Day 21: Roam (Where You Want To) (15/7/09)

La Toretta, our accommodation, offers guided tours of Rome. So today we went in with Kathleen,one of the daughters of our hosts, to see the sights.Roberto, her father, is a retired architect with an interest in archeaology and he had obviously taught her well. The temperature was climbing into the high 30's but off we went. We started with a view of the outside of the Colloseum - which looms large in front of you as you emerge from the Metro, then queued to get into the Palatine, where Kathleen showed us around and explained the various ruins. We moved on the Senate and the old main Roman Street, saw the three Roman Arches; the Forum. Then onto the Pantheon, a breathtaking bit of architecture. We saw the Pope's Gardens from the middle ages and some of the modern buildings, old Piazzas designed by Michaelangelo, and then moved on to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps.We could se St Peter's in the distance but time did not allow us to explore the Vatican area. Kathleen then bid us arrivederci and we took ourselves off to the Colloseum, where we explored the interior for over an hour and marvelled at its size and age. A 45 minute train trip, a 15 minute drive from the station and we were back in Casperia.
La Toretta is also Michelin and Slow Food accredited for meals, and we had booked an evening dinner for one night during our stay. So despite the exertions of the day, that evening we were out on the balcony, overlooking the hills with a three course meal as the sun went down for just the four of us. Each course was delicious made with fresh local produce and washed down with wine. It was a highlight of our gastronomic adventures so far.