Monday 17th in Rome

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John was up early and took a walk to Piazza del Popolo then met Peggy for breakfast stop the hotel. Another beautiful day but hot. Perhaps not the blessings of climate change. We made our way south to the Campo dei Fiori and took in all the stands full of fresh vegetables and fish and meat and flowers. A busy place on Monday morning. We continued on to Palazzo Farnese, which is the immense French Embassy and has been for more than 300 years. They do a few tours a week (to see the handiwork of Bernini and Michelangelo and others) but we are not sighed up… We visited Theatre of Marcellus or at least what remains. It must have been quite a place in its day (surprising how much is left after so many stones were take from other landmarks). Then along the river to Tiberina Island in the middle of the Tiber. There sure seems to be a lot of water flowing now (in comparison with the last visit) but no one is mentioning it and it sure looks good rushing around the island. We stopped at Saint Bartolomeo church on the island and lit some candles and prayed for all those friends and family that have passed over the years. The list is growing but the memories are strong. On to Trastevere and the south of the Tiber area. We wandered some and then sat for an early lunch at a place we had heard about on TripAdvisor, Ristorante Cornucopia. The food was good but not great and we had to admit that we still have not had an excellent meal. But it was great to get off our feet and into risotto con scampi and vitello con fughi e porcini. Uber back to the hotel for some rest before going out again. After a nice rest, we walked over to Piazza Navonna where we met our friend Arianna at the hotel Eitch Borromini. She had reserved a space for us at the rooftop bar, which overlooks Piazza Navonna. What a spectacular place to have a drink (or a meal in the church bell tower). As evening fell the sights and sounds enhanced. It even rained a little to lighten the heat. It should be noted that Peggy’s Fitbit read 20,000 steps at the end of the day. This may have contributed to her feeling under the weather and having a fitful sleep.

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