Buongiorno from Roma!

It's almost 7 a.m.on a beautiful Saturday morning in the Eternal City, and soon our second day is beginning.  We all arrived effortlessly yesterday morning, following long and sleepless flights. We are staying in a small, traditional hotel in the northern part of the center of Rome. Our hotel, the Hotel Modigliani, provides excellent service and spotlessly clean rooms.  The rooms are typical of European hotel rooms, which is to say small, but our every need is met.  There's a lovely large breakfast room/lounge where I'm working now, connected to the Internet wirelessly, waiting for my first cup of coffee.

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed a very detailed tour of the center of Rome and the Forum with Teresa Ferrari, a very well informed guide.  We walked from our hotel to the center of ancient Rome.  To my surprise, the Forum -- the center of Roman government 2000 years ago -- has had a facelift since I last saw it in 2002.  Then we enjoyed easy access to a large field of rubble, filled in April with blooming poppies. Now everything has been tidied up, and there seems to be much reconstruction (where possible) of the porticoes created by rows of 2000 year old columns.  Clearly much archaeolgical work has been carried out and the foundation outlines of major buildings can now be seen.  Unfortunately, ticket gates have sprung up, and it's no longer possible to simply stroll where Julius Caesar once walked.  The whole thing has a slight tinge of "Disney-was-here" about it.

After walking around half of Rome in the brilliant sunshine (we couldn't ask for better weather!) and coming toward the end of a 36-hour-day, we soldiered on after dark, going to dine at an old and very traditional Roman restaurant last evening.  Da Tullio is located in a small side street off Piazza Barbernini, very near our hotel.  We had reservations for 7:30 and we were the first to arrive.  We enjoyed being looked after by a most charming waiter who spoke English well.  We enjoyed such dishes as osso buco, pasta fijole (bean soup), incredibly good buffalo mozzarella, and many more fine Italian entrees and appetizers.  The house wine at €15 or €20 a bottle was quite good.  It was a fine dinner.

Today we're off to explore the Rome created after the renaissance and to the Vatican for a tour.  Check back tomorrow for our next report.  We're posting pictures at our Facebook page (the link is here).

The Touring Club in Rome

Some photos from our dinner at DaTullio