At breakfast I spotted Craig and Lea who traveled Sicily with us last year. They were coming off another RS tour and this was to be their 14th. I called Starr and Holger who came down to visit and we set out for a stroll after breakfast. We bought a bus and boat pass for the day which turned out to be a waste of money.
The boat goes along the Tiber with nothing much to see since the flood walls keep the city at bay. This is Castel Sant Angelo. The bus was not much better, being caught in traffic much of the time. No matter, we had no agenda today (except lunch) so spent the time catching up. Finally, we bailed on the bus and headed back to the Ghetto.
We exited the bus on the other side of Teatro di Marcello which was the backdrop for our lunch on Saturday. The theatre pre-dates the Colloseum and the fortress on top of the theatre was built in the Middle Ages. The fortress now holds apartments. Rome recycles!
We lucked into an outdoor table at Vinando which had lobster on the menu. Starr ordered this beautiful salad
and I ordered spaghetti with lobster
with a side dish of Spinaci alla Romana – so delicious I’ve already made it at home – spinach cooked in butter with golden raisins and pine nuts. We all agreed that my lunch had “won” again.
Then it was time for a jet-lag nap and then at 4 our first meeting with the tour group. We were 26 and our guide was Donatto, a 20-year RS veteran. Starr and Holger did their own thing and the group headed off to a family style restaurant Der Pallaro where we had a nice dinner but not to compare with my lunch.
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