We are having the most wonderful time in Rome! There is so much to see here and so much great food to eat. Today is actually day 3, but I didn’t post yesterday. We began our day by having cappuccinos and croissants from a little coffee shop around the corner from our apartment. Then we hopped on a bus and headed for the Vatican Museum. A really smart thing we did for this trip was pay and make reservations online for as much as possible before we got here. The Vatican Museum is incredibly beautiful and interesting, but I was unprepared for the beauty of the Sistine Chapel. Words fail me. Stunning. Magnificent. Awesome. Those will have to do. I was moved to tears by the beauty. Next, we went to St. Peter’s, which is also breathtaking. 
We saw where St. Peter is believed to be buried as well as Michelangelo’s Pieta, which also moved me to tears.
We decided to climb to the top of the cupola of St. Peter’s. Oh my goodness. You have to climb over 500 stairs to get to the top. They are winding and small. It was a bit much for my claustrophobia, but here’s the view from the top. It was totally worth it. 
We had lunch at a small, off the beaten path place near our apartment. Again, this is the way to go. Places close to the tourist attractions or on main streets are more expensive and not nearly as cool as little mom and pop type places. We had the most delicious pasta e fajoli. It was a lovely pasta, ham and bean dish that was perfect since it rained and was cold that morning. There’s always wine, olive oil and bread at the table as well. Again, the waitress picked what we had. So far, that has not disappointed. 
Next stop was the Fountain of Trevi. This is one of my favorite things in Rome. Partly because I love the movie Roman Holiday, but it’s more than that. I can’t really describe it, but you are just walking through this neighborhood and then you start to hear the water and then you walk around a corner and see this….
It is stunningly beautiful. There are people everywhere throwing coins into the fountain to ensure their return to Italy. We threw our coin in and then sat and enjoyed this beautiful place. If you come here, be careful. There are very “helpful” guys offering to take your picture in front of the fountain, but then they charge you lots of money. Again, thank you Rick Steves for the heads up about that.
The next order of business was some shopping! There are souvenir type shops, open air markets and upscale stores all mixed in together. We had a blast picking out gifts for family, friends and ourselves.
After shopping, we decided to try a Rick Steves recommended restaurant where the locals eat. We called for a reservation, because if you don’t, you can forget eating there. This place was the ultimate Italian experience. It’s called Sora Margherita. It’s in what is called the Jewish Ghetto section of Rome. We walked right past it while looking for it because it literally looks like a hole in the wall. The dining area of this place was about the size of an average bedroom, yet it’s astounding how many people they fit in there. You can forget your personal space in here. We were seated at a table for four and within a couple of minutes, they seated another couple with us. Daniel and I love to meet new people, so this was not a problem for us at all. If you’re not okay with eating with total strangers or making new friends, this might not be the place for you. Our new friends were named Raphael and Gaia. They were wonderful. We had such a great time with them! The Italians want you to sit and eat and take your time. They bring your check when they are good and ready and not a moment before. It’s pretty great. Gaia’s mother was born in Indiana, but Gaia has never been to the United States. She said that her mother told her that Indiana looks like the Wizard of Oz movie. Not sure what that means, but okay. They both had lots of questions about American food. At Sora Margherita, we had fried artichokes. 
They are just delicious. They reminded me a tiny bit of fried okra. We also had agnoletti with cacio and pepe (cheese and pepper). It’s a stuffed pasta with no sauce – just cheese and pepper. It was simple and wonderful. 
We also had spaghetti all Amatriciana. The recipe for that is here if you would like to try it. This is my recipe, but it tasted just like mine. 
Oh, by the way, the menu at Sora Margherita was handwritten on a piece of construction paper. And there were pictures all over the wall of the owner with famous people. Right above our table was a picture of him with Meryl Streep.
After dinner, we walked and walked and walked. My fitbit keeps calling me an overachiever. Make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes when you come to Italy!
We ended the day with gelato. Today’s flavor was pistachio. There are gelaterias on pretty much every street. You should stop and get some every chance you get. Rome is full of rich history, great food and incredible people. It was a pretty great day two!
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