Yesterday was a pretty lazy day. I was not feeling well (bad sore throat and incipient head cold) so we tackled a number of chores and chilled most of the day. We found a place to take our laundry, bought some groceries, went out for panini at lunch and took several short walks. I napped in the afternoon and made us some pasta for dinner.
This morning I felt better although still not 100%. I am really hoping this does not turn into a full fledged cold.
We set off this morning with bags of laundry and our first stop was the Laundromat. It seemed to be your usual self-service laundry but it seems there is an attendant who does it all for you including folding everything. When we picked it up at about 4:30 pm everything was neatly placed in the bags we arrived with and they even returned €2 as the drying time was shorter than estimated. What a deal!
Near to the laundromat, we found a bar for breakfast. The cappucini were delicious as was my frutti di bosco (mixed berry) croissant. We then hopped on the tram and then a bus and made our way to Piazza Venezia where the Vittorio Emmanuele II monument is located.
The humongous white marble structure is often referred to as “the wedding cake” because of its multi-layered similarity to such a confection. It is home to Italy’s tomb of the unknown soldier. We had never been inside the monument but it turns out it has a number of museums and special exhibit space. There are also great views from the many levels of the structure, all of which are free except the elevator to the very top. We balked at paying €7 to go up top but enjoyed the exhibits on the history of the Italian army, the unification of Italy and Fausto Coppi, the latter a bicycle racer who was the Lance Armstrong of his day.
The exhibit on Coppi was especially interesting. He was born in 1919 and began winning major races in 1938. He continued to compete and win for twenty years. He won the Giro d’Italia four or five times and the Tour de France twice. He even won both in the same year, an incredible feat given that they are held almost back to back. In 1960, after returning from an African hunting trip, he developed a massive infection and died. If not for that he might have continued to win races.
There was a lengthy film about Coppi that included lots of race footage from throughout his career. The thing I found the most interesting is how similar it all looks to today’s tours. There were the same screaming crowds, the same film crews on motorbikes and cars right behind the riders, and the same routes through villages, countryside and up mountain passes. Major differences included unpaved roads (especially in the mountains) and spare tires wrapped around the riders shoulders so they could repair their own punctures. Just like today the riders were all tall, lanky men.
After we finished at the Vittoriano complex we walked towards Campo dei Fiori and found a small restaurant for lunch. The old streets are great for meandering around and we did that for a while. However, early afternoon is not the best time for that as so many shops are closed. We decided we need to go back another day in the morning when it will all be much livelier.
Continuing our exploration of the Rome bus system, we hopped on a bus that took us about halfway back to where we catch the tram back to the Ponte Milvio neighborhood. We made a stop at the Ferrari store and then walked over to the Spanish Steps where we hopped on another bus. We transferred to the tram and soon were back near the laundromat and on our way home with clean clothes.
The weather today was mixed. It started out looking like rain but the minute we walked out the door we knew that even windbreakers over t-shirts was too much. The windbreakers spent most of the day in a bag being carried. It did rain a big early on but by late afternoon it had cleared off and was even less humid.
This evening after we got back the same cat that had made itself at home on the hood of our car came by and spent several hours trying to convince us he would make a good house kitty. His pathetic me look is pretty good but he is far to well fed not to have a place of his own.
Tomorrow we will be exploring some of the catacombs.
P.S. Pictures will be posted separately as it seems to be easier that way.
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