The next morning we got up to get a look at the major Rome attractions before all the other tourist started to mill about. It worked great. Excuse the athletic gear. We were on the fence if we wanted to make this a morning run, as you can see by the pastry breakfast we decided against the run.
We had a big day of eating ahead of us. Our first food foray into the day was a tour of the area we were staying. Trastevere has become the hip, trendy, gentrifying area of Rome lately. It’s the Brooklyn of Rome. So we walked around eating ourselves sick. Food tours tend to cost a small fortune, but wow do they fill you with more to eat than you can stomach. Cookies from a 40 foot conveyor belt. Homemade Suppli. Porchetta. Fresh pasta and a wine list the size of a cinder block. And for dessert an ancient artifact in a cellar. While we were waiting on our dessert to finish cooking, they took us to the restaurant cellar and explained that someone managed to find a six foot bronze horse hanging out. Only a couple thousand years old. It is now in a museum.
After a long nap, we headed to our pasta making class. We loved the class in Barcelona and had high hopes about this one.
It was a blast. We had an incredible view of Rome from our rooftop cooking station. We had hilarious company from a couple of Canadians and an older guy from Dallas. The guy from Canada, with Italian heritage, managed to completely botch his pasta. Ours turned out great but Elizabeth was better. I’m hoping this gets me out of our kitchen so often. We made ravioli and a long pasta.
Both were really good. We had so much fun talking I forgot to take any pictures of the finished product.
Our final day in Rome was back to the Vatican. It was a Wednesday and Elizabeth had an appointment with the Pope. I had decided to sleep in while Elizabeth went the recommended 2-3 hours early to grab a sit in the summer sun. And wouldn’t you know it, good things come to those who wait.
After sleeping in an additional 2 hours, I decided to show up right at showtime. While I’m walking up, Pope Francis is driving around in Pope-mobile. As you can see from the pictures, I within about 10 feet of the Holy one. Somehow Elizabeth knew this was going to happen and reconciled that I probably needed to see him more than she did.
Here is Elizabeth’s best picture. Pretty good.
Here is my picture. I think you can tell the improvement in quality.
The rest of our day involved pizza, pasta, and packing for Naples and Croatia. We were leaving Italy and headed to the Balkans. We would finally get the beach time I though I needed.
cornetravel 
Popes and pasta. Sounds like Italy was a success!
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