Day 7: Ah, Venice!

We were a little behind getting up this morning (my fault), but still managed to make it to the train station in plenty of time. We were going to pop into a McDonalds for breakfast (I did check one out in Florence, but unlike France, the menu wasn’t all that different), but opted instead for a pattiseria (pastry shop). And despite being a little rushed, we still got to the platform before our train did. Though Marsha was so anxious, she almost boarded the wrong one.

Once again the seating arrangements were off kilter, with me a row off again. But at least this time Marsha and Madison were seated together. The only hiccup was trying to get into our seats by maneuvering around one particular family who must’ve had all of their worldly possessions in giant suitcases for which they couldn’t find any room (they eventually succeeded after our first stop in Bologna). Otherwise, the trip was smooth sailing. Lots of tunnels at first, then wide open countryside.

There are actually two stations for Venice (Venezia): one on the mainland (where a surprising number of people disembarked), and one at the top end of the islands. This was the last stop for the line.

We’d decided that as soon as we got there, we’d go ahead and book Madison’s train to the airport. But when we tried to book it on the kiosk, we couldn’t find the airport. So we stopped and asked someone at the transportation booth. She explained that there is no train to Marco Polo airport. Well, that explained that. So we bought “bus tickets” (found out later they meant water bus) instead, which still required some figuring out.

Ah, Venice! As soon as we stepped out of the train station, the views were amazing! Right on the Grand Canal, boats going everywhere. Took a minute to figure out which vaporetto (another water bus) but all it really took was checking a sign. In the movies (like Spider-Man: Far From Home, currently playing at a theatre near you), they always show people going by water taxis (speed boats, for which our hotel has a private dock), but that’s seriously expensive. So we took the vaporetto, which is much cheaper, but took forever because it pulls up to every single stop on the Canal. Gives you a good tour of the city, except for the hordes of people getting on an off and all the shuffling that comes with that.

Our hotel, Hotel Danieli, is amazing! Right on the Grand Canal and right behind our vaporetto stop. It was built in the 1400s (like Rome and Florence, everything here is quite old) and looks like a palace. Which it probably was. I tried to do the check-in speaking Italian, but explaining the extra bed situation (Madison is only staying two out of the three nights) was too much for me. Next time!

Our very nice check-in person led us up to the room and showed us all the amenities. We even had a welcome card, a bottle of wine, and a box of cookies waiting. The room is spectacular and overlooks the Canal. Couldn’t ask for anything better.

By this time, we were getting hungry, so we tried the Terrace restaurant at the hotel, which offers amazing views of the city. They explained that the kitchen was currently closed and all they had was the limited bar menu, so we just ordered some sandwiches. They were rather pricey for a bar menu, but did I mention the view? And the portions were surprisingly huge. Madison’s was the only one small enough to finish. Mine was a giant club sandwich with trianglular pieces arranged to make a well full of french fries. Very creative!

We were going to do a gondola ride afterwards, but Marsha and Madison were just too tired, so they opted to take a well-needed nap. I would’ve done the same, but our friend Michael from London flew in to visit. So we spent a couple hours wandering around and catching up.

Marsha and Madison joined us later, so then we spent several more hours exploring and catching up. Everywhere you turn, there’s another cool street, a little bridge, or intriguing piazza. We saw plenty of Gondoliers paddling their way down the canals, sometimes even singing. Ah, Venice! 

We found we all kept taking pictures of the same things. And every now and then, you reach a dead end that stops at the water. We tried to visit one of the few parks, but found it was under renovation. But as I said, there was plenty to keep our interest. And you just can’t take a bad picture anywhere.

By dinner time, because of our giant lunch, we still weren’t hungry (except for Michael), so we stopped for gelato while Michael grabbed some pizza. We ended up on a bridge crossing the Canal that actually looked fairly new. With the sun down, we marveled at a nearby building with a gondola parked outside and a tiny cafe at the bottom of the bridge. It looked like Disney World. Some passing teenagers saidit looked very “Pirates of the Caribbean,” which was exactly right. Except it was REAL.

Ciao!

Day 6: Sometimes It Really is the Climb

Happy Independence Day, America!

Today was an absolute topsy-turvy day in Florence, where we completely threw our schedule out the window. And it turned out to be one of our best so far. We had an 11:00 entry time to visit the Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi), the top museum in Florence. Last night, however, Marsha and Madison both inquired about just skipping it, even though we’d already paid for tickets. Truth be told, the heat and the pace (especially the heat), was really getting to us. The time difference wasn’t helping, either. Particularly for Madison, who’s another three hours off from us.

So, when my alarm went off this morning, I didn’t have the heart to wake them up. So, I just shut it off and went back to sleep. By the time I woke again, it was already 11:30. And after 12:30 before either of them stirred. I didn’t feel sorry one bit for missing our entry.

It was around 2:30 before we finally left the room and just what the doctor ordered. We felt great! It was still hot out, but with Florence’s narrow streets we managed to stay in the shade, plus it was fairly breezy today. We found a great little cafe for lunch (Casa del Vin Santo) where we stopped for pizza, which was terrific. By then it was way too late to even try the Uffizi (assuming they would let us in) and still a little early for our tickets to the Duomo, so we just strolled around a bit.

We chanced upon a Disney Store, so of course we had to stop. On the surface, it looked a lot like ones we have in the US, but the artwork all had an Italian flavor (the Fab Five as historic Italian figures). Our favorite part was listening to the Disney songs in Italian.

It was finally time for our entry to the Duomo. There was a long line to enter the Cathedral (which is free), and a shorter, timed entry (every 30 minutes) to climb the dome (not free). At 4:30 they opened the doors again and let us in. We got a brief glimpse of the Cathedral before we went through a doorway and started our way upstairs. The first staircase (notice I said “first”) was the usual kind: rectangular steps up to a landing, then another flight, another landing, and so on. There were just an awful LOT of them (463 in total, which we didn’t know at the time). We finally got winded and had to stop. But whe we continued, we found we were only one landing from a room with several statues.

The first stop was inside the Dome, on a tiny walkway that went all the way around and overlooked the Cathedral. Then we went through a tiny door and the climb got more and more challenging the higher we went: tight, narrow staircases made of stone (only designed for maintenance workers), circular staircases that are so long and tight you get dizzy reaching the top. And the real challenge is that unless you’ve done it before, there’s just no way to know how far you have left to climb.

The final section was the most challenging. Very tight corridors with narrow staircases that you also have to share with people coming down. At times we’d reach a bunching up point where several of us would have to squeeze off to the side to let others go down before we could go up. Plus, it was so hot and stuffy, we were gasping and sweating like crazy. Thank goodness we’d gotten some water before going in.

When we reached what I hoped was the final landing, Marsha and Madison were just about ready to give up. But we’d come that far already, so I wasn’t about to. But then when I turned the corner to climb the (Dear God, please!) last staircase, I actually exclaimed out loud, “Oh, crap!” I think a lot of people had the exact same reaction.

The steps went up the outside curve of the dome, so when I looked it, it appeared as though the old lady ahead of me was actually laying down as she climbed. I desperately needed fresh air (asthmatic), so I charged ahead. And much to my relief, when I reached the top, there was just one more narrow staircase before we reached the outside.

Oh, my Lord, it was glorious! Not only was there fresh air and a cool breeze, but you could see all of Florence in every direction! Just breathtaking! We could see the train station, hilltop fortresses, and the beauty of Florence for miles. Absolutely incredible! The only catch was that the floor was made of marble, which felt very slippery. Between that and the wind, we were extra careful getting close to the edge, even with the iron railing.

The climb back down was also challenging, but with the added difference that this time we had some idea of where we were. And gravity working in our favor. We passed one old lady who stopped halfway on the narrow, circular staircase, clinging for dear life. For all I know, she may still be there.

When we reached the bottom, we got another brief glimpse of the Cathedral, which appeared to be closed for the day. By that point, though, we’d definitely seen enough.

Afterwards, we grabbed some iced cappuccino before heading over to the Uffizi, with the hopes they’d still let us in. It was only an hour before closing, so we felt that wouldn’t be a problem and we were right. And let me tell you, that was the way to see the Uffizi! We practically had the whole place to ourselves and the temperature inside was great. First thing we had to do was climb stairs to the top floor, but then we were free to rush through Ferris Bueller-style.

Marsha wanted to see Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, which was amazing. We saw lots of statues and paintings by Da Vinci (much bigger than the Mona Lisa) and Michelangelo. Marsha and I both marveled (again) at his technique that makes his paintings seem three-dimensional. And this time we could see it up close (as opposed to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel).

After we rushed through the remaining floors (the museum was closing), we managed to get to the Ponte Vecchio before the shops (mostly jewelry) closed. It was really cool getting to see it in all its glory.

Our last stop for the night was dinner. We’d seen several outdoor cafes at the Piazza della Signoria (which I previously misidentified as Piazza Vecchio, because I confused it with Palazzo Vecchio), so that was an easy choice. We loved the misters built into the railings, so from s distance it looks like people are smoking like crazy.

We had dinner at Ristorante Orcagna, which was pretty good. But the best part was the location. It’s our favorite Piazza in Florence, there was a good breeze, and musicians playing. Couldn’t have asked for a better ending to our time here in Florence.

Tomorrow, it’s back to the train station to head to Venice (Venezia). Have to get up at a decent time, but thankfully, we better know what we’re doing this time and the station is only three blocks away.

Ciao!

Day 5: Arrivederci, Roma. Ciao, Firenze!

Sad to say goodbye to Rome this morning. We managed to get all packed up and actually left the hotel early. Took a cab to Roma Termini Stazione and then tried to figure out what we were doing amid the giant mass of people. We don’t have much experience in rail travel (that’s about to change); just riding the Eurostar from London to Paris. We found our train on the departure board easily enough, but learned that they don’t post the track until about 15-20 minutes before leaving. I bought these tickets months ago and was surprised to find that Marsha and Madison were on one row across from each other, but I was in the row behind them. Next trip I'll pay more attention to seating. It’s a learning experience.

The train ride to Florence (Firenze in Italian) was awesome. Perfectly smooth and fast. We cruised at 200 kmh for a bit, then got up to 250 (155 mph). The Italian countryside was just beautiful. I was fascinated by all farmland (again, more hay in giant rolls). But most especially all the old towns perched on hilltops. Some of which looked like fortresses.

The one thing that didn’t quite work out was eating. Originally, I’d planned to get something around the train station, but we didn’t have enough time. We could’ve gotten something on the train, but didn’t really figure that out until we were almost to Florence.

Fortunately, the ride was only 90 minutes, so it was only 1:15 when we arrived. Even better was that our hotel (Sina Villa Medici) was only three blocks away. And in case you’re wondering, it’s still ridiculously hot.

We got checked in just fine and, of course, or room wasn’t yet ready. So we checked our bags and hit the streets. We had just over an hour before our timed entry (and skipping the line) to the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David. So we stopped by the food court in the Mercato Centrale and grabbed a panino (in Italian, panini is plural). The food and selections were great, but they could really use some AC.

Suffice it to say, it was “unpleasantly warm” in the Accademia. They even gave out paper fans. Some rooms had AC and were, thankfully, a little cooler. Otherwise, seeing Michelangelo’s David was impressive. That is one huge statue. And it’s the centerpiece of the museum.

There were also many rooms with triptychs. There was another room that was full of statues, but it was roped off for some reason. Fortunately, we were still able to get a glimpse.

The final room we visited (for which we had to backtrack all the way to the entrance) contained musical instruments from a once larger private collection. It even contained two Stradivarius violins, which was pretty impressive.

Afterwards, we popped by a nearby bookstore where I was very excited to pick up the last two Mortina books (Ghoulia in the US), the final of which was just released. I’ve been reading them as part of my Italian studies and was happy to conduct my purchase mostly in Italian.

We also stopped at a little shop for drinks, where I spotted some Coke cans with another of my favorite pop stars, Annalisa. I’ve learned quite a few words listening to her songs.

Then we went back to the hotel to relax and cool down. We decided to check out the TV and found a channel that shows movies in English with Italian subtitles. We got hooked on Gambit (1966), starring a very young Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine.

For dinner we went to La Spada, which was great and had excellent service. And it was nearly our first meal where we didn’t have pasta or pizza (though Marsha did have lasagna). I was able to order the whole meal in Italian, with much encouragement from our waiter. He even chastised me later (and deservedly so) when I asked him something in English.

Afterwards, we walked down to the river (one of Marsh’s favorite pastimes) to stroll into the city. This is when I started to succumb to Florence’s charms. We crossed the Ponte Vecchio, which is famous for having shops on the bridge. Sadly, all of the shops were closed, but we’re heading back that way tomorrow.

Next we moved on to Piazza della Signoria, which completely won me over. This was much more grand, with columned buildings and a large assortment of statues. The originals of which we’d just seen earlier in the Accademia! Chief of which wasMichelangelo’s David, which used to stand outside, but was moved indoors years ago to prevent wear and tear.



From there we moved on to the Duomo, which we’re also seeing tomorrow. Naturally, it was closed at that hour, but there were no crowds and it was an excellent opportunity to see it up close beforehand. First of all, it’s much larger than any of us expected. I mean really huge. Then after you take in the enormity of it, you start to notice the level of detail, which is just incredible.

Our final stop for the night was a gelato shop onthe way back to the hotel. Once again, perfect way to end the evening. The weather report for tomorrow says 40% chance ofrain in the afternoon. Here’s hoping!

Day 4: The Pope and Anthony Bourdain

For our final full day in Rome, we decided to play it a little smarter. Instead of walking back to the Vatican again, we took a cab so we’d be on time and refreshed. Fortunately, we’d pre-purchased our tickets online and got to go right into the Vatican Museums.

As soon as we walked into the Visitor’s Center, we were greeted with the thing we most wanted to experience: air conditioning! Such a blessed relief from the rising heat outside! But after we grabbed a quick bite in the cafeteria and started on our tour, we noticed it getting gradually... warmer. Because when we got to the main part of the museum, the doors were wide open.

Our first stop was the Egyptian section, which was both fascinating and sweltering. They had two actual mummies and a ton of Egyptian artifacts. I’ll try not to go on and on about the heat, but we’re really hoping that the museums in Florence have AC. And that we skipped through some sections because they were just too hot and crowded (tour groups).

Our next major section, and probably my favorite, was an enormous collection of marble statues. The first collection were marble copies of Greek originals. I’m always amazed at how the sculptors are able to smooth the marble and not have a single chisel mark.

Eventually we made it into another hall full of Roman originals. This was definitely my favorite. On so many, the garments looked light and flowing. If the sculpture were to turn just a bit, you’d expect the material to flow with them. I’m also impressed by all the tiny details. And wonder how they were actually carved from stone.

From there we went to the tapestry gallery (where we had to quote Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Very impressive, but hard to appreciate because it was so crowded. We had to keep moving along with the flow of tour groups. I realizedthat yesterday, we were the tour group, but we spent most of our time away from the general public. Which was the whole point of our tour.

My other favorite room was the Map Gallery, and not just because it was cool and had a good breeze. One of the earlier Popes had commissioned a series of maps of the entirety of Italy. The maps were awesome and reminded me of Tolkein’s maps in Lord of the Rings.

After passing through an incredible room dedicated to the Virgin Mary, we moved on to the Borgia apartments. Was hoping that these were like the Napoleon apartments in the Louvre, but nope. They’d long been stripped of their history and just used as galleries. Though we did get to see a rare Van Gogh and a couple of Dali paintings.

Next up was the Sistine Chapel, the high point of a visit to the Museum. It was extremely crowded, with a steady flow of people coming in, not all of them obeying the rule to be quiet. It was difficult to stand in one spot to take it all in, but let me say it was absolutely breathtaking. They won’t let you take photos inside, so I snapped a photo of a photo on our way out. We were really glad we’d seen the show the other night, but were completely unprepared for how dimensional the real thing was. Due to Michelangelo’s use of shading, it looked like the figures were stepping out of the ceiling. Just incredible.

After a brief respite in the cafeteria, we left the museums and went around the block to see St. Peter’s Bassilica. We were immediately taken aback by the courtyard, which was easily the largest we’d seen in Rome. But that was nothing compared to the Bassilica itself.

All three of us were just astonished at the enormity of it all. It seems bigger than both Notre Dame and Westminster Abbey, but I wonder if that’s because the other two are more divided, whereas St. Peter’s is more open.

There was a mass going on while we were there,which made me wonder how our minister would like to have tourists wandering through during the service. They kept that section roped off and well-guarded, which made sense. We also saw that they’re more strict about the dress code than the Pantheon. We saw several women with large scarves wrapped around their shoulders and waists. Which was why none of us wore shorts today.

Our incident at dinner last night had been nibbling at my conscience. Yes, the woman was aggressive, but I could have given her something (assuming that’s what she wanted). So I made sure to offer handouts to a few of the people begging outside of St. Peter’s. I wonder sometimes if they’re truly in need, but that’s not for me to decide.

Finally, it was time to make the trek to Trastevere and dinner. It’s one of the oldest (and more popular) sections in Rome. It had been on our schedule for Sunday, but we’d obviously nixed those plans. We’d also wanted to visit the Mouth of Truth (made famous in Roman Holiday), but it was already closed. We made it to dinner a little early, so we took a few minutes to explore while we waited for them to open.

Dinner was Marsha’s top request, so I had to shuffle some things around to book it (they’re closed on Sundays during the summer). The restaurant is Roma Sparita, and they’re famous for their cacio e pepe, which they serve in a bowl made of cheese. They’re even more famous for being featured in an episode of No Reservations (2:26 in) back in 2010, in which Anthony Bourdain declared the dish so good, he refused to name the restaurant. Ever since, people have been flocking there (hint: people figured it out) to eat it. Which was just what he feared.

And yes, it was excellent. Our waiter, who was fantastic, also talked us into appetizers of prosciutto and fresh mozzarella, and fried zucchini blossoms, which we’ve seen on Food Network a lot. The former was excellent, the latter was interesting. We can now say that we’ve eaten it. I’ve seen some reviews that say they’re not always friendly to tourists, but that was not our case at all. As I said, our waiter was fantastic! Best service we’ve had in Rome. The one thing I thought was odd was when they brought my dish (Amatriciana) out first and left Marsha and Madison waiting. But then they brought out like eight dishes of cacio e pepe at once and distributed them to various tables.

What was endlessly fascinating, though, was the hostess. We were seated outside right at the entrance, so we got to watch her the whole time. And we could never figure out her system. People would walk up and if they didn’t have a reservation, she’d shake her head and flip through her notepad. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Some she’d turn away, saying they were booked until 10. But for others, she’d relent and say, “You can sit over there.” She turned away an English couple who couldn’t be out after 10 (when their hostel locked the doors), but then seated the next couple that walked up. It was like watching a skit on SNL.

Update: After reading some reviews on Yelp and mulling this over, I've stumbled upon a theory that makes sense. I wish my memory was better so that I could verify, but I think this is correct. Whether or not walk-ups got a table depended on how they were dressed. I do remember one couple that got a table was well-dressed. And the British couple above were wearing shorts and backpacks. Thankfully, we had a reservation, but I'm still glad we'd dressed up that day for our visit to the Vatican.

Afterwards, we took a final stroll through our favorite Piazza (Navona), where we stopped for some gelato (our first for the trip). Then we made the long, uphill trek (Rome is very hilly) back to the hotel. Passed by Trevi Fountain one last time, too, which was still just as crowded.

Tomorrow we take the train (the first of several this trip) to Florence, which means at least two hours of AC! Sad to say goodbye to Rome, though. We all agreed, it ranks right up there with Paris in terms of beautiful cities. I could definitely come back for an extended trip in the future. Just when it’s cooler.

My final impressions: you can get by in Rome just fine not speaking a word of Italian. Everyone defaults to English for the tourists. And we absolutely love the water fountains! Don’t know how we would have survived without them!

Ciao!

Day 3: Are You Not Entertained?

Today we did battle at the Colosseum (the heat) and came out victorious. Weakened, but we survived. They say (well, Epcot does), that you can thank the Phoenicians for the alphabet. But right now we’re more thankful for the Romans and their acqueducts. And in turn the water fountains all over the city.

To start the day, Marsha wanted an American breakfast. We found a few places searching online, but none of them were near the Colosseum. We finally located a place that was really cute (covered in ivy) and had great reviews. And best of all, it was about two blocks away.

Upon arrival though, it was really, really small and didn’t look like it had enough seating. However, there was another little place called La Licata that was right down the street. Their “American Breakfast” was a little off (included lettuce salad), but their pancakes were great and fresh squeezed orange juice even better. We finished up in plenty of time to walk around the Colosseum a bit, snap some pictures, and then sit in the shade while we waited for our tour.

After we got signed in, given our stickers and headphones, we were introduced to our terrific guide. She hailed from Japan, but had lived in Italy for over two decades, and from my count, spoke at least three languages.

Side note: We ended up going with Crown Tours, which I think is fairly new. I’d originally tried to get the official guided tour that included the arena and underground, but it sold out right away. After looking at the other official tickets (audio tour, limited access), we opted to go with a tour group. And boy are we glad we did. The Colosseum has a maximum capacity of 3000 people, and tour groups are given first priority. Even if you have a set entry time, you could be waiting forever (in the hot sun) to get in.

Our first stop was outside the Colosseum where she explained that it was in use for about 500 years. Half of it was destroyed in an earthquake, and much of the marble was re-used to build the Vatican.

NOTE: Sorry for the image rotation issue. I'm working on that.

From there we went into the Gladiator’s gate that led straight to the arena floor. The original floor is long gone, but they’ve reconstructed a portion of it. Here you can see where the ruling class sat, the commoners in the upper tiers, and a view of the underground. She also explained that Gladiator is only about half right. It was more akin to Broadway with producers who put on the shows. Many involved parades of exotic animals (elephants, giraffes, crocodiles), and the gladiator games were both with mercy and without. Only 10% of the shows were without, and the men killed were typically condemned prisoners. And since only one of each pair died, the actual death rate was only 5%. Brutal, just not overwhelmingly so.

Next we went into the underground, which was the part I really wanted to see. It was smaller than expected (hence the limited access), but still cool. They had a reconstruction of a lift that was used to raise gladiators and animals to the stage. Of which there about 80, all hand-cranked by slaves. While the underground was well lit for us (sunlight), in its day it was dark and lit by torches. Almost everybody (animals included), waited their turn under the stage. Except for the big stars who came in through the Gladiator’s Gate.

After our tour, we were given some time to wander the upper tiers (and refill our water bottles) before heading out to meet our next tour guide. He took us over to the Roman Forum (seat of government) and Palatine Hill (where the ruling class lived). This was a large area and extremely fascinating. Like the Colosseum, much of the marble had been stripped and use for construction elsewhere (like the Vatican). He also showed us a photo from around 1920 where most of what we sawwas still buried a good 20 feet underground, prior to excavation. The ground in the photo below was once even with the top of the steps.

But what was most fascinating to me was that we got to stroll the actual streets once walked by Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and other historic figures. Today we think of them more as fictitious characters, but this is where they really lived anddied.

Speaking of which, Julius Caesar wasn’t actually assassinated in the Roman Forum, but at a smaller building nearby. But he was publicly cremated in the Forum. What’s more, his nephew and successor, Octavian, spent the next several years bumping off the folks who’d killed his uncle. The first Godfather?

After the second tour, we found a good shady spot with a breeze and cooled down for a bit. Eventually we worked up enough energy to climb the stairs up to the top of Palatine Hill. From there the views were just incredible: of the Forum, the Colosseum, and the “Wedding Cake” nearby.

By this time we were getting tired (and tired of sweating), so we decided to take a chance and see if the restaurant where we had dinner reservations would let us in an hour early. On our way out, we passed the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument, aka the Altare della Patria, aka “The Wedding Cake.” It was built to honor Victor Emmanuel II, thefirst king of a united Italy. Until 1871, Italy was actually a collection of city states, which had a long history of being conquered by other countries.

As soon as wegot to Luciano Cucina Italiana, I knew it wouldn’tbe a problem. They had plenty of seating. They’re known for their Carbonara, which is highlighted on the menu and served with a gold fork. Marsha wasn’t crazy about her dish (fries meatballs), but Madison and I loved ours. Naturally, I had the Carbonara. Which was excellent!

We ate dinner outside in the piazza, and had a glass barrier around us. I say that because we’ve noticed that in Rome the street hustlers and beggars are far more aggressive here (most of whichdo not appear to be from Italy). We had a guy come right up to our table last night and shout “Hey!” when I didn’t immediately noticed the spinning thing he’d stuck up near my face. They’ll chase you down even after you tell them no and throw their bracelets at you, trying to get you to pick them up. Tonight we had an older woman step right up to the glass and start talking to me. I couldn’t quite hear her and tried to tell her so in Italian. Then I tried to tell her I couldn’t understand her. I assumed she wanted money because she had her hand out. But she wasn’t budging. Finally, one of the waiters had to tell her to move on.

Finally, we started the long trek back to the hotel. We found ourselves in Piazza Novona again and just had to stop. It’s even more beautiful at night and has easily become our favorite. Most especially because you don’t have to fight your way through hundreds of people just to see the fountain.

Speaking of which, we ended up going by Trevi Fountain again on our way back. We thought maybe, this being a Monday night, it would be less crowded. Not a chance. It was even MORE crowded. Couldn’t even see the fountain, so we just kept going.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that because the older streets are so narrow and there’s so many pedestrians, you’d easily think they’re pedestrian only. And while some of them are, you’d be dead wrong about the rest. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to get out of the way of cars squeezing their way through. Even down alleys I was convinced were too narrow.

Once we made it back to the room, all three of us were so sweaty we had to shower. Tomorrow we head to the Vatican, which we’re praying is mostly indoors.

Ciao!