Much as we don’t usually use this kind of tour, we hadn’t arranged one for this area ahead of time. Once Larry found out what the entrance fee for the Colosseum and Forum areas was, it turned out that the extra cost for the tour wasn’t all that much, so we picked one and bought our tickets. For 8 Euros each we had a 45 minute guided tour of the inside of the Colosseum as well as over an hour on Palatine Hill, taking a look at the temple ruins and getting an overview of the Forum. We had two very good guides who knew their stuff (comparing their explanations to what we learned last time from our Rome Walks guide), and the second one had a dry sense of humour that added a lot to her commentary. Mitchell in particular was very impressed with this part of Rome - even if they didn’t serve pizza there.
Leaving the Forum area we headed off in the direction of the Jewish Ghetto and the Rome Synagogue. Deciphering the map as best we could - there a lot of small streets and some are not on the map - we found ourselves on a small side street with no name that we could find. Of course, the signs over the restaurants, Nonna Betta’s Kosher Restaurant and Roman Jewish Restaurant, told us we were probably in the right area, so we stopped for lunch. Norm still doesn’t understand how, even in Rome, a kosher restaurant could NOT serve matzoh ball soup! After lunch we set off in search of dessert at the oldest Jewish bakery in Rome - which is also the most well-hidden as we never did find it - and then went to check out the Synagogue. While this is apparently a must-see for Jewish tourists visiting Rome, one apparently must see it during hours of worship, because it was closed. Probably the only place of worship in all of Rome that is not open to the public.
Once we finished there, we needed to get back to the hotel to change so we could come ALL the way back to practically the same corner for dinner, as Norm had been told that we could not miss a visit to the Trastevere district. So, after looking fruitlessly for a cab for a few minutes, we decided to retrace our steps and headed backwards from the Jewish Ghetto, past the Theatre of Marcellus, up to the National Museum and along the Via Nazionale towards the hotel. Except that the road bends around a couple of large buildings part way back and we took the wrong route around it. But every cloud has a silver lining, and although all roads may lead to Rome, all roads in Rome seem to lead to the Trevi Fountain. We found ourselves back at the fountain just when Mitch was getting a little peckish so he and Barb picked up some gelatos to get them through the rest of the trip back. From there it was pretty easy to reach the hotel (even if it was uphill all the way) and we had enough time to shower and change before setting out for dinner.
So we called a cab to take us to a restaurant called Sora Lella in Trastevere - no address because the bar waiter at the Rooftop Patio at the hotel said every cab driver would know where it was - and we, of course, must have got the ONLY cabbie in Rome who had never been there. But no fear, we had a backup plan of three other restaurants we found in our tour book and the local magazine for visitors that is provided in our hotel rooms. So the cab dropped us off at another restaurant just across the river from the Synagogue area and we set out to look over a few options.
We finally decided on a restaurant with a large and busy outdoor patio, and had yet another enjoyable meal. Norm, Barb and Mitch all got their fix of steamed mussels and Monica finally had a plate of pasta - she’d been too busy with Osso Bucco, Calamari and Eggplant Parmagiana up to now. We headed back soon after dinner, since the day’s touring had tired everyone out.
Now we’re all looking forward to boarding the ship tomorrow.
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