Tuesday, 6/14
Today we saw enough Roman ruins to last a life time. The weather is clammy, yet very warm. So as we toured the Colosseum, the Forum, Palatine Hill, the Palatine museum, Nero's home, the home of Agosto, and the Arch of Septimius Severus, we sweat like wild boars! We climbed steep steps, and marveled at marble statues with broken arms, missing fingers, noses, and penises galore. I guess those protrusions are the first pieces to break off over time! After soaking up all of this archaeological and art history, we were exhausted. Time to grab a bit of spinach ricotta pie at the corner store and a nap. We are starting to understand why sleeping in the afternoon is a common activity here, if you walk that much in the morning you need a little shut eye before you make your evening rounds (plus it is doing wonders to help with the jet lag). I put on a skirt, as jeans had proven way too sticky and hot in the morning and we headed out to do some more sight seeing. A quick word on Roman men: I had avoided wearing a skirt thus far and stuck to jeans and cargo pants, since I had heard that Roman men are very aggressive. I'm not sure if this is a rumor from decades past and the modern Roman man is more refined, but I've had nothing but polite smiles from the young men and eye contact and approving nods from the older gentlemen, not one leer, comment, or uncomfortable moment. On the whole, I've found the men to be very polite and kind. Perhaps this is a result of having my lovely husband only a few strides apart from me. So in light of the heat and the charming men, I feel comfortable wearing my summer wardrobe. Another quick word about Roman people in general: I have found them to be friendly, passionate and beautiful. Sometimes they are tan, sometimes not. Many have brown eyes with a golden light behind them, others have airy blue eyes intensified by their olive skin. I have seen as many varieties of Romans as I have seen in Americans at home. Plus this is a very diverse city in terms of tourists. Americans, Germans, Brits, Africans, Indians, and even those visiting from elsewhere in Italy crowd the streets. We have been very aware of pick-pockets and scams, yet the feeling is very safe; la polizia are everywhere. Yet the expectations are so different. We visited the piazza tonight that housed the Pantheon and gathered around the main fountain where young people sipped bottles of beer, a group walked along with open bottles of wine, and the police car nearby watched with awareness but approval of the scene. Walking the streets with your beer, or standing outside the cafe with your cocktail in a non-designated patio area is very common. In addition to wandering the streets to find the Pantheon, we also took the Metro this evening to find the Trevi fountain. It was much larger and more crowded than I had imagined. This evening, we ended up at our favorite pizzeria and grabbed a few slices of tomato zucchini, and mushroom pizza and a bottle of red wine, to go. For about 10 euro, this seems a very affordable option for dinner. Back in the room, we are watching Italian TV with closed captioning on, so we can learn more of the language. It is nearly 11pm, I think gelato is calling!
More ruins.......................................................Fontana di Trevi
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