June 22 - Just One Evening in Roma

 Paris has been called the City of Light, and I've seen what writers mean. Rome's twilight, especially next to the sycamore-lined Tiber River, has a less formal charm. This river doesn't flow as quickly as the Seine, and it's amazing to me that I will walk along the Seine tomorrow. What a life. How lucky am I?

We had a long walk from the art gallery, past the temporary outdoor theater in Piazza San Cosimato, and down the main Viale Trastavere, over the Garibaldi bridge where we paused to look at the old Jewish Quarter.

I remembered the Rick Steves episode that discussed how this bridge allowed the Jews to cross over and work during the day, but they were required to return home before sundown.

Here is the top of the famous synogogue. We walked through the streets and Miriam remarked how the  palaces (right next to the large trash cans) were incredibly opulent on the inside. 

She pointed to one doorway, and said the owner was a patron of the arts and a wonderful host for events. The doorway was from the 1400's and I tried to imagine the kinds of marble and art inside the home. The lyre decorating the penthouse window suggested the family also loved music.

I was walking too slow. We had a reservation for dinner at 9:00 and needed to keep moving. But, I had to stop when I saw this fountain. Take a close look at the turtles! Someone had a sense of humor hundreds of years ago.

We picked up the pace, crossed over a very touristy part of the Ghetto (I tried so hard not to be a gawking tourist, but it is what it is), and found our destination:  Angelino's, the famous restaurant featured in the 1962 version of the Pink Panther, with Peter Sellers and David Niven.  As we hurried down the streets, people moved aside on the sidewalk and stared at my friend. I started walking with my nose (freckled) in the air and with a little more sway to my steps. Being with Miriam gave me such a burst of confidence. I was starving by the time we arrived at the restaurant.

And the food did not disappoint. They sat us right by the doorway so everyone could see my stunning friend! Black and white pictures of every famous movie star from the 50's and 60's lined the walls. We had pasta and a glass of wine and laughed and talked and laughed and ate. We must have been sisters in another lifetime.

Two years ago, I ordered pasta amatriciana at every Italian restaurant. Tonight, I had a seafood caponata pasta with red sauce, which surprised me. Spicy and light, I ate the whole thing.

Landscape lighting slowly changed the twilight to street light as we walked around the rest of the neighborhood. Taking side streets and alleys, we avoided the tourist street until Miriam wanted to show me another ruin. She posed me on a guard rail and I pretended to be an influencer. So much fun. Well, I guess my Skechers kind of ruined the whole thing.

Views of more ruins, then a building with apartments for sale for only 150K. Beautiful building with no running water, no working sewer, but electricity 24/7.  What a place to write a book! I made the mistake of looking at my phone to see how far we'd walked. 3 miles this afternoon and another 4 tonight. And, we still had to walk back over the bridge to Trastavere. At the river's edge, we stopped and indulged in a gelato and I had my customary pistachio and stracchiatella. The heat meant we had to wolf down the top scoop and yet, it was terrific. As we crossed the Garibaldi, I saw a photo op. I trotted down the riverbank about 25 yards and took this. Can't wait to make a copy of it for my wall at home.

I've been in Rome for 11 hours and taken over 250 photos. Is this one really real?