We left Venice at 7:45 am and arrived in Rome at 3pm. Our first and last stop were a short 10-20 minutes just to stretch the old legs and going to the "Magic Room". The second stop was at another Autogrill roadside restaurant for lunch.
The scenic drive consisted of lots of views of country homes with olive tree plantations, corn fields and vineyards.
The entry into Rome city itself is not that much to write home about. You know you've hit the city when you see apartment blocks and, of course, graffitti. We made good time and avoided the traffic on arrival.
My room is soooo much better here at the Crowne Plaza than in Venice with a large room with two double beds. As is typical in Italian hotels (apparently), there is a bidet in the bathroom.
Went to dinner at a restaurant called "Mino" where we had yet another delicious dinner. Our appetiser consisted of a brucchetta with a slice of rock melon, a slice of ham and some lettuce.
Next, our first pasta dish of tortellini with a creamy mushroom sauce - a small portion thank goodness! It was then time for a small serving of a dish called "Roman Lasagne" - basically a lasagne with a creamy sauce, some mushrooms, small amout of mince meat and small bits of ham. Then it was time for our main course - my choice was the chicken cacciatore with sliced baked potatoes. It was then my favourite part - dessert time. This consisted of a small bowl of sliced strawberries with strawberry gelato on top. All in all a yummy dinner.
While the tortellini dishes were being served, some of the ladies in our group didn't get thier dish. This is because one of the waiters had a little surprise for them. They received their food on a silver plater and recieved a long stem red rose and a kiss from the waiter.
When it was Cheryl's turn she got up the front of the room with the two waiters and got two kisses from each one then, the cheeky woman pinched one of the waiter's backside before they pinched hers back.
It was then Jean's turn. They first asked her husband if he was the jealous type. He immediately replied "No" while readying the camera. The waiter gave Jean the rose, then covered James' face with his serviette. He then pretended to kiss Jean by making kissing noises.
We had a very good laugh tonight. Of course we had the traditional musicians in the restaurant - this tie a clarinet player as well as a guitarist. They were quite good.
After our huge dinner, it was time for our small night time tour of Rome. We drove through the nerveracking Roman traffic past several historic buildings - all lit up. It was quite beautiful to see this side of Rome.
Trevi means where three streets meet - Tre = three, vi = street. The white building behind the famous fountain is called Poli Palace.
We then made our way through the streets again past several historical buildings and ruins including the Colosseum. Our driver next stopped in front of the vatican to allow us to take some good pictures of the Pope's "house" - the light in his private apartment was on so this meant that he was at home.
It was then back to the hotel.
Tomorrow we're doing a walking tour of Rome during the day but it is a simply stunning city by night.
