Day ten and we started very early on the wise advice of my old man. We caught the number 19 tram after a breakfast feast. Within fifteen minutes we were walking under the arches into the Citta del Vaticano.

Upon entering the square we were greeted with thousands of seats, a large stage and an enormous photo of the Pope. After asking a few questions we found out that 40 odd thousand people had been at the square a few days earlier for an address from the Pope.

Arriving at the square around 7am was a masterstroke and their was no queue whatsoever to get into St Peter's Basilica.

For those that haven't visited the Vatican it is something else. Extravagant to the nth degree yet somewhat humbling. We wandered through and and took our time marveling at the ridiculously high ceilings and aura of the place - from it's cool interior to the flickering of candles.

It's easy to get lost and we found ourselves walking against the direction of the arrows to begin our climb up to the top of the Basilica.

Here we were presented with two options. Use the lift of climb. Being cheap-asses we convinced ourselves we only deserved to see the view if we could manage the climb. About half way up the 600 odd steps we were stuffed. Near the top the stairway gets very narrow and the angles of the walls are quite disconcerting. I found myself in a bit of a jam a few times. The view at the top is definitely worth the effort though. The glimmer of the morning sun off the roofs of the city is a joy to behold.

As we left the Basilica and made our way to the museum the queue was about 800 meters long to get in. I have never seen queues like this in my life not even at dockland stadium in the early days.

We were smiling to ourselves as we walked around the walls of the city. As we turned the corner to the museum our smile vanished. The queue for the museum and the Sistine Chapel stretched to the horizon. Thankfully there was a group of active japanese tourists who along with some intriguing beggars and street performers kept us entertained.

In the museum there is enough egyptian work, sculptures and statues to make even the most artistic lover of this world say 'enough!'. The size of the collection is ludicrous. There is some pretty cool stuff though, just takes a long time to get through.

The crowd didn't help either. It felt like waiting in the queue at the G to take a leak on grand final day the whole time.

A lot of people were taking short cuts to get to the Sistine Chapel. Can't blame them but some of the hallways and rooms on the way are just as spectacular and well worth seeing.

After being blown away by a pretty spectacular start to Rome we made our way by foot to Trastevere for lunch. This part of town has an edgy cultural punch and we soaked it up wandering the maze of streets. I enjoyed a bargain €10 three course lunch while Sal had some more pasta. Not sure my eating capacity can match it with the Romans. Boy they can eat! Nothing but pizza and pasta.

We made our way to the Trevi Fountain and through some loose change in and made a wish of course. About eight thousand other people were doing the same thing. The fountain was surprisingly white. They may have used some White King on it recently.

On we continued to the Spanish Steps where it looks like the Roman Mall Rats spend their days. We're not sure what the big attraction is here but that may just be us.

Sal found a department store that she fell in love with called Zara. (Rima you will be happy to know they are coming to Melbourne so you'll be able to dress your little one in her namesake.) Anyhow Sal left me at the door and I made the mistake of thinking the security guard was a manikin. We both had a good laugh and he ended up being pretty cool even though his clothes weren't for sale. Sal came back with a bag full and we continued on our way. Not looking forward to this store opening in Melbourne!

[Sal here, just have to say how much I loved this store - so cheap and really good quality. Can't wait for it to be in Melbourne! Girls rejoice.]

After getting back to the apartment we found we were to exhausted to head back into town for dinner. We looked at a few other places but ended up at the same place as the previous night. I went for the lasagna while Sal went for the trusty calzone. Desert was the real treat though. Gelati that melted in the mouth and a white chocolate truffle that left us both drooling.

We retired to bed exhausted.