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Saturday, September 20
To go to Sunday Monday or Tuesday
Deb and Mike arrived on the red eye, getting to the apartment earlier than we expected. Fortunately we were just around the corner.
Deb, Mike and Lorri with our street and apartment in the background
Having a snack (pizza?)
All four of us
More Spanish Steps photos
Looking down at the fountain being repaired
Lorri and Mike
Dad, Deb and Mike
Sitting on the Steps
Back at the Piazza del Popolo
A side street on the way home
Lorri with our building in the background
Deb & Mike with St Peter's in the background. They did really well! They hardly seemed jet-lagged at all.
Sunday
Deb and Mike had a morning tour of the Coliseum and the Forum so Lorri and I walked that direction stopping at a couple famous churches along the way.
We had breakfast at this place on the Piazza del Popolo
This is the sculpture at the east side of the P del P with the view area above in the Borghese Gardens in the background
This cute sculpture (it's getting close to Halloween) was in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo on the north side of PdP.
The west side of PdP
Santa Maria Della Vittoria
Bernini's St. Teresa in Ecstasy. (Keep your eyes peeled for more Bernini)
Santa Maria Maggiore
Gold anyone?
Tine for a quick snack before meeting up with Deb and Mike. How about some pizza?
Sunday afternoon, Mike and Jack got to go see A. S. Roma play Cagliari at Olympic Stadium!
Mike with his ticket to the game
We stopped for a beer on our way to our seats and saw "The Genuine Hot-Dog of America"! What the...?
Proof we were there!
The draft beers were only 4 Euros each. OK, they were a little small, but still...
The home team prevailed, 2 - 0.
We can cross this off our bucket list.
The action was fast and furious
The crowd roared!
So that's futbol...
We finally made our way back to our neighborhood and found Lorri and Deb doing the Italian thing - smoking cigarettes and drinking espresso, no, that's wine!
They didn't see us from across the Piazza so we lit up too. Cubanos!
Later, we went out to dinner then found our way back to Ripetta House.
It was a great day
And a great evening but I don't have any photos of it, except this one. Looks like we were having fun!
Monday, September 22
The Testaccio Foodie Tour
One of the highlights of our stay in Rome was the Testaccio Foodie Tour led by this young lady named Emma.
She is from Scotland but spoke perfect English! She speaks Italian too, and Roma, which she told us is a dialect of Italian spoken around Rome. First stop, cornetti and tiramisu.
Next stop was meat and cheese, what a great shop!
That is where I bought my salami
You name it, they had it
Pizza was next on the list
A family run tavola calda (hot table). There are thousands of them in Rome and this one was voted one of the best!
That's me
Keats and Shelley are buried in the "Non-Catholic Cemetery" here
That's K-E-A-T-S!
and Shelley
According to Emma, this "graffiti" appeared virtually overnight, a sure sign of the gentrification of the Testaccio district.
The daily market was impressive.
The Testaccio area is on the east side of the river, across from and a little south of Trastevere.
Cannoli - hand made and stuffed right there!
Delicious!
Artwork at the former slaughterhouse.
Time for lunch
the "v" word means "I told you so"
Excellent pasta
Our tour group
You get two flavors of gelato in your cup but don't pick two flavors that don't go together or you'll get this look, or worse!
Really good gelato
What I like about gelato places in Italy is that if you would like a shot of say, Sambuca, to wash it down, no problem. Check out the back wall.
How much is that pasta in the window?
After the tour we walked across the bridge to Trastavere
This is the interior of Santa Maria (yes another Santa Maria) in Trastavere
One of the oldest churches in Rome. And that's saying something.
Of course it was time for refreshments. Mike ordered a one liter draft beer!
Cheers!
This street performer was hugely entertaining, not very good at anything, but entertaining
He was fun to watch and funny and the kids were mesmerized.
Looked like a good place. We'll try it next trip.
Does that look Italian?
Reminded me of Van Gogh
Me too!
Shot 2.00, Sex on the Beach, 4.50. Sounds like a deal.
Trastavere alley
Later on, Jack and Mike were sent out for dinner food. Here is where we ended up. Having a drink and being photo-bombed.
We did buy stuff, though, and Mike made an excellent home cooked Italian dinner!
Tuesday, September 23
Today, Deb and Mike had their Vatican Tour and Lorri and I toured the Borghese Gallery, home to many of Bernini's best works.
Walking through the Borghese Gardens
Even a pond in a park must have a monumental structure
Follow this road to the Museum!
There it is!
Using our new "selfie stick" outside the gallery
Don't know what a selfie stick is? Stay tuned.
Napoleon's sister, Paolina Borghese Bonaparte, by Antonio Canova.
Bernini's David. I think I like this David better than Michelangelo's. This one isn't such a sissy. He means business.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, born in Napoli 1598, died in Roma 1680. Sculpted stuff from chunks of marble. Amazing.
Apollo and Daphne
Daphne here is turning into a tree to escape Apollo's lecherous clutch, I think. Check the roots coming out of her toes in the top photo and the one below.
One thing about the Borghese is they don't care how many photos you take. I wish I had had a better camera, or perhaps more skill as a photographer. No that can't be it.
Is it me or does Daph seems to be enjoying herself?
Here you can see her hair turning to leaves
The Rape of Proserpina
The guy was only 23 years old when this was completed. By the way, I'm glad there are no three-headed dogs in our neighborhood. Can you imagine the barking?
OK, one more. Aeneas fleeing Troy with dad on his shoulder, kid trailing behind, and a few personal items.
Remember, all this was carved out of marble without even a Dremel!
The great patron of the arts, the late, great, Cardinal Scipione Borghese
A couple more selfies from the Gardens overlooking
Piazza del Popolo with St Peter's in the distance
That evening we walked to the Trevi Fountain and this is what we found.
More renovation work!
So we went out to a nice dinner
My fritto misto di mare. The prawns were sort of like soft-shelled crabs, just eat 'em as is!
Deb, Mike and Lorri
Mike, Deb and dad
Um. OK, I guess this is the Roman Minnie?
And so ends our last evening in Roma.
Arrivaderci!
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