Day 1 Cont.: Ciao Roma!

Sitting in the room at the lovely B&B (lying in bed more accurately) after a long day that really feels like two. After the plane arrived a few minutes late, I coasted through passport control. An aside - WTF does a girl have to do to get a frigging Italy passport stamp because apparently going through an Italian passport control with a US passport is not enough! 

Anyway, luggage took some time so it was nearly two before I went through customs and found my trusty Rome Cabs driver waiting for me. And thanks to him he provided the first epic memory of the trip. As he was pulling out of the airport, he didnt let this girl cross the street (Pedestrians do NOT get the right of way here - in fact i think there is no such thing as Right of Way here). she gave him a look, then he drove on for about 2 seconds. stopped. backed up. got out of the car, and totally told her off. Holy crap, have I ever mentioned how much I love this place?!??



Anyway, by about 2:30 I was at the B&B, which is on a little square right off a busy thoroughfare a stone's throw from Piazza Navona. Lovely. Thank god for the elevator b/c it's up five flights of a winding staircase :/ Checked the internet, put on some sunscreen, and set out. First off was something to eat, and well, there's only one way to start an italian vacation - gelato!!!! Sought out to Largo Argentina right nearby, to try to find one of the highly recommended places Gelateria Corona. 2 euros got me an absurdly ridiculously delicious dark chocolate and cinnamon combination. Compared to the same flavors I had from Grom a few weeks ago... well, there is no comparison, and it was half the price.

Anyway just started wandering and happened to just stumble across the Pantheon. Rome does that to you - you'll be walking down an alley and then BAM it opens up on to a huge major square. I tried to find this "Citta dell'acqua" near the trevi fountain but could not. So I went straight over to Via Veneto and found the Cappucin Crypt. What a strange place. It was busy as hell and it's just like a bunch of little crypts decorated with arranged monk's bones. That's where the word "cappuccino" comes from, btw.

Went over to Piazza di Spagna and walked DOWN, NOT UP, the million Spanish Steps. Some kind of concert was going on tonight at the bottom and opera singers were there rehearsing. What better atmosphere than to be chilling with thousands of people listening to Italians sing opera.

At 5:30 met the wonderful Stefano with about 10 other people for a free walking tour. He's a licensed guide and took us from the Spanish Steps through a lot of the major central sights. Highly recommend this for anyone coming to Rome. B/c hell it's FREE!

So the tour ended around 7:45 and I went over to La Campana, where I had made a reservation. It's a bustling tiny place close enough to the center to not be out of the way but far enough to not be totally touristy. I had a ridiculously good fresh tonnarelli (think square spaghetti) with artichoke sauce. I always have to remind myself that in italy, al dente is SERIOUSLY al dente. Still delicious though. And so filling. all these people around me were having starters, THEN pasta, THEN main dish, THEN dessert and espresso. I don't understand how. Plus it's expensive. My pasta, plus water and cover was 16 euros. But it was delicious and I can see why the place has a good reputation. Plus it was a bustling fun atmosphere with dressed-up waiters squeezing between tables.

And then I meandered back to my B&B through Piazza Navona on a perfect night so cloudless that the sliver of moon shone bright above Bernini's famous fountains, which are happily back open after I missed out on seeing it last time.

I'm tired and it's late so pictures will come tomorrow. Think I got some good ones though!

Domani, vado in Orvieto!