Finally got some more done, will try to finish up within the next couple days...Cecilia picks me up the next morning for the boat trip. On the way, I ask if she knows where I can buy a new suitcase. My suitcase was older, and I had thought it might be the last trip for it, but that long walk from the train station the first day, all on cobblestones and uneven sidewalks, had done it in. One wheel hadn’t come off, but it was quite loose, and I wanted to replace it rather than take a chance and having it completely fall off in the middle of the train station. She knows of a place and will take me there after the boat trip.

It’s a little challenging for me getting on the boat, especially since the boat moved when I first put my foot on the bow to get in. It’s obvious the guys there are used to this kind of thing, and they help me in and out of the boat. The trip was great. Of course, wonderful views of the cliffs from the water, and they go in several of the caves. When entering one, the driver tells everyone to put their camera on video for this cave, and he was right. Beautiful! Note that the trip was 35 Euro and had to be paid in cash. Puglia has not joined other places where a credit card is the only way to pay. There were a couple of other instances where cash was required, plus others where I paid cash for a very small amount.

When Cecilia picks me up after the boat trip, she has found out that the luggage store doesn’t open until 5:00 pm, but she drives around to it to show me where it’s located, then drops me off at the apartment. A little later, I go out to get some lunch at Frume. I had read about their focaccia and had passed it a couple days ago. I get the Focaccia Barese. Definitely a yum! Mostly sundried tomatoes, and I’m not sure what else. I wander back towards Piazza Garibaldi, doing a little window shopping and just wandering before heading back to the apartment.

Later, I head over to the luggage store. When I get there, the sign actually says they open at 5:30, so I have a wait. When 5:30 rolls around, there is no sign of anyone coming to open the store. There is an apartment building next door, and numerous people have come in and out, so I ask a woman about the store. She doesn’t speak English, but I point to the store and give a questioning look. She nods her head, indicating that it would be opening. So I wait. I really don’t want to leave, because I’m afraid my suitcase won’t last. Finally, a man comes and opens up at 5:50. Guess the opening time listed was just a suggestion! I’m glad I didn’t give up, because I’m able to get what I want.

I leave early for dinner so I can walk down to the wall overlooking the water. Then I go to Porta Picc, Via Anemone. This is where I had trouble getting the reservation, and I notice that there is now a long list of reservations that wasn’t there before. The only thing I can figure out is that he didn’t want to give a reservation to a solo diner. This has never happened to me before. I wouldn’t go back there for that reason alone. Dinner starts out nice, though, with a Prosecco welcome drink with olives and taratelli. I follow that with an appetizer of Pepper Mussels. Yum! Then, Fritto Misti. This looks good but really wasn’t wonderful, it needed some sort of sauce for dipping. The meal ends with a complimentary small biscotti with a small glass of red dessert wine. Another yum! I go back to Begula again for my limoncello.

The next day is my last day in Polignano a Mare, so I do some packing before going out for some lunch. I wanted to go back to Millenium for another one of those fantastic sandwiches, but they are closed. Right across from that is Al Buc Preferito, a pizzeria that serves pizza at lunch! I’ve never had the Italian Lemon Soda, but of course it’s very hot again and it sounds good. It is. The pizza has tomato, mozzarella, pancetta & French cheese. Delicious!

I’m right next to the bridge, so I walk over for another look at the view before heading back into the Old Town to go to the local-food shop. The owner is there this time, and she speaks a little English and helps me get what I want, both the cruschi ready to eat and a ground form to cook with. There’s a bench just outside the shop, so I sit down so I can write down what she said before I forget it. They do have a lot of other items that looked good, but I only have so much room in my suitcase. I go back and finish packing (and to be in the air conditioning!), on the way stopping at Bella Blu at the end of my street for gelato. The cherry was delicious!

Dinner is at Casa Mia Trattoria & Pizzeria, right on Piazza Garibaldi. I start with Salmon Carpaccio with Guacamole and Sweet & Sour Onion. It’s beautifully presented in a clear round glass that sits on its side and is a yum. Then I have Cod cooked in oil with ‘nduja power, a sauce & green oil. Also a yum! Back to Begula for limoncello. The large frames I mentioned earlier are all covered with red, blue, yellow & green lights. Gorgeous, so glad they’re all turned on the day before the festival.

The next morning, I’m off to the train station (Cecilia had arranged for a taxi). I tend to get to the station with plenty of time to spare, so I had time waiting for the train. All of a sudden, I hear an announcement that there will be a train strike on the 16th. Oh no, that’s the day I will be going from Bari to Rome! I’ll have to look into this when I get to Bari. I’m just glad I heard that announcement; otherwise, I would not have known.

Hi SusanP, just catching up on your report. Since you began writing it, my mom (in her early 80s) and I decided to take a trip to Italy together in a couple months. She hasn't been in about 15+ years and has slowed down considerably since her last trip. I'm 30 years younger and can walk for hours on end, so I'm trying to plan a visit that doesn't overtax her/make her miserable. I look forward to reading about the rest of your journey.

I have been so busy writing my own trip report, I missed this!!! I am about half way through and loving it. I love Baroque architecture so Lecce will be the n my list. I am waiting to see if you made it to the Bernini!

Leely, keep in mind that you can take more taxis than you normally would if your Mom needs it. Don't miss the chance to travel with her! My Mom & I went to London & Paris when she was 80 and had a wonderful time.

Kelsey, more to come.😁

This is wonderful, SusanP! Off to Google cruschi...

Good idea about the taxis, and thank you for the encouragement. I bet visiting London and Paris with your mom was meaningful for both of you.

Thank you, TDudette. Check out ekscrunchy's report about Puglia for more on cruschi.

Leely, yes, great memories of that trip with my Mom!

Leely, I went to Italy with my Mum in 2019 when she was 81, it was fantastic.
We talk about it often, it was a great shared experience.

Susan, about that train station announcement - that’s one thing that bothers me with solo travel, I’m quite deaf and announcements in airports / train stations / on trains are impossible for me to hear. So I always have some anxious moments wondering what is going on.

Adelaidean, I understand what you mean. I'm deaf in my right ear due to a tumor. Fortunately, I hear fine with my other ear, except when someone is sitting on my left, has a rather soft voice, and there is a lot of extraneous noise. Of course, there is when you're in airports. I often can hear that they are announcing something but can't make out what it is. On the other hand, when I ask someone nearby what they said, they almost always say they couldn't hear it either! In this case, there was no train pulling in right at that moment, so not too much extraneous noise, and the announcement was actually quite clear. Lucky!
Here's some more.

Once in Bari, I take a taxi to Room 56—Le Dimore on Via Abata Gimma. The host, Michele, had sent a WhatsApp message yesterday asking what time I would be arriving. I was not surprised that the room wasn’t ready, figured it was too early. Michele shows me around and gives a suggestion for a restaurant for dinner that’s close and offers to give more if I like. I ask about Al Sorso Preferito, which is supposed to be the best place to get Spaghetti all’Assassina, and he agrees it’s good for that. I drop off the luggage and look for somewhere to get something to eat. Just around the corner was Semplice Café, where I got a pastry. It was good, but really like a cream-filled doughnut that I could get at home. I’m not immediately loving Bari, just seems like any city. However, the hotel is not far from the Adriatic, so I walk over to check things out. Teatro Margherita is right there, but it’s closed. Then there it is, that beautiful blue water! Lots of sailboats out on the water.

Continuing on along the water, I’m sort of looking for the street where Al Sorso Preferito is located, thinking that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to sort of know where I’m going later, and I can make a reservation. I do find it and do that, then work my way back to the hotel by the route I think I’ll want to take. It’s a little late for lunch, but I need a little something, and there is a focaccia place right across the street from the hotel, so I go there. It is terrible! I didn’t think you were supposed to find bad focaccia in Puglia!

Back at the hotel to check in, the room is large and has a large complete kitchen as well, cooktop, lots of cupboards & counter space, even a wall oven. It’s way bigger than a lot of the kitchens people are looking at in apartments in “House Hunters International”! I was surprised at the size of the kitchen, especially since this is a hotel, not an apartment (actually, I didn’t really remember that it had a kitchen, I booked it because of location and an elevator). The only complaint is that breakfast wasn’t very good, some things were stale. It’s well located, not only close to the water, but also not far from the Old Quarter.

Later, I’m off to Al Sorso Preferito on Via de Nicolo. I had read glowing reviews of Spaghetti all’Assassina, so I knew what I was going to order. Hmmm…I don’t get it. It wasn’t as spicy as I expected, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it really doesn’t have much flavor and is just so dry! I was hungry, so I ate it, but definitely not my favorite meal! Not sure what I’m missing, as I see the waiters delivering lots of it to other tables. I do have room for dessert and order the Tartufo Nero, which was delicious.

My plan the next morning is to go to the Old Quarter. It’s quite amazing what a difference a few blocks can make! Totally different feel here. Like in Polignano a Mare’s Old Town, everywhere you look, you want to take a picture. I’m headed first to Basilica di S. Nicola. There is a wedding party out in front taking pictures of everybody. Beautiful arrangements of white roses on stands when I enter. Another beautiful church, and the ceiling is fantastic, with paintings all surrounded by gold. Also a large statue of S. Nicola.

I move on to Bari Cathedral (Cattedrale di San Sabino). When I get over there, I decide to have lunch before going in. Up until now, my pet peeve at restaurants has been that they only have the large liter size of water. Normally, who is going to drink that much water with their meal? I have a new one now, though, and it’s that they don’t have an actual menu, the only one available being one that you get by scanning their Q code. I can rarely get this to work, plus when I finally do, it is a very limited menu, and they don’t have the one thing I was going to order, plus the guy there wasn’t very friendly. I decide to go to a different restaurant across the square, Caffe de Borgo. They also have only the Q code menu (apparently this is the norm for cafes in Bari), but the young lady is much nicer about it. She just shows me the menu on her phone. I have the Caprese di Bufala, which is delicious (and large, big chunks of tomato).

The entry to Bari Cathedral is 7 Euro. The church is much plainer than some but still beautiful. It has a row of columns along each side that are joined at the top by arches. Also has mosaics in the floor up by the altar and partial frescoes at one side of the altar. Near the back is a lovely statue of Maria Assunta with a light blue flowered dress and darker blue sort of shawl with gold stars, as well as two cherubs at the base.

I continue on and come out at the corner of Castello Noremanno Svevo. I had water but was looking for somewhere that might have a restroom (the one at the restaurant where I had lunch wasn’t working). There is a very small sort of hole-in-the wall place right there, so I ask the guy if I can use the toilet. He says only if I have something to drink. I had planned to anyway, so that was fine. I decide to have a Negroni and enjoy it with a view of the castle. Right next door is La Bottega del Detersivo which was interesting, sort of a dollar store with a good deal of the merchandise brought out front. This café was another place that only accepted cash.

I move on toward the entrance to the castle, because my research had showed this is where the ladies are out in the street making their orecchiette. I don’t find anything but then realize that it’s probably too late in the day, so I head back to the hotel and air conditioning!

For dinner, I go to Michele’s recommendation, Piccinni 28 on Via Piccinni, very close to the hotel. I had made a reservation on my way to the Old Quarter this morning, which was a good thing. When you go in, the restaurant is quite small, but when you walk through, their outdoor area out back is quite big. Even so, it was full. I ordered olives/taratelle which was good, although as something to nibble on while waiting for your meal, it was probably enough for two or three people. Then I had Orechiette Barese (pesto, bresaola, stracciatella). Yum!

The next day, I don’t have much planned. After breakfast, I do a little packing and message Michele to ask him to arrange a taxi to the train station tomorrow. I had looked online to see if I could find anything out about the train strike with little success except that some long-distance trains do run (and I hope mine is considered a long-distance train, it’s 4 hours 10 minutes), so I also ask him if there is a list anywhere showing which trains have been cancelled. He says no, I should go to the information desk when I get there, so even though I always get there with plenty of time, I ask to have the taxi come ½ hour earlier than we had discussed, because I don’t know if there will be a long line at that desk.

Later, I go out for a walk and, even though I don’t want a big lunch, I need a little something. Caffe Lucarelli on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II has some really small sandwiches that look good, so I get smoked salmon. It’s delicious, and I follow it with gelato. Just right. I continue on over towards the sea and, as usual, enjoy the view of the beautiful water. Of course, it’s very hot, certainly over 90, so after a while, I go back to the air conditioning and finish packing.

I don’t have plans for dinner but had noticed a couple of places down the first cross street, so I decide to check them out. I pick one at random, Argiro 52. They have a covered outdoor area with maybe a dozen tables, but they all have reserved signs on them or are already full, but maybe they have something inside, so I ask the guy if he has a table for one. He indicates to wait just a couple of minutes, and at the same time, they bring out a couple more tables to go along the side of the covered area, so I get a table. They continue to bring out more tables, and more tables, and more tables! They fill in the block, another 40 or 50 tables.

For an appetizer, I order Caciocavalla al forno con pomodorini, origano, sale & olio evo. Another wow, definitely a yum! If I were going to be here another night, I would come back to have it again! I follow it with Tonno Rosso Scottato su schiacciata di potato viola e granella di pistachio. Another yum, and I realize I’ve never had red tuna before. There hasn’t been anywhere right around here to go where you can just order a drink, so I have a limoncello here. Very good choice for my last night in Bari.

The next morning, I get to the train station with lots of time to spare. I notice on the Arrivals & Departure boards, they are showing cancelled trains, so maybe all I have to do is keep checking the board, but it’s too early for my train to show up yet. I hope to find out before then, so I go to the information desk. Of course, since I have so much time, there is only one person ahead of me. The young lady says she can’t tell yet if my train is cancelled, so I ask if the best thing to do is just watch the board, and she says yes. I find it interesting that most of the trains showing cancelled are to Venice and Milan, which are certainly long-distance trains!

Just a minute later, my train shows on the board as leaving on time. Great! I go over to the correct track. There is a train sitting there empty, but it’s a while before mine is scheduled to leave. When it gets to just 10 or 15 minutes before my departure time, it’s still just sitting there empty with no activity. This doesn’t seem good. I notice the other track behind me has a train that people are boarding. Fortunately, I go check this one out. Apparently they changed tracks, it’s the one I need. Good thing I didn’t miss it. Phew! It’s a long ride, we stop completely at one point between stations, and the train doesn’t always seem to be going as fast as usual. Turns out they had to take a different route a couple of times, so we’re about 1-1/2 hour late getting to Rome. I won’t complain, because I’m just glad it wasn’t cancelled.

I get in the taxi line. It’s certainly not any cooler in Rome! I’m going to Palazzo Lupardi Relais on Via Governo del Vecchio, just west of Piazza Navona. The driver goofs up, I don’t think he’s going where he should, and I’m right. We’re a ways down the street from where I need to be. He claims he can’t drive down there, which I’m pretty sure is untrue, but I can see it won’t do any good to argue about it, so I have to walk several blocks. But I make it, and I’m in my favorite place. Always like being back in Rome.

love this! I am enjoying this so much! I haven’t gotten to my little train story, but suffice it to say that when it is hot and there are a lot of stairs, those little trains are worth every penny!

kelsey, I agree! Glad you're enjoying it.

I promise I'm going to finish this! Here's some more.The hotel is in an old building on one floor plus the attic (only way to get to the attic is via rather steep stairs). They had sent me a WhatsApp message yesterday with instructions to get in. This time, there is no problem getting in. The entry area isn’t the best, could use some cleaning, not sure who in the building would be responsible for this, but it doesn’t carry over to the hotel. The elevator is really small, just room for one person and a suitcase and is a little funky, in that when you come out, you are on a tiny balcony outside and have to go through a door to get inside. This is not really a problem, I think it was the only place they had to put it in the old building. The room is nice, a very good size, and they have kept the dark old beams in the ceiling. The only thing is that they have also kept the old stone floor, sort of large cobblestones, which adds a lot to the ambiance but is not very comfortable to walk on! They do provide slippers. Unfortunately, they look to be about a Size 10, and I wear a Size 5, so they are of no use to me (I would likely be tripping on them, much more dangerous than the uneven floor!). This would not keep me from staying there again. Shower is good. Breakfast was very good, not the same thing every day with the pastries. There is someone there in the morning for breakfast, I think maybe ‘til 1:00 pm, but nobody there the rest of the time. You can reach them through WhatsApp, though. They offer to arrange transportation to the airport at the end of my stay, but I already have that reserved and paid for. It’s close to Piazza Navona, always good for me, as that’s my favorite place.

Of course, it’s much later than I thought it would be, so I just do a little shopping! I head over to the Pantheon, stopping at the Tabacchi in Piazza Navona on the way to get some bus tickets. I’ll note here that some buses have new machines where you can tap your credit card or a bus ticket, but I only saw that once. Most still have the old machines where you need a bus ticket, and you have to have them ahead of time. I do wonder if they still have inspectors getting on buses to make sure you have validated your ticket, because how would they know if you used your credit card? These machines are new, I didn’t see any two years ago when I was in Rome.

Anyway, I do a lot of mixed media art and am interested in paper shops (art journals, wax seals, etc.), and there are several over by the Pantheon. I make it to Il Papiro and Cartoleria Pantheon Dal 1910 and pick up a couple of things.

I have to note here that the couple I met in Brindisi who had come from Rome had said it was mobbed. I really didn’t find this to be the case. Yes, there were a lot of people, there always are in Rome, but not mobbed (the busiest route I saw was walking from Piazza Navona to the Pantheon). Of course, I didn’t go to the Colosseum, St. Peter’s, the Vatican Museum, or anyplace like that, so maybe those were mobbed. If I can walk into Piazza Navona and find a spot on one of the benches every time, it’s not mobbed! And in the evening, it wasn’t even close to crowded.

Later, I have a reservation at Tavern Agape, Piazzetta di Vicolo di San Simeone. If you’ve seen “Book Club, the Next Chapter,” this piazza is where the scene was filmed where the ladies have a drink after getting the wedding dress. I find it fun to go to places I’ve seen in a movie! I start with Zucchini Blossoms filled with anchovies & cheese. Yum! Then I have Coda alla Vaccinara (oxtail stew). It’s delicious, almost as good as mine! Full disclosure, for those of you who remember Franco, who used to post a lot and often included recipes, I use his recipe, which is fantastic!

Then I do one of my favorite things in Rome, go back to Piazza Navona for a limoncello and to watch the people and the fountains (and formerly, the artists, although there are a few there). My favorite café, Café Barroco, was bought out over Covid. When I was there two years ago, the new owners were not very customer-friendly. They wouldn’t let you sit in the front row by the piazza unless you were having dinner, even though there was only one table doing that at 10:00 at night! I felt like telling the new young manager that I had been coming there since before she was born (an exaggeration, but not that much of an exaggeration!). This time, I’m wondering if it has been bought out again. They’re much friendlier. I get talking to the young waitress, telling her how long I had been coming here and how I knew the waiters before it was sold. She’s very friendly, and we talk a lot, as well as with a young waiter, who for some reason I get the impression is her brother (not sure about that). When they bring my limoncello with ice, I have to tell them I don’t want ice (which just waters it down), and it should be kept in the freezer. I have to note that this happens several times, and I realize that I have to tell them no ice when I order it, not just here, but other places as well. This is definitely a new development. Never ran into that before in my many visits.

The next day after lunch at Pasquino Bistrot, just down the street from my hotel (Burrata Bruschetta with pistachios & dry tomatoes, delicious), I’m off to Via Monterone (off Corso Vittorio Emanuele II right near Torre Argentina) for the office and starting point for the golf cart tour. The company is Biga. As mentioned above, I think you can book it through Viator, but it’s better for them if you go to their website and book direct. I’m taking the tour to the Appian Way & Catacombs, but they also have other offerings. I like the company. I’d never have taken a golf cart tour but did so because of the recommendation of the couple I met in Brindisi. So glad I did. It was a very easy way to see these spots, since I always want to include things I haven’t done when I go back to Rome. And after somewhere near 90 days in Rome, there is always more!

There is a little glitch, only for me, when the earpiece for the commentary during the ride only fits the right ear because of its configuration, because I don’t have any hearing in that ear. No problem, the guide says I should sit up front with her where I will be able to hear her without it. She is great. There is commentary all along, a stop at Circus Maximum for a photo op, and it doesn’t matter that I have seen most of the stuff along the way. We then have a photo op at the most ancient spot of the Appian Way. We get to St. Sebastian, where we will go down into the Catacombs. I ask our guide just how many steps there are. She can’t give me even an approximate number, but I assure her I can do it if there are railings, which she confirms there are.

Of course, the Catacombs are really interesting, and the guide is extremely informative (you can only use their on-site official guides). I’m really glad I did this. When we come back up, our guide asks me if there were too many stairs. I say yes, of course, but I’m fine!

Now that we’re back up in the sanctuary of St. Sebastian’s, we can go over and get a good look at Bernini’s last sculpture. It’s as beautiful as all of his work and I’m so glad I got a chance to see it. It’s the head and shoulders with slightly raised hands of Jesus. It has a really interesting story. It was only discovered in 2001 in the convent annexed to St. Sebastian’s. It seems incredible that it was sitting in storage for all that time! It was studied for five years to authenticate that it was by Bernini. It was to go to Queen Christina of Sweden (also thought to be Bernini’s lover), and the one hand has a “bridge” of marble between a couple of fingers that is assumed to be present to prevent breakage, because it was going to be shipped to Sweden. Queen Christina decided that she couldn’t accept such a valuable gift. Very cool sculpture and very cool story!

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Sorry for the long time before finishing this! Here's the rest:

St. Sebastian’s also has a statue of the saint where he is laid out with arrows piercing him. There is also Jesus’ footprints from where he appeared to Peter on the Appian Way, as well as a gorgeous ceiling. Moving on to Church Quo Vadis, a very small church where we are the only people, there are beautiful frescoes of Jesus and St. Peter. On the floor when you walk in is the section of the Appian Way where those footprints came from.

Later, I go to Osteria del Cappellari for dinner. The Carciofa Judea is delicious (I always love those!) and the pasta, Mezze Mediniche ala Gricia, is fantastic. Yum! I’m tired, so I have my limoncello there as well.

The next morning, I’m on a search for the very large marble foot. This is something I had looked for a couple of times a long time ago with no success. This is another thing I saw on “Book Club, The Next Chapter,” when the ladies walked by it. I googled it and found it was on Via del Pie di Marmo where it meets a smaller alley, Via di Santo Stefano del Cacco. Easy enough to find that point, but at first I walked right by it because I was focused on the ground. Turns out this isn’t the one I’m looking for at all. It’s much smaller and sits on top of a stone ledge. If anyone knows where the really large marble foot sitting on the ground is located, I’d sure like to know!

It’s very hot, definitely high 90’s. I take the bus over to the Petrocelli stop (close to the Mouth of Truth) to then work my way back across the bridge and through Trastavere, planning to stop for lunch at a restaurant I’ve eaten at several times, Ristorante Cornucopia. I’ve done this numerous times, although not recently. I do remember that the restaurant is a little tricky to find, and I didn’t remember how far it was before reaching it. At one point, I stop to check my map again. It turns out I’m right in front of a police station, and an officer sees me studying the map and asks what I’m trying to find. I show him the name and address of the restaurant, and he points out which way to go from there.

Did I mention it’s very hot? I keep going and figure I have to be very close, but my water is just about gone, I’ve walked a long way, and I decide I’m not going any further. There is a café right there, so I go to a table and ask the waiter if I can please have water right away. At first, he thinks I just want water, but I explain that I plan to eat but need water now. Of course, he agrees and brings me a bottle. This is one time I don’t mind the large bottle! I order the Eggplant Terrine, which is delicious, but I’m really not feeling very well. I’m sure it’s due to the heat. When I go inside to pay, I tell the waiter I don’t feel well and ask if he would please call me a taxi (there’s no way I’m walking all the way back). He instantly tells me to sit down and calls a taxi, saying it will be there in a few minutes. It is, so I get back to the hotel and lie down in the wonderful air conditioning!

I feel much better later and go to Da Baffeto for dinner, mainly because it’s close. It’s on the corner of Via Sora, and even though I’ve stayed at an apartment on Via Sora three times, I’ve never gone there because I don’t like to wait in line. Should probably not have chosen to do so tonight! Anyway, without meaning to, I make a bit of a faux pas here. After a wait of about 30 minutes, I was next in line and the previous diner left, so I went over and sat down. The waiter proceeds to ignore me, doesn’t clear the table or take my order. Hmmm…what’s going on? I finally get his attention and he says he hasn’t done anything because I had sat down without waiting for him to call me over to the table. He seems a bit too irritated for this misstep, but as he clears the table (muttering), I realize he is mad because he doesn’t want to sit a customer at a table that hasn’t been cleared. I apologize profusely and tell him I really needed to sit down because of my knee. He says he would have brought me a chair to sit down while in line! Who knew?

I order the pizza (might have been called Calicionne?), with tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, artichokes & sausage. They bring the wrong thing, a different one called the Da Baffetto, with the same toppings plus an egg. I like eggs, but not on my pizza. I have no idea whether this was deliberate because he’s still irritated, but decide not to make an issue of it. I can never eat the whole thing anyway, so I easily work around the egg, and it’s delicious. When I go inside to pay, I apologize again and ask him if he’s still mad at me. He is obviously surprised to have me ask that and sort of smiles and says no.:)

I walk over to the Piazza Navona for my limoncello. The young waitress isn’t here this time, but as usual, I just enjoy watching what’s going on.

The next day, I have a cooking class booked at Roscioli Rimessa. This was a great class. We made two kinds of pasta, three sauces, meatballs & tiramisu. They are very focused on wine and have a sommelier who gives background information on each wine. We have five wines, a different one with each dish. Fun! They actually have a wine club, way too expensive for me, but if you take the class, you can ship a half case of wine home, and the box has room for a bottle of olive oil and a bottle of balsamic vinegar, so I decide to do that. I don’t have it yet, because they don’t ship in the summer because with the heat, they can’t guarantee the quality of the wine. Something to look forward to! By the time we finish eating, it’s almost 5:00, so I don’t need any dinner.

On my last day, it’s very hot, 98. I want to get some cheese to take home. I always go to Volpetti’s on Via Marmorata in Testaccio, but they now have a branch on Via d. Scrofa, just east of Piazza Navona. Since my favorite restaurant for lunch in Testaccio has closed (didn’t survive Covid), I decide to go to the new one. On the way, I pass the Bibliotech Angelica, which I’ve tried to go to numerous times, but it’s always closed. Now the door is open, but when I look at the long stairway, I decide not to do it. On to Volpetti’s, of course it’s at the far end of Via d. Scrofa. It might have been shorter to walk to the bus stop and take the bus to Via Marmorata!

After dropping the cheese off back at the hotel, I take the bus over to the Cordonata, the stairway up to the Capitoline Museum and the Senate building. If you walk around the Senate to the right, it’s the best view of the Forum, and you see a little of the Colosseum as well. It’s a broad, shallow stairway, but it’s so hot! I do make it to the top but, since my water is getting low, I don’t stay long. I get the bus back, and the stop is at the northern end of Piazza Navona, so I sit down at the first café and order water. I think the waiter took one look at me and decided I needed it quick! After that, back to the hotel and air conditioning!

My last dinner is at Old Bear, a favorite of mine because I love their mussels. It’s on Via dei Gigli d’Oro, just north of Piazza Navona. As usual, the Mussels in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Bread Croutons is a yum! The bread is not really croutons, it’s more “fingers.” It’s a good-sized serving, so I know I won’t need another course but might have room for dessert. The Dark Chocolate Souffle Cake is another yum. I end back at Piazza Navona for my limoncello. Another wonderful trip to Italy!

Focaccia for lunch. Crazy

It sure was good! 😁

Brava, SusanP!

Thanks!

Thanks for the wonderful report, SusanP. What a marvelous trip, helpful report, and I admire your fortitude during the very hot days in Rome.

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. It really was a great trip! Well, except for the heat!

Susan your report is fabulous!! And you are an ideal traveler, loves to explore, knows how to make friends, great sense of humor, like traveling solo!!
I LOVED this!
That assassin's spaghetti: You, and everyone else I've read, says it is disappointing. OF course I will have to try it, but I've lowered my expectations!
In this photo it does not look terribly dry, but this is a recipe, and you've had it yourself! Did they put cheese on top?

https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/italian-food/italian-dishes/spaghetti-assassina-dish-from-bari-die-for?refresh_ce=

I found it interesting that this says NOT to use the bronze-dried spaghetti, which I always thought was the best quality.....I doubt if I will try to make it at home, though.
There's that typical pasta dish in southern Puglia called Cicere e tria that uses both pasta cooked in water, and friend strips of pasta for the crunch. I was not a big fan when I had it in Lecce; it was kind of bland.



Now we have to scour around for that marble foot on the ground! I can see it in my mind but no idea where.....is it definitely in Rome?