Steppesister
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
K is for: Killin’ More Time In Rome
The Vatican was all I’d ever hoped for and so much more. It’s definitely on my “I’d-Go-Back-Again” List; my own personal opinion is that it’s done best in small chunks- say 2-3 hours at a time. More than that, and it’s just overwhelming. We hadn’t even touched the gardens either which was also included in our tickets. But the afternoon was marching on, and it was time to head back towards our Airbnb and find some dinner as well.
I took my last photos at the Vatican at 5:00:
and this one, back on the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, at 5:30.
Clearly, we had a better sense of direction headed BACK to our digs. Don’t worry, our victory in successful navigation was short-lived. Things are a bit fuzzy this far out now from this trip, but if memory serves (it does not serve well) I think we stopped back by our apartment to regroup, reload dinner directions, and take care of “business”. Trust me on this (it’s my #1 piece of travel advice- Never, EVER pass up an opportunity to “do business”. We may or may not have even laid down for a short bit.
Regardless, I’d picked a place out for dinner that had gotten loads of great reviews, but more so because it was tucked in a cute little alley and off the beaten path. The weather was so perfect, and I was happy to take any opportunity to dine al fresco!
https://www.lamontecarlo.it/
Our inept navigation skills continued and here are the maps of the route we should have taken:
And the route we actually took: (notice the wrong right turn towards Largo...)
On the bright side, had we not taken a little "detour", we'd not gotten to see the evening light on the Campo di Fiori Market flowers and that was something pretty special!
Asking for directions from locals will get you absolutely nowhere. But I had my heart set on the place I’d chosen, so we kept at it and finally found ourselves here:
La Montecarlo is a cute little café with tons of tables set up for some Romanesque al fresco dining. The weather was perfection, so we sat outside. Naturally.
(I think the waiter assumed Anara was going to drink wine, so I helped her out a bit. That's what moms do.)
We got there, by European standards, on the early side (at 7:15) so the service was a little more personalized and the waiters used the opportunity to practice their English. I used the opportunity to order some wine and we were also talked into ordering a plate of deep-fried goodies. Some were arancini, some were potato balls, others were veggies. All were excellent.
But hugely filling so we each had a couple then saved the others to be taken home for breakfast.
Meanwhile, a very sweet couple of ladies with a beautiful dog were seated next to us and we spent the next 20 minutes or so sipping wine, chatting about dogs and hometowns, and life. It was a moment of human existence perfection. No hurries, the commonality of that shared space with no pretention… just good food, warm air, and conversation. The way meals are meant to be taken.
We placed our orders as the Roman sun set making way for the warm glow of strung lights and laughter with new acquaintances. I got a plate of pasta and Anara ordered a pizza. When they arrived, I was absolutely delighted, Anara was not. It just wasn’t what she’d expected, but she managed to eat a healthy portion anyways, and seemed satisfied. I think maybe she expected the veggies to be different kinds, or chopped up more finely, or red sauce…? No idea. I just remember the look of disappointment and that made me a little sad. I offered to share but if memory serves, she stuck with her pizza.
The restaurant by now was standing room only and there were quite a few folks waiting for seats; the staff had even started setting up more tables deeper into the alleyway, and we knew it was time to take our leave. I asked for the check and the server asked if we’d like our food boxed. Saying, “sure!”, I picked up the plate of fried balls and to my horror realized they, you know, roll. A few, 2? 3? Rolled right onto the ground to which the server shot right back, “They aren’t THAT bad, are they?!” We all about died laughing and I was grateful for the witty comeback to ease my utter embarrassment.
It was such a fun meal despite Anara’s mis-ordering. That will happen when traveling overseas anywhere you go and is something to be expected. Overall, we’d had far more hits than misses!
The way home was much easier to find and before too long we were lounging in bed scrolling on our phones connecting with family and friends and reviewing our photos from the day. We’d made memories that will last a lifetime, and even now, over a year later, I’m so thankful for the chance that Anara got to see such a rich, amazing city. Much, MUCH more was waiting for us the following day with loads more sights to see. Stay tuned….
(Evening, somewhere in Rome.)
Wish me luck!!
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Well... when in Rome? Literally?
