So this morning it was an alarm at the ungodly early hour of 8:30 so we could be sorted and ready at the station for our 11:23 train. Breakfast, finish packing, check-out, taxi to train statio  – none of these things can be rushed! It was wet and misty in Florence this morning. Just as when we arrived, so a nice symmetry really.

Mind you, the mist didn’t last as long as it appeared. I wish I could give you photos of the countryside and hill top towns that passed on the way south but cleaning windows is not a priority of the train company. So it all appeared quite misty the whole trip!

As the photo above shows the booking request for a room with a view of the Trevi Fountain has delivered. It’s now 11:00 p.m. And there are still people cavorting around it. I think I will soon fling open the windows and shutters and tell the to buggar off in my best Italian. Or there’s the trusty ear plugs.

Anyway, after checking in and getting sorted, ie unpacked we went and had late lunch at nearby trattoria. Then a walk around and over to Ara Pacis – an altar from around 10 BC now housed in a very beautiful early 21st century building. Piazza Navona had remnants of a Christmas market so not looking its best though the fountain is still glorious. We thought that the Italian troops managed to look alert yet stylish. The hats show them to be Alpini. The carabinieri also looked stylish but perhaps a little less alert – many with phone in hand. Maybe getting orders from HQ……….

Then a walk back as the rain started for a little rest then dinner at the same place as we had lunch. Tonight it was calamari and shrimp for me and prawns for her, a shared tiramisu Roman style, and a limoncello for me. Eccellente.

Buona notte!