Rome, Day 16

This morning Frederico and Gennaro took me to a local restaurant for a big Roman breakfast. We feasted on Cappuccino and Coronattos. Coronattos are the Italian version of croissants – only they are sweetened and filled with things like cream and jam. They are devastatingly delicious, as you can imagine. After breakfast, they dropped me off at the metro, where they helped me buy a metro pass and then watched me leave to go see the sights. They took such good care of me, it almost felt like I was leaving for the first day of school or something!

I spent the day visiting some of the highlights of Rome: Pallatine Hill, the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, and the National Roman Museum. I walked everywhere and had fun immersing myself into the history of Rome. It’s amazing how old everything is and how well preserved the structures are.

View from Palatine Hill:

The Forum:

The Colluseum:

Inside the Colluseum:

Back at Frederico’s house, Genarro and his friend came over and he made us Pasta Carbonara – the sauce is just barely cooked eggs with Italian bacon. Once again a fantastic meal! For dessert we finished the rest of the gelato, but this time topped it with an Italian Espresso liquor. It’s a good thing I spent the day walking!

Tomorrow is a Roman Holiday and I was going to go to the beach. Unfortunately, I think the weather will be a little chilly, so now I may see the Pantheon instead. Frederico’s brother is coming back from vacation tonight so we are going to the airport to pick him up. I’ve been sleeping in his luxurious double bed, so that means I’ll be moving to another room!

I just think over and over how lucky I am at how things turned out. I was almost homeless for the weekend, but instead I am being spoiled!