A Trip of Celebration

On our final day we took the airport shuttle from the hotel and the high speed train from the airport to Rome Termini - the main train station. We had booked a 1:00 p.m. ticket to the Borghese Gallery which is full of beautiful art and sculptures. It was about a 30 minute walk so off we went. When we arrived we had a small lunch at the gallery dining room. An extensive park surrounds this amazing palazzo which was owned by the Borghese family. They were art patrons and one of their number became Pope Paul V. The park has gelato stands, ponds, seating, lovely shade trees and bicycle carts for several people to ride. It was full of happy people. A group of young adults walked past us. Several people surrounded a girl with an elegant laurel crown and we deduced that she must have received a university degree. She was posing for photos with a folder. She had bouquets of flowers and a bag of gifts. More and more people showed up. Friends and family her mother, grandmother, grandfather and l...