Our day 3 began with this…
We are enjoying every moment of Rome. It is such a great city. This morning, we visited the Pantheon. What an impressive piece of architecture! It was built in 125 AD. There are several famous Italians buried in this building, including Raphael. We also saw the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which is the only gothic church in Rome. It was absolutely beautiful. 
Our next stop was Campo di Fiori, which is a huge open air market. It was so much fun to wander around this outdoor market. They have everything. Olive oil, vinegars, produce, jewelry, leather, kitchen gadgets and so much more. You also get to sample a lot of food and olive oil here.
Our next stop was Piazza Navona, which turned out to be another of my favorite places in Rome. The Fountain of the Four Rivers is in the middle of this Piazza and all around it are shops and restaurants. Each Piazza has it’s own different feel. We decided to eat lunch here with a view of the fountain. We had yet another incredible meal. An antipasto plate (several different meats, cheeses, olives, mushrooms, fresh basil), a pizza diavola (devil) with spicy salami, and a beautiful salad.
After lunch, we took our shopping purchases back to our apartment and then just walked around exploring. It’s amazing to see modern apartment buildings right next to ancient ruins. In his Italy travel book, Rick Steves has several walks to go on in Rome. He guides you through each one. We did the Dolce Vita Stroll, the Heart of Rome, and part of the Jewish Ghetto. We learned so much using these guides. It’s your own personal tour guide and it’s pretty great.
Dinner tonight was just as amazing as every other meal we’ve had here. We ate in the Trastevere area at a restaurant called Tonnarello. We had meatballs with spinach and roasted potatoes, pasta carbonara (if you’ve never tried carbonara – do it), and bolognese lasagna. 
After dinner, we went to a place that a friend of ours told us about called the BeBop Jazz club. You have to walk down a bunch of stairs into a basement looking area, but then you step back in time. It was seriously like being in the 1940s. The decorations, Dean Martin playing on the televisions before the music started, the autographed pictures on the walls – Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, and many more. We listened to an Italian jazz band for a bit, which also (naturally) included an accordion. 
We ended this day with gelato (today’s flavor was chocolate mint) and the Trevi fountain at night. Tomorrow, we are very excited to see Daniel’s mom (who is here visiting), his Zia Emma and some cousins.
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