We had concerns about our return flight because Alitalia employees were calling for a strike from noon to 4 PM, the time our flight was to take off. Fortunately the government intervened and the strike was canceled.

We gave fond farewells and hugs to the many friends we had made during our trip.

We had few hours left in Rome so we made our own little walking tour. We navigated along streets and boulevards getting as far as the Piazza della Repubblica, which as abuzz with gathering protesters in lieu of the canceled strikes. We hiked back to the hotel in time for last minute packing and saying our final good-bye to Guido.

At the airport, we had our last gelato at a shop called Venchi. It was delicious, in contrast to the in-flight meals that followed. Our flight was smooth and we got through customs with efficiency, but experienced an inexplicable hour delay waiting for our luggage.

Our trip was over, but we'll experience fond memories of it for years to come.