It’s our last day, and we start the morning in the most remarkable,
most ordinary way. We start our morning
at “our” neighborhood bar. Mamma greets
us like family, like she greets everyone who walks in. Mandy gets a fresh OJ with her morning
cappuccino. It’s a simple place, a
simple ritual, a simple pleasure. A
smile, a ciao!, a few euros and we’re on our way.
We have a scheduled tour of the Coliseum. Friends who visited recommended a guide
“because otherwise it’s just a pile of rocks”.
It was good advice and we tour with a group of just 12. We were in another ancient coliseum in France
last year (watching a live bullfight!), but this one is 3 or 4 times the
size. Our guide really was great at
pointing out details we would have otherwise missed which gave us better feel
of the lives of the people in the place at times through history.
Our group merges with another and we walk across the street to the
Forum. I had no idea what to expect (I
missed history class that day), but I definitely was not expecting a working
archeological site. I just figured it’s
all been discovered by now. After all,
the city has been in continuous use for thousands of years, so how much of it
could they lose track of? I mean, Philly
has been around since 1682, and we haven’t lost Broad Street, have we? They are building a new subway stop near the
Coliseum “and it’s taking forever. Every
time they dig down another 5 meters, they run into another civilization.” It is estimated that only 30% of Roman ruins
have been uncovered, so it’s still a very exciting place for archeologists and for
us watching their methodical work.
The two tours, along with the last 13 days, have left us happily spent. We head back to Campo Di Fiori, the busy
market square near our hotel, for lunch.
Each of the restaurants lining the square has their own front-man, a
hawker who addresses passersbys trying to earn their business. We’ve gotten good at ignoring them, but one
is especially engaging and funny and draws us in. The food on the tables looks good and they
don’t have the tacky picture menus we have learned to stay away from. We get a front row table to continue watching
the show. The Hawker really knows how to
work people, and does so seamlessly in several languages, approaching couples
and groups with ease and with humor.
Mandy decides he must be my long lost cousin, so at one point I get up
to help him reel in a few more patrons.
Lunch, by the way was delicious.
We wander through Piazza Navona, just strolling to get the most of
our final afternoon. One last gelato,
this one at Le Gelateria Frigidarium, the high-water mark for gelato even in
this town. On a whim, we wander into the
baroque Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone.
At this point, we’re kinda churched-out, but something draws us in. We are stunned. We have seen some spectacular cathedrals in
our travels and even the Sistine Chapel just yesterday. This one is breathtaking, the detail, the
work, the dome, the colors. Simply
incredible. We sit and take it in. Even unplanned, chill days here end up being
a nonstop highlight reel.
Later that evening, we wander back to Piazza Navona for dinner at
La Pace Del Palato. It’s an intimate
place, mom running the front of house and dad cooking in the back. The food is simple. Simple and perfect. Big glasses of the house red beautifully cut
the tangy sauce and sharp cheese. We
stroll the piazza, intentionally slowly, savoring our last night like we did
the wine. We stop for a nightcap at
Cyba, a jazz bar with a cool vibe. The
three piece combo plays instrumentals of old standards, a fitting soundtrack to
our Roman Holiday closing credits.
It’s hard for find the superlatives to describe the experience of
touring Italy. This was Mandy’s first
trip here, so it was great to be able to experience it for the first time –
through her eyes – all over again.
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