concentrates on the Colosseum, Roman Forum and the Capitoline Museums, which were designed by Michelangelo and focus on the history of Rome with artifacts from antiquity.   Wednesday will be devoted to walking and site seeing in Old Rome – Piazza Navona, San Luigi dei Francesi, Pantheon, Minerva, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.  Late in the afternoon we have a reserved visit to the Galleria Borghese.  It houses works of art by renowned artists such as Tiziano, Raphael, Caravaggio, Rubens and Botticelli.  On Thursday, the day is devoted to the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter’s.  Our next two days are free days with lots of opportunities to visit catacombs and other historical and archeological sites in and around Rome. 

On September 24^th, we depart via train for Florence where we will be staying at the WOW Florence Hostel.  Again, this is very centrally located to our activities – 15-20 minute walk.  That afternoon we will have a guided walking tour of Florence and end at the Chapel of the Magi in the Medici Palace.  Monday we visit Ospedale degli Innocenti, Museo dell’Opere del Duomo, Pitti Palace, and the Boboli Gardens.  That evening we attend a concert at Orsanmichele Church and Museum.  Tuesday is a semi-free day with ample opportunity to see the rest of the Duomo and visit it’s Campanile and Baptistery (exterior and interior).  We have the chance to see the Museo San Marco near the hotel.  On Wednesday, we spend the morning in the Uffizi Gallery and visit the Brancacci Chapel in mid-afternoon.  Fortunately, we have reserved ticket to the Uffizi.  Thursday, which is our last full day of the trip, is a free day and we plan to take the train to either Pisa or Lucca.  That brings us to Friday, which is our departure day for home.  Our scheduled flights get us back to Birmingham at 7 pm.

So, follow us on our blog site and visit the Rome and Florence sites with us.