Day 2--my roam in Rome — this encore life

Take my advice: never eat yummy coffee yogurt late in the day--it'll keep you up all night. So after the excitement of the Trastevere the night before, I was wide awake and didn’t fall asleep for hours. But by 8:15 Anne was up and going, and I soon decided to have a cup of coffee with her before she left for the day. I was focused on finding my way to the Protestant Cemetery where Keats, Shelley, and Goethe are buried, but I also wanted to browse through Eataly again--both not far from Anne’s apartment.

I walked 34,646 steps from 10 am-midnight, changing shoes three times to assure comfort. So what does this number of steps look like within just a few neighborhoods of Rome ?

On my way to Eataly, two gals stopped me and asked if I could point them toward Via Appia. They’d wanted to take the bus to this lovely area, but with a planned day-long bus strike, bussing there wasn’t an option. Feeling pretty proud of myself, I whipped out my map, indicated the best foot route and sent them on their way. Little did they know that I’d had the same question two years ago when I was here and consequently knew the way. So proud of myself--felt like such a Roman resident, albeit a fake one. Haha.

For some reason the massive, impressive Eataly I’d shopped at during my last visit didn’t seem so impressive this time--perhaps due to the availability of all at the smaller markets around town. Fun to see and experience anyway.

Found the nearby Protestant Cemetery whose entrance was hidden down a narrow street. It was constructed in 1732 to provide burials for Rome’s non-Catholic residents. Countless European and North American poets, artists, and scholars settled in Rome around that time. You might wonder why anyone would visit a cemetery, but this is a quiet oasis and some of my favorites--Keats, Shelley and, for some reason, Goethe--are buried here. I loved walking through the narrow paths and reading the gravestones, some engraved with not only names and dates, but also with poems and narratives of the person’s life.

Just opposite the Keats grave I was able take in the Pyramid, a focal point of the area--even the metro stop is named after it. This is an actual pyramid constructed among the Roman ruins. It’s the tomb of the wealthy magistrate Caius Cestius Epulone and was built just before 12 B.C., the year of his death and shortly after the Roman Empire’s conquest of Egypt, at a time when anything to do with the culture of that new province was extremely fashionable in Rome.

I found my way back to the market I’d enjoyed the day before, had a yummy sandwich, and then trekked back to the apartment for a quick rest and change of shoes.

I’m finding my schedule shifting here--getting up later and staying out later. So at 3 pm, I decided it was high time to cross the Tiber and do some shopping. I wanted to view as many leather stores as possible (purses, anyone?) and just enjoy the fashion choices, food choices and people watching. I wasn’t disappointed. Found some of my favorite tops for as little as 20 euros and got some purse ideas.

Walking next to the Tiber with St. Peter's in the distance

By 6 I was back at the apartment for a shower, another change of shoes and off to meet Anne in front of her workplace. We crossed the Colosseum’s plaza, found a tiny alley leading to a restaurant where friends Carole and Kelly had made 7:30 dinner reservations. It was their last night in Rome, and how could we not celebrate our simultaneous Roman holidays? Such a wonderful gift to experience Rome, and crossing paths with friends from back home was simply delightful. Excellent food and company. Grazie, you two!

We parted around 9:30 and Anne and I strolled home. Rome at night is gorgeous. Monuments and ruins are lit, the streets are filled with people savoring the sights. We smiled at the Turtle Fountain and enjoyed a glass of wine nearby. Then the 20 minute walk along the river got us home around midnight. No wonder I can’t stop smiling

At night pictures are projected onto Roman ruins

We laughed, thinking it looked like this guy was viewing his cellphone

Fun fashion we saw through nighttime windows