So, going back to the beginning, the group all arrived in Rome in good order. We came in on three different flights; two couples arriving in the morning, and two couples in the evening. It worked well, and was more economical, for us to take cabs (2 couples sharing the ride) right to the hotel from the airport. We already knew, thanks to Rick Steves, that the cabs registered in Rome can only charge 48 euros for the ride. Beware of companies saying they'll charge that same rate, but will also need to add 10 or 12 euros for the luggage.
Our little hotel, the Hotel Dorica, is located in the Termini neighborhood - that's the area around the train station. It seems convenient to the sites of the city, but may not be the most charming part of town. The rooms are small, but clean and comfortable. The staff is friendly and helpful. We paid about 120 euros a night - a good value in such a big city.
Dinner the first night was at Antica Boheme, a trattoria recommended by the hotel. It was just around the corner, and we had a good meal. Rick and I shared some rabbit (my apologies to my friend involved in Rabbit Rescue, back in the states), with a plate of cacio e pepe - a simple Roman dish with pecorino and spaghetti, seasoned with, you guessed it, pepper (pepe). Mark and Laurie had a scampi pasta, that had skimpy scampi needing to be peeled. No wonder dinner takes two hours! Becky had minestrone soup. Emmett had spaghetti with clams. John had ravioli. Our bodies were still on Pacific time, so we were essentially having dinner at 10:00 a.m., our time. Some of the group finished off the meal with a glass of grappa. Rick and Mark were already familiar with this lighter-fluid-like beverage. Rick loves to order it in Italy, since it costs about 3 euros a glass here, and several times that in the U.S.
It was a nice evening, so we thought we'd walk to the Trevi Fountain from our hotel. It wasn't very far away, and jam-packed with visitors when we got there. Becky said she'd read that the best time to visit was after midnight, but good luck getting a group of middle-aged tourists to stay up that late on our first night there.
Trevi Fountain
The friendly crowd at the fountain
There must be a million coins in this fountain!
Rick and Kathy plan to be back someday
We had an early appointment with a tour guide the next day, so were off to bed at a reasonable hour - except Becky, John and Emmett, who checked out the beer in our hotel bar.
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