I found Rome built of bricks. I have her clothed her in marble.
– Augustus, Roman emperor
We landed in Rome on Monday and we’ve concluded our second full day. I thought it easiest to do a pictorial and recap the highlights of our trip a day later. We are traveling with our friends Mike and Raissa and their two kids. We met with them the second day. On our first day, we checked into the apartment that Mike found for the first city’s stay. It’s a gorgeous four-bedroom, two-bath apartment in the heart of the city, near Piazza Cavour and the Tiber River. The owner’s cousin’s artwork – from abstract paintings to hand-welded beds (moon and stars, and birds) and nightstand – adorned the apartment, which is already graced with tall ceilings and gleaming hardwood floors.
Our bedroom in our apartment in Roma.
The living room part of the great room, which also includes the dining area.
The dining area of the great room.
Here’s the other bedroom featuring welding work by the owner’s artist cousin. One of the other bedrooms has a loft and another bed below the loft, which is perfect for kids.
The first day we took the kids to Trevi Fountain, where David proposed to me 18 years ago. Thank goodness the fountain was flowing back then, as it is currently under construction. I’ll leave the symbolism of that to your imagination!
Eighteen years later, we return to where David proposed to me. Alas, under construction!
Still gorgeous, still overrun by tourists, Trevi Fountain is still a sight to behold – even under construction.
Eighteen years later, here is what we have to show for our amazing years together – Isabella and Jacob.
We also spent time at the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and Piazza Navona. We ended the evening with dinner at Mama’s, which was recommended by our apartment owner. The food was great, including my sea bass with basil, capers, and tomatoes with crispy potato chips. Of course, we indulged in gelato, not once or twice but thrice!
David and I return to one of our favorite ancient buildings in Roma, and it became Jacob’s favorite attraction of Roma thus far and the best part of his day.
We used Isabella’s selfie stick, which is a hot item being sold at all tourist attractions, by the way, to take this photo of us positioned under the Pantheon’s occulus.
David got a new camera, a Nikon 5500 SLR, and what beautiful, crisp images it takes! This is a detail of a statue from one of the fountains at Piazza Novena, another favorite place that David and I were looking forward to seeing again. It did not disappoint – from the artists to the statues to the charming outdoor restaurants under colorful awnings.
We have a B&W photograph that David took of this statue 18 years ago, which hangs in our bedroom. Nice to revisit it in color.
More statue love from PIazza Novena.
The following day, our friends Mike and Raissa and their two kids arrived. We retraced our steps from our Monday tour. We had more leisurely time to take more pictures, capturing the architecture of the city, and enjoy this part of town. David and I were able to wander around on a photo tour and we had a really nice time in a jewelry shop, but all that is for tomorrow’s entry.
Dinner at Mama’s our first night in Rome – tender sea bass under a bed of homemade thin potato chips.