A Day of No Expectations

With the hectic two days we have encountered, today was a day of no expectations.    After dinner last night, Logan and I picked up a few bottles of wine and played cards until 3 a.m.  We went to bed intentionally with no alarms set.  That resulted in me rolling over casually to look at the clock and check the time to discover it was 11:00 a.m.  We slept the morning away and we were both okay with that. 

After spending some time catching up on the internet, obviously checking how our fantasy teams did (We are both 1-1) we got ready to head out for the day with the only destination on our agenda being Roma Sparita.  Rather then taking the time to walk because it was already 1, we decided to take the metro to Circus Maximus and walk to lunch.  I am glad we did, because we were dropped off at the top and it was a much better view of the field.

We arrived to what once was Rome’s best kept secrets until Antony Bourdain showcased it on his show, No Reservations.  We knew we both had to go here while in Rome to get the now famous bowl of Cacio e Pepe.    It did not disappoint.  Cacio e Pepe is a simple pasta dish made up of only three ingredients:  butter, parmesan cheese and pepper.  Even though the ingredients are not complex, the flavor was something I’ve never experience.  We took a long lunch enjoying Vino della casa (house wine) of course Cacio e Pepe and grilled calamari.  We finished off the perfect meal with Espresso and Cappuccino.  Beyond the incredible food, we finally got to experience what we have been waiting for, sitting in a restaurant, surrounded by Italians, listening to casual conversation in one of the most romantic languages in history.    This is Roma.

After lunch we began to casually make our way back to the hotel taking side streets all the way.  The venture took us several hours, of course making some stops along the way.  I’ve truly enjoyed popping into shops, window shopping, and making our way back through the streets.  We feel we have taken in all the sites, gotten a taste for the food and now feel ready for our next venture of Florence.  Our final day in Rome was just what we needed to appreciate it for its beauty and leave knowing we saw what we wanted to saw, but missed enough to warrant a trip back in the future.  After all, that is what you wish for at the Trevi Fountain.