We slept late–jet lag and all that.

Out the door and our chosen coffee bar was closed but I did manage to notice the matching masks for the €299 custom shirts in the window next door to it.

After walking a block or so, Ken realized he’d forgotten his contact lens so he went back upstairs to put it in. While waiting for him I noticed this plaque just outside our building’s door:

It seems the writer, Nikoli Gogol, lived in this building and there is a small museum for him on the first floor .

So off we went, in search of an apron. I thought we would just wander and find places but that did not work and before we knew it, we had almost walked in a big circle. So, I came upstairs to change my clothes. It was a really beautiful and warm spring day. We took off again looking for a specific home goods shop but we never found it. And, frustratingly, we whizzed past many places I would have liked to pause but we were hurrying for our lunch reservation. Lunch at Armando’s was wonderful except I got confused and we were a half hour late. Totally embarrassed, we sat down and the glasses of prosecco helped me get more comfortable. The meal was delicious, of course. We started with a simple hot artichoke; their olive oil is always the best there and it perfectly complemented the artichoke. Then, we both had our favorites: for me spaghetti Alla Gricia and for Ken All’Amatriciana. We next shared the veal saltimbocca with the pretty sage leaf toothpicked onto the prosciutto and thin sauteed veal. I drank a glass of very interesting Rosato wine with it. Before we left, we made 2 more reservations for next week. Looking at the Pantheon after lunch we couldn’t help but notice the crowds. The line for the Pantheon was all the way through the piazza and more. The tourism drought seems to be over.

We backtracked from there to via Scrofa to stop at the small Volpetti shop and the bakery next door for some dinner provisions. Walking home we passed 2 major columns first the Obelisk of Montecitorio and then the Column of Marcus Aurelius:

I looked up the history of these when we got home. The Obelisk was brought to Rome, from Egypt, in 10 BC by Augustus. Marcus Aurelies’ is from 193 AD, modeled after Trajan’s and is all about military victories.

We came back home for a good rest time and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. We unpacked the goodies from Volpetti (prosciutto and mortadella) and the nearly stale rolls for dinner. I had also grabbed some delicious cooked cauliflower and greens at a tiny slow food to go place but I doubt I could ever find it again. All of that with some red wine and we had a feast. I thought we would go out again after dinner but we are a little too jet lagged and so that was it.