What Do You Do After Laundry?

"Walk" was our answer. We took the Metro downtown to do our laundry in the morning. We returned for lunch in our favourite restaurant. (Ordering spaghetti in Il Ristorante Cinese gets you something different from the conventional Italian dish).

I had wanted to do the Evening stroll through Rome we saw in Rick Steves' book. And since we hadn't actually gone inside the Colosseum as yet, that seemed a good afternoon activity.


First we passed by the Arch of Constantine,


and through the Arch of Titus.


Then we went along the Via Sacra and marvelled at the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum.


The start of the "Night Walk Across Rome" starts in Campo de' Fiori, which was still some distance away. So I suggested a taxi, but Momma, who despite disliking walking, insisted this would be a waste of money.

So at the end of Via Sacra we climbed (did I mention she intensely dislikes climbing?) up and over the Capitoline Hill and around to the front of the Victor Emmanuel Monument.


From here we crossed the Piazza Venezia and turned left. We passed by the Gesu (under wraps as they refurbish it) and came to the Largo Argentina. It's a deep excavation about the size of city block in the middle of a the busy downtown area.

Here we turned left again and paused for Gelati. Then we headed off in search of Campo de' Fiori.

Now the walking begins in earnest, with the Romans, doing their customary evening stroll, joining us. Just the highlights from here. From Campo de' Fiori to Piazza Navona; to the Pantheon;


To the Trevi Fountain,


And, after a quiet dinner and some wandering around, the Piazza di Spagna


and the Spanish Steps.


This should have been the end of a very long walk, but just as we entered the Metro Station there Security closed it down. Again, Momma objected to a taxi ride so we walked under the Quirinale Hill and after several rest breaks, passing by the Baths of Diocletian all the way to Termini. Almost a complete circuit of downtown Roma on foot.

I don't think Momma's feet ever quite recovered from this marathon. "Tomorrow" we are planning to go the the Tivoli Gardens, but Roma had something else in mind.