Moving on to Roma

Friday, October 13, 2017:

We were all excited about the possibilities of another wonderful day of travel but at the same time shared a bit of Sandy's sorrow at leaving her cousins and our new friends in Mombaruzzo for a flight to one of the planets greatest spots, the Eternal City, ROME.

Our morning was dedicated to a final few insights into Mombaruzzo.

How do you hang a newer door

in a 700 year old home?

With great expertise as it turns out.

Note the difference in the distance from the wall from the top of the door to its bottom.

How could this door possibly close?

Beats me but it does nicely

The morning view into

Casa Visconti's garden

We did have one official duty on the agenda, a 10:00 a.m. meeting for a photo-op at the Mombaruzzo's Municipio or City Hall.

 On the way to the Municipio,

we entered the

Chiesa di San Antonio Abate

Colorful.

Honoring Mombaruzzo's WWII

dead as we entered the Municipio

Sandy and our AWESOME

Casa Visconti host Dionigi with

some of Mombaruzzo's dignitaries

Cousin Luigi and Sandy

with Mombaruzzo's City Banner

This photo will be in Sunday's Mombaruzzo newspaper.

Mombaruzzo's new City Council

 The new Mayor looks wise to me

 Classic banner

Our duties at the Municipio done, we headed back up the hill to the Casa Visconti.

Chiesa di San Antonio Abate

looked good on the outside too

We had one more sight to see before leaving Mombaruzzo, a visit to the spot where Sandy's grandparent's wedding license says that her Nonno was born.

5 Via San Pietro

A working vieyard/farm to this day

This was the address, it was still a working vineyard/farm.

Sandy trying to take it all in at this

ancestral farm spot

They had goats!

And guard dogs too

Thank goodness that they were chained up for our safety.

One view of the surrounding vineyards

And another

 How old are these wine bottles?

Dionigi and Cousin Luigi

had to stop this car on

the farm's dirt road

The main reason that Dionigi flagged down this motorist was to once again tell someone who Sandy was and why she was visiting Mombaruzzo.

I think that Dionigi has been almost as excited by Sandy's visit as she has been.

Finally it was time to say our goodbyes to Dionigi, Cousin Luigi and Mombaruzzo and start our 90 minute drive to Milan's Linate Airport for our short flight to Rome.

While flying on our Alitalia flight to the Italian capital, I perused the airline's magazine and saw an article on sports fields/courts in crowded European cities.

 This basketball court in

Croatia makes for an

interesting full court game

Spiderman performing at

Rome's Fiumicino Airport

We entered Rome via a comfortable taxi ride to our spacious and well located AirBnB digs, about an easy, flat 15 minute walk to the Vatican.

As the group's tour guide, I opted to take them on a walk to some of Rome's more famous and somewhat nearby tourist attractions.

 Loren enjoying a lemon connolo

on our stroll into

the Vatican City State and beyond

 Loren and Sandy will tour

this museum and St. Peter's Basilica

early Saturday morning

 In St. Peter's Square

Which is actually round in shape.

Just outside of St. Peter's Square

is one of our favorite

Roman noshing spots

 In the Hard Rock Cafe's

clothing store near the Vatican

The Keys to the Kingdom made out of . . .

Hard Rock Cafe pins

Did Pope Francis approve this rendition?

Castel Sant'Angelo

Originally it was commissioned to be built and serve as Roman Emperor Hadrian's Tomb.

Built about 139 A.D., it has since served as a Papal fortress, residence and prison.

Today it is mainly a tourist site.

With the Tiber River at our backs

Same spot for Loren and Sandy

 Another shot of Castel Sant'Angelo

And another one of the Tiber River

Statuary on the bridge over

the Tiber River leading to 

Castel Sant'Angelo

 Lots of statues on this bridge

The view back at Castel Sant'Angelo

as we head to Piazza Navona

 A small fountain on Piazza Navona

Sandy by the famed Bernini

Four Rivers Fountain on Piazza Navona

Bernini's four featured rivers you ask?

The Ganges, Danube, Nile and Rio de La Plata.

Same fountain,

 different side

 And another

Sandy really likes to pose for the camera as it turns out.

After leaving Piazza Navona,

we headed to Campo de Fiori

We were hungry, so Campo de Fiori was a perfect call for some marvelous pasta and pizza at a sidewalk eatery called, appropriately enough, Ristorante Campo de Fiori.

The waiter was hilarious and the food was delicious, what more could we have wanted?

Oh, that's right, we also were in need of a gelato fix so we ambled down a typical Roman street late until we found the Blue Ice Gelateria.

Now our meal was complete!

 Tempting shop on the way to the

Blue Ice Gelateria

Somehow Laurie fought of the desire for a new purse.

For now.

After a busy day of nostalgia, air travel, walking, site seeing and a great meal we opted to hop into a taxi instead of walking back to our apartment.

Good choice.

On Saturday morning, while Loren and Sandy are on a four hour Context Travel tour of the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica, Laurie and I will venture into Rome's exotic, gritty Trastevere neighborhood to blend in with the local populace.

Some day, when I grow up, I want to be me.

Buona note everyone!