Travel info meter is set to 96% Saturday, June 10, Our last full day in Italy started as almost all others with great coffee and a pastry (croissants have been our #1 choice). Returning to the same cafes each morning in every place we’ve been has proved to be a ritual that develops a bond with the locals right away. Everyone is in a good mood and it’s a fresh start to the day.
The shop owners are busy and efficient and they have a good word and a smile for everyone. Usually it’s a family business with the upcoming generations involved. The continuity in the small businesses that we have patronized is so refreshing.
We decided to do the Rick Steves audio (free download) walking tour of Trastevere and headed for Ponte Fabricio, the oldest bridge in Rome, which connects the Jewish Ghetto with Travestere. These free audio tours are available for almost all popular cities in Europe. There’s one for each notable district and they run from 30-60 minutes each.
Despite spending many hours walking Trastevere the first couple of days the tour took us down lanes and into a couple of churches that we would have missed or passed up without his encouragement. Both of these churches were spectacular inside and we appreciated them more than the gigantic cathedrals we had seen in France and other parts of Italy because we were able to get close to the works of art and there were few tourists in sight.
After the tour we grabbed a giant sandwich and a beer and ate on the steps of the fountain in front of the Santa Maria church. Then we headed out to Gelateria Fatamorgana for some of the best gelato in Rome, just a couple of blocks from our place. Being so close we headed back for some rest so we could handle an evening walk and a stop at a great pasta restaurant where we chatted up 3 guys from Wales and then a couple from California that had traveled extensively and passed along some tips .
Our last stop of the night was along the south side of the Tiber catching the lights of Rome and the bridges where the lovers flocked to in the evenings. A romantic end to another great day in Rome. Tomorrow brings us to our last stop, Amsterdam which many people have raved about, it should be fun.
Blue Delivery 