Day 1: Our Story

We conquer the “Old City”, walking the length of Via del Corso Street, and finally end up at the Coliseum, at this point in 32 C. temperature my body hits the brakes and we decide to replenish our strength before taking on the giant. Drinking beers and munching on crostini, we stare at the Coliseum looming over us, just across the street.

We order the self guided audio tours and then run around trying to figure out where the starting point is (as there are no signs). When we ask for directions we receive a lazy wave of the hand motioning us in a very general direction, as if to say “oh you know its there” we stare at the endless rows of arches, “ah, huh.. where?”

Amazingly Ali figures it out; I guess his engineer brain reduces the endless patterns into some kind of map. The coliseum is an awesome place.

We ask the hotel for dinner recommendations (as long as we don’t have too walk far!), the desk clerk draws us a restaurant location on the map-5 blocks away! But, he tells us if we don’t like the food to “send him the check”. So with this strong endorsement and a card with the owners name written on it we find the place, it is a packed sidewalk restaurant. Upon handing them our card we receive a “special service” plate after plate of the most amazing food is rushed out to us, our waiter is dripping sweat as he literally runs between the tables!