We are getting to know the Metro, well our little bit of it anyway. Rome only has two lines which intersect at Termini, the main train station. So getting around is quite easy provided you have a reasonable map to get around with on foot beyond that. There are also buses and trams but we haven't progressed to these yet. In fact we never did find out where the trams went. Today we decide to track down the Trevi Fountain which is tucked away in some tiny streets just a little to the west of Termini. Our nearest stop on the Metro is Barberini. Faced with a choice of exits we toss an imaginary coin and pick one. As we exit we see no clues as to which direction to head in and although we know which street we need to be on do you think we can locate a street sign. A quick conversation between Jeremy and a passer-by sets us on our way.

I've seen lots of photos of the Trevi Fountain. None of them really do it justice. The first thing that you notice is that it isn't a sculpture in the round. Rather than being a structure that can be viewed from all sides, the waters of the Trevi seem to spill out from the wall of the Palazzo Poli, the palace which forms a majestic backdrop to Oceanus and his shell chariot. A celebration of the supply of fresh water to the city, this 18th century monument is actually more like a waterfall or cascade. We have arrived at a time when we can actually find a small position on the rail to get an unobstructed view of the fountain with enough room to take turns stepping back to take photos. When we come back past here later in the day on our way home, the crowds are so tightly packed in to a piazza too small to accommodate the sheer number of them, we find it difficult just to shove our way through. At least one of us does the traditional over the shoulder coin toss which is supposed to ensure a guaranteed return to Rome.

It turns out that we are quite close to the Pantheon. Distances on the map, or at least our grasp of them at this point, are deceptive. We strike out along narrow cobbled streets lined with eateries and restaurants with trays of produce out front to entice patrons' custom, and come across a large columned structure and at first we think we have arrived at our destination. This is the remains of the Temple of Hadrian. What I love is the fact that these huge columns still stand and have been incorporated into a later construction of a 17th century papal palace. Much of ancient Rome was pulled down by its wealthy citizens for the materials to build their own villas.

The Pantheon is truly magnificent. This ancient Roman Temple, commissioned by Marcus Agrippa and rebuilt by Hadrian after a couple of fires, has been in constant use through the millennia. It survives as a Catholic church boasting the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The columns at its entrance are colossal. Once inside the sheer expanse of the dome is breath-taking and remarkable for the fact that the only illumination is provided by the oculus, the single round opening in the roof. We join the reverent and the not so reverent (those ignoring the modesty and silence requests - not my kids I promise) and simply try to take in the enormity of it.

We had been forewarned that today was going to be hot. Today is also a travel day for us. We are leaving Tuscany and heading for Rome. Our first challenge today is to find our way back into the centre of Florence to return our rental car. Yes it has on-board navigation. We don't know how to use it - it tells us where we are which is mildly helpful but I can't figure out how to plot where we are going. So by pure fluke and a fair few wrong turns we somehow manage to find the station. Yes! The office is just around the corner from there.

We then drag our luggage to the left luggage office at the station and by the time we hit the street car-free (no that isn't a spelling error) and bag-free we realise we only have an hour before our train. We can't walk to both the Ponte Vecchio and The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore; it just isn't possible. So we choose the cathedral. It was on Jeremy's wish list and in my opinion a sound choice. Unfortunately the very long entry queues mean that seeing the inside is out of the question for us. We get to admire this beauty from the outside only. I particularly love the colour of this lovely 15th century building. It is constructed from marble of white, pink and green and is just beautiful.

But midday is a bad time to be doing the circuit of the piazza in 37˚C and the girls aren't coping well so we high-tail it back to the relative comfort of Florence station. I hate that we didn't get to spend more time here but it just didn't work out.

We're on another fast train - this one is only about 90 minutes and the first stop is another Rome station. I discover later that the name of our station is from the name of the ancient Roman road it is located near Via Ostiense which is the road from Rome to the ancient Roman port of Ostia. Our partment for the next week is located close to where the regional line intersects with the Metro at Ostiense/Piramide. It is pretty handy to the centre of the city in a fairly quiet residential part of town. We lug our suitcases from the station and after several failed attempts at navigating the labyrinth of underground tunnels, finally pop out in a bus interchange area. Ok. So transport is all here.

After settling in to the apartment and having a bit of an afternoon rest we decide to head to the Colosseum at dusk - two stops on the metro. Late afternoon is a lovely time to wander around the Colosseum. Although it is still very hot, crowds are beginning to thin and the light is much softer casting a soft glow on the monumental stone site. Dinner of pizza outdoors overlooking the now illuminated Colosseum as dusk falls.

On our last day in Tuscany we finally find a good supermarket. Not sure how we missed it. With Jeremy's help I get the butcher to slice up some veal and pound it thin. We are going to have the Saltimbocca I was expecting to have in Campania! Even there the butcher and I disagree on the technique because as I am describing that I wish to roll my escalopes he is wagging his finger and saying "Non, non." Apparently around here saltimbocca is cooked flat. We'll see about that.

Today is a take it easy day. We are very much of the opinion that you can't do everything and some things that were on our list of places we'd like to see may just stay that way. We want to just relax and laze around today. Part of soaking up the Tuscan experience after all is stopping and listening to the sounds of the countryside. We take the opportunity later in the afternoon to take a drive into the nearby town of Panzano which is a pretty hilltop town we discovered the other day on our way to San Gimignano. It also faces west so I just know it will look lovely under a late afternoon sun.

We return to Le Cetinelle in time to cook saltimbocca my way, with a slice of prosciutto lain on each escalope of veal, a sage leaf or two, rolled up and held together with a tooth pick. The rolls are pan fried, then the pan deglazed with some white wine. I added some philly (because I didn't have cream) then thickened up the sauce. It was pretty yummy.