My second visit to Rome came towards the end of my 12-day Mediterranean cruise, and it convinced me that should I be lucky enough to visit it a third time, I will do so without the “benefit” of an organized tour. Two visits and two full-day excursions (the first one far more enjoyable than the last) have convinced me that I will need to strike out on my own next time and see more of different parts of the city — and at my own pace. Our ship arrived in Civitavecchia, Rome’s major port, very early in the morning, and we were on board our motor coach for the 90-minute drive into Rome shortly after 7 a.m. Unfortunately, we got a good dose of Roman rush hour traffic, snarled by accidents, and finally stepped off the bus close to the Trevi Fountain a good three hours later. That little glitch no doubt forced our tour guide to condense, edit and speed up portions of our morning itinerary. We spent a few minutes at the fountain, where I dutifully tossed a coin into the water in the hopes of returning with more time to visit in the future, and took a quick narrated walk over to the Colosseum. One welcome change from my tour nine years ago: every member of the tour was given a small radio receiver with headphones which transmitted the guide’s voice, so we didn’t have to be standing right next to her in order to hear what she had to say.  We were allotted just enough time at the Colosseum to take a few pictures and be accosted by a number of souvenir vendors (postcards and rosaries could be had for quite a bargain) before we had to reboard the bus and go to lunch. I believe our midday interlude, including a lengthy bus ride to the restaurant and back (but not past any sites of note) and an unremarkable repast, ate up a good two hours of the day. I would have loved to have the option of meeting the group at the Vatican Museums (our next stop) at a predetermined time and gone off with my sisters on our own for those two precious hours. Nine years ago our tour provided just such flexibility, and we were able to enjoy a stroll across the city and some leisurely shopping while still getting the benefit of the tour’s immediate access to more crowded sites. After lunch we quick-marched through some of the galleries at the Vatican Museums before entering the Sistine Chapel (without having to wait in long lines outside in the heat–the one big benefit of the tour). I’m sure I could visit it dozens of times and never fail to be impressed not only by Michaelangelo’s work by also by the history those walls have enclosed. I also enjoyed again stepping into St. Peter’s Basilica; its scale is mind-boggling, the beauty of the building and its ornamentation is superb, and I’m sure I could spend a week there and not absorb everything. (I could probably spend an entire day in front of the Pieta, alone.) All too soon we were ushered back outside, herded towards the “approved” shops for religious items and souvenirs and then back to our bus for the trip back to the ship. One of my favorite memories of the day was provided by a handsome young policeman who rather blatantly preened and strutted about in his uniform like a proud rooster on the sidewalk near where we were enjoying a gelato before boarding the coach. He was more than happy to pose with us for some photos; in fact, I’m quite sure his day would have been spoiled if we had not made the request. Happy to have seen again some of Rome’s and Vatican City’s remarkable sites and vistas, I also came away with the determination to strike out in the future on my own — not only there, should I return, but in other new and wonderful destinations I may visit in travels to come. –Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader