By Nick Squires in L'Aquila Published: 7:27PM BST 08 Jul 2009
Michelle Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy missed the meeting with the Pontiff Photo: AFP
Mrs Brown and the wives of the other G8 leaders were given a tour of St Peter's Basilica and shown around the Vatican's gardens, which are closed to the public.
Mrs Brown provided a behind-the-scenes look at the G8 as she blogged about the “good food and good company".
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"Landed in Italy, and Gordon is whisked off to the summit. I spend the first day in Rome and join the programme for the First Ladies and PMs’ wives,” one breezy entry began.
The blog details reveals that the audience with Pope Benedict XVI was a case of deja vu for Mrs Brown.
“In February, Gordon took me and our boys to a private audience with the Holy Father where we were touched by his kindness and concern for the developing world,” she wrote.
The prime minister’s wife, a 45-year-old former public relations boss, also found time to update readers on “excitement” at the British embassy in Rome about the resident beehives and their “imminent harvest of honey".
During the 30-minute audience, the Pope asked her to pass on his best wishes to the Gordon Brown and their sons, John and Fraser.
Mrs Brown was presented with the Annual Papal Medal, which bears a bust of the reigning Pope and the year of his papacy, and is struck each year to commemorate ecclesiastical, social and political events.
The first ladies also viewed Rome's historic monuments, including the Capitoline Hill and the ruins of the Forum, and enjoyed a private tour of a museum packed with ancient Roman statuary.
Michelle Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy missed the meeting with the Pontiff.
Mrs Obama and her husband will have a separate audience on Friday and the Italian-born Miss Bruni will only arrive at the summit on Wednesday.
Her absence has been interpreted as a snub by the Italian media, who recalled her remark that she was glad to have taken French citizenship after the Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prime minister, described President Barack Obama as "tanned" last year.
In the absence of Mr Berlusconi's wife, who is suing for divorce over his alleged philandering, Mrs Brown and the other G8 spouses were hosted by Italy's two most glamorous ministers: the former model Mara Carfagna and her colleague Maria Stella Gelmini.
Writing on her blog before leaving London for Italy, Mrs Brown said she was expecting "a busy few days" taking part in the spouses' programme which runs alongside the official meetings.
"I'm really looking forward to meeting up with the 'other halves'. They are all very interesting people and I'm hoping to get to know them better and to discuss some of the issues that we all feel strongly about."
The blog details reveals that the audience with Pope Benedict XVI was a case of deja vu for Mrs Brown.
“In February, Gordon took me and our boys to a private audience with the Holy Father where we were touched by his kindness and concern for the developing world,” she wrote.
The prime minister’s wife, a 45-year-old former public relations boss, also found time to update readers on “excitement” at the British embassy in Rome about the resident beehives and their “imminent harvest of honey".
During the 30-minute audience, the Pope asked her to pass on his best wishes to the Gordon Brown and their sons, John and Fraser.
Mrs Brown was presented with the Annual Papal Medal, which bears a bust of the reigning Pope and the year of his papacy, and is struck each year to commemorate ecclesiastical, social and political events.
The first ladies also viewed Rome's historic monuments, including the Capitoline Hill and the ruins of the Forum, and enjoyed a private tour of a museum packed with ancient Roman statuary.
Michelle Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy missed the meeting with the Pontiff.
Mrs Obama and her husband will have a separate audience on Friday and the Italian-born Miss Bruni will only arrive at the summit on Wednesday.
Her absence has been interpreted as a snub by the Italian media, who recalled her remark that she was glad to have taken French citizenship after the Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prime minister, described President Barack Obama as "tanned" last year.
In the absence of Mr Berlusconi's wife, who is suing for divorce over his alleged philandering, Mrs Brown and the other G8 spouses were hosted by Italy's two most glamorous ministers: the former model Mara Carfagna and her colleague Maria Stella Gelmini.
Writing on her blog before leaving London for Italy, Mrs Brown said she was expecting "a busy few days" taking part in the spouses' programme which runs alongside the official meetings.
"I'm really looking forward to meeting up with the 'other halves'. They are all very interesting people and I'm hoping to get to know them better and to discuss some of the issues that we all feel strongly about."
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