Dave's Travel Blog

While on a short walk during the morning of our last day in Rome, we spotted an Iranian restaurant a block or so from our hotel.  We decided to visit in the evening for our last meal together and it turned out to be our best food experience we had in Italy.  Chicken fesenjan and basmati rice, great starters, grape leaves and a couple bottles of wine.  Oh, I don’t want to forget the belly dancer for entertainment.  If anyone is close to Piazza Cavour, take the short walk up Via Tacito to Ristorante Iraniano–I believe the address is 53 Via Tacito–it is located in the level below the street.  You can thank me later.

St. Peter's Dome

I am quite certain that I have had my fill of Italy.  Though I seem to say that every time I visit, and almost certainly at the last day of each trip, this time might be it.  I don’t think I can visit the Vatican one more time…or walk the streets between Piazza Navona, Piazza della Rotunda and Piazza di Trevi.  I need a bit of a break from it all….however, if someone wants to buy me a plane ticket….who knows.

We did do the three hour tour of the Vatican today and I spent about 10% of my time listening to the tour and 90% looking for the perfect photo–which, of course, I didn’t find.  Still, as I may have mentioned before, I learned a few things that I didn’t know before and that’s worth the experience.  I am quite certain that I can be a tour guide for some of these tours–The Vatican Scavi tour for sure….so if anyone from Vatican City stumbles upon this blog, give me a ring.

We did do our last big walk across Rome this evening, most of it spent looking through the antique shops on Via di Ripetta.  I did see a small 5 inch square painting of St. Francis that caught my eye–I was told it was a 17th century piece.  However, the 600 Euro price tag was a bit much…but I will be back in Rome in 4 days so you never know….maybe my bargaining skills will be in better form.

I’m off to Istanbul tomorrow and I am trying to get psyche moving in a positive direction.  We are heading out to dinner and I am sure that will help.  An Iranian restaurant in Rome…sounds perfect.  Here are some more photos from today.  More from Istanbul the next three days.  Ciao, Italia!

Early start as we had a three hour tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum.   We followed that with a visits to the Capitoline Museum and the Capuchin Crypt on Via Veneto.  Finished the night with dinner in Piazza Navona.

I have to admit that I have never done this much running around on a vacation and I am not sure how I am going to handle the next final days in Istanbul on my own.

Funny story of the night:  me, Derek, John and Sinjin on our way to Piazza Navona veered onto a small side street of antiques shops.  Something catches my eye in one particular store and as I lean closer to look, my head crashes against the clearest glass windows I have ever seen (or not seen in this case).  I played it cool and thankfully no one in the group saw or heard it (which is surprising since I hit hard enough to break the glass).  However, Derek wasn’t so luck as he did exactly the same thing one minute later…we all saw it and, of course, offered him zero sympathy and countless laughs.  At least I received verification that it was the clearest glass I had ever (not) seen.

Not many good photos from the day but I do have a few:

Fontana del Pantheon at Piazza della Rotunda

After the whirlwind day yesterday–Florence to Naples to Pompeii to Rome, we took it a bit easy.  Slept in late and left the hotel around noon for the Vatican Scavi tour–I think it’s my fifth time on this tour but I discover something new each time–one of the best tours in Rome/Vatican.  Early evening spent on a walk through central Rome with stops at the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.  Some late dinner and we are calling it a night.  Here are some photos from tonight: