I think because we were extremely fortunate with the
beautiful weather in Sicily, Rome decided to pour buckets of water on our head
and send huge gusts of wind our way for the rest of my sister’s stay.
On Wednesday, she toured the Vatican while I was in class,
and we just made it back to our hotel in time for the rain to begin. We still
did a little exploring that night – Torre Argentina, Pantheon, Piazza Venezia
(basically retracing my first steps in Rome) – but were eventually able to find
shelter in the number one pizza place in Rome, Pizzeria Da Baffeto. We had a
seat right by the HUGE wood-fire oven, so we were able to watch a little of the
magic happen. If you ever choose to visit Rome (or come back to Rome again),
you must find this pizzeria! It’s in an extremely convenient location off a
side street not far from Torre Argentina.
On Thursday I walked to class from our hotel in the pouring
rain, and was almost completely drenched by the time I arrived. I almost
completed the painting I was working on, which I am really enjoying, and then
walked back to the hotel to get my sister and begin her second day of adventure
in Rome. First we visited Piazza Navona, then walked along Via del Corso and
saw the still-under-construction-Trevi-Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the street
with all the high end fashion stores, Piazza di Popolo, and the view from Villa
Borghese. We also went into A LOT of churches. We ended our night at a
restaurant in Piazza di Santa Cecilia called Roma Sparita and ordered their
famous dish called Tagliolini Cacio e Pepe. It was delicious!
Actually, I lied. We ended our night at a Gelateria with
some yummy gelato!
Friday was spent roaming the Colosseum, the Villa Doria Pamphilj,
and the Palazza Doria Pamphilj. We had sandwiches from the Santi Brother’s shop
for lunch that we ate in the park, gelato for a midafternoon snack, and made
dinner in my apartment – baked pasta with red sauce and mozzarella!
On Saturday we explored the Roman Forum and the Palatine in
the morning until about midafternoon (after getting crepes for breakfast of
course), then did some tourist shopping for my sister, spent some time in the early
evening doing homework, and ended my sisters spring break with the amazing food
and experience of Tony’s in the company of Bridget and her friend, and
Paige and her two friends.
Observation of the Week: I am finally learning my way around. Having my sister here reminded me of how I felt when I first got here; very foreign. Now I know my way around certain areas, and don't feel completely lost even if I don't. Also, it was nice to come back to Rome and my apartment - it truly feels like home!
