Rome Two

June 25: Siesta time.  Really, it is time to retreat to the air-conditioned room to escape from the heat. It is 35 degrees C under clear skies outside.  I have no excuse not to write up the blog.  

Today's outing was to the Borghese Villa/Garden, which is really a city park in the northeast quadrant of Rome.  First, we wandered a bit to find breakfast, ending up in a 'nature eat 'place for a slice of quiche, fresh squeezed OJ, and cantaloupe.   To get to the villa/garden, we passed by the Trevi Fountain and the hordes of tourists throwing coins over their shoulders.  The fountain is where water` historically arrived into Rome, from 20 km away.

We walked next to the Spanish Steps and climbed to the top side on a set of side stairs, only to discover that the upper ramps above the main steps were closed for some type of renovation.  I know we did not see the steps properly, but we were not going to walk down again in the heat.  We arrived at a viewpoint overlooking the city and admired the view of red roofs and domes.

I wanted to stop for a coffee and pastry, but we trucked on. We got very warm and settled for ice cold water and a long sit on a bench just inside the park until the sweat dried off our clothes.  We watched a trumpet player set up across from us - a busker who would play his trumpet accompanied with pre-recorded background jazz.

We walked next to the main avenue leading up to the Villa Borghese, now an art gallery, among people riding Segways, pedal-cabs of various sizes,  and other rentable modes of transport.  The park is one of Rome's largest and is a favorite place for locals.  We walked into the Villa, but the gallery was fully booked through Monday.  Reservations are required and must be purchased in advance.

We looped around the park, seeing the entrances to the Zoo, a pond with rowboats and a 'folly,' and a few other museums / galleries.  We worked our way back to the edge of the Hill (Pincio), overlooking Piazza de Popolo, with its Egyptian obelisk and Neptune Fountain.  The square appeared to be set for a music festival with a stage.  A drummer was warming up and blasting the plaza with amplified drum beats.

We walked a bit away from the square and had lunch (including cold beer) in an air-conditioned restaurant.  We walked back to the hotel directly, stopping briefly at a market for some supplies - OJ, beer, and water.

After a long, quiet siesta in our room, we walked uphill (slowly to stay cool) along the Via Nazionale to meet the Osters at an Irish pub.  On the way, Phil popped into a leather shop and bought a new belt and a change purse.  After beers, we followed Dennis and Leslie to a restaurant further uphill that they had enjoyed the previous evening.  The Ristorante da Giovanni is recommended by Rick Steeves so attracts many American tourist but also locals.  We had an amiable waiter who was tickled with our attempts at Italian.  We shared a Caprese salad - really good tomatoes and mozzarella, then Phil had veal scaloppine with mushrooms, peas, and lots of butter, while Betsy had a tasty serving of eggplant parmesan.  The waiter talked us into gelato and fresh strawberries for dessert.  Then it was back down, through mostly quiet streets, to our hotel and bed.