Roma...

Rome
Rome has been a whirlwind of sightseeing, walking, eating, and more sight seeing. Oh then a gig. Upon arrival, Graeme (out tour manager) Quinn and I headed out into the humid afternoon for coffee. The streets were clogged with cars and shoppers, tourist and business people heading to and from their destinations. You cannot walk too far before running into a fabulous ancient building. Unfortunately the graffiti artists have made their mark too on this great city which is a shame. Ventured out on foot in the intermittent rain to find a special family owned restaurant called Pietro's on Via Del Mario recommended by the hotel supposedly a 20-minute walk. Equipped with several maps of the city we headed south thru the Villa Borgese Park down the Spanish steps, past the Pantheon and towards the river. An hour and a half later we stumbled into the restaurant, which was located on one of those back streets, that rivals even Tokyo's maze of side streets. The food was fantastic and our sever Simone was pure Italia. "Prego Prego"? she said as we entered and repeatedly told us we could have "any thing you want" in her thick accented English. I so wished I spoke the language it is so beautiful. I made yet another vow to learn Italian, French and Spanish so that I can enjoy the romance to these languages in their country. I had a lovely spicy pasta Arbbiata and prosciutto and melon appetizer. The restaurant was small, only seven tables, but they filled up quickly with mostly American tourist whose hotel gave the same recomendation. We walked back to the hotel to burn off the meal. The light rain that accompanied us help keep us cool in the warn summer evening. We passed by the Piazza Navona and it was alive with singers, artists selling there paintings and souvenir shops. Outside cafes lined the edges and it was an absolute slice of Rome's nighttime scene.