Italy, the Sequel

---

Italy, Day 1

We arrived at the airport around 8:00am. The passport control was lax...the woman was on the phone to a friend and didn't even open our passprts to our photos. She just stamped a page and waved us on without interrupting her conversation.
We found a bus that would take us to edge of the city for 6 euros and then took the subway from there to the area where we stayed last year, near Termini Station. After just a short search, we found a hotel for 50 euros/night. We napped for a few hours, and then dragged our poor jet lagged selves out of the room.

The manager gave us the name of a nearby café with wifi, where we had good cannelloni, a beer, an espresso, and good conversation with the barista (who is Italian, but grew up in Namibia). After that we walked around the Baths of Diocleziano, which once held up to 3000 people. Built in the 4th century, it has been damaged by hordes of Goths, the Catholic Church, and post war architecture, but is still amazing in size and form.

After a quick trip to the grocery store, we are back in our room, ready for bed again

Day 2

We slept well in our very quiet, inexpensive room...had a few energy bars that I baked before we left, walked to the wifi cafe for an Italian breakfast (coffee and sweet roll), and witnessed a great scene between the baristo who didn't want us using the computer at the bar and the owner (?) who brought in chairs for us. Much yelling and taking of the Virgin's name in vain, and we were seated (rather uncomfortably) at the bar.

We next headed out to the bus station to catch a bus to Trastevere, a former working class neighborhood where Connie lived when she was in Rome. We walked around the narrow streets and had lunch at a great Roman style restaurant Connie recommended. Finally, good food in Rome!

We walked up the hill for vast views of Rome and then back across the Tiber to Octavia's Gate, and the Palentine area. We took the subway "home" and are now back at the bar (without the hysterics this time) using the computer. Tomorrow we will go to the Appian Way and back to the Pantheon because we love it...

---

Photos

My favorite place in Rome
Near Octavia's Gate

Comments

[Anne Curtis]

artichokes
Hi Lynn - I had the best artichoke I have ever had in Rome, in a little restauant near the train station. The Italian is something like "carcciofo". Absolutely delicious!

[Carol and Martin McClain]

Rome
What nostalgia for us reading your blog. We were in Rome in'06 and also stayed in a small inexpensive hotel near the Termini (so small that the elevator wouldn't hold Martin and his suitcase at the same time). We visited a lot of the same sites: Trastevere, Pantheon, Baths, etc. Try the small cafe under Via Dei Mille 64 for delicious gelatto crema. They also served us a free limoncello one evening. C.