Last days in Rome

As we are getting to our last days in Rome I have quite a collection of photo and comments I want to squeeze in here. We are leaving very early Saturday morning...for us that means tomorrow...and this morning it was raining in Rome.

I leaned out the window with my cup of coffee to see the umbrellas going by!!

On Wednesday night we went for dinner in a restaurant not far away that is known for its fish. As you pass the restaurant all you see is a stand of fish like at the outdoor markets.... 

when you go into the depths of the restaurant it is like a wine cave in a way dark and cozy...

The entire menu is fish...you can get a serving platter of raw fish as antipasti (I do prefer mine cooked however), or fish with a selection of pasta or something like this which is what I had:

langostinos lightly grilled...just scrumptious. As people were ordering, out in front arrived a new delivery truck with more freshly caught fish! At the next table were these two Italian men and their wives...I had to sneak a shot:

They all went out front for a cigarette break between courses...I think they had all the courses on the menu which I wanted to photograph but did not dare. Would that be considered "voyeurisme?" As we left, I saw a picture of Robert de Niro's visit to the restaurant and then this was parked out in front:

Yes, its a Ferrari but this is Italy after all so do you think it might be a close equivalent to what someone I know refers to as the "state car of Oregon" a Subaru Outback??? ;-)))

Thursday was a beautiful day and we knew rain was coming so we decided to take the electric mini bus 116 on its circular route. Before we left, the street cleaners were out in our neighborhood...this consists of a truck and a fellow walking in front of the truck using a pressure washer to rinse the street.

We crossed over the bridge to this side of the Tiber

where there is a stop for the little bus...

On Via Giulia, around the corner, there is another stop and the street is narrow and much calmer for waiting...

across the street is this little bar where you can go up to the counter and order an espresso while you wait for the bus

 and look up Via Giulia...(that is a large church on the left one of the more than 900 in Rome) :

As you can see the bus is really mini and every time we have taken it we have been lucky to not be packed in. You are very close to everything going by in the street as well...

Like these fellows on the way to work on motorcycles

or this monk checking bus schedules

The bus winds its way through the Centro Storico streets and bumps over cobblestones...it ends up with a beautiful drive through the park Borghese.

Here is a street on the route near the Campo di Fiori market.

I felt like it was a good day to go out and about and just see what was going on in the bigger stores...I didn't really want to do any actual shopping but it is fun to see what is there.

First stop was the large store in the center of the Storico district  La Rinascente in the Galleria Alberto Sordi which is a 19th century mall...you will see that it retains its old look:

The stores are all circled by this open hallway where you can sit and have coffee and look up at the beautiful ceiling

 or down at the mosaic, marble floor...it is really pleasant and calm after the busy street outside.

Not far away is ultra modern Zara filled with young shoppers

I saw this tee shirt there...not sure what the message means actually but I have seen many shirts with English expressions that are puzzling to me...

Fabric, of course, is pretty interesting to me so I could not keep myself from a visit to this amazing fabric store Fratelli Bassetti not far from our tram stop. These two photos are the very smallest part of what is in that store...one of the pictures is the "seta" (silk) room and the other "cotone" cotton...I could NOT make a decision but it was soooo tempting!

Later in the day we went over to the Byzantine church in Trastevere Santa Maria in Trastevere...here are a few photos of the amazing mosaic interior of the church and the marble pillars

Then it was time for a final stroll through the neighborhood.

This looked like a nice pizza for a quick dinner...zucchini blossoms, mozzarella and some anchovy (for JC). Another wonderful color/design combination!!!

If I have time to write en route I will, otherwise I will see you all again in Brittany where I actually speak the language with no problem at all (unless they speak to me in Breton!!!) We have been warned to get our pullovers ready! On verra. A bientot!