Day 6 - Leaving San Benedetto

Today we got up and had breakfast at the hotel before going to Zia Olga's to pick up Lucia.  Lucia came with us to Acquaviva to see Zia Maria and Zio Antonio.  We were glad she came because no one in Acquaviva speak-y de Engleesh.  When we got to Zia Maria's house, she took us on a search to find Zio Antonio.  He was not in the first bar, nor the second, but we found him sitting on a random bench.  Then we went back to her house and had some snacks.

Zio Antonio chillin'

hotel in San Benedetto

beach!

mama and Zio Antonio

Zia Maria's house

We went to Zia Olga's for some lunch and she made pasta and tortellini and chicken and salad.  Then we took off for Spoleto!

We got to Spoleto and it was hopping.  After settling in the hotel though, it was quieter and we went to dinner.  We had the worst dinner ever.  Dad and I had fettucine and it tasted like butt.

Day 5 - Arriving in San Benedetto

We left Rome in the morning and had our last breakfast on the terrace.  We picked up our rental car in Rome and dad had to brave the Roman streets with a stick shift.  Our cab driver that day had given dad some tips ("Don't look at other cars.  Don't look at people. If a motorcycle falls, go around it and don't stop!")

We did get to San Benedetto though and went to Papillon, the restaurant where we ate with them last time.  There were so many courses of seafood that we had to keep eating.

lunch at Papillon!

Stefania and Giulia had to go to work early so they're not in the picture, and Massimilliano does't like taking pictures so he didn't join

After lunch, Nikki and I went to the beach with Lucia and Massi.  The water is so warm.  That was fun, but Nikki and I got really lost walking back from the beach.  We went to Zia Olga's house that night to have pizza with the whole night. And we got to play with the cute little dig, Bianca.

Day 4 - Last Day in Rome

On our last day, we spent most of the afternoon in the Vatican.  But before that we went to the Campo de' Fiori which is mostly a fruit and flower market.  Nonni and I sat a a cafe where I got coffee zabaione.  SOOOO good.  It actually looked kinda disgusting but it was so yummy.

Campo de' Fiori

Best Mortadella sandwich ever

Coffee Zabaione at Campo de' Fiori

We had a tour at the Vatican at, and our tour guide was a really nice Italian woman.  The museums in the Vatican were very hot but it was fun to see it all again.  The Sistine Chapel was really crowded and we watched the guards yell at people who were taking pictures.

For dinner, we had the best meal we've probably had in our life.  At a restaurant in the Trastevere area of Rome, we went to Hosteria La Botticella.  We got a platter of different pastas like ravioli, gnocchi, spaghetti, etc.  And this area of Rome was so cute.

                                                                 Chef/waitress at the restaurant

Day 3 - Lots of Walking in Roma

On Day 3, we did a lot of stuff.  In the morning we headed out for the Borghese Gardens.  On the way we were able to stop at the Spanish Steps, and do some shopping on Via del Corso.  I bought a lot of stuff so that was fun.  Getting to Villa Borghese was a little difficult because it is much larger than we thought.  There was so much walking, so we just walked through the Gardens to Via Veneto, which was the popular street in Rome in the 1960s.

Near the Spanish Steps

Borghese Gardens

Me!

Shopping on Via del Corso.  Spending the monies

After we got back to the hotel, Nikki and I went shopping on Via del Corso again.  Once we came back, Nonni and I went to the Galleria Doria Pamphili, which is an old home in Rome that is now an art gallery.  They had some cool paintings and it was nice to do something where we weren't asking everyone since it was so hot.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant called Fontana di Venere, near the Trevi Fountain.  The restaurant was almost all tourists, but it was still pretty good and the waiters were very friendly.  We had gelato after and then went to shleep.

                                                                  risotto!

End of Day 2 - Roma!

At the end of Day 2, we had a really good dinner at a place called Old Bear.  It was a weird name and on a really random street, but the food was unbelievably good.  The pasta was so soft but not undercooked.  I got Spaghetti Carbonara and it made such a pleasant sound when I moved it around with my fork.  We finished off the night with a bit of gelato.

yummiest Carbonara ever at Old Bear

!

wine with our name on it

blurry photo of Piazza Navona the night before

Day 1 and 2: Roma!

Yesterday we... ate really good caprese. probably the best tomatoes i've (we'd) ever had in our lives. we also enjoyed some dinner and vino with the bisordis! Our hotel is beautiful, the view from the room overlooks rome and shows off a lot of beautiful buildings. We were all exhausted after the flight, with mom and dad's many reminders of how WONDERFUL their flight in buisness was, while jackie and I suffered broken necks in coach. Its also incredibly hot here, Non and her poor ankles are not loving the heat, but shes toughing it out. I also hope to get my bronze on at some point soon! The shopping is looking pretty promising as well, with the exception of the agressive men selling knockoff purses on every corner. 

Hi!  We are in Rome!   And we were so happy to get here, especially after not sleeping on the flight.  We were all pretty tired but we did some exploring yesterday evening and went to dinner with the Bisordis.  Nikki and I had the best caprese we've ever had, and now we want to get caprese everywhere we go.  W also got gelato last night which was crazy but it was soo good.


This morning we woke up really early and a had a nice breakfast on the terrace of our hotel.  Then we set out for the Trevi Fountain before going to mass at 11. After mass we booked it to go to Le Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini--a type of museum where they show you an ancient excavated old house.  It was neat because they project onto the walls of the hours so that you can see what it would have looked like in the Roman Empire.


We just got home from that, so I imagine we'll go over to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona tonight.


Pictures below are...


St. Ignatius Church
Nikki and Jackie's obligatory trevi fountian pic 
and Jackie chillin' after Le Domus

Packing!

We are packing for Italy.  Mom has asked for the name of this blog 7 times.  She still doesn't know it.  But Nikki and I are sitting here having some witty repartee.  The Mancini sisters are about to do the damn thing.  Italy...prepare.  We come armed with Faja's credit card.

Jackie: "Nikki, this paragraph is stupid."
Nikki: "That's the whole point of a blog."