Another flight, another city…

Off to Rome yesterday!

Not gonna lie, too many late nights and early mornings (plus many miles walked in between) and I fell into the AirBnB bed pretty hard upon arrival. So it was up to The Husband and The Boy to get the lay of the land, including the inaugural gelato.

Fortified by a few hours sleep, The Girl and I joined them for a bit more exploring and some pasta and pizza.And some more gelato.

This morning we all slept in, so by the time we headed out for one of my famous walking tours (aka “I downloaded a map and it’s free so stop complaining”), we needed some kid calories.

Funny story – The Boy has a peanut allergy. (Well actually, that’s not all that funny.) We assured him over and over that in Italy his only concerns would be hazelnuts and pine nuts – nobody here eats peanuts. So we stopped at a hole in the wall cafe and ordered pizza. As with most such places, it’s family-run, and one guy takes orders, makes coffee, takes money, and also prepares the food.

This being Italy, there’s not a whole lot of handwashing in between these activities, but hey, when in Rome, right? That’s what strong immune systems and antibacterial wipes are for.

Until you notice said one-man-band munching on something behind the counter.

Here is The Boy’s face after he realized that the peanut-munching pizza-making proprietor prevented him from partaking:

Don’t feel too bad for him though. We made it up to him with this:

Everybody satiated, we finally started our budget tour. We dodged the rain drops in the Villa Borghese gardens and walked to the Spanish Steps.

After which it was time for gelato on our way to the Trevi Fountain.

Then we snaked our way through cobblestone alleys on our way to the Pantheon and the Piazza Navona.

All that walking called for a break, so we did as the Romans do and watched the world go by over happy hour at a cafe in another piazza.

Rested and ready, it was time for today’s highlight – a food tour!(If you’re going to have your first glass of wine, why not make it an Italian one in an ancient wine cellar that predates Christ?)

We also had cookies with a side of celebrity – a famous Italian actor (so we were told) walked in followed by the mother of an Oscar-winning costume designer. (I think we cared more about her cute dogs.)

Then on to porchetta (pork shoulder) and street-food suppli (fried rice balls) and (oh yes) more pasta:

(Sorry – I ate most of it before I thought to find my camera.)

And to finish? You guessed it!

Goodness gracious I’m full! And goodness gracious I’m enjoying Rome more than I thought I would. It’s chaotic and cobblestoney and disorganized and dirty, but it’s also varied and vibrant.

Speaking of, we’re off to The Vatican tomorrow! I gave The Boy a pass on museums today because tomorrow is the mother lode. Given his hatred of museums, I suspect there may be some bribery required as well. Fortunately there’s a gelato shop on every corner – we should be just fine.