Rome!

Today was a lovely day in Rome.  It was not a holiday today, thus things were open and bustling!  We got up late, as is our habit, and eventually hauled ourselves out of the hostel to a grocery store where I picked up bread, prosciutto, and provolone cheese for lunch, then to a greengrocer for some fruit (apples for me).  Then we began our walk to the ancient part of town.  By the time we got there we were hungry, so we sat in a park on a hill, with the Colosseum below us, and ate our food.  Let me tell you, I'm quite happy to be getting back into the frugal bread-meat-cheese-and-fruit diet again.  It's very satisfying to drag a day's worth of food around with you to be eaten anywhere, anytime, cheaply.

As we ate, we chatted, looked at the scenery, and laughed at a gawky German tour group on bikes who stopped in front of us to talk about the Colosseum, causing another German bike tour group to stop short behind them, squashing into each other like an accordion.  

 

After lunch, we headed to the Colosseum, which Michael informed us was built around 80 AD,  took 10 years to complete, could hold 55,000 people, contained running water, indoor toilets, and snack stands, and could be completely emptied of its patrons in only 12 minutes!  We didn't enter any of the ancient areas; we just examined from outside, since admission was outrageously expensive.  Also included were the Forum, Palatino, and numerous unidentified ruins.

     

Our traversal of the city continued, hitting some of the other major landmarks, and some less famous ones.  We believed we were going to be hit by a thunderstorm, but luckily managed to avoid it. The last stops on our journey were descending the Spanish steps, after which we headed to the the Trevi Fountain, where I threw a coin over my shoulder into it, thus apparently ensuring my eventual return to Rome.

 

 

 

As we walked home, hunger struck.  We looked halfheartedly at a few places jammed with tourists, only to be turned away by the high prices.  As we continued back to our hostel, we were pulled on by the sound of an accordion ahead of us on the dim street.  We stopped for a second to listen as we walked by, then Marc suggested we look at the menu of the restaurant he was playing near.  The prices were reasonable, and the crowd looked local.  Bingo.

We were seated outside, where we pondered the delicious-looking items on the menu.  We settled on splitting a carafe of the house red wine and a bottle of water, then ordered our own food.  I had mixed bruschetta, fettuccine with mushrooms in an olive oil-based sauce, and for dessert panna cotta with chocolate, and an espresso to wash it down.  Absolutely delicious, and cheaper than our nice meal out in Paris.  This meal served double duty- not only was it our one nice Italian meal, but it was also the celebration of our "monthaversary" on the trip!  Hard to believe that we've been Abroad for an entire month already!  Time's been flying and crawling at the same time.  

In the morning we're heading to Vatican City.  Do we get our passports stamped there, since the Lateran Accords and Mussolini have ensured its status as an independent nation?

On a completely unrelated note, I understand I have readers at Taconic.  Ciao to all the folks back at the Farm!