When in Rome

​I’ve done extremely well with my pursuit of trying every spritz flavor in Italy. The Hugo spritz is currently in the lead.

I have also done very well with trying Roman foods. Caccio e Pepe is my new favorite meal. 

And I don’t drink coffee. Like ever, but give me a granita di caffè alla panna and I’ll be your best friend. Who needs Diet Dr Pepper when you can consume this concoction? 

Keagan has also mastered the art of Roman food. He ordered ox tail in a red tomato and carrot sauce. The waiter had him use gloves and a bib to protect his clothing. He said it was finger licking good and tasted like more.

We started our day at the UNESCO site of Hadrian’s castle where the Roman Emperor built a mausoleum for himself and his family.  It later served as the pope’s residence, a fortress, and now serves as a museum. 

This was a miss for me, but the boys seemed to be intrigued by the engineering and construction of the castle. The view from the top was stunning, though.

We also visited the Pantheon. It was free the last time we were there, but now people queue in long lines to buy tickets at an electronic kiosk. How things change and stay the same!

We walked over to the Trevi Fountain. Keagan said, “What in the world is this?” Come to think of it, I’m not sure I really know besides the fact it is an example of Baroque art and famous. I’m sure it served as a water source at one point. I urged him to toss a coin to ensure a returned trip to The Eternal City, and he said no coins were needed to make sure that happened. 

Then we walked just five more minutes to the Spanish Steps where we filled our water bottles with fresh water.

And then to the guys demise we walked 45 min to Vatican City where we toured the Vatican Museum. I can’t believe people come here and then stand in line to buy tickets. It was hours long - truly. The pictures don’t do the art in this museum justice. 

After hours on our feet, it was time for appertivo. I suggested we head to Piazza Navona to people watch and have a drink. Forty minutes later we arrived. The boys were not happy with more walking, but a couple of drinks later they forgot their sore feet. Keagan was hungry and ordered veal. It was too beautiful to eat!

The Roman plazas are bustling with people and activity, but I love the dark side streets and alleyways of Rome. The hidden boutiques, specialty shops, the flowers in bloom, the gelaterias, and the local trattorias are just so pretty.

The boys refused to walk another 40 min to the apartment, so we stood for 40 min waiting for a bus to take us back to Testaccio. We ended the evening with croissants and maritozzo alla panna.

Both were misses for me. I’ll stick to the gelato. We leave Rome tomorrow morning. I would love another day here, but other places are calling my name. I bet the boys are hoping these other places aren’t requiring 20,000 steps a day.