Spanish Steps and Tiramisu Troubles!

Yesterday, we had a quick grab and go breakfast at the hotel on our way out. I accidentally got milk instead of coffee, but thankfully Ray was kind enough to share his cappuccino with me! We walked over to the Trevi Fountain to try to get a better spot, and were successful! Both of us threw our coins into the fountain with hopes of coming back someday and admired the fountain for a bit.

Next, we headed to the Spanish steps. Last time I was in Rome, the church behind was under scaffolding so it was really cool to see it in its entirety this time!

We wanted a little more coffee and a restroom break so we got cappuccinos at Cafe Cavalietti near there. It was pleasant and a good way to spend some of our morning! 
We had also walked by Villa Medici after the steps and thought that could be an interesting excursion for our day. Unfortunately, we were wrong… there was a weird exhibit and confusion about what was/wasn’t on our ticket. The gardens were pretty cool but not worth the 10 euro entry fee to see. I think if we were to try again it would have to be with a guided tour - but there’s so many other cool places to go instead!

We got lunch at Al Salumaio near the Spanish Steps (back down the hill). Ray got a caprese sandwich and I ordered a Ghiottone (with prosciutto crudo, Crema di Parmigiano, black truffle sauce, and spinach). We also tried a Chinotto, the National Italian soda. It was bittersweet!

We then did some shopping along Via del Corso until we reached Piazza del Popolo, then turned around and shopped the other way on our way back. We were pretty tired but I still wanted to be out and about so we stopped for a quick coffee/coca cola break at Le Grondici cafe. It took a long time to get our drinks and a long time to order, but it was nice to rest our legs for a bit. We went back to the hotel for a bit of a rest!

We went to Ristorante la Nuova Piazzetta near the Forum for dinner and got some house wine, Arabbiata (“angry”) pasta, and Amatriciana pasta. It wasn’t the best and we did leave a review saying so.

For dessert, I wanted gelato and Ray wanted tiramisu so we compromised! I got gelato at Flor Gelato, and we got Ray some tiramisu at a takeaway pasta place. We did try to go to a restaurant with several occupied tables (Civico 4) but were met with a flabbergasted blank stare when we said that was all we wanted. The waiter came back and told us that was impossible unless we also ordered an alcoholic drink, so we left for the other place (Pasta Imperiale) that happily served us. Tiramisu not pictured because it was eaten up quickly…

We headed back for the day after that and started planning for our Tivoli day trip!

Amy