Had the rental car worked out, we’d planned to stay return to Rome this evening, return the car, and stay at a (pre-paid) Courtyard by the airport. Clearly, this move wasn’t needed any longer; indeed, it presented an unneeded logistical challenge. But, not changing hotels wasn’t an option, even if it wasted some of our time in Rome.
With that as background, we started the morning visiting a couple of churches on our way to the Roman Coliseum and Forum. Of these, Santa Maria della Vittoria was especially enjoyable given that it contains Bernini’s swoon-worthy Ecstasy of St. Theresa (with more time a visit to the Villa Borghese would have been a good choice too). As for the more ancient sites in Rome, what can I say? As a former President of the high school Latin club, I always have a “pinch me it’s the Coliseum” kind of feeling. 😉
In the late afternoon, we arranged for a taxi to take us out to Fiumicino. It’s a very small fishing village on the coast. Unfortunately, it doesn’t cater too much to non-Italian tourists. As a result, dining establishments didn’t open until 7 or 8pm… not optimal for an American pre-schooler. But, rather fortunately, a nice man (who spoke little English) at the Ristorante Capogrossi took pity on us, opened the restaurant over an hour early, and served us a wonderful tasting menu, as well as a simple pasta dish for Emerson. Awesome!
