As we saw last month, we took a Princess Cruise to the Mediterranean, where we visited Barcelona. We continued on to France and then on to Pisa, in the Tuscany region, where we saw the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Construction began in 1173, and it leaned due to unstable soil under the foundation. It continued to lean more and more until engineering efforts over 25 years ago stabilized it to lean around 4 meters off center at the top.

After this, we took an Uber into Rome and stayed there for a few nights. We took a 3-hour golf cart tour in Rome, which I highly suggest. It was around a hundred dollars for three people and a great way to get around quickly through the very narrow streets of Rome. Our driver was knowledgeable, and we learned much more than on a larger tour bus. He knew the back ways and had contacts to get us to where we wanted to go.

We went around the outside of the Roman Coliseum, one of the most iconic sites in the world. Construction began in 72 AD and ended in 80 AD. Depending on the setup, it could hold up to 50,000 to 100,000 spectators.

We also went around the outside of the Vatican walls. We have been inside before but chose to stay outside on our golf cart tour. The Vatican is the world's smallest country, at about 110 acres with around 800 residents, and is the center of the Roman Catholic Church. A new Pope has been chosen recently, but we went before that happened.