Roma!

Via Balilla

On Saturday our cruise ended at Civitavecchia. 😥 We shared a taxi with another couple to get into the city. Unfortuately, the taxi driver charged us both the full fee; I argued with him as I had done my research on what it would cost, but we had no other option. Neither of us had enough euros, so the driver stopped at an ATM which worked for neither of us. Of course it was the weekend, so our bank was not open to find out what was going on. 😫 The only saving grace was that the driver accepted dollars to make up the difference. He dropped the other couple at their hotel by the Vatican, and took us across the city to our flat.

After punching in the code the huge door opens. We entered the row house at street level and descended one flight of stairs to our garden flat. It is tiny but it is just what we need. As I write we are having a quiet evening. Glenn is on his iPad and I am writing my blog while sipping a glass of Castello del Trebbio’s Chianti Superiore. And it is superiore!

Sunday morning we walked to the Termini train station to find out how long of a walk it would be for tomorrow morning - only 15 minutes, and with the added benefit of the discovery of a small grocery store in the station. We bought some breakfast and dinner items which will make life easier. Lunch leftovers will work perfectly for our evening meal. Italians eat dinner no earlier than 7:00 pm, which is not comfortable for us. It turns out that Italians do not serve ridiculous portions, so our leftovers do not cover a second meal very well. Still, we are managing well!

On the way to Termini we walked by the Temple of Minerva Medica, a Roman ruin. What must it have looked like when built?

Note the rounded arches. They are everywhere. Now I understand why the architecture in the early Middle Ages with rounded arches is called Romanesque!

At about 1:00 we walked around the corner to a very nice trattoria which was recommended by our hosts. Glenn had their homemade fettuccine with pesto sauce and a creamy sauce. I had a pizza with porcini mushrooms, cream sauce and mozzarella along with a glass of Syrah. Dessert was a torte which was like a chocolate silk pie except the chocolate was actually Nutella. Delicious!!!

I must admit, however, that I liked yesterday’s lunch much better. We were out exploring and happened upon a tiny trattoria. The proprietor was delightful and thrilled that we had come in. Glenn had chicken with a tomato sauce of some kind, and I had ravioli stuffed with ricotta in a cheese and spinach sauce with a glass of house red wine. Utterly yummy! We enjoyed sharing tiramisu for dessert. It was put together vertically rather than horizontally, and was wonderful.

I have noticed throughout our trip not only balconies everywhere, but trees lining both sides of every street. Well, the Italian houses have their balconies mostly on the back of the house. Everyone must love the climate! The trees, it turns out, are a method of outdoor air conditioning. During the hot months the trees not only provide shade, they hold the cooler air in. The down side is that there are holes in the sidewalks around every tree, so you must watch your step. Actually, you need to watch your step, period. The pavements are frequently broken up, at varying levels, and sometimes just have holes! A bit of a challenge! Did you notice the sidewalk in the photo above? The sidewalks and even streets are often cobbled like that. It is actually easier to walk on than the more modern pavement.

I added a bottle to my collection. Limoncello is an Italian liqueur from the west side of Italy, Naples, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily. It is usually served chilled as an after-dinner digestif. I do not usually drink alcohol on a daily basis, but when in Rome. . .

Tomorrow (Monday) we will catch a high speed train to Napoli (Naples) for our tour of Herculaneum. Preview: Herculaneum is pretty much like its larger and more famous neighbor, Pompeii, but due to the pyroclastic flow from Mt. Vesuvius it is much better preserved. We are excited!

Note: I am running late! The past several days have been utterly exhausting, so I have not had the energy to write. Today (Wednesday) we have a rest day scheduled, so I will be catching up. The past two days have been very exciting!!!