Taking it easy in the morning has become a way of life for us, and we are both comfortable with not rushing off anywhere if we can help it. This morning we had no real plan because I remember from 2018 that it can be very difficult to get around town with the streets blocked off. We walked over to the top of the Spanish Steps to watch the race for a while but really wanted to get closer so we walked down the steps (where the police are still enforcing the no-sitting rule) and stood right at the lovely boat fountain to watch, clap and cheer as the racers passed.

I mostly clapped and cried. I find the purity and focus of their obvious efforts overwhelmingly, humanly beautiful. There were 11,000 runners in this Rome Marathon, all shapes and sizes, all going for a goal. Inspiring.

We had a 1:00 lunch reservation at the highly rated Colline Emiliane.

We got there with no detours being just on the right side of the race route, so we strolled around the area a bit. The lunch was awesome. I started with erbazzone, a spinach pie you often see in bakery counters. Theirs was, of course “elevated” into 2 small hand pies with a rich pastry and a perfectly seasoned green filling. Ken started with a plate of delicious salmi from Piacenza with special crackers called Strega. Next I had duck with orange sauce which i enjoyed and Ken had the tagliatelle with Bolognese ragu. Both excellent. Lunch was doubly fun because an Italian Dad and son (who are living in Miami) were sitting next to us and great conversation ensued. The wines by the glass the waiter paired with our dishes were really perfect. The excellent dessert, which looked like a simple, homey cake, had so many elements, including custard, cookie crumbs, and jam. was fantastic. We left there quite happy.

After a quick stop at the Coop, we came home for rest time.

For the afternoon we went to The Capucin Crypt. We took the audio guides and that helped us understand what we were seeing. Before going into the actual crypt there is a small museum explaining the order of the Capucins. It included a stirring portrait of St Francis, by Caravaggio. The crypts themselves are 6 small chapels where human bones and mummies are used for decoration. The detail is fascinating; even the light fixtures are made from small human bones.

Home again, still so full from lunch we had a little picnic in the kitchen and went to bed.