Castel Sant'Angelo

Today, we decided to take the kids along with Don and Dale to the Castel Sant'Angelo. Right on the banks of the Tevere, we'd driven past countless times and seen the castle-like structure illuminated in the evenings. Now it was time to explore inside. This monument was originally constructed at the behest of the emperor Hadrian in 135 AD as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The tomb went on to serve as a prison, a papal palace and then a fortress for the Pope during attacks on the Vatican. Once up on the top floor terrace, you can see a long brick wall with a passageway on top that runs all the way from St. Peter's to the Castel Sant'Angelo and was the escape route used by the Popes.

But first you have to begin the climb to the top. The kids enjoyed running up and around the circular ramp. Once up on around the third level or so, there was an interesting exhibit displaying Italian art and artifacts that had been stolen and then subsequently returned to Italy.

We continued by viewing a "water sports" exhibit which showcased the role and style of swimming and diving over the centuries. This was unfortunately not too interesting. We continued climbing upwards and were rewarded with 360-degree views of the City of Rome. Further still, after a narrow staircase, we found ourselves on the terrace, and next to the winged angel at the top of the monument.

Since there was ample opportunity to run amuck (I mean, around), the kids were happy. Plus, I brought rice cakes! After we made our way back down, it was definitely lunch time.

Josh had the idea of driving over to Prati so that Dale and Don could see another neighborhood. His sense of direction exact, he drove us straight to the lunch place we had visited our first week in Rome on our way to Fregene for the afternoon. The only difference, is now it was 58 degrees and overcast, instead of 110 and sunny. Still, lunch was finished off with a gelato. This time, it didn't melt.

It was time for Avery to take a nap before going to a birthday party later in the afternoon. But first, we dropped the girls with their grandparents for a stroll around Piazza del Popolo and Via del Corso. They made it back to the house on foot through the Villa Borghese -- great navigation by Charlotte.

Josh and I had left to take Avery to the party. The party was being held at another of Rome's exclusive private clubs called the Circolo Antico Tiro a Volo. Again, it was a huge affair. Unfortunately, since the weather was not as nice as last weekend, the party was all inside in a smallish room. Kids were being entertained by a group playing LOUD music, making balloon animals and putting on a puppet show. There was also a seriously professional make-up artist turning children in to monsters, lions, and exotic female characters. None of this "face painting" business like putting a lady bug on your cheek. This was serious art at work.

Avery, still a bit intimidated by the Italian, didn't want to participate much. No make-up for him, thank you. But, he did like the snacks. Little finger sandwiches, and tiny pizzas and...croissants with nutella inside! Josh and I met a few nice people: one Dutch family with twins in Avery's class, another set of Italian parents who spent the past year in Australia, and the swank hosts themselves. But Avery decided he'd had enough and it was time to leave. Too bad the cake had yet to be served, but we weren't going to tip him off to that fact. Still, he was leaving with chocolate eggs (with a surprise toy inside!), lollipops and balloons to share with his sisters so he was happy.

Once home, Morris was cooking up burgers for the kids as the adults were going out to dinner -- a belated celebration of Dale's birthday. We were going to an "up and coming" neighborhood called Pigneto where several restaurants had been written up in the New York times. We chose Pigneto Quarantuno and enjoyed their thoroughly interesting menu. Classic Italian pastas were on offer, but they also had some more unusual and interesting dishes. We ordered a bottle of Barbera d'Asti and shared a focaccia with radicchio and taleggio cheese as well as stuffed violet artichokes to start. Then we shared two pasta dishes including the Roman classic: caccia e pepe. For a main course, we chose a traditional filet and a more intricately prepared dish of lamb rolled with egg and some green leafy vegetable. We had broccolini as a "contorno" and to finish, an apple torte with raspberry sauce and a creme brule. Good food; good wine. We were all happy.