Tag: Rome

It’s the final day.

We awoke and, while the boys ate breakfast, began to clean and organize before getting dressed to head out on one final excursion. We had some extra euros in cash burning a hole in our pocket and some souvenirs and gifts we still wanted to get for ourselves and others. Also, we had researched some gelato places that were supposed to be really good that we wanted to try.

We left our apartment and made our way up into Trestavere to where the gelato place was. Unfortunately, it was closed until noon, which complicated things. We went to a playground we’d found on a previous day to regroup. After sitting and the boys playing for a few minutes, we decided to start walking around to see if we saw any good shops and to see if any lunch places were open before noon.

There was no luck on the lunch front, but we did find a couple cool little shops with some gift type items that we explored. Meandering through the streets and alleys, we were beginning to get more and more sentimental of leaving, and also more and more hungry. Thankfully, right as it turned noon, we passed a small restaurant with a line outside. I recognized the name, so we decided to wait in line and we got a table.

The restaurant is called Da Enzo al 29 and we sat down outside. It was a traditional restaurant serving traditional Roman food. We ordered a bread and olive oil and a fried artichoke for the table, cacio e pepe for Allison, carbonara for me, and meatballs for the boys. I’m glad we serendipitously came along this restaurant at the right time because the food was delicious and it was one of the best meals we ate at a restaurant in our whole time in Italy. Everything was tasty and high quality, and the service was attentive (finally!).

After lunch, unfortunately we didn’t have time to backtrack to the new gelato place because I had to get back for work. I had a crazy jampacked work day ahead and I even had to take a call as we walked back to our neighborhood and our old standby gelato shop. The boys were glad they got gelato, regardless of where it was from.

Back at the apartment, I went to work for a pretty grueling, yet productive day. Allison took a much needed nap when the boys did and, once they woke up, she started preparing for our departure by cleaning and tidying. We all had to take COVID tests for our return, so Allison helped the boys one by one take theirs. Beren was such a great big brother and said he would go first to show Silas it wasn’t scary. After he did his, he explained to Silas what to expect and that it would be easy. Once Silas took his test, Beren celebrated with him that he did such a good job.

Once dinnertime came, she ran and picked up a few pizzas for the last time from Pizzeria Remo. We ate together during one of my breaks before I went back to work. My day finished at 11 PM and we set to packing and final cleaning. By about half past midnight, we were finally in bed.

The next morning we woke up early and made final preparations. As always, it was remarkable to see the apartment return to it’s pre-us state. At around 8:30 AM we got a text from our driver who was waiting outside. We bit the apartment a fond farewell and walked out through the rain to the car. In our whole time in Italy, it had never rained on us until this last day as we headed to the airport.

Our driver was kind and gracious, and helped us with our bags when we arrived at the airport. Once inside, we were blessed by a very smooth process. I got to hand it to Delta, they allow you to load up all your test results and forms into an app which expedited the check in process and made it seamless. Making it though security was also easy and soon we were in the terminal waiting.

Since the check in process went so well, we had a few hours to spare waiting. We got some food and then the boys played in a little kids area for a while, while Allison and I took turns offloading our final euros in cash in the duty free stores.

Finally, we made our way through a few more checks and to our gate and onto our plane. On the plane we settled in. Originally the flight plan said it would be an 11 hour and 30 minute flight, so we were pleased when they said it would actually only be a little over 10 hours. Hooray!

Everything started off well with us all watching movies and such. I figured a couple hours in the boys would nap, then wake up for a bit, and then nap again before landing. This did not happen and they just stayed up. Beren had to go the bathroom what seemed like every hour. With eight hours down and two left to go, the boys succumbed to sleep. It was about time because they were both getting a little saucy in their tiredness.

All was well until Beren started squirming in his sleep and had to go potty again. He awoke disgruntled and went to the bathroom, but upon his return, wanted all the space to himself and began to throw a tired fit. In his fit, he kicked and hit a tray table with a full cup of coffee on it that splattered all over a sleeping Silas who awoke shrieking. Allison scooped him up and wiped him off to make sure he was ok. Thankfully he was. The coffee was everywhere, but we were able to sop most of it up with some of the spare pillows and blankets we had (sorry airplane crew).

After way too long sitting in uncomfortable chairs watching tiny movie screens with tiny people squirming around us, we landed in Atlanta. We deplaned and went through customs, exhausted.

Allison’s mom had come up and offered to pick us up from the airport and wake up with the boys for a few days while we recovered. My sister joined us for dinner and brought us some Mexican food from our favorite place, which we had been craving. It was so great to see familiar faces again and to talk about the trip and all that had been going on since we’d been gone.

At about 9 PM after giving the boys a bath, we all ended up going to bed. I did the calculation and we had been up for about 22 hours straight. It was a long day after a long trip, but we did it. It was good to be home.

After almost an entire month in Italy, most of it in Rome, I finally went to the Vatican Museums. Unfortunately, it was just me because we underestimated how much the crowds and demand would grow over this month and the only tickets available before we left were for individual tour participants. Since Allison got her day out to visit the Capuchin Crypt last week, today was my turn.

My tour was at 9 AM, so I woke up decently early to make sure I got to my bus, so I could get to the museum, and check in on time. Other than the bus being so crowded that I felt like a sardine pressed up against the side of the can, the journey went without a hitch.

As I mentioned, being a part of a tour was the only way I was able to get a ticket. I was a little conflicted on whether I wanted to be a part of a tour or just go at my own pace, but I quickly realized, without a tour I would have been woefully lost. The Vatican Museums are vast and labyrinthine. The art and artifacts contained in the museums have been accumulated by the Popes over centuries and cover some five miles of corridors.

We began in the Pinecone Courtyard (named for an ancient bronze pinecone statue at one end of it) and learned about the Sistine Chapel. Then we began winding through hallways on our long trip which would culminate in actually viewing the Sistine Chapel. The first few hallways and courtyards we went through contained statuary and busts. Unlike other art museums I’ve been in, it really feels like a lot is just crammed into these corridors. Most of the placards were only in Italian too, which is another reason I was thankful for the tour.

After all the statues and the like, we went down a hall of tapestries. Tapestries, to me, are totally underrated. First of all, they are huge, and second of all, it is remarkable the detail and realism the artists are able to elicit out of the woven fiber. I just have no concept of how you plan and execute something like that. The ceiling of the tapestry hallway was also very cool because it was flat, but painted to look like there were carved three dimensional panels and friezes. They were extraordinarily convincing.

After the tapestries, came the famous Gallery of Maps. Beneath its insanely elaborate ceiling are 40 painted maps of different parts of Italy, pre unification. When I wasn’t distracted by the ceiling, the maps were very interesting and, according to our guide, surprisingly accurate. The most interesting thing to me was all the maps are from the perspective of Rome being the center of the world. For instance, Naples is south of Rome, so the depiction of Naples has south at the top of the map and north at the bottom, just like it would look as if you were looking down the peninsula from Rome.

Upon exiting the maps, we went through a few other rooms before arriving in the famous Raphael rooms. The last stop before the Sistine Chapel. The rooms have different themes, but each was remarkable. We looked at the different frescoes and our guide explained what was being depicted and its significance. The first room is dedicated to portraying Emperor Constantine the Great. The second has some works depicting some biblical stories and imagery. In the third, we saw the famous School of Athens, depicting all the famous Greek philosophers and mathematicians, many of whose likeness are portraits of Raphael’s contemporaries, such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo.

I really enjoy art, but would consider myself to be somewhere between Neanderthal and ignorant novice when it comes to being able to differentiate what makes something better than something else. I will caveat by saying “better” in this sense to me means more skillfully done. I am a full believer great art can take numerous forms and it’s greatness is ascribed by the enjoyment and emotion one gets out of looking at and contemplating it rather than by the pure skill it took to produce it.

That being said, in the final Raphael room, our guide did a good job of differentiating between two separate works and why one was “better” than the other. There was a work done by Raphael on one wall and another work on an adjacent wall done by one of his students. At first glance I would be like, “Wow, they both look good”. However, our guide expounded on how clearly one was done by a master and the other was done by just a painter. He told us to look at the movement of the figures and their details, and to take notice of the emotion in their faces. He also told us to notice the perfection of the background and the forced perspective. He was right and as he spoke, the richness of the Raphael fresco became more clearly visible to me.

Finally after about two hours, our guide bid us Arrivederci to venture into the Sistine Chapel on our own, since there’s no talking or pictures allowed. In the corridors leading to the Chapel is the collection of modern art the Vatican has. It was funny because there were some beautiful pieces in the collection from some big names like Matisse and Dali, but at this point, everyone is ready to jump ahead to dessert.

You enter the Sistine Chapel from the front next to the altar. Along the walls are panels depicting parts of Jesus’ life juxtaposed with scenes from Moses’. These were not done by Michelangelo. On the wall behind you is the massive fresco The Last Judgement which was done by Michelangelo, as was the famous ceiling depicting Genesis down the middle, and portraits of prophets around the outside. It really is overwhelming and astonishing. I stood directly beneath The Creation of Adam and stared up at the beauty of potentially the most iconic piece of art in the world, and it did not disappoint. It was all breathtaking. I was less of a fan of The Last Judgement as I was of the ceiling, but it is all amazing and at a tremendous scale. I stood for probably fifteen or twenty minutes taking it all in.

As I mentioned, you aren’t allowed to talk or take pictures, so apologies for none of my crude photographic representations of the artwork.

After exiting the Chapel, you walk down some more super long corridors and wind your way through some confusing hallways. I found my way out and decided to go back around into the museum of paintings. They had a Da Vinci and a Caravaggio. I’ve become a big fanboy of Caravaggio on this trip.

I then began walking through another museum, but I had no idea what I was looking at. I think they were early Christian carvings and relics, similar to what we’d seen at the catacombs. At this point I was tired and overwhelmed and hungry, so I decided to exit rather than continue. I walked out of the museum, descended the famous double helix staircase, left.

As I walked to the bus stop, I had the privilege of actually being able to run to the bus as I approached and get on, rather than just helplessly watching it pull away. I rode along the Tiber and thought about stopping for lunch, but instead went back to the apartment and getting sandwiches for everyone.

That afternoon, Allison worked, and after a long nap, the boys and I went to the playground to pass the time before getting some gelato together.

In the evening I cooked up some mushroom risotto and a salad with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing. We ate sporadically between Allison’s calls. We kept the boys up later to try the strategy of trying to make the time adjustment when we get back a little less dramatic. We will see if it works.

Tomorrow, is our last full day in Italy. We are ready to get back, but it still is bittersweet leaving. It’s going to be a wild day of packing, work, and travel prep, but I’m still hoping we can cram some memorable moments into the mix.

We are running out of steam. It feels like the late night at dinner on Tuesday caused us to hit a wall. The boys have not caught up on that lost sleep, which has made them more irritable and their output level even lower, and Allison and I have been challenged with demanding work weeks.

We had planned again to go to the Castel Sant’Angelo today, but it quickly became pretty clear that would not be a wise decision. Silas had a complete emotional breakdown when he didn’t think he had enough toothpaste on his toothbrush. It was at this point we knew trying to go on another sight seeing tour would be a fool’s errand.

As an alternative, we decided again to just stay local. We walked down to what has become our go-to breakfast spot for pastries and coffee. Everyone got their usual and, in his tiredness, Silas used his finger to surgically extract the custard filling out of his donut. We are very ready to just enjoy a huge steaming cup of coffee again back in the States. Sometimes, especially on the backend of this trip, one little espresso or cappuccino is not nearly enough.

From breakfast, we wandered over to the playground. The boys played with the motorcycle and Silas enjoyed swinging, as he usually does. Allison and I enjoyed sitting together on a bench and talking a bit about our upcoming trip to Capri and Beren’s overly abundant earwax.

The weather was wonderful. As we’ve gotten later in the month, it is starting warm up. Today, the sky was clear and blue, with a slight breeze, and an enjoyable warmth.

We had been at the playground for over an hour when Beren was playing with a toy next to a lamppost and a pigeon sitting on top of it pooped directly on his head. I’m still not sure if he noticed it or not, because another parent told him and then brought him over to us. It’s been in these moments that people have been really kind. Another nearby mom saw what happened and pulled out some wipes to help us clean it up. Beren was not very phased, and even maybe a little amused, and went right back to playing once it was clean.

Soon, everyone was hungry again. We looked at restaurants around and decided to go to a nearby Asian restaurant that had sushi and was open for lunch. The walk was a couple blocks and we seemed to be the first ones there and were the only ones there for our visit. We ordered using an iPad at the table. The restaurant was clean and swanky, but still really affordable. The sushi was also really good and they didn’t skimp you on the portion of fish in each roll. I’m surprise it was so empty because it was a great lunch experience. They even brought each of the boys a balloon to keep them occupied.

On the way back home, Silas had a hard time hanging onto his balloon and, I have to admit, it was entertaining watching him constantly drop it and then Allison chase after it down the sidewalk. He just refused to hold it anywhere other than the very tip of the ribbon.

The boys took a decent nap while I buckled in for another full day of meetings. Allison was kind and brought me snacks and dinner throughout the day. In the evening, when the boys got up, they mainly hung around the apartment playing while Allison finished some of the laundry in preparation for our final adventure.

The boys took a shower and went down around their usual time and Allison and I finished our work and I was able to do a little reading before bed. I’ve read much less than I was expecting, but by the time everything else is done and I get around to it, I end up dozing off about a paragraph in.

Tomorrow we make the trip to Capri. It will be an interesting journey getting there, but I think we’re in for a treat. Maybe gelato?

Most things have been checked off our Italian adventure to do list, but there was still one big, famous area before today we had yet to explore, Vatican City. Unfortunately due to some scheduling conflicts, coupled with the boys limited attention span, I am the only one who is going to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel (next week), but we still wanted to go see the city and St. Peter’s Basilica together.

It was a relatively easy bus ride up to the tiny foreign country. When we arrived, I didn’t totally know what to expect, since I’ve never crossed an international border on foot. However, in this case there weren’t any customs or anyone really checking anything. You sort of just walk in. At least that’s what we did.

We took in St. Peter’s Square with its large central obelisk, flanking Bernini fountains, and encircling columns dotted with statues. It’s a really large open area so, naturally, Silas and Beren decided to sprint away.

It took a few minutes to orient ourselves to where we should go to enter the church. We soon found the queue on the far side of the square from where we entered. Thankfully, it was not too long at the time and after only a few minutes we were scaling the steps to the basilica.

I don’t know why, but unlike other places we’ve gone, I didn’t research much about St. Peter’s beforehand. I knew it was going to be grandiose, so I think I just wanted to have the experience of taking it all in and formulating my impressions based off of that.

My initial impression upon entering was: grandiose is an understatement. It is ginormous. The ceilings and walls are intricate and gilded with gold where they are not painted with colorful frescoes. There are statues and paintings everywhere and the floors are inlaid with beautifully textured marble.

Off to the right after we entered we viewed the chapel that houses Michelangelo’s statue Pieta. It is behind a clear partition and groups of people were clamoring to see it, as were we. It was a beautiful statue and I’m constantly amazed by the movement and detail that these sculpting masters are able to elicit from the marble. Like, how does someone do that?

We walked slowly through the rest of the church, trying to take in as much as we could of all the statues and art in the overwhelming place.

Despite the grandiosity, or maybe in part due to it, I experienced very conflicting and strange feelings in the church. I felt as if I should be in awe of what I was seeing, and in an earthly sense I was, but in a spiritual sense, I felt put off. The building felt like it was a magnificent celebration of man, the popes in particular. There were statues and art of the deeds of Jesus and other biblical figures, but there seemed to be just as many (or more) glorious statues of various popes and their deeds. It was hard to stand in this beautiful place and not feel as if it were a massive contradiction.

To me, it felt like important aspects of Jesus’ teaching and character were disregarded. There was nothing meek nor humble about the place and many of the artistic depictions were confusing in their own regard. For instance, there was a large carved relief of Pope Leo the Great confronting Attila the Hun, trying to deter him from invading Rome. In the sky above Leo are representations of Peter and Paul coming out of the clouds to Leo’s aid, both with swords in their hands raised to strike.

I could be wrong, but the only time I’m aware of Peter or Paul using violence in scripture was, in Peter’s instance, when he drew a Roman soldier’s sword in Jesus’ defense to cut off the soldier’s ear. For this he was scolded by Christ who, in His great mercy, then healed the soldier. In Paul’s case, I know he condoned terrible violence in persecuting Christians, but he was transformed when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus and, as a follower of Christ, repented of those ways.

My impression of this artwork felt like a microcosm of my greater impression of the whole building. It was immensely beautiful and impressive, but Christ’s actual teachings and ethos of meekness, humility, and generosity were wholly disregarded in favor of self-aggrandizement.

In saying all this, I acknowledge I don’t know the hearts of those who commissioned and did all this work. I am certainly a sinner myself who is not the judge of all this. These are simply the honest things I felt.

The boys started to get hungry about halfway through, so we started to move more quickly. We made a quick stop in the gift shop before finishing looking at a few final frescoes.

Outside we ate some crackers on the steps, but this didn’t satiate everyone long, so we began to look for somewhere to eat. Beren suggested we should get Old McDonalds, so we told him we would if there was one close by. There haven’t been many around, but of course, in this case, there was. We ate and Silas spilled a bunch of drinkable yogurt on himself. He also proceeded to dip his french fries in his Sprite and then eat them, but he seemed to enjoy it. McDonalds will always be McDonalds, but I have to say, the ones it Italy are pretty nice. They’ve always been clean and the staff has always been very kind, helpful, and professional.

Back at the house, the boys took a long nap and Allison and I were both able to do some work. When they woke up, we got dressed and went to the park for an hour before getting ready to go to dinner.

Before long, it was time for us to leave to make our way up the Aventine to our new friends’ house for dinner. It was a well lit and easy walk.

We arrived and were warmly welcomed. The kids reintroduced themselves and they collectively began to test out every toy in the house. Allison and I were poured some prosecco and we sat down and began to chat. Before long, the kids ate around a table set up in the kitchen. They had a first course of peas, followed by meatballs in red sauce.

We sat and continued talking until it was time for us adults to eat dinner. We enjoyed some homemade hummus along with marinated olives, followed by a delicious fresh orecchiette pasta in a flavorful tomato sauce with some of the meatballs as well.

The conversation was varied and came easily. We talked about kids, work, travel, and the pandemic, just as we would with any of our friends back home. We laughed about cultural differences and enjoyed learning about each other. I feel like I shouldn’t be surprised, but I was struck by how similar the conversations, thoughts, cares, and worries were here in Italy compared to those back home.

After dinner we all enjoyed some strawberries and cream for dessert, while the adults enjoyed a glass of Mirto alongside. I had never even heard of Mirto and found is a liqueur made out of the myrtle plant and popular on some of the Mediterranean islands, particularly Sardinia. It was delicious and unlike anything I’ve ever had. It was sweet and fruity with a distinctive taste almost like rosemary.

We ended up leaving around 10:30 PM. The boys had a blast, and Allison and I enjoyed ourselves immensely. We were blown away by the warm hospitality and the delicious homecooked dinner.

The boys were wiped when we got back home and we all went to bed quickly, reminiscing the memories of a wonderful day.

Today was a more relaxed day compared to most we’ve had. We were coming off a weekend that had been fun and refreshing, but still pretty busy and packed with comings and goings. We are getting into the late parts of our trip and are beginning to run out of steam a little quicker than in the earlier weeks. So from the get go, today was a lazier one and more focused around what Beren and Silas wanted to do.

We doddled around the apartment in the morning playing games, eating breakfast, and watching some TV. About mid morning we finally were all up and ready. Ever since we were preparing to go to that weird toy store we went to a few days ago, Beren has been asking about getting a toy as a souvenir. We told him that they would have the opportunity to get something and every day he has reminded us he still needs to get something and would ardently ask when that would be. With no firm plans scheduled, today was his lucky day.

We Googled some toy stores nearby and made sure they were non-weird. The closest one was back up in Trestavere, the neighborhood across the Tiber from us. We told the boys where we were going and we went out walking with them jumping around from the excitement.

It was a modest 15 minute jaunt to where Google Maps told us to go and we began looking for the store front. We thought we missed it, but realized where it was and why we missed it. It was still shuttered up, despite saying it should be open online. We quickly went into crisis aversion mode with the boys. By the grace of God, there happened to be a playground right across the street and attention was diverted in that direction.

Allison and I were wondering about what we may have done wrong or why the store wasn’t open. It should have opened about 20 minutes prior. After chatting a bit, we remembered something we read before coming to Italy, that operating hours are more guidelines than promises strictly adhered to. We stayed at the playground for a bit betting it would open soon. Sure enough, it did.

The boys went in and could barely contain their excitement. It was a pretty posh little toy store, but was perfect for their ages. We gave them guidelines on size and told them they could each pick out one toy. Beren ultimately selected a sack of marbles. A wonderful, classic option. Silas had more trouble deciding. He had grabbed a pig figurine, but seemed unsure of it and continued to look at other toys, however, he never put down the pig. Every time we asked him if he wanted to put it down for something else, he said no. When all was said and done, the pig was what he walked out with, not without some tears and hesitation. But, as we walked away from the toy store toward an early lunch, he seemed to become more endeared and named the female pig Mr. Oink Oink.

We were very hungry and the only place that seemed to be open for lunch was Tonnarello, which happened to be where we ate the last time we were in Trestavere. It was really good before, so we decided to go for it again. We got some focaccia, calamari, and fried artichokes followed by some meatballs, codfish balls, and rigatoni pesto. It was a filling and delicious lunch. Afterward we walked back.

The boys went down for nap easily and I took one too. Beren woke up pretty early, ready to play with his marbles and, shockingly, played with them quietly for the next hour. It is always amazing to me how simple toys are often the best ones because they are so imaginatively stimulating. I played with him for a bit until Silas woke up. We ate a small snack and went over to our local playground where we are becoming regular fixtures.

It was much cooler this evening, but the boys didn’t seem to mind and played for about an hour and a half. They rode little toys, swung, and navigated tiny kid sharing dynamics. Beren seemed interested in learning how to ride some of the bikes scattered around, so we practiced on a few different toys. I think this will be something we try to begin learning when we are back home. Soon it was time for our nightly gelato.

The boys got mango and I got pistachio. Before coming here, I always thought pistachio to be a weird flavor and never understood why someone would get something like that for their ice cream. It’s a classic staple in Italy, and apparently the way you tell a good gelato shop from a bad one, so a week or so ago I decided to try it. It was delicious and, not being someone with a sweet tooth, hit the spot perfectly. Now it’s my default. I’m not sure if that will carry back into the States though.

We ate in the Piazza Testaccio, right outside the shop before walking back toward home. Usually, we go home after gelato, but as we passed the playground, Beren jokingly acted like he was going to go in, so I said go ahead and we played for another 30 minutes. I’m pretty sure our total playground time for the day clocked in somewhere around three hours.

Finally, back at home, we heated up some leftovers for dinner and took a shower. Allison’s work calls conveniently ended right when the boys were getting ready to lay down for bed, so she was able to tuck them in and sing My Beloved, which is currently their demanded lullaby.

After they were down, I braved the cold and went back out for pizza. I placed a take out order and waited for a few minutes marveling as I watched them make the pizza in a huge wood-fire oven.

When I returned, Allison and I enjoyed them together. We got a Verdure and a Diavola. The former was a veggie one. While the latter was covered with spicy salami and was the clear winner. Personally, it was one of the best things I’ve eaten here so far.

So, while we saw no remarkable sights or did any remarkable things, it was a really good day. One that contributed as many good memories and moments as any other. I enjoyed my time with the boys on the playground and talking while we licked our gelato. They are funny, kind, interesting, and intelligent people to talk to and spend time with and I love the opportunities to get to hear their thoughts, questions, and perceptions of the world.

In the midst of everything else today, we finalized plans and will be taking a trip to the island of Capri this weekend. From the looks of the pictures, I think we’re in for a treat, and some serious leg workouts. We also finalized plans to go have dinner at the home of Gianluca’s family tomorrow night. I am nervous, but very excited. It will be fun to get to know them better and get to experience their hospitality. I don’t really know what to expect and am just hoping we, at a minimum don’t break anything or make complete fools of ourselves. I guess we’ll see!

The weekend is so great. It is strange to think, even though we are finishing our third week in Italy, this is the first, and most likely the only, full weekend we will spend in Rome.

We began the day and had a goal of going to see the Roman Forum, which we didn’t have time to see when we last went to the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum. However, since Rome seems to be getting busier by the day, it’s getting tougher to book something the day of, so the earliest available times were in the afternoon. No big deal, we decided to just flip the day and get ready to head out to the playground in the morning.

After grabbing a quick breakfast, we settled in at the playground. Beren found his favorite motorcycle toy and Silas found an unbalanced toy baby stroller, which kept making him fall. Allison and I settled in on a bench and relaxed. It was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky. It was a little warmer and breezier than the previous day, which made it a wonderful day to sit at the park.

As the boys were playing, we noticed another nearby dad speaking English to his kids. He noticed us too. Before long, he leaned over and asked us where we were from. We told him we were from the U.S. and struck up a conversation. He said his name was Gianluca, and he and his partner were both from Rome and had grown up here. I mentioned he spoke very good English and he laughed and said he worked for a company based out of Boston.

Allison and I enjoyed the conversation immensely. It was mentally and emotionally stimulating to talk to another adult person face to face outside of the two of us. We met Gianluca’s children and before they left the park, he graciously asked us over to their house for dinner before we leave. We exchanged numbers and are currently trying to coordinate a day. In coming to Italy, this was something we thought would be a moonshot, but were hopeful we would make a connection. We’re excited to hopefully get to join Gianluca and his family for dinner!

After the park, we excitedly came back to the apartment for lunch and nap. While the boys were napping, we talked about going to Venice again. As part of our conversation earlier at the park with Gianluca, we had asked him if there was anything we should do before we leave. We mentioned being on the fence about Venice and asked his opinion. He spoke kindly, but his sentiment seemed mixed. Instead he suggested that we think about Capri on the grounds that it’s closer, exceedingly beautiful, and more relaxed. So we did some quick research and decided to alter our plans.

The boys were tired and we ended up waking them up from their naps. I went in to Beren and said, “Hey buddy, it’s time for us to wake up to go.”

He stretched and said, “To the Palatine Hill?”

And I replied, “Uh, actually yeah.” I never expected my four year old to remember that.

It was 3:00 PM on a Sunday and we couldn’t find a place open to get bus tickets, so we risked it for the biscuit and just hopped on a bus hoping we wouldn’t get caught. We made it and began walking along the opposite side of the hill than we did last time. Soon you start to be surrounded by ruins of ancient Roman apartment blocks and shopping areas, then we rounded a corner and the ancient Forum, then center of Roman life, law, and politics came into view, illuminated by the afternoon sun. We wound our way through the large cobblestoned roads through the ruins. Allison’s magical elastic ankles seemed like they were bending at all angles on the uneven path, but somehow they made it without ever giving way.

I did not appreciate from the pictures I’d seen of the Forum prior to this, the scale and breadth of the complex. A lot of it is just scattered ruins with only a few columns of temples and arches dotted about, but the columns that are still standing are huge and imposing. To imagine this area at the height of its splendor and power is with all of the buildings and temples would have been overwhelming.

We wandered in and out of all of the roads and ruins and quickly the boys got tired, so we had to stop and grab some snacks out of a vending machine before continuing. Even then, Silas refused to go on and would exclaim, “No more walking!” The last half of exploring the Forum consisted of us carrying the boys either in arms or on our shoulders trying not to trip on the rocks.

There were a lot of people around and lot of seagulls too. There were more than a few times, as the seagulls swirled overhead, I thought it felt a bit too much like a Hitchcock movie out here. To paint the picture, these seagulls are not the small, skittish seagulls I’m used to. These seagulls are giant brutes with three or four feet wingspans.

We watched the seagulls for a bit and then Beren pointed and said, “Look! That seagull is giving the other one a piggy back ride.” We looked to a couple seagulls in the distance. Indeed giving the other a “piggy back ride”. We then decided to move over to a different rock out of view to sit down and let the boys play in the dirt.

They were enjoying themselves playing, when all of a sudden a barbarian seagull swooped down from behind smacking me in the back of the head with its wing on its decent. It landed a few feed away from the boys playing on the ground. I think it thought they had food. It opened its wings and its mouth and started making a menacing squawking sound sound as it started inching toward them. The boys looked up at it, not sure what was happening. With me still bewildered by being unwittingly struck in the head by the winged beast, Allison stood up to protect our children and confronted the seagull until it flew away.

We decided it was time to leave and get gelato. We found a place close by before walking back to the bus stop and coming back to the apartment before dinner.

With each of us working during the week, we haven’t had many chances to go out for dinner and do a full meal, so we wanted to take advantage of that tonight. We walked to a traditional Italian restaurant near our apartment called Da Bucatino. We sat outside under some umbrellas and it rained pleasantly while we ate. The boys made little “museums” out of their bread crusts and we enjoyed our huge bowls of pasta and tiramisu.

People eat late in Italy, so the kids are already a ticking time bomb, but this is compounded by the fact that, once you order and get your food, the waitstaff don’t check on you again. The reasoning is so you can enjoy for as long as you’d like without being interrupted or pushed out. It’s nice in theory, however, so far in reality this seems more of a function of only one person serving a dozen tables rather than being thoughtfully courteous. Once you order and get your food, we have found out, don’t expect to get anything else, because it is challenging to get anyone’s attention after that. Getting someone to come to your table feels like hailing a cab. They may be waiting a table right next to you and won’t even glance in your direction just to check and acknowledge you.

Finally, my hailing technique was successful and we were able to head out from our two hour dinner. Thankfully, all things considered, the food was pretty delicious, the wine was good, and the boys were well behaved.

Allison and I finished the night together hanging out on the couch, watching TV, and reminiscing about the day.

Another day in Rome! It was a little cloudier and cooler today and there was a chance of rain. We contemplated what to do. We thought about trying to go the the Castel Sant’Angelo, but we didn’t get tickets in time, so we changed gears. After visiting our first set of catacombs in the first week, Allison had been talking about wanting to see more. What better place to be when there’s possibility for rain than underground in a 1,600 year old crypt?

We ate breakfast at the apartment and then headed to the bus stop to catch our bus. It was a pretty long ride through a more suburban residential area with blocks of apartment buildings and people out at the cafes and picking up groceries from local fruit stands and butcher shops. We arrived at our stop and walked a short distance up the road to our destination.

The Catacombs of Domitilla aren’t far from the Appian Way where the catacombs we previously visited were. There was a small garden with picnic tables surrounding the building and, when we got there, we were the only ones there. We waited for our tour in the gardens. The boys liked running up the stairs and through the plants. I thought we would have a very intimate tour, but a tour bus arrived minutes before our tour began and we were lumped in with them.

This set of catacombs apparently cover the most territory and are highlighted by an underground basilica that is still used for services. In fact, as we began our tour, there was a mass taking place. The room is made of stone and had short columns that held up the original ceiling. Along the walls were fragments of tombstones and epitaphs with writing and symbols on them that had been excavated from the catacombs. We passed through the room as the parishioners were praying with open arms and continued down a stairway into the narrow, dark, damp tunnels.

It was a similar experience to the first time, but still difficult to describe seeing all the open slots where remains of these early Christians were placed and feeling the quiet and peace of the place. This time around, I enjoyed our tour guide much more than last time. She did a good job connecting us to the place by telling some stories and describing what it would have looked like at the time. As a part of this tour we also got to see some of the best preserved early Christian art painted on the ceilings and walls of some of the tombs. In one vaulted hallway there were grapevines painted on the ceiling, which immediately brought John 15 to my mind. In another tomb we saw a painting of Peter and Paul, as well as Jesus seated and surrounded by his disciples.

It’s a place where I really would have preferred to sit and pray rather than tour. After weaving our way through, we came back upstairs to the basilica. The mass was no longer going on and we took seats on the wooden bench pews. Our guide then directed us to a particular epitaph of an 11 year old boy buried in the catacomb. The epitaph was very interesting, but what I was most struck by was the figure of a person etched on the tombstone with their arms open, receiving God’s presence and grace. The figure on this ancient Christian gravestone was making the same gesture that we still make when we invite God’s presence and grace through prayer. It was the same gesture people were making in the room just a few minutes earlier during the mass when we passed through.

After the catacombs, we looked up a bus to take home. The timing was tight and the map was confusing. It was a haul lugging the boys. Allison carried Silas and Beren rode my shoulders as they clamored for an apple that they were passing back and forth. It was tight and we were able to get to the stop right as the bus we needed closed its doors. I slapped the back and thankfully they reopened and we were able to get on, spared waiting another 20 minutes.

We got back, ate some lunch together and the boys and I took a nap. When they woke up, they played some Mario Cart with Allison before we got all ready again to go out for our evening stroll. Tonight we decided to wander up into Trestavere.

After crossing the bridge, we walked up and found one of the outdoor apertivo spots we saw our first night here. We sat down and ordered some drinks. Allison got a Aperol Spritz, I got a Negroni, and the boys got some pear juice because they didn’t have apple or orange. We were still a little early for the normal food menu, but they were really nice and made us a margherita pizza. The boys enjoyed the pizza and were wooing the waitresses. Their charm did the trick because one of the waitresses ended up bringing them a pair of chocolate dipped cookies to enjoy on the house.

Of course, at dinner Silas filled his diaper. There aren’t many public facilities we’ve seen, so after we left Allison pulled a supermom and changed his diaper down an alley between a parked car and a small wall. With that crises averted we joined the throngs of people who were out now flowing like streams down the alleyways of Trestavere past the street vendors, trying to pick a place to eat. We were in search for gelato. All the streams converged on to a piazza where we found a place. We each got our cone and sat on steps of the central fountain watching a man spray paint pictures of the Coliseum. This was until a pair of semi-rowdy drunk guys sat down next to us and we decided it was time to go.

Upon our arrival back home, Allison showered the little people while I made a quick store run. The boys went to bed and I cooked up some pasta we had to top us off after the pizza and gelato. I’m glad we’ve been walking so much because, if not, I’m pretty sure we would have gained about 30 pounds by now.

It was nice to have time with Allison eating together and relaxing. We spent the time talking about the day and planning out the next week. There’s still a bit we’d like to do and, it’s weird to think, but time is running out. We’ve been on the fence about visiting Venice next weekend because it seems daunting at this point, but we decided to go for it. I’m sure we won’t regret it. On the docket for tomorrow is to go back to the Palatine Hill and finish up seeing parts of the ancient Roman Forum that we didn’t get to see last time.

Today was a much better day. There weren’t as many tears. There weren’t as many fits. There were still some hangry outbursts, but overall, it was much more copacetic. Everyone slept past 6 AM. No one missed their nap. The workday wasn’t as demanding. And we didn’t have a bunch of preset expectations of what we needed to see.

In the morning we went back and forth on what to do with the day. Ultimately we decided we didn’t want the commitment of something we needed a ticket for or needed to arrive for at a set time, so we chose to go back up to the Piazza Navona area and wander around.

Rather than rushing to the bus, we stopped in a cafe and enjoyed some breakfast while we talked together. Then we rode the bus on what has become a familiar route, zooming up the Tiber and through the touristy quarter of the city.

Arriving at Piazza Navona, we walked to the piazza and gained our bearings before hitting our first stop, the Basilica di Sant’Agostino. Looking out onto the piazza, there were many more people around than when we were there two weeks ago. I have noticed how the crowds are starting to grow in these more touristy parts of town and it makes me glad we hit some of these sights early in our trip. I’m not sure if it’s a function of COVID restrictions loosening up or because we are moving away from winter and into spring. Maybe it’s a combination of both. Regardless, I think it kind of spoiled me because as we return to these areas and walk around now, I’m thinking, “What are all these people doing here.” However, I think how it is becoming now is more “normal” and before we were simply receiving the privilege of opportune timing.

The nice thing about many of these churches, however, is that, compared to the big attractions, they are off the beaten path, yet hold so many wonders to see for free. The Basilica di Sant’Agostino is a stone’s throw from the piazza and contains another work by Caravaggio along with a fresco if the Prophet Isaiah by Raphael. Additionally, it is home the the grave of St. Augustine’s mother. On top of all that it is packed with a number of other artworks and statues, and is grand and ornately beautiful.

We walked around and the boys were generally well behaved, marveling at many of the same beauty we marveled at. We’ve seen a lot of churches so far and it is always interesting how certain ones capture their attention, even though they often don’t understand what they’re looking at. To be fair, neither do I.

After the church we meandered back to the Piazza Navona area. I had read on a blog about things to do in Rome with kids about a famous toy store right off of the piazza. Based on how the article described it, I was expecting and FAO Schwarz sort of thing like in New York and was thinking this may be a fun place to take the boys and for them to pick out a souvenir of sorts.

We found the toy store and went in. I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a place like this and I don’t necessarily mean that in a good way. This wasn’t a toy store for kids, but rather seemed to sell the types of toys adult collectors would be interested in. It’s always weird to see what kinds of “toys” fall into that category. The room we entered into was filled with glass cases of creepy dolls, weird troll-like statues, and animal figurines dressed in sophisticated people clothes. Needless to say, we were caught off guard and Beren was very confused.

We explored other rooms and there were locked glass cases of collector matchbox sized Ferraris, antique aluminum toys, and replica swords and daggers. Then upstairs I noticed there were stuffed animals. Finally, something normal the boys can relate to and enjoy, but when we got upstairs, they were disappointed once again. The shelves were lined with cute little animals of a surprisingly wide variety, but the shelves were also lined with signs saying “DO NOT TOUCH.” What kind of sadistic toy store allows you to look, but not touch, any of the toys?! It was like some sort of cruel and unusual punishment for children.

The boys were bummed and confused, but were able to move on with the promise we wouldn’t forget about them getting a souvenir at some point. We began walking again to another church we had on our radar.

One of the other game changing things about today was Silas decided to end his strike of refusing to let daddy hold his hand or carry him. After all this time I was able to help share the load without screaming and squirming, and relieve the never ending clinginess he’s had to Allison. It was a huge relief. On our way to the next church, he was excited to ride on my shoulders, pretending I was his horse. He would demand that I gallop and would yell, “Giddyup!”, as he relentlessly smacked the sides of my head. He then, for whatever reason, decided to start biting my hair and licking the top of my head. I’m not sure which I preferred more, the feeling the degradation of being a horse or getting my hair licked.

This next church was a little busier and less intimate than the first, but was still interesting. The Jesuit Church of Saint Ignacio wanted to have a dome when it was built, but apparently ran out of money and was built with a flat roof instead. However, not to be deterred, the ceiling was instead painted using forced perspective to create the illusion of a vaulted ceiling and a dome. That is, if you stand in the right spot.

The ceiling is pretty remarkable and the vaulted part is a colorful, intricate masterpiece. The dome illusion is also pretty cool, but felt more like a novelty. When you looked from the correct angle it did look legitimate, but it loses its luster when you see it from another. I would compare it to being a little like the feeling when you learn how a magician does a trick.

We thought about trying to get lunch, but rather than be sucked into a more touristy stop, we decided to head back home before the boys were too tired and may fall asleep on the bus. We made it back and I grabbed meatball sandwiches and suppli from our neighborhood favorite, Il Trappezino.

After lunch, the ultimate goal was achieved and both boys napped. Allison and I enjoyed a few minutes together chatting about the day before I started work.

I had a decent gap for dinner, so once the boys were up again, we all went for a stroll outside with the rest of the local community to grab our nightly gelato. We couldn’t decide what to do for dinner, but we needed some food resupply anyway, so I stopped in the supermarket while Allison and the boys went to the playground.

At the playground, it was an encouraging evening. Allison made acquaintances with another parent and the boys played well with some of the other kids zooming around and racing their toys.

After a bit, we came back and were unsure on what to do for dinner. Since I just went to the store, we decided to eat in. I made a quick breading and fried the remaining calamari from the night before and then steamed some green beans and made a quick white wine butter sauce for some fresh pasta I had bought. It turned out pretty well.

Coincidentally, in the weeks before coming to Italy, I watched a Master Class on intuitive cooking. The teacher of the class focused on more Asian and Latin American food, but started out in food trucks and talked a lot about working within constraints and by feel. Watching that class when I did was fortuitous because while our apartment is well equipped, there are some significant limitations to what pots and utensils I have. I only have a stove and a microwave and no formal tools to measure with. Despite all that, I’ve felt a resurgence since we’ve been here in my desire and enjoyment to cook. The class put me in a good headspace to accept these limitations and I feel like it has been much more fun and pure to cook by feel and figure out how to make it work. It also helps that the ingredients at our disposal have been of phenomenal quality.

I ate quickly and headed back to work while Allison showered the kids and put them down for bed.

Finally it’s the weekend. We don’t have to hurry up and get back to go to work. We can use naptime and bedtimes as time for Allison and I to spend together and recuperate. We are looking forward to that and all else the weekend has in store.

I know I’m like a broken record everyday commenting on how early the boys woke up. This may just seem like another mundane and insignificant detail among the plethora of other mundane and insignificant details I choose to include in our daily recaps. However, I have done it with purpose because I knew at some point, the late bedtime here, the missed nap there, and the consistently extremely early rises would coalesce into a major plotline at some point. Today was that day.

Both were up early again and today was my day to get up with them. I could have, slept much longer, and probably needed to, and I was resentful of this fact when I arose. I am sorry to say I went into deadbeat dad mode and turned on a show for the boys to watch while I snoozed.

Before long they were hungry, but we had almost nothing to eat. Usually, in the States when I say this, it’s hyperbole because we really have stuff we just don’t have something that’s wanted. However, when I say it here, it’s literal, because we are purchasing food day to day. So I took the two butts of a loaf of bread and made toast with jam. Then when they were still hungry, they each got peanut butter on a spoon, and then another one, and then another one, until they were satiated. But there wasn’t anything left really for Allison and me, and we were both still grumpy.

We didn’t have much of a plan for today, so once Allison was up, we tried to scrap one together. We decided to make our way up to a similar area we were yesterday at the Villa Borghese, but enter the park from a different side after seeing some things along the way.

We made our way to the bus stop and, as always, saw the bus we needed depart as we approached. But we turned lemons into lemonade and decided to use the 20 minutes until the next bus to grab some breakfast pastries. It worked out and we finished eating them at the bus stop right as the bus came.

We rode along the Tiber and were dropped off a few blocks from our first sight, the Mausoleum of Augustus. Unfortunately, it had gates all around it and seemed to be under renovation, so we only saw the outside of the large round monument in which the former Emperor was buried. We continued walking and came out into the large open space of Piazza Popolo.

We hadn’t walked very far yet, but it was at this point that the accumulated fatigue set in for the boys. They both wanted to sit down, so we did, and ate the rest of our left over pastries. We took in the sight of the large Egyptian obelisk that is the centerpiece of the Piazza and the two twin churches on its south side. On the north side there’s another church and this is the one we came to see.

The church is named Santa Maria del Popolo and is a gorgeous church that is home to a number of interesting things. First off, it is another church with graves in the floor that are carved in the shape of their inhabitants, except in this case many of them are so trodden and worn down that no one knows who the people actually are. Also, the church houses two paintings by the Renaissance master Caravaggio. They are remarkable and totally free to see (not counting the one euro they make you donate to activate the lights.) Lastly, the church is apparently built on the Emperor Nero’s grave. Nero was infamous for blaming and executing Christians for the fire that he started which burned down Rome. Apparently, there was thought to be a heavy demonic presence around his grave because of the atrocities he committed and this church was erected to overcome them. The story of all this is depicted in gilded panels in and arch above the church’s altar.

It was inside this amazing church that Silas began to lose it. In his tiredness, he would not obey. He began running through the pews and even tried to skirt his way past a rope up onto the altar. When Allison scooped him up, he started screaming, which in this setting, is not what you want. She begrudgingly took him outside and we had to take turns looking at the sites inside.

One thing I will say, is that generally older people have been super kind and accommodating to the kids, however, if you put some sort of Renaissance piece of art in the room, this is no longer the case. It’s like they become preteen girls at a Justin Bieber concert and will push and jostle you to the side like the riff raff you are, small kid or not.

Once we were done, we climbed a set of stairs up to the Villa Borghese. On this set of stairs both Silas and Beren sat down in protest on seperate occasions and demanded we carry them. As we made our way up the hill, there were two grown men in Roman Legionary costumes blocking the way. You could sense what their schtick was a mile away and with two young boys, I knew we were doomed.

We approached and they put a little fake laurel on Beren’s head right as I thought, “at least this will be a cute picture.” It was a cute picture, albeit a little more violent than I necessarily want for my four year old, but I knew after the picture would come the shakedown. Sure enough, the guy puts out his hand. I though I would be generous by giving five euro. I mean, I took the pictures. All they did was sacrifice their dignity by putting on cheap costumes and carrying tiny swords to pose for about 10 seconds, but the guy demanded another five for the other guy. I said no and he then said to give him the coins in my hand. I said no. So much for the lighthearted fun a few minutes prior.

At the top of the stairs, there was a nice view over the city. The garden in this part of the park was picturesque and was highlighted by a clock that runs by water. It was at this point though we were barely holding things together. Silas was either running away or freaking out when we tried to take away the large stick he was going to gouge his, or someone else’s, eye out with. We decided it was time to go home.

Despite out best efforts, Silas fell asleep on the bus again, but we were able to transfer him to bed successfully. Beren, who stayed up on the bus, went down pretty easily after a little “I’m hungry” tantrum. Phew, we did it. Remembering we were out of food, I went to the store.

When I got back 15 minutes later, to my dismay, Silas was sitting in Allison’s arms on the couch. I guess the transfer wasn’t as successful as formerly thought. Allison had to go to work, so I tried to keep the little dude quietly busy for the time being while Beren still slept. He was noticeable tired and very irritable, but we had some nice moments snuggling on the couch.

Beren took a good nap, thankfully, and once he got up we got ready and went to the park. Getting ready in this regard was good for Beren, but screaming and weeping for Silas (there is a trend beginning to emerge.)

At the playground, it was crazy as usual, but the boys enjoyed themselves sprinting around. It’s interesting because this seems like the only place to go for small kids to get energy out for those that live in the area, so I’m starting to notice the same groups of kids and parents out there every day. It’s like a daily block party and I’m the random American guy wondering around chasing my kids in their midst. I am constantly very proud of Silas and Beren when we are there because some of these kids, and parents, can be rude and they constantly steal toys. Whenever this happens Beren and Silas are so kind and never get upset. They just share and then patiently take the toy back when the other kid is done.

We would have stayed longer, but Silas filled his diaper, so we left, picked up some gelato, and made our way back to the apartment. I tried to provide some snacks while I began making dinner. From here on out, everything was kind of a disaster. Silas was just so exhausted and, as I was cooking, he kept coming over and trying to open the refrigerator to get some yogurt and then going bananas when I said he couldn’t have any and that he needed to move away to not get hurt.

Eventually, I got dinner on the table. I used some of my fish broth I made the other day to make a calamari risotto with some sautéed veggies on the side. It turned out great and was creamy and delicious.

After dinner, Silas tried to get at the yogurt again and got his hand lodged in the fridge door. This was the last straw. He flailed and screamed, seemingly consolable. Finally he calmed down and was able to take a shower and get ready for bed.

The same mood carried into bedtime, but translated over to Beren. After some corrections and consequences, everyone settled down and went to sleep. We cleaned up, finished up work, and sat staring into the distance as we recollected the day.

I’m really hoping the sleep factor will balance itself out. It makes a noticeable difference from day to day, for Allison and I too. When we are able to nap or sleep in a bit, it’s like we are different people, more patient and kind with each other. Let’s hope maybe, just maybe they’ll sleep past 6:00 tomorrow? Fingers crossed.

I’m not really sure where our boys get their energy. If we could figure it out, I’m pretty sure we could overcome any global energy crisis. They went to bed at a later time last night and crashed, so I thought, hooray, they’ll probably sleep in a bit. I don’t know why I haven’t learned to never to think that. They were up before 6.

Thankfully, because of our market trip yesterday, we had a pretty robust breakfast, and their early rising worked out because we were hoping to get an earlier start today. The plan was to go up to the Villa Borghese which is a large park in the northeast part of the city. Because of the early wakeup call, everyone was a little cranky getting ready and out the door, particularly Silas.

We got on our bus and settled in for the long ride. We zoomed through the streets and got to see some areas of the city we’ve yet to explore, including the US Embassy. It was funny to me observing how many more of the signs for businesses in this part of the city were in English as opposed to Italian.

We passed through the city walls and disembarked next to the park soon thereafter. The park is large and sprawling, containing a number of statues and fountains, a couple of museums, and a zoo. There are paths, both broad and narrow, cutting through the lush green spaces in various directions all shaded by large overhanging pine trees that look distinctly Italian to me.

As soon as they were able, the boys took off, relishing in their bit of freedom. It’s rare to see someone actually frolic in nature, but that is exactly what they did, sprinting through the grass and early spring flowers.

We strolled down a few paths, past some large statues and found ourselves at a playground. The boys played for a few minutes, but it was one of the more treacherous playgrounds we’ve encountered, so we ushered them along. There was also a pavilion with a number of arcade games and such, but we were able to pass by that with limited temptation as well.

A little further down, we came upon a small play area with a number of wooden toys built to look like a tractor, a trailer, and some abstract, undiscernible farm animals. As I was exploring the park in Google Maps, I actually read a review of this small playground and the reviewer described it as a bit “decrepit”. Honestly, that characterization was pretty astute. It was pretty decrepit, but of course it’s those types of things that our boys love, so they stayed and played on the tractor and “animals” for a while. Silas enjoyed riding the tractor saying, “I’m a farmer. I’m a farmer,” or singing a remix of Old MacDonald with Beren. Beren spent most of the time burying his Aquaman toy in the dirt. Aquaman has become an unexpected expert in the various Roman soil types.

The little playground was very pleasant and the weather was mildly warm with a nice slight breeze. Before too long, we decided to keep walking. Allison was hungry at this point so we followed the crowd to a small cafe we saw in the park. We ordered some focaccia paninis to take away and nearby found some benches next to a pond. The pond was filled with people in row boats paddling around with the ducks and the seagulls. In the middle of the pond is a recreation of a small Roman temple and under a tree next to the temple was a fountain in the form of a woman pouring water out of a jar, down the rocks, and into the pond, as if he pouring had filled it. Nearby there was a woman quietly singing and playing the harp to complete the ambiance.

We ate overlooking the pond, watching the Mallard ducks swim around and the people figuring out how to row their boats. It was funny because the pond wasn’t that big and would have been a romantic place for Allison and I to row together, if we were here as a couple, and if we were the only boat on the water. What made it distinctly less romantic, but much more entertaining, was the fact that there were close to twelve boats on the water at the same time and it looked more like a game of bumper boats than a romantic paddle. It brought me joy to watch the couples who thought the boat would be a lovely idea, get out into the middle of the pond and begin flailing their oars unable to move as they tried to dodge other boats.

There’s a decent bit more we would have liked to do in this part of town, but it was getting to be early afternoon and we were a pretty far way from our neck of the woods. We opted to walk to a further bus stop to get a direct ride back rather than having to transfer busses. We waited for a bit longer than expected for unreliable bus 83, but ultimately made it back, with both of the boys falling asleep on the way.

We hoped we could transfer them to their beds for nap, but that didn’t work quite so well. Beren laid quietly for a bit and Silas slept some, but they were up earlier than usual. They watched a show and ate a snack while I started a jampacked workday, which would include no dinner break.

After a bit, Allison and the boys left to visit our best Italian friend, the gelato guy. They also partook in our daily ritual of visiting the playground, while I sat woefully looking out the window on video call after video call (beautiful music plays on the world’s smallest violin.)

They came back and Allison made Beren and Silas a little dinner of what we had available. Beren has lately grown pretty picky on the eating front. This began before we came to Italy, but has not gone away, despite the fact Italy is know for delicious food and known for kid friendly food. Really it comes down to when he decides something to be yucky, it is now yucky, even if the day before, or even minutes before, it was good enough to be “all fingers up.”

So after refusing delectable pizza, pasta, and other scrumptious dishes, all with super fresh ingredients, when Allison delivered him his meal tonight he exclaimed, “Ooh PB&J and avocado! We never get fancy dinners like this!”

I continued my continuous myriad of calls and Allison bathed and put the boys down to bed. She then went out and picked up some sushi, which we enjoyed together once I was done. It was nice getting to share dinner with her after the long day and to talk and catch up. The moments we have with just the two of us aren’t very frequent, so it is always refreshing to talk and enjoy each other’s company.