More Roma

Rome, Monday, July 5, 2010

OK. I was wrong in a previous blog. The best gelato in Rome is found at Tre Scalina in the Piazza Navonna. The intensity of the flavor and the creaminess of the chocolate gelato that Madi and I had is beyond description.

After our previously described siestas we walked to the Pantheon. We think Madison was suitably impressed but one never knows for sure with teenagers. We found another geocache to satisfy Lynda’s geocaching jones very near the Pantheon. She insists on geocaching in very public places in the middle of huge crowds of people. I’m still waiting for the moment that we have to try to describe geocaching to an Italian police officer who understands little English. Our next blog may come from a Roma jail.

After a lovely meal near the Pantheon we walked on to Piazza Navonna. What an incredible place to be on Saturday night. It was a beautiful evening and the crowds of people were in a festive mood. Several of the bar/restaurants in the Piazza were televising the World Cup soccer match. We could hear cheering all around us whenever something exciting happened during the game. As always, the Piazza was full of street artists selling their wares or doing on the spot portraits or caricatures as well as street musicians and performers. We reminisced with Madison about having Jil and Jeff’s portraits done many years ago on our first visit to Rome.

Sunday morning we visited the Coliseum. It does not hold as many people as Spartan Stadium but is considerably more impressive. We probably spent 45 minutes walking about the different levels of the stadium taking in the history of the place that one could literally feel. On our way to the forum we found another geocache. Only a sleeping homeless man observed us this time. Lynda is fascinated by the forum. Madi and Tim were less in awe. To them it is was just a bunch of old rocks.

An interesting aside. We have stopped at several churches during the weekend because we love to look at the beauty of the old Roman churches, and happened on several weddings. It appears to be a big deal to have wedding pictures of the bride and groom in front of Rome’s many historic sites.

We mentioned earlier discovering a wonderful local ristorante. We visited it again after leaving the forum and went back to the hotel for naps. Even Tim took a nap this time. The heat is really quite bad; temps in the upper 80’s to near 90.

Sunday evening we took a bus to the Trastavere section of Rome. This is or was the working class area of Rome. Unfortunately, it has been discovered by the tourists and the working class is being slowly forced out. It is an area of mostly pedestrian streets with many little shops and wonderful bars and restaurants. It was again a beautiful evening to be out strolling and soaking up the atmosphere all around us.

This morning we took a combination of subway trains and buses out to the Catacombs that are south of Rome. Tim’s brother and sister-in-law put us onto this site. After a long, hot walk along a section of the original Appian Way, which was a treat in itself that we don’t think Madi appreciated, we finally found the Catacomb we were looking for. We visited the San Callisto Catacomb where St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music was buried. This was all under ground so it was refreshingly cool. Unfortunately, we were never able to find the restaurant that Steve and Debra had recommend that we try. Guess we will have to come back to Rome again. Darn!!

Tomorrow morning Lynda wants to visit the crypt of some Capuchin priest who is evidently the patron saint of cappuccino! Then we fly to London. We are almost hoping to find it cool and raining in London. Not sure if we are ready for fish and chips and mushy peas accompanied by a pint of warm beer.

Madison continues to be a wonderful traveling companion. She is eating pizza at every meal but we really can’t say anything because Tim is having pasta at every meal. There have been few if any complaints from her and for the most part she is finding humor in her grandparents traveling idiosyncrasies. This is certainly a memorable trip for us with her. Hope she feels the same.

Ciao.