You may be wondering why I chose that title. You see, Rome is nick-named “The Eternal City” and an entire day spent walking around, is like a moment in time for this magnificent city. One could pass years here and not scratch the surface; a few years more, and one might be able to tackle the many underground sites there to discover. Today, Anara and I would tick off the Colosseum and a small bit of Palatine Hill- the Heart of the Ancient-est parts of Rome. It was there that the fabled Romulus gave birth to the city.

For centuries the rich, the slave, the wealthy and poor came to worship their gods and participate in city affairs. Today, there are only remnants of the once-grand-beyond-the-wildest imaginations-of-today. But, they still yet suffice in painting a picture of what once was and invite the visitor to wonder what life might have been like for the Romans who called this hill home.

As we entered the Palatine Hill area, we had to show our tickets, which by now we’d learned how to use. Luckily at the Colosseum, the ticket window guy showed us the correct QR code and from then on we were good to go for the remainder of the day. Huzzah! Passing under not one, but two giant arches we entered the main grounds of the area. Honestly, I just wasn’t prepared for how big this place was or how much history and story there was to cover there. But we got a nice taste and took our time seeing a few of the highlights.

Many of the ruins are those of once grand homes built by aristocracy who incorporated personal temples, fabulous gardens, fountains, etc… Most of our time was spent in the Gardens of Farnese just wandering and enjoying the beauty of the green surroundings. I could certainly see why the Family Farnese was so drawn to this lovely space. Even in its by-gone shambles it was peaceful, quiet, and pretty in its own way. After being jostled and crowded “down” at the Colosseum, it was nice to have this little break.

There weren’t many tourists in this area, and we were glad we peeled off “left” after entering the Hill Area. Here’s a map to show you an approximate route for the rest of our day:

With no particular sites we needed to see and no set agenda we wandered to other various sites not really knowing the history of each building yet still enjoying the craftsmanship that was readily apparent, even in the states of disrepair they were in.

I’m sorry, but I don’t know really what each photo even is. It was late in the day, and we’d both petered out on reading the signage. Generally, I like to take a photo of the information as well as the “thing”, but that process fell out the window. Sorry, we lived in the moment and I fell down on the job. By the time we left, it was dusk and we were both beyond exhausted from the miles and miles we’d walked that day. And yet…

And yet, we still had enough zing in our zang to walk to dinner. I had not planned any particular place for this evening, but luckily we had passed a restaurant on the same block as the laundromat earlier that day and thought to ourselves, “Selves, this is where you belong tonight.”

So we did. And holy cow was it amazing!!! We’d been very careful to not splurge often catching coffee and pastries for breakfasts and fast or street foods for lunches. So indulge we did.

The place was absolutely charming in both an antique but chic way. I loved the vines and lights all over the antique brick! It was like dining in a grotto with soft jazz playing and the clang of tableware making things upbeat and fun yet elegant.

The food was simply phenomenal. And best of all…..

THEY HAD PISCO!!!

This liquor is by far my favorite and yet sadly, so few I run into have even heard of it. Give it a try! You may enjoy it too!

I don’t honestly even remember what we had, but but the amuse bouche was amazing! A light raspberry and beet ice- shaped like a raspberry! Say what?!

Here are the photos from our elegant dinner:

On our walk home, we noticed this building and got a nice little chuckle. I suddenly felt so much safer!