Florence to Rome

An easy walk to the railway station and had breakfast at a 24 hour restaurant there which served very nice food. Young Al, the enthusiastic waiter who really, really wants to have a holiday in Australia, was happy to see us back again.

Boarded our train, relaxed into our seats and enjoyed another comfortable, fast and smooth journey through the beautiful Italian countryside at speeds of sometimes up to 250k/h. Even found ourselves speaking to each other in Italian! Capisce?

Arrived at our accommodation, The Villa Magnolia which sits on top

of one of the Seven Hills - really lovely. Our host made us a tray of afternoon tea which we enjoyed in the garden. A walk around the corner brings us to a lookout over the Eternal City. Stunning views. Later we set off to find somewhere to watch the Rugby World Cup Final.

The first pub we were directed to was overflowing and we only managed to get a glimpse of the Haka through the window. I overheard the door person giving directions to a group of Irishmen to another bar that would be screening the game. I mentioned this to John and we followed the group. They eventually came to a corner and couldn't decide which way to go so we persevered and eventually found the place a few minutes later. The score was 3-0 when we found a seat and got a drink. Only one of us was going to leave here happy. Lucky me!