Day 2 in Rome

I awoke at 5 am with the thought that I must now be acclimated to this time zone. At 6 am I fell back asleep and didn't awake until 11 am, at which time I forced myself to get up. So much for acclimation! After coffee and catching up on journals, we headed out into a warm, sunny day. First to the coffee bar across the street for an ezpresso and a spinach and mozzarella panini, then a hunt for bus #19. It turned out to be more of a trolley, running on electric cables. We got off near the Vatican and headed toward Castel Sant Angelo on the banks of the Tiver River. We explored every room, hall and stairway, looking for a way to the top to see amazing views of the city and the Vatican. Originally built as a mausoleum, it was converted to a papal fortress in the 6th century.

A Rome drinking fountain

Upon leaving, we headed across the Pont Sant Angelo to the Piazza Navona, laid out on the ruins of an arena built in AD 86. It now contains 3 fountains and is surrounded by shops and restaurants. We then headed to the Pantheon, stopping along the way for our 2nd gellato of the day. My first was an ordinary coffee flavor, however this time I remembered it is possible to get two flavors in one scoop. Choices: wine with cream and pure chocolate. Delicious! Tenar had tiramisu and a flavor I can't remember, but will recognize when I see it. That's the one I'll have next time. It turns out we found one of the best places for gelatto without knowing it: Gelaterio del Teatro. The Pantheon was impressive, and the square surrounding it busy, even at night. From the Pantheon we went to Trevi Fountain, again, extremely crowded. From Trevi we went on a hunt for the stop for bus #52. Claudio had marked these stops on the map, but they weren't always precise. Nevertheless, we found it, and again found the correct stop for our apartment. Another reason to be proud of ourselves. After a brief break at home, we headed to a neighborhood restaurant, Cuccia e Bomba. Tenar had spaghetti Carbonara and I had meatballs and wine. We both had tiramisu for dessert. I'm still getting used to Italian menus, so choices weren't imaginative, but so far I like the ravioli we cooked at home the first night better than the food at this restaurant. Sleep didn't come easily tonight. I must work harder to get on this time schedule!