Good evening friends and family!
We had another great day in this glorious city. The longer I'm here, the more I realize what a fascinating place this is! Sister Christina told Ron and I this morning that Rome had now replaced Paris as the most visited city in the world. I was a bit skeptical, but I kept my thoughts to myself. Sister Christina (whom Ron has mistakenly referred to as Sister Catherine a few times) is the lovely Irish woman who oversees the guests at Villa Rosa.
Our day started with a crusty roll with a few jam options, coffee and orange juice. The fun part was visiting and laughing with a variety of people from different countries in the breakfast room. This has always been one of our favorite experiences in staying at B&B's while travelling.
We talked about how Rome is full of ruins poking themselves out of every corner and street. Christina said she knew of people in the area who had built structures or had renovated homes and had inadvertently discovered mosaic flooring deep in the ground. They didn't dare report it to anyone (especially the Art Society) because they could come and spend the next 9 years digging on your property and too bad about your house or business!
We then left our lively breakfast discussion and went back to the Jewish Quarter to a bakery with luscious goods. I stood in line and pointed to a well done cheese pie and asked the lady if they cut slices. She brought a big knife over and sternly demanded, "What you want? Cherria, chocolata, or cheesa?" A dark haired pleasant Italian looked at me and said , "Donta worry, she's known all over for her rudeness, but the food is delicious!" And he was right. Besides, the lady did give me a tiny smile when she handed me my slice of ricotta/cherry pie.
And then off to the Sheva cafe for coffee where we sat for a long time and observed the bustling activity of the locals. You can see this if you go to these areas early!
We left there and went walking through the streets poking our heads into any cool, hidden places that looked interesting. I looked across the street and saw a double decker tour bus which was stopped, and went over to inquire. This turned out to be a true highlight. We sat on the upper level and went on a non-stop bus tour around the city. The tour lasted for one hour and was really interesting. The guide pointed out things like the balcony where Mussolini gave speeches from; the residence of the Italian president, and as well pointed out many historical sights that one could not possibly know of outside of a lot of personal study. The bus was called "Sightseeing Tours of Rome" and was well worth 10 euro each!
We then went to a magnificent structure called IL Vittoriano. (If you are interested, please look it up). The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is here and is guarded by two soldiers. On this terrace, we were surprised to see an elevator which took you to the very top where you could view the two large, bronze chariots at either end of the monument. This tour is called Rome From The Sky or Roma Dal Cielo (if you're Italian). This is truly something I'll never forget as you could see a magnicent panorama of the city for only 7 euro each.
We then had lunch (fabulous rigatoni) at "In Roma" on the Real Piazza Della Consolazione. See? Not only are the Italian people beautiful, but their language AND the names of the streets and patios are as as well!
Later...on our way to dinner, we stopped at the E Volpetti on Via Alessandro Volta Street. This is a famous cheese, sausage shop featured on the program called "Two Greedy Italians". It nearly made my eyes pop out, it was so amazing! I would love to have snapped a dozen pictures in there, but you really couldn't because people were in there doing serious shopping ...
We continued on our journey to an area called Trastevere which was highly recommended on Trip Advisor. We loved it! It was full of narrow streets and fascinating shops and restaurants. It was lovely and cool and a little rainy as we walked around this area. We came upon an inviting little restaurant with red and white checkered table cloths and candles burning, called Aristocampo. Outside the restaurant was a sign which read "We Are Against War And The Tourist Menu". (Naturally this caught my attention right away). Again, we had pasta, (more rigatoni) which one can just never get enough of here. We met a Danish couple who were seated at the table beside us (tables seem to be spaced approximately 7 inches apart everywhere). You learn all about your neighbours business, (that is if they revert to the common language of English), because EVERYBODY speaks English - which makes you feel kind of dumb... And Ron, in his usual friendly manner asked ,"So, have you guys ever heard of "Wallander? "They looked at each other in confused silence. I reminded Ron that "Wallander" is actually a Swedish mystery series, not a Danish one. Suddenly our new Danish friend said, "Oh you mean Vallenda!" We smiled, and said "Yes!"
So we thoroughly enjoyed our last full day in Rome. I've been awed by the beauty of this city in all its ancient glory. I'm kind of sorry now that I told Ron to throw only one coin in the Trevi Fountain, since I think I'd love to come back after all.
However, now Ron and I look forward to our next adventure in Naples. We are on the train tomorrow, and may get in a little of Naples before evening...we'll keep you posted!
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