TRAGEDY DIVERTED
We started out the day with an eight o'clock breakfast call. We were all a bit more chipper than the day before. We had a plan where we would all meet for breakfast, some in their pajamas, and then go back to our rooms to get ready. It was designated that Adam and I would check out the route to the car rental place so the following morning wouldn't come as a major fiasco. I am writing this as it is happening so my next blog entry might differ with this one if calamity ensues.
When I placed the rental car reservation I was told the pick-up place at Rome Termini was in easy walking distance. It wasn't but the walk was interesting so Adam and I persevered. On our previous trips when we rented a car from Avis to get us to Tuscany the Avis rental office was two blocks away from the hotel, but the ravages of covid had closed that office so now we would have to do some new calculating as to how to find the path to the rental counter and then a driving route back to the hotel. Tomorrow will tell how successful we were.
At around eleven in the morning we all gathered again with the intent of heading to the Pantheon as a group. Walking through Rome is always filled with surprises.
Around every corner there is something unexpected and worth a picture or stopping to gawk.
Architecturally the Pantheon is a marvel of engineering. It is also a photogenic celebrity for the architectural crowd.
I had been several times so my focus was on the details but the highlight of going to the Pantheon wasn't the building this time it was the entertainment happening outside.
A group of young men in tails splattered with paint and decorated with medals and patches of accomplishment had formed a circle between the Pantheon and the Fountain of the Pantheon. We weren't sure but we think they were from the Netherlands and they were there to entertain. There are times when fate steps in and brings you an unexpected treat. This serenade was it.
Rick had been doing his research that in this case means watching a lot of TV, especially those programs having to do with food. On the hit list was "Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy". He wrote down every place Stanley went to and it was a goal to hit as least one of them while we were here. Since we were by the Pantheon and the address we had said it was near the Pantheon we selected Armando al Pantheon, a 50-year old institution recommended by food lovers and Stanley. Everyone got out there GPS's and started map questing the restaurant.
Some how we managed to pull up directions on more than one phone that had us circling through streets of inner Rome and finally ending up back at the Spanish Steps with both JoHannah and Emmy nursing blisters and Roby letting us know if we didn't stop for food soon he was going to faint. We bought band-aids for the girls, gave up on our GPS's and hired two cabs to get us to the restaurant.
Fifteen minutes later we found ourselves back at the Pantheon and at the entrance to Armando al Pantheon, literally right next to the Pantheon. We had all wanted a late lunch and this circuitous way of arrival made sure we had a late lunch.
Even though a sign outside the door said, "Fully Booked" they somehow managed to get us a table for six and we were happy, all of us but one. Emmy thought she had left her phone in the taxi. The panic and pain in her eyes had all of us jumping in to help and totally ignoring the waiter who was trying to get us to focus on the menu. Everyone chimed in with a solution and of course none of them were possible. The taxi was long gone and we couldn't call the phone because her phone was on airplane mode to make sure we weren't being charged roaming fees. Tears. No one wants to lose their phone, her whole life was on that phone. Fate once again stepped in and after having emptied her purse and checked all her pockets there was the phone on the floor having slipped off her seat. Now we could enjoy lunch. Wine and aperitifs were ordered immediately
It wasn't on the menu but all of us signed up for Roman artichokes served braised, with the stem intact and the choke taken out, then drizzled with olive oil and lemon.
This was followed by a taste test between yesterday's pici and Armando's spaghetti with pecorino romano cheese and black pepper. For me it was a toss up. It's hard to beat these simple pasta dishes filled with flavor. Don't ask me about the calories.
I topped off my meal with a dish called Maritozzo romano del "Forno Rosciloli" a brioche sweet bread stuffed with vanilla ice cream and topped with chocolate bits. Perfetto
After lunch we all broke ranks. Roby took off on his own, Adam went to bike along the Tiber, Emmy, JoHannah and Rick got in a cab to take them back to the Spanish Steps and shopping and I went walking around. Exhausted once again we all headed back to the hotel to rest and relax before we went on the trail of another meal.
This time nature got in our way. A huge rainstorm pelted the city nonstop. It was a wash out and none of us were wanting to battle Mother Nature.
We settled on the hotel and drank away under the supervision of Alessandro, our man with looks of an Adonis. Both women and men are apt to fall under his spell.
Just take a look and you'll see why and to top it off he gifted us with a bottle of wine before we left.
It's my weakness. I can't leave a meal without something sweet. I debated and debated and finally gave in. I raced down the Via Veneto and found the Gelatist open with an array of amazing flavors. I had the gelatist behind the counter fill a 10 euro box of three flavors and she threw in a stack of mini cones. We gorged in bed on gelato almost cleaning out the entire box and I was very happy.
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