Basilica of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli

We landed just before 9 am in Rome and deplaned. After snaking our way through the baggage claim area, we found our driver holding a "Brad Bamford" sign! After seeing the chaos of the taxi waiting area, I was so happy that we booked a private car!

Danielle, our driver, drove us to our apartment. The drive was curvy, fast and no one seemed to obey any kind of traffic law. Nonetheless we arrived and met Elisa who showed us around the apartment.

After quick showers, we ventured out to the grocery store. We bought fragola (strawberries), yogurt, succa (juice), and meat and cheese. We also stopped at a bakery for bread and a market for peaches. It was incredibly hot and so we just went back to our apartment for lunch (and some AC).

After some discussion, we agreed to have a short nap. We all slept for about an hour before reluctantly getting up. It was about 2:30 pm when we reemerged.

We decided to go to the Altere della Patria where we took an elevator to the top to see a panorama of Rome. It was so beautiful! Evan also got to see the Colosseum for the first time as well! He was getting quite sweaty by this point, so we found some shade to sit in for a bit before waking to Trajan's Column.

We checked out the column and surrounding ruins before walking to the Musei Capitolini. Evan got the audio tour, so between him and Brad I was set to learn about Roman art.

Some highlights included: Bust of Medusa, the Capitoline Wolf, Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, and a couple Caravaggios! We spent several hours perusing the entire museum (with several benches along the way).

By this time, it was nearly 7:30, and I was fame (hungry)! So we walked towards Fish Market Travestere and got a table quickly. We ordered fried baby octopus and shrimp, as well as a curry rice with red shrimp and an octopus and potato salad. I also got sparkling wine, and it was truly an Italian meal! We left very full and very tired.

Back at the apartment, Evan showered and watched Netflix while I wrote this entry. I'm hoping we can all sleep through the night!Read more