Great day out yesterday fair play. After a relatively relaxing morning buying cheese, olive oil and vinegar we assembled in the hotel bar before returning to our fave restaurant in Roma La Locanda di Pietro for a leisurely lunch for eight people with Jezzer and Clare joining us towards the end. This was a rugby day out, fuelled by the usual free flow of beer, but the highlight of lunch was Lincoln City beating Cardiff City away to go two points clear at the top. Wowsers.
We taxied to Stadio Olimpico where we saw Scotland beating France and then the highlight of the day, a historic win for the Azzuri against an England side who seem to be in free fall. The row of Italian kids sat in front of us went crazy.
It wasn’t a full ground but I’ve seen it a lot emptier. Italian rugby is on the up, Wales resurgent and we can really look forward to the last weekend of the 6 nations where Wales, if they beat Italy with a bonus point, could get level with England on points at the bottom of the table.
We left the others at the restaurant at around eleven thirty and we’re home just before midnight. The others were still at it, just, at ten to one.
A quieter day in prospect. We are thinking open top bus tour.
Today, because it is the sabbath and our hotel lies in the shadow of the Vatican, I propose to have a shave. The last time we were here we were, together with tens of thousand of others assembled in st peter’s square, blessed by the Pope. Don’t think were going to bother this time even though he is a new guy. That one has already been ticked off the list and I’m not collecting popes.
…
Breakfasted and now sat in the lobby contemplating our trip so far. Our hotel is near the Vatican. I think we would opt for somewhere nearer the tourist action although this place is walkable to the hotspots. My feet are a bit sore from walking. No two couples in our party are in the same hotel although some have ended up near to each other purely by coincidence. The Roman traffic is classic. Just like you see in the movies. Sometimes chaotic and yesterday, at a standstill for reasons we could not see.
You sense that Rome lives off tourism. Everything else feels incidental. Advanced booking is essential and a guided tour makes big sense as even those with tickets have long queues to negotiate but the tours have shortcuts.
Not every Roman follows rugby. Some of the taxi drivers we spoke with didn’t even know there was a game on, let alone one with such a historic result. On trips like this I have to listen to a video before posting as the later on in the evening the less coherent I get yet the more likely to post things on the spur of the moment because it felt like a good idea at the time.
We are not in a particular rush this morning though you do have to balance relaxation versus the fact that we have come all this way and we might as well make the most of it.