Ciao! My roommate, Margaret, and I have just returned from a very interesting day of visiting most of the Roman tourism hot spots. Complete with our cameras, lack of Italian language or any sense of direction, and fair skin, we looked like tourists to the max. We started off the morning at the Pantheon which was absolutely beautiful! It houses tombs of the very first Italian kings and beautifully painted walls - it was a great place to start off our day. We then made our way to the Fontana di Trevi, or the Trevi Fountain, where we took pictures with men dressed as gladiators and threw our coins in the fountain backwards... just for good luck. The whole nine yards. As we were walking to the Spanish Steps, we noticed a sign for a Basilica and decided to have a look. Turns out it was absolutely beautiful and one of my favorite places I've seen. The Basilica di Ignazio had gorgeous painted ceilings and ornate decorations in every direction. We finally reached the Spanish Steps (we got slightly lost on the way... oops!), a tourist favorite, and it was nice to see but definitely the least exciting place we visited today. We then had a yummy lunch outside at a restaurant called "Misellenea." One of my favorite tidbits about Italian culture is that restaurants always have outside seating which is so nice right now, as the weather is perfect for that. We even had a man come play the accordion next to our table - so cliche, but we thought it was so great. True to the Italian way, our waitor was completely sarcastic and constantly joking with us. Feeling a little bold, Margaret and I both began to joke back with him, and he absolutely loved it. So much so that he served us a free dessert wine called "Fragolino." While it wasn't exactly what I wanted on a warm day after walking all morning, he was so thoughtful to do that for us. He also gave us directions to the Roman Forum which is a marvelous building on a huge square in Rome. Surrounded by beautiful old buildings and two gorgeous chapels, the Roman Forum and the surrounding area was definitely one of the coolest spots I've seen thus far. While my feet are slightly blistered and I'm sure I have a terrible sunburn, Margaret and I had a really great day acting as tourists. We like to joke around and say that we are "locals" and try to blend in as much as possible. Our waitor today asked us where we were from and I responded "the US," and he looked at me with a dumb look and said "Oooh no kidding. I couldn't tell." Guess we don't fit in as much as we thought? Oh well... maybe by the end of this trip we will become Italian, no? Ciao for now!
Corinne
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