Come ti chiamo?

Buona Serra!

On our second to last day in Italy, we did a whole lot of exploring and relaxing. We started kind of late because there were no reservations and we figured we needed it. So, we got going around 11, ate breakfast, and then walked to the Forum. While trying to find the entrance, we took some pictures.

When we finally found the entrance, we waited in line for a while. But then, we remembered that we had the Roma Pass. Thankfully, they were able to get us tickets with those super quickly. Yet another amazing save-the-day by Mom! Then, we explored the Roman Forum. It was pretty cool to see that some of the stuff in there was 2500 years old while others were less than 2000. The only thing was that you really had to use your imagination in some spots to see that something used to be a marketplace or temple. Still neat!

A funny experience was when Nick wanted a picture of himself sitting on a column in the forum. Hundreds of people had already taken a similar (or more dangerous) picture just like the one I'm about to show you. But, a security guard came up to mom the photographer and started to yell in Italian. Mom played it cool while Nick ran off, though he may tell a different story... Alas:

We then went to go find lunch. The whole family decided that it must have been one of the busiest to get lunch in the city. After exploring, we ended up at a restaurant that I'd been wanting to try for a while called L'Archetto. We had two pizzas while we were there, and they were both delicious. I unfortunately do not have any pictures from this excursion, as the pizzas were gobbled up quickly. After lunch, we took a quick siesta before going to another Roman site, marked in the "optional, but should do" category by Rick Steves.

I forgot to mention this earlier, but on our way to the Forum, dad followed through on a dare. While in Verona, we dared him to go up to a group of girls and ask if they would like a picture with a "real Italian boy." This group of girls was getting their picture taken by their dad (or so it appeared), and so dad went up to them and asked. We are pretty sure they didn't believe the accent, but we still got a chuckle and a funny experience to remember for a lifetime!

That site was Castel St. Angelo, and it was a pretty neat experience. We saw it yesterday and I decided it was something I wanted to do before I left Rome. After all, how often can someone be in Rome? The Alonzi Ragazzi took bus #40 to Castel Saint Angelo and explored the castle. It was pretty neat to see the Papal Apartments and get some good views of Saint Peter's Basillica. Here are some pictures from our adventure:

Here is a view from our way back to the hotel from Ponte St. Angelo:

Oh, you wanted one without people? Okay...

We took one final siesta before going out to get dinner. And, dinner was wonderful. We ate at a place called That's Amore near the Trevi Fountain and really liked it. It was sure and adventure, and the food was amazing. I will start by including the necessary goofy food pics:

But the adventure really started when they came to get our plates. Dad was talking to the guys all in Italiano and the "cleaner man" (not sure what to call his job) was really funny. When dad was trying to take our picture, he was trying to clean. But, he hopped in the picture and we now have a picture with a "real Italian boy." My cultural experience of the day was asking him what his name was: the phrase come ti chiami in Italian. We learned that his name was Samuele, and I even have shaken hands with a real Italian boy now! :)

But wait, there's more! When it came time to get "Il conto," Dad spoke to the "contador" in as much Italian as he could. Here was the conversation:

Waiter: Parla Italiano?

Dad: Poco.

We learned today that poco (Spanish) proved his point. if describing something small. Dad had a lot of fun talking to this guy and even made me ask my question of the day (putting a new meaning on QOTD?). We had a lot of fun, and we learned that his name was Niccolo, letting Nick shake hands with a real Italian boy. Meet Niccolo:

I unfortunately do not have a picture of our gelato to share, as that too got eaten up quickly. But, we ate at Gelateria Valentino and enjoyed that very much. Delicious!

Tomorrow is our last day in Italy, which is bittersweet. It will be good to get back home and see my puppy dog for sure.

I leave you with this:

QOTD: "You may have the universe if I may have Italy." -Guiseppe Verdi

Amy