Today was originally supposed to be a bit of a throw away day. With how much we accidentally saw over the course of the first few days, we’d checked off almost everything on our list by the time Tuesday rolled around. With that being said, we agreed to spend the morning sleeping in a bit and getting caught up on all the other little things we needed to get done. Laura often works while traveling, which is what allows her to be able to travel as often as she does. After relaxing until nearly 10, we set off to find food and hit the last few stops on our list.
First on our list was Roscioli Antico Forno for pizza and pastries. This business was just downstairs from the apartment where we’d had our cooking class and came recommended by the chef who taught our class. We each got a slice of pizza and picked a couple pastries to split. The pizza that I chose was topped with red sauce, cheese, and fresh pesto. This was the first not served warm, and I wonder if we were supposed to have asked for it to be heated? Or maybe this kind was noted to be room temperature? It is unclear but was still very tasty regardless. On the pastry side of things I was disappointed, as was Laura. One pastry was made of a sugar cookie dough and filled with “ricotta and cherry” but the ricotta was very firm and crumbly, and the cherries were whole and not cooked, while the other was apple and cinnamon but with an uneven distribution of filling with a slightly over toasted underside. This was the first meal that left us both a little underwhelmed. From there we set off wandering through an area of Rome to the north of the city that we hadn’t been to yet.
We had been told upon our arrival that the Italian government had recently changed and the area we were in held a lot of government buildings. As we walked around, we saw many men dressed to impress in fancy suits and a large number of military and law enforcement stationed about buildings. I must say that much of architecture in the area was quite breathtaking to look at. We stopped a few times along the way for photo opportunities and for a cappuccino or two. We definitely played the tourist role to the max today with our wandering and picture taking. I really wish I had some sort of a fitness tracker today to see just how many steps we took as we traveled. We crossed all the typical sights off the checklist that day: The Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, Campo de’ Fiori and everything in between. Since my time in the city was coming to an end, we spent the day walking and just enjoying each others company, trying to soak up the essence of the city as much as we could.
It is amazing to me how we see cities like Rome as such huge and overwhelming places to explore, but if you take to the streets with comfortable shoes, it is amazing to see just how much ground you can cover in a short time span. What an amazing city, full of rich history, colorful and vibrant foods and smells, thrilling architecture and inspiration around every corner.
Devine Perks 